Where do the Presidential Candidates stand with Animal Advocacy?

December 29, 2007 written by Roni McCall

The 2008 Presidential Candidates are constantly bombarding us with phone calls, snail mail, representatives at our doors which has only lead me to be more and more confused about who should I vote for.  Since one of my major concerns is about animal advocacy I decided I should research the candidates based on their history with animals.

My non-profit is all about animal cruelty. We don’t expect orthodoxy. And we certainly don’t expect people to be agreeing with us on everything about animals.  Generally, I believe a candidates religion and candidates families are off limits...but there are some aspects of history that are pertinent.  Any indication of a family tolerance for malicious animal cruelty sets of alarms for me...and when it has policy implications on animal cruelty issues then I believe we have the right to know where the candidates stand on animal cruelty issues.

I believe more and more Americans are interested in the humane treatment of animals.  Independent polls and others have shown rising support for animal protection for more than a decade.  Humane education has become a legitimate issue in schools, cruelty-free products have increased and the major media now frequently report on animal welfare issues.  Traditionally presidential candidates have ignored animal issues in the past and it is easy to say there are more important issues facing our country but I believe that compassion starts with our animals and extends to humans.  So if one lacks an interest in animal welfare are they indications of a lack of compassion for humans.

The War in Iraq plays a big factor in animal advocacy because to support the war aren't we supporting the continued killing of innocent victims, both animal and human?  Don't get me wrong - I don't like the war and wish it would end.  I think our soldiers are heros - even if they never fire a gun or see "action".  Why - because they give up so much to defend our freedoms.  I also believe for someone to become a soldier it is their decision and the same is true for someone who chooses not to become a soldier - that doesn't make them less of a hero either.  A good example for me is a cousin of mine - he chose not to become a soldier, while others of mine have chosen to do so.  The cousin who did not go to Iraq chose so because of his young son needed him - thats a hero to me also.

Another big factor is the Second Amendment and the looming legal battle over the meaning of the constitutional right to bear arms, not merely the right to organize a militia.  Does this then say that these candidates support hunting.  A recent report from the US Fish and Wildlife Services states that hunters now represent 5.5 percent of Americans 16 years and older, while wildlife watchers outnumber them by almost 6-to-1, making up 31%.

Another issue for me is our environment.  Our organization rescued 3 cats this year who died from environmental toxins.   What are we doing polluting our drinking water by changing what is an acceptable level of arsenic or with the run off from farm animals. What pollutants are getting into the food we eat both human and pet, need I remind you all of the tainted pet food problem from this past May or the number of daily recalls for beef.  Yesterday the news here in NH reported that a dairy farm had agreed to suspend operations because two people died from milk contaminated with listeria bacteria.

As the elections of 2008 near, I think it is fitting for us to remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated".

However I can say at this writing that I'm still just as confused and don't know who I'm going to vote for.

Having said this, here are how the Presidential Candidates regard animal advocacy.

Democrats:

Joe Biden:  (Delaware Senator) has a mixed voting record of 60-100% on animal issues.  Biden owns a cat.

Hillary Clinton:  (NY Senator) Scored 80-100% from 2001-2006.  However, Clinton did not support ban on Canadian seafood to boycott seal hunts.  Clinton invested in cattle futures by making Tyson the nation's biggest butcher of cows, pigs and chickens.  She has also voted for vivisection money.  Clinton owns a chocolate lab named Seamus.  When her husband was President they had a cat named Sox and a dog named Buddy.  Buddy terrorized Sox and when they left the White House Sox was given away.  Buddy subsequently died.  And we can't forget that in 1997 President Bill Clinton reversed a 1992 law that banned the importation into the US of tuna that wasn't dolphin-safe.

Christopher Dodd:  (CT Senator) scored 100% 4 years in a row.  Has a long history of pro-animal voting.  However he has voted money for vivisection.  Dodd has no pets because of family's allergies.

