With political campaigns dominating so much of the year, it’s not surprising that even a dog got into the action. A yellow Labrador retriever named Willie Bean Roscoe P. Coltrane ran for mayor of an Alabama town. And he was only one of the animals making headlines in ’08 -– from a snake that swallowed a family pet in front of two horrified children to a loyal dog that remained by her master’s side for weeks after his death. See 2008 animal stories and vote for your favorite.

http://news.aol.com/main/2008-year-end/article/creatures-small-and-great-of-2008/276769

2.  Are they really going to have one of those bald dogs in the White House?
 
1.  where are all those voters Willie Bean paid off?

As persuasive as Jeannie Paradise was in her letter of Aug. 6, “Willie Bean support alarming,” I find it reprehensible that she resorted to playing the species card in her contention that this runner would indeed be lacking in breeding to become “top dog,” so to speak.

To augment my contention, just consider the following, and your opinion may flip or flop:

Take into account that Willie Bean had few backers and that he started from scratch. He refuses to accept any contributions from the PACK (Political Action Committee K-9) and promises to sign only those laws which have the “teeth” to enforce them.

Anyone claiming that flower beds and other arboreal types are in danger is barking up the wrong tree. Since way back when Hector was a pup, he has had a leg up on preserving nature’s bounty. His woof is as good as his bond. There are no canned speeches or rubber chicken fund-raisers with empty promises. His pledges are kept ? the whole kibble and caboodle.

He rejects the innuendo of a leashless society were he to be elected. In fact, he supports utilizing them on felines in his FED (Fur Equalization Doctrine). He supports a “leash and order” policy.

He is in favor of limiting the number of illegal feral cats, as they compete unfairly with the local predators. His independence is notable in that he would not heel, roll over or play dead on command to those who would hound him.

He takes pride in his appearance, breeding and grooming, although even with his fetching good looks he still loves to roll in the short grass, catch Frisbees, jump into ponds, play tug-of-war and enjoy the simple pleasures of the average Jo-Jo.

He denies vehemently (pooh-poohs) that his laying on of paws cured a constituent of distemper. Most probably an opposing candidate started this fiction to make him appear to worship golden idols.

Postal workers and other civil servants need not fear hostility. They can navigate their appointed rounds at ease, as anyone in uniform will be considered a friend (the one exception being someone carrying a rope loop on a long stick).

About tree-lighting ceremonies being hogged by dogs: There will be no discrimination. All are requested to participate. There will be open invitations to Alvin and the Chipmunks, Rudolph, the three blind mice, Barney, the inchworm, the itsy bitsy spider, Mary’s lamb, Puff the Magic Dragon and the yellow bird, and the Swan is asked to perform the finale.

So there you have a complete refutation of Ms. Paradise’s forebodings. Be not afraid of mounting a horse of a different color. It is not a bone of contention but rather an affirmation of Fairhope’s fair appraisal to go beyond fair and to become the best in show.

HERB KANDEL

Fairhope

Editor’s note: Blue-ribbon letters are those selected by our staff as being especially interesting or well-written. Authors will receive a lapel pin and an invitation to lunch with Press-Register editors.

Why we respond to dogs

Regarding the clamor surrounding Willie Bean’s candidacy for mayor of Fairhope, it is a human tendency to joke about something we feel deeply about.

I submit that the overwhelming response is less politically motivated than the electorate’s acknowledgment of the ascendancy of the dog as an adopted member of the human familyelevated the dog’s place in our culture.

As for Willie Bean, he is the cause celebre, the role model, the Every Dog. But the power is in the electorate, which has recognized for centuries man’s enduring faithful companion. They have used the term “watch dog” to stand for guardian and protector.

It is they who have called him surrogate child of those who have lost or never had children; who have hailed him as a hero for rescuing humans from fires or floods; who have promoted his advance as caretaker of the young and old, and even therapist to the ill and disabled.

Most important to the electorate are his values — the index to his character, one they can understand and believe in. They do not care whether he is populist or elitist, pedigreed or mutt.

Young and old, blue collar and white collar, rich or poor, Republican, Democrat or Libertarian, all give their allegiance to the dog, who asks little — a meal and a walk a day, sheltered bed and affection — and gives all he has.

What the electorate seems to be saying is, “We declare we are all together in this, and we know a unifying symbol when we see one.”

JULE MOON

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FAIRHOPE’S FOURLEGGED FUTURE…

W B “THE DOG”!

FAIRHOPE - America wants Willie Bean.

How else to explain the sensation surrounding Willie, whose improbable run for mayor of this Alabama coastal town has become a national phenomenon?

On Tuesday morning, the calls and e-mails were pouring into his campaign headquarters from all corners of the country. Supporters in Oakland, Boston, Indianapolis and Atlanta were ordering Willie Bean T-shirts. Interview requests were coming from radio stations in Iowa, Alaska and Tennessee. A producer for David Letterman wanted a photo.

The candidate took the publicity in stride, napping on the kitchen floor and later chasing a tennis ball in his backyard. Willie Bean Roscoe P. Coltrane is a 7-year-old yellow Labrador retriever. His owner is Fairhope artist Tress Turner, who manages a local coffee shop that doubles as Willie’s election office.

His campaign began as a lark. No less than seven people are running for mayor in the Aug. 26 election. Fairhope, on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, is as laid-back as towns get, but money and a few sharp elbows thrown by the candidates have combined to give the race a big-city edge.

The political hardball hasn’t played well in a community known more for its flower boxes, antique shops and Southern charm. In response, Turner and friend Beth Goldberg, owner of the Coffee Loft, taped a photo of Willie on the espresso machine. “Willie Bean for Mayor,” someone scribbled beneath it.

Customers chuckled. A bigger sign was posted. The Press-Register’s Virginia Bridges and Josh Bean (no relation) wrote stories that got picked up by the Associated Press. From there it hit the Internet, where it ran wild. Now Willie Bean T-shirts are outselling the lattes, Turner is answering fan mail from Sweden and local cats are nervous.

“I can’t explain it. But I look at him and think, ‘It couldn’t happen to a nicer dog,’” Turner said.

Willie can’t win ? he missed the July 15 registration deadline ? but that hasn’t discouraged his supporters.

“He doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet,” said Vince Kilborn, a local lawyer and Coffee Loft patron. “He ate them all.”

Willie isn’t the first dog to run for office, and election officials have come to expect write-in votes for everyone from Forrest Gump to Santa Claus. Voters in Picoaza, Ecuador, elected a foot powder for mayor in 1967.

But Willie’s appeal is bigger than dog-friendly Fairhope. The national attention suggests something deeper at work.

“Voters are stressed out,” said David Lanoue, a political science professor at the University of Alabama. “We’re at war, we’re still worried about terrorism, and now the economy is bad. It’s a very serious time, and that’s wearing on people.”

Lanoue said even the most devoted political junkies have grown tired of the current presidential campaign. America, he said, is hungry for comic relief.

“Willie may be connecting with people who have grown cynical about politics,” he said. “You know, a dog is faithful. A dog is loyal. A dog never misleads you. That’s more than a lot of politicians can say.”

(Political Editor George Talbot can be reached at 219-5623 or gtalbot@press-register.com.)