My Shiba Inu is Apolitical, Too

Jonah Goldberg, writing today at National Review Online:

The wonderful thing about dogs — and yes, cats too, I suppose — is that they are beyond the reach of ideology. Not only does affection for dogs have no significant correlation to politics, but politics holds no interest whatsoever to dogs.

Talk about health-care reform to Cosmo and he’ll tilt his head, yawn, and walk away just as quickly as he would if you opted to discuss the assassination of Trotsky or the Defenestration of Prague. But if you say the words “tennis ball” or “squirrel,” he will be utterly fascinated.

And that’s what I love about dogs. They just don’t care about such things, and they encourage you not to care either — at least while you’re with them. You can’t say the same thing about children, because they grow up and inherit the society we leave behind. Being a good parent requires caring about politics. Dogs, meanwhile, keep their innocent doggy goodness from kennel to grave, obviating the need to explain to them why tax cuts are awesome.

Nonetheless, I think Krista the Shiba is a supply-sider. If not I may have to make her pay attention to the SmartBoard.