Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) threw a social media hand grenade on Sunday, tweeting, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” 

He did not mention race but his words echoed old segregationist rhetoric that lumped minorities and dogs together as though they were two types of lesser creatures. The congressman’s phrasing was provocative and it drew the sort of righteous disapproval you’d expect.

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“Disgusting bigotry,” Jake Tapper, of CNN, wrote on X. 

“Absolutely evil,” David French, of the New York Times, wrote. 

“You disgusting pr*ck,” Piers Morgan wrote.

Rep. Fine’s ugly wording gave the commentariat permission to dismiss him as a bigot and a jerk. But he was responding to something real.  

Dogs are a beloved feature of American life, cossetted and petted and treated like honored family members. Dogs live in 87 million U.S. homes. Some have their own beds; some share their owners’ beds. They are in favorite photos on shelves and in bookcases. Some owners call themselves “pet parents” of “fur babies.” This goes too far for some of us, but it indicates how........

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