John Edwards:  (Former NC Senator) voted 60-70% on animal issues from 2000-2003.  Edwards has 3 dogs, Bella, Rufus and Lily and has been quoted as stating that animals bring joy to our lives.  He supported and co-sponsored ending cockfighting, bear poaching and the processing of "downer" livestock.  Edwards has also supported other federal reforms such as restricting abusive puppy mills, ensuring the safety of pet food and stopping the trade in pet primates.  While a Senator he also voted to protect dolphins from tuna nets and prevent drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.    Edwards also voted in favor of using steel-jawed leghold traps and neck snares for commercial and recreational trapping on national wildlife refuges. Edwards is spending much of his time in Iowa, the #1 hog-producing state and is running on a platform of protecting small farmers and rural communities from the environmental pollution and economic devastation caused by agribusiness.  Edwards also became the latest presidential candidate to trot out his hunting achievements to pander to the gun lobby, especially since the number of hunters has been on a steady decline for decades.  Even in Iowa wildlife watchers (47.5%) outnumber hunters (9.1%).  Edwards has suggested opening national parks to sport hunters - national parks are among the few lands left where animals can have a respite from sport hunting.  Overall he has supported animals more times than not.

Mike Gravel:  (Former, Alaska Representative and Senator) hasn't held office in a long time so no voting records available.  However, bird and marine life in Valdez, Alaska and the devastated ecosystem can thank Gravel for its demise.  Also as senator, Gravel, represented that state's hunters and fishermen.

Dennis Kucinich:  (OH Representative) voted 88% in 2000 for animal issues, but has since maintained a 100% approval rating of pro-animal voting.  Kucinich is a vegan.  Kucinich has pound-rescues, Harry and Lucie the beagles and George a cocker spaniel.

Barack Obama:  (IL Senator) scored 60% in 2006, 20% in 2005.  His wife is a spokesperson for vivisection as a VP of Univ. of Chicago Hospitals.  Obama owns no pets but is under pressure from his young daughters to get a dog.

Bill Richardson:  (New Mexico Governor) no voting records available as Governors are not included in the stats.  However, Richardson recently used a video of himself out hunting for a campaign commercial.  Richardson, as Governor has done the following in regards to animals.  Feb, 2005 - signed an executive order creating a rodeo council, citing the sports economic impact and "deep culture roots".  In March, 2005 Richardson signed into law the Dangerous Dog Act and Scooby's Law,  which requires a bittering agent to be put in all antifreeze sold in the state.  In 2006, he approves $250,000 in rodeo facility improvements and $300,000 in scholarships to attract rodeo students to New Mexico colleges.  Dec, 2006 he releases a $3.6 million "Animal Protection Plan", a 10 point agenda including $150,000 allocation to create an Animal Welfare Oversight Board and $2million to improve animal shelters.  In March 2007, he pushes to ban cockfighting in New Mexico, however his own State Senators had been introducing bans on cockfighting for 18 years so New Mexico becomes the 49th state to pass the law.  In May 2007, Governor Richardson called on all New Mexico research universities to review and revamp the protocols that govern lab experiments on animals, this after learning of an experiment involving mice being tortured for a science fair project in 2003 & 2004.  Richardson considers himself a "recreational hunter" and is seen in a photo from 2005 with an exotic oryx he shot in 2005 at a captive hunting ranch. Richardson has two cats named Jake and Squeaky.  Recently Richardson has released photos of trophies from his own hunts and has boasted about expanding hunting opportunities in New Mexico.

Republicans:

Rudy Guiliani:  (Former NY Mayor) no voting records available as Mayors are not included in the stats.  His current wife Judy used puppies to demonstrate surgical staplers on sales calls, and then had the puppies euthanized.  Guiliani owns no pets.  On Tucker Carlson's show, Guiliani objected to a callers concerns over NYC's ban on ferrets.  Guiliani cut the caller off, then berated the man for more than a minute, saying he needed therapy for caring about weasels.

