ClydeR
01-15-2013, 10:59 AM
As Mitt Romney learned the hard way (http://forum.gsplayers.com/showthread.php?68420), mistreating a dog is very bad politics. That's undoubtedly why Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott's staff were so tight-lipped about Scott's dog.
In short, Florida's governor adopted a rescue dog to much fanfare. After a short time, nobody ever saw it again. When reporters asked questions about it, the governor's staff was evasive. Finally, as media pressure built for an answer, the governor's staff said the governor had returned the dog.
I can't tell you how relieved I am. I was afraid it was eaten by a giant snake, as so many dogs are in Florida.
TALLAHASSEE — Shortly after winning the GOP nomination in 2010, Rick Scott announced to the world through Facebook that his family had rescued a Labrador retriever.
And, with help from his Facebook friends, Scott gave it a name: Reagan.
"The Scott family is proud to announce that the name (chosen by you) for their newly adopted pup is Reagan! Thanks to everyone who participated in the fun contest,'' read Scott's announcement on his Facebook page.
Commenters were ecstatic, congratulating Scott for getting a rescue dog instead of a purebred like Bo, the Portuguese water dog President Barack Obama adopted in 2009. And friends saluted the dog's name, an homage to former President Ronald Reagan.
More... (http://www.tampabay.com/news/bizarre/after-2010-campaign-gov-rick-scott-gave-back-dog-reagan/1270497)
Asked last week what had happened to the dog, Scott's current and former communications directors refused to answer.
Brian Burgess, communications director during the campaign and for more than a year after Scott took office, now holds a similar position for the state GOP. When a Times reporter asked him where the dog is, Burgess said he thought it "weird'' that two Times reporters would contact him six minutes apart with questions dating back to the 2010 campaign.
But he wouldn't say where the dog was and accused reporters of "surfing some old Facebook or website pages.'' At one point an exasperated reporter asked Burgess if he had killed the dog, and Burgess denied ever killing a dog, but still wouldn't say where Reagan was.
On Thursday Burgess said he was referring all questions about the dog to Melissa Sellers, the governor's new communications director. Sellers responded over two days that she was far too busy to find an answer to the question.
A spokesman for the governor's wife also declined to respond to questions about Reagan, saying only that they have one dog.
Finally, they admitted they had returned the dog.
In short, Florida's governor adopted a rescue dog to much fanfare. After a short time, nobody ever saw it again. When reporters asked questions about it, the governor's staff was evasive. Finally, as media pressure built for an answer, the governor's staff said the governor had returned the dog.
I can't tell you how relieved I am. I was afraid it was eaten by a giant snake, as so many dogs are in Florida.
TALLAHASSEE — Shortly after winning the GOP nomination in 2010, Rick Scott announced to the world through Facebook that his family had rescued a Labrador retriever.
And, with help from his Facebook friends, Scott gave it a name: Reagan.
"The Scott family is proud to announce that the name (chosen by you) for their newly adopted pup is Reagan! Thanks to everyone who participated in the fun contest,'' read Scott's announcement on his Facebook page.
Commenters were ecstatic, congratulating Scott for getting a rescue dog instead of a purebred like Bo, the Portuguese water dog President Barack Obama adopted in 2009. And friends saluted the dog's name, an homage to former President Ronald Reagan.
More... (http://www.tampabay.com/news/bizarre/after-2010-campaign-gov-rick-scott-gave-back-dog-reagan/1270497)
Asked last week what had happened to the dog, Scott's current and former communications directors refused to answer.
Brian Burgess, communications director during the campaign and for more than a year after Scott took office, now holds a similar position for the state GOP. When a Times reporter asked him where the dog is, Burgess said he thought it "weird'' that two Times reporters would contact him six minutes apart with questions dating back to the 2010 campaign.
But he wouldn't say where the dog was and accused reporters of "surfing some old Facebook or website pages.'' At one point an exasperated reporter asked Burgess if he had killed the dog, and Burgess denied ever killing a dog, but still wouldn't say where Reagan was.
On Thursday Burgess said he was referring all questions about the dog to Melissa Sellers, the governor's new communications director. Sellers responded over two days that she was far too busy to find an answer to the question.
A spokesman for the governor's wife also declined to respond to questions about Reagan, saying only that they have one dog.
Finally, they admitted they had returned the dog.