KRAMER VS. NOT KRAMER

Someone is either a dog person or a cat person; rarely are they both. Whichever pet one prefers, people are fiercely loyal and don’t seem to understand their counterpart’s love of the other breed. Today two media giants are in competition on who has the most beautiful pet. If I set it up correctly, you can vote in the survey at the top of the page. If I did not, then just send me an e-mail or comment on the blog.


This latest battle came about because of WCIU-TV which runs a daily animal “beauty pageant,” (wciu.com) that they say will answer the age-old question of which pet has household supremacy. The contest is called “Cats vs. Dogs,” but on September 27th a battle was held between a cat and a pig. Bella, the pig, is owned by talk show host Jerry Springer whose show airs on WCIU-TV. The cat is owned by former Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder, who has a blog on the WBEZ site, http://www.vocalo.org/.

 All day on Tuesday, like in actual Chicago politics, there were accusations of unfair lobbying, voter fraud and influence peddling flying back and forth between the candidates and their supporters. Some claimed that WCIU tried to manipulate the vote by a headline on their web site which read, “"Vote for Springer's Pig!" plus they ran a video of Jerry being interviewed about Bella. Others pointed out that Feder asked for votes for Kramer in his own column.

Bella

While the lead teetered back and forth all day, at the close of balloting, Kramer won by a vote of 927 vs. 822

Hearing about the contest, another media personality challenged feline Kramer to a real contest versus a dog. The story unfolds below.

The dog pictured is Bobby, 10, who is an Australian Terrier, not a Yorkie with a thyroid problem. Bobby is his name, but since he is not fussy, he will answer to Bob, Rob or Robert, as long as the person is holding a dog treat.

Bob

He is owned by WLS radio personality, Jake Hartford who has, according to his official bio, “Amid the intense backbiting, crushed egos, shattered careers and rampant paranoia & suspicion so prevalent in the radio business, Jake Hartford after many long years, clawed his way to the top of the Saturday morning broadcast heap on 890AM WLS.”

Kramer

Kramer, 9, is a Persian cat. While you can tangle a pet's name with Bob, etc., grownups no. Mr. Feder is Robert or Rob to those who know him. When you hear people try to make off like they are great personal friends with him and refer to him as Bob or Bobby, you know they don't know him at all. According to his Vocalo bio,”He has been keeping tabs on the media in Chicago for 30 years. A lifelong Chicagoan and graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, he was television and radio columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. At age 14, he founded the first and only Walter Cronkite Fan Club”

Now you know the combatants.

To help make your decision in voting, Jake wanted me to relate the following story.


Jake Hartford does not like cats. He told me, “When I was a young boy my mother was going to make a birthday cake for me. She left the two layers out to cool before she frosted them. I got home from school to find our Persian cat, Snowball, eating the middle of the cake. My mother tried to fill the cavity with more frosting, but it wasn't the same. Hated cats ever since. This contest has ripped the scab oft that emotional scar. I have that mental picture of the cat on top of the counter eating the cake when I got home seared into my brain. Can't remember the first girl I had sex with but I remember the cat on the cake.”


Robert Feder’s response: "Like his sitcom namesake, Kramer is the coolest cat around. And he knows it. P.S. I sincerely hope Jake gets help for his problem."


Let the battle begin. Eat, love or spay.