Campbell: Tiny pack of Dogs Against Romney

TAMPA, Fla. -- Silly me.

I had assumed there would be a large turnout for "Dogs Against Romney" -- an organization boasting 70,000-plus members nationwide that protests a forgettable experience from presumptive Republican presidential nomineeMitt Romney's past. However, as the 3:45 p.m. Sunday start time came and went, it became apparent there was going to be more media people than dogs at this event.

In fact, at one point there were more horses than dogs.

Six mounted state troopers formed an imposing line on the grass about 30 yards from the rally, held at Lykes Gaslight Park in downtown Tampa. But the law enforcement officers quickly determined their presence would not be needed, so they made a slow, stately retreat on horseback shortly before the event began.

The story goes that Romney once placed his dog -- an Irish setter named Seamus -- in a crate and strapped it to the top of his car for a long family road trip. For the record, this is disconcerting. But I disagree with the premise of the Dogs Against Romney organization -- that placing a dog in a crate on top of a car disqualifies him from being president.

"Should we have a president that isn't even qualified to adopt a pet?" Scott Crider, founder of Dogs Against Romney, has stated previously. "If this is how he treats a furry member of his own family, just think how this lap dog of Wall Street will treat middle-class families as president." A handful of speakers addressed the small crowd, each one echoing the sentiments of Crider. Several cars with roof racks containing stuffed dogs circled the park and the downtown area. One woman at the rally wore a sign on her back that read, "Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro." And all the while, the eight to 10 dogs in attendance were oblivious to the true nature of the event. They are, after all, dogs. They played with one another, sniffed one another and did their "business." If there were any Republicans in attendance, they didn't advertise it.

In 1952, vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon went on TV to answer charges that his political success had come primarily from the financial largesse of others. In what became known as the "Checkers Speech," Nixon made reference to the family dog named Checkers, which had been given to his daughters, and said: "I want to say right now that regardless of what they say, we're going to keep it." Will Romney need to go on TV and give a "Seamus Speech," explaining what was in his mind when he strapped his Irish setter to the roof of the family car? No. There is no grassroots, bipartisan groundswell for greater clarity on this issue.

Just a handful of anti-Romney folks who would oppose the GOP presidential candidate whether he had put Seamus in a crate on the car or left him in a kennel.

Rich Campbell is a columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. Contact him at rich.campbell@scripps.com.