June 28, 2007

I'm So Glad The Media Hired Wonkette

When Ana Marie Cox went from Wonkette to Time, we hailed it as an important recognition of the power of the blogosphere. Bloggers had taken a significant step towards establishing themselves as credible journalists and pundits, and we looked forward to gaining respect from our senior colleagues in the media as a result. At least, that's what bloggers hoped ... until yesterday, when Cox decided to hit the dogs**t beat in order to conjure up a chickens**t hit piece on Mitt Romney:

The reporter intended the anecdote that opened part four of the Boston Globe's profile of Mitt Romney to illustrate, as the story said, "emotion-free crisis management": Father deals with minor — but gross — incident during a 1983 family vacation, and saves the day. But the details of the event are more than unseemly — they may, in fact, be illegal.

The incident: dog excrement found on the roof and windows of the Romney station wagon. How it got there: Romney strapped a dog carrier — with the family dog Seamus, an Irish Setter, in it — to the roof of the family station wagon for a twelve hour drive from Boston to Ontario, which the family apparently completed, despite Seamus's rather visceral protest.

Massachusetts's animal cruelty laws specifically prohibit anyone from carrying an animal "in or upon a vehicle, or otherwise, in an unnecessarily cruel or inhuman manner or in a way and manner which might endanger the animal carried thereon." An officer for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals responded to a description of the situation saying "it's definitely something I'd want to check out." The officer, Nadia Branca, declined to give a definitive opinion on whether Romney broke the law but did note that it's against state law to have a dog in an open bed of a pick-up truck, and "if the dog was being carried in a way that endangers it, that would be illegal." And while it appears that the statute of limitations has probably passed, Stacey Wolf, attorney and legislative director for the ASPCA, said "even if it turns out to not be against the law at the time, in the district, we'd hope that people would use common sense...Any manner of transporting a dog that places the animal in serious danger is something that we'd think is inappropriate...I can't speak to the accuracy of the case, but it raises concerns about the judgment used in this particular situation."

Wow -- what a scoop! Twenty-three years ago, Romney made an error in judgment about his dog's accommodations on a long trip. This is what passes for news at Time Magazine these days; a lengthy exposition on the statute of limitations for dog carrier violations, complete with opinions from SPCA and PETA.

I'll grant that strapping the carrier to the roof of the vehicle was rather foolish and not particularly wise. When the dog got sick, Mitt should have pulled off the road, cleaned up, and figured out another plan for Seamus. At the least, he should have made sure that he wasn't flinging dog feces on the cars behind him.

And while deconstructing the relative options in this 23-year-old incident might make for a mildly amusing blog post, can someone explain why this story has so much weight that Time Magazine ("in partnership with CNN") considers it important enough to publish, even as an Internet article? Is this the result of those multiple levels of editorial control? Will Time Magazine start dropping into candidates' back yards to inspect dog droppings, ensuring the safety and good treatment of family pets of both parties? There will be voters casting ballots in this election who weren't even born when this incident occurred.

Besides, the woman who promoted Washingtonienne should be the last person to criticize someone leaving a trail of s**t.

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Comments (32)

Posted by rbj | June 28, 2007 7:42 AM

It's not that the story has so much weight, rather it's that Time has become lightweight. Time magazine was still important in the 1970s & even into the '80s. But now it isn't, it's basically one step up from where People magazine was in the '70s.

Romney should have been hit - hard - with a clue bat over the incident, but that was 23 years ago.

Posted by Tom Shipley | June 28, 2007 7:44 AM

At least he didn't tie his leash to the bumper.

Posted by Hoodlumman | June 28, 2007 7:47 AM

Besides, the woman who promoted Washingtonienne should be the last person to criticize someone leaving a trail of s**t.

PWNED!

FATALITY!

Posted by Jim C | June 28, 2007 7:57 AM

Just another liberal media hit piece. Doesn't really surprise me.

Jim C

Posted by dave drywall | June 28, 2007 7:58 AM

In America there is no statute of limitations on digging up petty dirt on the candidates.

Both sides love doing it, and everybody in America LOVES hearing about it, so spare me the indignation.

And it's pointless and hypocritical to complain about it until you make your own side take the high road and stop doing it.

Suck it up - there's plenty more to come from Dems and Repubs.

Next.

Posted by Nomennovum | June 28, 2007 8:06 AM

I disagree with you on the seriousness of this incident. Dog excrement flying off the roof of a car can wreck havoc on another car's coolant system. When stinky poop gets caked into the fan belt of a car on a hot summer's day on the highway ... well, let's just say I'm glad other people don't behave the way Mitt Romney does.

... because then we'd have a clear demonstration of the sh*t -- quite literally -- hitting the fan.

