Could a U.S. “Party for the Animals” politically succeed?
GUILFORD, Conn.– Should U.S. animal advocates form a “Party for the Animals,” to consolidate support and seek leverage? Dutch Party for the Animals founder Marianne Thieme, elected to the Dutch Parliament in November 2006, has already visited the U.S. twice to promote the idea, most recently at the Animal Rights 2007 conference in Los Angeles. Similar Parties for the Animals have already formed in Britain, Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Luxembourg, and Austria. The idea of starting a U.S. Party for the Animals has gained momentum from their example, and because all of the declared candidates for the 2008 U.S. Presidential election have either weak or negative records on animal issues except for Democratic contender Dennis Kucinich. Kucinich, a longtime Ohio Con-gressional Representative, is rated only an outside chance of winning the nomination. But National Institute for Animal Advocacy founder Julie Lewin warns–as author of a recent book on political organization entitled Get Pol
