A meme’s not really a meme on the Internet until it gets its very own “Downfall” parody so here’s the “dogeater-in-chief” gag being enshrined in the pantheon before your very eyes. I’m expecting a “Hitler reacts to that terrible ‘hot girls’ song” clip to hit YouTube too before the week is out so keep watching this space for that.

Over at HuffPo, Columbia University prof Lincoln Mitchell is taking the “Romney put Seamus in a kennel on the roof” story … very seriously indeed:

For many voters, treating a dog this way is unimaginable and could only be done by somebody who has a problem empathizing with others. For these voters it is not hard to make the leap that the kind of man who could hose off the sick, family dog and keep driving is also the kind of man who could build a career around making companies more efficient by suggesting massive layoffs. This is, of course, the major negative that was used against Romney in the Republican primaries and will be used against him again by the Democrats and President Obama in the general election…

This incident makes it very difficult for Romney to present the personal side of his biography to voters in a positive light. This is an unfortunate development for Romney because, by most accounts, the Republican candidate is a good and dedicated father and grandfather, but this incident will make it harder for Romney to show that side of himself to voters. Every family picture from when Romney’s children were young will be a reminder not of Romney’s attractive family, but of how he mistreated their dog.

Good points, Lincoln Mitchell. Might a “good and dedicated father and grandfather” in fact be a sociopath because of how he once transported the family pet on vacation? I look forward to seeing this important question explored at length in the media’s campaign coverage this summer. Oh, by the way — we just passed $5 trillion in new debt accumulated since Obama was sworn in. Enjoy the clip.