I've also heard that Romney likes to keep monkeys (knowing their predilection for throwing their own poop about) in his home, pigeons on his windowsills, and Canada geese on his lawn. What's this guy's problem, anyway?

Posted by RBMN | June 28, 2007 8:11 AM

This is what liberals know:

Any political story that provides an easy punchline for leftwing comedians is worth its weight in...well, the substance in question. Cox probably hopes this dog story will live on like Dan Quayle's potato.

Posted by Nomennovum | June 28, 2007 8:16 AM

I guano tell you what Romney's problem is. He's a scat-ter brained nincompoop who likes to muck up other people's lives.

Posted by V the K | June 28, 2007 8:21 AM

So what if Romney tied a dog to the roof of the car? It's still better than Bush throwing America under the bus with his amnesty bill.

Posted by starfleet_dude | June 28, 2007 8:26 AM

Seriously Ed, it doesn't say much for Romney's leadership abilities to see the "problem" as hosing off a dog on the car roof, instead of realizing he had a miserable dog who didn't want to be up there.

Posted by Larry Sheldon | June 28, 2007 8:35 AM

Somewhere I posted a comment saying the error was unforgiveable--not realizing that the item happened a long time ago.

I still think the error is pretty much inexcuseable but that is today's standards applied to a long-ago-item--I tactic I deplore.

So I will make up my mind about Romney on more current information.

I have no idea where I posted the original comment, which is probably a lesson-to-be-learned in and of itself.

Posted by km | June 28, 2007 8:44 AM

Given the source, I suppose it was the best she could do when she couldn't find anything to do a prostitution or anal sex story.

Hey, they always say a writer should focus on what he/she knows. Cox apparently only knows sh*t.

Posted by Rick Baxter | June 28, 2007 8:50 AM

Hey, it was the dog's fault. Mitt asked where he wanted to ride, and the dog replied, "Woof, woof!"

Posted by AnonymousDrivel | June 28, 2007 8:52 AM

On the upside, we now realize that Time serves as the new-and-improved kennel liner for it's ability to soak up the s**t. The NYTimes better start looking over it's shoulder.

Posted by Tom Shipley | June 28, 2007 8:57 AM

Hey, it was the dog's fault. Mitt asked where he wanted to ride, and the dog replied, "Woof, woof!"

You think I should have said Dimaggio?

Posted by Jeanette | June 28, 2007 9:06 AM

Dumb story, agreed. But even 23 years ago I had dogs and would have never thought to put them in a cage on top of the car. Can you imagine how scared the dog had to have been riding 12 hours at high speeds on the interstate?

That's just plain stupid, but then the story is stupid too.

Posted by paul | June 28, 2007 9:07 AM

Has AMC really made it?

The only 'news' show I see her on is Hardball, and there are blogs that get better ratings.

This the woman who 'made a name for herself' by giving faulty exit polls and featuring pics of the 'bulge' in the veep's pants. for this she gets a job at Time, and frequent appearances with super-letch, chris matthews.

You've come a long way baby.

Posted by not the senator | June 28, 2007 9:19 AM

And the media's preoccupation with Edward's haircut is justified while Romney's torturing the family pet is frivolous?

I guess it all depends on whose pet is being gored.

Posted by paul | June 28, 2007 9:50 AM

"media's preoccupation with Edward's haircut"?

seems like you have a preoccupation with the media's preoccupation.

If Edward was an independent, the 400 dollar haircut may have meant something...small. Given his courtship of the 'dean contingent', the net effect of the story is ZERO.

(In defense of LDS-they are one of the few religions that allows for pets in heaven.)

Posted by llee | June 28, 2007 10:00 AM

I'm sorry, but how many of you people actually have dogs? My goodness every dog I ever saw riding in a car that could get it's head out the window, would ride forever with its face to the wind, loving it all the way. Mitt, by the way had constructed a windshield for the dog's cage, and immediately stopped a cleaned the dog and the car when the incident happened.

Posted by llee | June 28, 2007 10:02 AM

Every dog I ever saw riding in a car that could get it's head out the window, would ride forever with its face to the wind, loving it all the way. Mitt, by the way had constructed a windshield for the dog's cage, and immediately stopped and cleaned the dog and the car when the incident happened.

Posted by Roger M | June 28, 2007 10:17 AM

It sounds like Time has been digging in the trash desperately looking for any dirt that they can find on Romney. They had to back to 1983? They should have gone ahead and recounted the many stories of LBJ picking up his dogs by their ears to just to show off in front of visitors. And notice how they managed to tie it to his support for "enhanced interrogation" of terrorists. I guess it follows that he favors strapping terrorists to the roof of a car and driving from Boston to Ontario.

