February is, as everyone knows, the August of winter. Just as August is famed as “the dog days of summer,” February, too, has its dog days — literally.
There was the bizarre story about Newsmax host Greg Kelly intimating that the Bidens’ 12-year-old German Shepherd Champ was uncared for. (Hey, he’s 12. That’s like 84 in dog years. Maybe Kelly’s just jealous that Champ and kid brother Major are the stars of the delightful new children’s book “First Dogs.” More likely Kelly’s jealous that their daddy is president of the United States.)
What is is about Republicans and dogs? The New York Times columnist Gail Collins has been dining out for years on the story about how Sen. Mitt Romney once put the family dog in a crate and lashed it to the top of their car for a road trip. But that pales in comparison to Sen. Ted “Cancun, Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’” Cruz leaving his family dog, the appropriately named Snowflake, at home to freeze — along with his fellow storm-battered Texans — while he enjoyed some quality family time in Mexico.
Perhaps it’s a case of kicking the dog when you’ve had a bad day at work. For Republicans, there are lots of bad days at work now. The Covid milestone of 500,000. U.S. deaths The Texas debacle underscoring America’s infrastructure woes. Tech stocks tanking. Divisions in the ranks as the Repubs struggle with their identity post-Trump. And speaking of the former el presidente, the Supremes issued a ruling requiring him to turn over his tax returns to Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance.
All that court packing and Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett didn’t give the Donald the time of day. Trump thought Amy was going to be his handmaiden. Instead Amy turned out to be “Who dat?” (Wonder if Amy has a dog.)
Critics like to point to Trump’s lack of a pooch as proof that he’s a no-goodnik. (First wife Ivana had a dog who growled every time Trump approached his wife’s wardrobe closet.) But in reality, a love of or at least a tolerance for animals is no proof of character. (Even Hitler had dogs.) I’ve known people who got along better with animals than people in part because they believed they could control animals. But no one can control nature.
On the other hand, no person of character would treat an animal badly. Champ may be getting on in years but he can say with Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses”:
“Though much is taken, much abides; and though
“We are not now that strength which in old days
“Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
“One equal temper of heroic hearts,
“Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
“To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
Can the Republicans say the same?