Pawlitics 2008
It started out with dozens of contenders, but the presidential race has come into sharper focus and each party has chosen its nominee. Now animal advocates across the country are wondering where John McCain and Barack Obama stand on animal protection issues.
John McCain
Over more than two decades in Congress, McCain has generally been supportive of a handful of animal protection issues but inattentive or opposed to others. The Humane Scorecard has been published since 1993 so we can look back and see that McCain’s record has been mixed: He scored 15% in the 103rd Congress, scored 75% in the 104th Congress, took no action in the 105th Congress (scores were not tabulated as a percentage), scored 20% in the 106th Congress, scored 33% in the 107th Congress, scored 20% in the 108th Congress, scored 40% in the 109th Congress, and scored 25% in the first half of the 110th Congress.
On the positive side, he has voted for and cosponsored legislation to stop horse slaughter, and voted to eliminate a $2 million subsidy for the luxury mink industry. He cosponsored bills in the 107th Congress to stop the interstate shipment of birds for cockfighting and in the 104th Congress to stop the poaching of bears by ending the trade in their gall bladders (but he did not sign onto more recent bills on those subjects). Senator McCain has been a leader in the effort to stop global warming, and he opposes drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to many wildlife species.
He took an anti-animal position by supporting an amendment to the California Desert Protection Act, which would have allowed sport hunting in the Mojave National Park. Because there are not many floor votes in the Senate, we evaluate lawmakers based on their leadership in other areas, such as cosponsoring bills or signing letters. McCain has largely been absent on these issues, and has failed to sign onto letters that have had broad support in the Senate. For instance, requesting increased funding for adequate enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal laws to combat animal fighting and puppy mills. Senator McCain’s lack of leadership on animal protection has been somewhat surprising given that Arizona is a very pro-animal state, where voters have passed statewide ballot measures to ban steel-jawed leg hold traps, cockfighting, and the inhumane confinement of animals on factory farms.
McCain reportedly has 24 pets, including dogs, cats, horses, a ferret, parakeets, turtles, and saltwater fish. The McCain campaign has not issued any public statements or responded to questionnaires on animal welfare issues, although he spoke at the NRA convention earlier this year.
Barack Obama
In the U.S. Senate since 2004, Obama scored 60% on the Humane Scorecard for the 109th Congress, and scored 75% in the first half of the 110th Congress. He has voted for and cosponsored legislation to stop horse slaughter, and during both the 109th and 110th sessions of Congress he consistently cosponsored multiple bills to combat animal fighting and added his name to the letters requesting funding for the enforcement of animal welfare laws.
Prior to serving at the federal level, in his 8 years as an Illinois state senator, Obama voted for at least a dozen animal protection laws that came up during that time. He supported measures, among others, to allow the creation of pet trusts to provide for the long-term care of companion animals; to upgrade the penalties for cruelty to animals; to require psychological counseling for people who abuse animals; to require that veterinarians report suspected acts of cruelty and animal fighting; and to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption—which was significant because, at the time, Illinois was one of only two states (with Texas) where horse slaughter plants operated.
Importantly, Obama has taken the opportunity to highlight animal protection issues on the campaign trail, and has spoken publicly about his support for animal protection on several occasions. In his response to the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s questionnaire, he pledged support for nearly every animal protection bill currently pending in Congress, and said he will work with executive agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make their policies more humane.
Obama also commented on the broader links between animal cruelty and violence in society: “I’ve repeatedly voted to increase penalties for animal cruelty and violence and, importantly, to require psychological counseling for those who engage in this behavior as part of the punishment. In addition to being unacceptable in its own stead, violence towards animals is linked with violent behavior in general, especially domestic violence, and we need to acknowledge this connection and work to treat it. Strong penalties are important and I support them, but we know that incarceration alone can’t solve all our problems.”
Obama does not currently have any pets, but he has reportedly pledged to adopt a dog from a shelter after the election. He is also featured in Jana Kohl’s book about puppy mills, “A Rare Breed of Love,” with a photo of Obama holding Baby, the three-legged poodle rescued from a puppy mill.
Michael Markarian is executive vice president of The Humane Society of the United States, and president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. He writes the blog “Animals & Politics,” which is online at www.michaelmarkarian.org.