Posted by Roger M | June 28, 2007 10:29 AM

It sounds like Time has been digging in the trash desperately looking for any dirt that they can find on Romney. They had to back to 1983? They should have gone ahead and recounted the many stories of LBJ picking up his dogs by their ears to just to show off in front of visitors. And notice how they managed to tie it to his support for "enhanced interrogation" of terrorists. I guess it follows that he favors strapping terrorists to the roof of a car and driving from Boston to Ontario.

Posted by Rick | June 28, 2007 10:34 AM

Way back in the 90's, I looked into Wonkette because of Instapundit plugs. I never saw the attraction. If it wasn't for her looks, she wouldn't have anything to offer. It's not that she is stupid, but that she is an airhead.

Posted by gab | June 28, 2007 10:35 AM

"Hey, it was the dog's fault. Mitt asked where he wanted to ride, and the dog replied, "Woof, woof!"

You think I should have said Dimaggio?"

I love that joke. It's my favorite all time bar joke.

Well second favorite anyway after, "Celine Dion walked into a bar. The bartender asks, why the long face?"

Posted by Matt | June 28, 2007 10:58 AM

Having spent most of my life living away from cities, pardon me if I don't find this shocking.

On most interstates in this country you will find dogs riding in the beds of trucks and loving every minute of it. Sure, it's not a pasttime cut out for Paris Hilton's dog, but it's not necessarily animal cruelty either.

I don't know how big or small the animal carrier case was--and neither does anyone here. It's possible that it was uncomfortable and cruel to the dog. . . But dogs pee and poop in truck beds all the time--not cuz they're panicked and tortured, just because that's what dogs do. Not because they're "sick"--just because they gotta go---and you would too on a 12-hour trip.

People put their dogs in carriers and throw them into the cargohold of airplanes, where dogs pee and poop in the things, are subject to noise and breeziness, bumps, and loneliness for long periods of time. I've even seen dogs and cats in the overhead compartment when they're small.

Is that cruel too? (personally, I think it's annoying when people bring animals on flights, particularly into the cabin. but i wouldn't jump to animal cruelty.)

Is it cruel only b/c we imagine what might have happened--a tragic wreck w/ no airbag for Seamus? Or just what did--excuse me--what was reported?

To hear some of these comments, I suppose I should assume it's cruel to let my dog leave the city--and that I should assume he needs emergency surgery anytime he defecates or urinates.

I got a kick out of the anecdote. In context it's probably a story that gets "better" every time it's told, but I don't see that it's worth a fuss. But PETA thinks I'm cruel just for eating meat.

Posted by Paul A'Barge | June 28, 2007 11:19 AM

Man, that's some oppo research, isn't it.

Posted by abwtf [TypeKey Profile Page] | June 28, 2007 2:21 PM

Ed, you missed the important part of the article:

PETA does not have a position on Romney's candidacy per se, but Newkirk called the incident "a lesson in cruelty that was ... wrong for [his children] to witness...Thinking of the wind, the weather, the speed, the vulnerability, the isolation on the roof, it is commonsense that any dog who's under extreme stress might show that stress by losing control of his bowels: that alone should have been sufficient indication that the dog was, basically, being tortured." Romney, of course, has expressed support for the use of "enhanced interrogation" techniques when it comes to terrorists; his campaign refused to comment about the treatment of his dog.

If Romney would torture his own family's dog, just imagine what he'll do to people he doesn't like!!!

Posted by GeorgeH | June 28, 2007 3:40 PM

The important thing is that it illustrates Ronmey's democrat state of mind.

Republicans take personal responsibility for and care of those they are responsible for while urging government to get out of the nanny business.

Democrats urge the government to take care of the peepul, while treating employees and dependents as shabbily as they can get away with.

If he will treat his dogs that way, he will treat your children in uniform the same.

Posted by Windy | June 28, 2007 4:02 PM

It was an Irish Setter, for pete's sake. It would have been pooping out its insides wherever it was. (Which might explain why it wasn't inside the vehicle.)

Posted by ck | June 28, 2007 9:14 PM

Why does this story have so much weight? Why did the smear story about Obama attending a Madrassa as a child ever get press?

You answer that one and you'll have the answer for this one.

Although I have to say, after the age of 21-25 or around there, if you are still making dumbass mistakes like strapping a dog to the top of your car for an extended road trip, I'm not comfortable with you being president.

A lot of you thought Bush's being a complete dumbass was merely humorous... let's not make the same mistake again and again.

Posted by HotJavaJack | June 29, 2007 10:44 AM

It's. A. D-O-G. It isn't as though he strapped his childred to the roof, for crying out loud!!!

Liberals continue to elevate animals to peer status with humans. Is the dog-catcher's truck somehow specially equipped for the comfort of the animal? No. Do we have hysterical articles written each time we see a truckload of chicken or swine barrelling down the highway? No.

Time magazine is chicken***t and Ms. Cox should stick to reporting on the Capitol bedroom olympics.