Republican Mary Matalin says she is often asked whether she's ever changed her husband's mind about anything, and the answer is yes--keeping pets and rescuing animals. Matalin and her rabidly Democratic husband, James Carville, were the honored guests at the Washington Humane Society's annual Bark Ball on Saturday night. The black-tie event is unique because four-legged guests are welcome and attendees traditionally bring canine escorts. Several hundred dogs were in attendance, many of them rescue animals. Matalin and Carville, accompanied by their five dogs and their two daughters, took the stage for brief remarks. Carville grew up in Louisiana, where animals were more for shooting and eating, Matalin observed. But he's come around. Carville said he was asked recently on a talk show whether he'd ever owned a gun. He said yes. Asked if he hunts, he said no. "My family would kill me." He told of raising a pig to show at a 4-H event, but the pig somehow broke its leg. His daughter wanted to know what he did with the pig. "We ate it," he said. She didn't talk to him for three weeks. The Bark Ball raises money for the Washington Humane Society, which treats 20,000 abandoned and abused animals a year. Partisan politics were set aside for the night, except Carville did note that the winner of the Belmont Stakes earlier in the day was a filly--the first time in a hundred years. He said he wouldn't be surprised if Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton's flamboyant finance chairman, commandeered the horse for a Hillary fund-raiser. The campaign did put out a "HillGram" on the historical omen.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
