Sizing up the candidates for the United States Presidency - Bill de Blasio

Princess Clementine, Political Correspondent for Animal Rights

Mon August 19, 2019

Four years ago, when I was a much younger cat, I set out to learn about the humans who were running for President of the United States.  I didn’t start until after the first of the primaries, and only had time to meet the front runners, well, and Mr. Pine Straw.  It was interesting, and I hope that the folks I shared my information with on my Facebook page were informed by my analysis of the candidates’ stance on animal rights. In case you're interested my page can be found at fb.me/ClementinePrincessofQuiteALot

The yarn lady has been playing the news station on the radio again and I’ve heard news about a few of the candidates.  Recently she’d left a tab open on the computer for the Federal Election Commission and it said, “viewing 842 results for the 2020 Presidential Election”.  That means 842 candidates!!!  I know, I counted them.  I’m not sure some of them are real, such as Seymour Cats from Bensalem, PA, but he did submit an FEC Form 2 – Statement of Candidacy.  It’s true, and you can look it up if you don’t believe me.

I’d vowed that I would never again be a political correspondent after the debate between Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz in 2016.  All three of the men behaved horribly, and even made rude jokes about me (I do not look like Donald Trump’s hairpiece, if he even wears one).  But here I am, again wondering about the bipedal, furless and featherless beings that believe they would do a good job of running this country. 

In order to meet as many of the candidates who have thrown their hats into the ring (an odd saying, since none of them wear hats), I am starting my quest now to interview as many of the actual contenders for the office of President of the United States as I can.  Lest you think this will be a political series, let me reassure you that I will only be reporting, analyzing and commenting on the candidates’ platforms, voting records or other reputable news items regarding animal treatment, animal rights and their own pets.  If you wish to make critical political comments about the candidates, link my article to your own social media platform and criticize there to your heart’s content.  Any overtly critical political comments on my posted articles will be politely removed.  Mildly humorous comments will be left, as long as they are not mean. 

I decided to begin this election season with the candidate who was probably the easiest to get to for me. He lives in NYC, and despite the heat, I called an Uber and went to visit Hizzoner, Bill de Blasio, one of the many Democratic candidates for president.

I caught up with him in his office, where he was thinking over the past weekend in Iowa. I believe it didn't go very well for him. Looking into his animal rights background I did find a number of promising items. During the recent heat wave he and the Health Commissioner spoke several times of the danger of extreme heat to pets as well as humans. He signed into law a ban on wild animals in circuses in New York City. No more lions and tigers and bears traveling with the circuses, at least in the five boroughs. He campaigned for mayor with a platform to ban carriage horses in Central Park, but has been stymied on that. Hot or cold, the horses are still there. They don't have to pull the carriages in super-hot weather, but they also don't have shaded turn-out paddocks to escape the heat. They just stay in their stalls (hopefully with at least fans or misters). He also hired an animal rights activist to serve on his Mayor's Community Affairs Unit.

The photo below was from a few years ago when he invited me to one of his Halloween shindigs. I asked Hizzonette if she could lose the crow for the photo, but she said, no, the crow stays. I'm not sure she personally is a cat lover.

I'm not sure he'll get far in the primaries if the amount of support he had in Iowa this past weekend continues to be so lackluster. If he does manage to win the Democratic nomination, I think us furred and feathered folk could might be well-served by Hizzoner, President de Blasio.

#potus2020 #deblasio2020