Mike Huckabee:  (Former AR Governor) no voting records available as Governors are not included in the stats.  His state of Arkansas still remains 1 of 7 states without animal cruelty felony provisions.  His son David was involved in an animal cruelty case in 1988 where a dog was killed while he was working at a scout camp.  David, hung the dog, slit its throat and stoned it to death but because of his fathers intervention, he was never charged with any crime.  Huckabee acted unethically and obstructed the police investigation.  Huckabee has been the state's chief executive for more than a decade and largely viewed by animal advocates as an impediment to moderate reforms or at the very least someone who never lifted a finger to advance animal welfare.  In that time, state lawmakers tried several times to pass legislation upgrading the state's anti-cruelty law from a misdemeanor to a felony.  As a former pastor, Huckabee makes appeals to people of faith to obtain their votes but most religious people and institutions believe in mercy and compassion and by their convictions bear a moral responsibility to the vulnerable and the weak.  Huckabee has two dogs, Jet a 9-year-old black lab and Sonic a 1.5 year old Shih Tzu.

Duncan Hunter:  (California Representative) ratings fluctuate between 0-41%.  Hunter is pro-oil and mining which is against helping wildlife habitats.  Hunter has 2 black labs Boo and Hunter.

John McCain:  (Arizona Senator) scored a 40% last year, 20% in 2005.  In 2004, the anti-animal "Sportsmen's and Animal Owner's Voting Alliance" endorsed him.  McCain is in favor of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and just like he did in Vietnam bombed animals.  Fred Malek, McCain's Finance Director was involved in an animal cruelty case in 1959 in Peoria, IL.  Malek was 22 years old when a dog had been killed, skinned, gutted and barbecued by his friend Andrew O'Meara.  Malek's defense was he was drunk and was not in a position to stop the killing - eventually charges were dropped against Malek but he was present during this cruelty.  McCain has the most owned pets including Sam an English Springer Spaniel, Kookie, Cocoa the mutt, 2 turtles named Cuff and Link, a ferret, 3 parakeets, 13 saltwater fish and a black and white cat named Oreo.

Ron Paul:  (Medical Doctor and TX Congressman) scored 14% in 2005-2006.  In 2006 the anti-animal "Sportsmen's and Animal Owner's Voting Alliance" endorsed him.  Representative Paul is one of only 31 members of the House who voted against every single animal protection measure that came up for a vote in 2007.  Including voting on keeping the federal penalties weak for dogfighting and cockfighting; against restoring protections for wild horses and burros and allowing them to be sold for commercial slaughter.  He also voted to allow trophy hunters to shoot polar bears in the Arctic.  To Paul's credit he has one of the best fundraising methods of all the candidates.  Carson City, Nevada businessman Dennis Hof has placed collection boxes at his establishment for the patrons to leave contributions for Paul.  It is noteworthy to state that Hof runs the Moonlite Bunny Ranch - a world famous brothel.  Paul says he does not condone prostitution on a personal level--but he feels it is not the role of the federal government to regulate it.

Mitt Romney:  (Former MA Governor) no voting records available as Governors are not included in the stats.  Mitt strapped his dog Seamus in a dog crate on the top of his car during a long car trip in 1983 from Boston to Ontario until a "brown liquid" ran down the back window.  He then hosed the dog, the kennel and the car down with a borrowed gas station hose before returning to the road.  Romney made his money from Bain Capital a business he cofounded, which is a private equity fund invested in steakhouses restaurants.  Romney's wife has campaigned for killing animals all for multiple sclerosis researchers.  Romney's dog Marley, a Weimaraner recently died.

Fred Thompson:  (Actor and Former TN Senator) voted against animals in his last year of public office.  He has taken many dollars from vivisecting pharmaceutical companies.

Note:  I had hoped to include information on the Independent (Green) and Working Families Party Candidates but could find no information regarding animal issues.

Disclaimer:  Before you shoot the messenger, please be advised that not all what I wrote are my own words.  I have paraphrased from several of the references listed below.

Reference:

The Humane Society of the United States

Care2Care

wbztv

Zogby Forums

The Corrente Wire

The Washington Post

The Portland Independent Media Center

The Santa Fe Reporter

The Associated Press