I'm sick of this Mary Cheney flap and want it to go away. I don't think it's good for anyone, especially the intensely private Mary. But I do think we ought to ask a prominent gay Republican what he thinks. Heck, let's make it two.
Friday, October 15, 2004
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Here's what irritates me about the Republicans' "outrage" about bringing up Cheney's Lesbian daughter: They are arguing that its rude to bring up Cheney's personal family life like that. That its inappropriate to make Cheney's family a subject of political discourse....but they think that whether Gay/Lesbian couples should be allowed to be married is a fit subject for LEGISLATION!
Is there any part of Bush's campaign that doesn't rely on a combination of hate mongering, supressing debate and avoiding responsibility?
You're right, it did seem out of place when Kerry mentioned her. And I wasn't trying to say she was private about her sexuality (can you name a more famous lesbian who's not in the entertainment industry?) but that in general, she's a private person.
What I do have a problem with is the Cheney family's selective anger. Alan Keyes calls Mary a "selfish hedonist" and the Cheneys don't say anything, but Kerry suggests that Mary doesn't think homosexuality is a choice and they're up in arms. Had Kerry been a Republican they would have had no problem with it.
It was a calculated move on Kerry and Edwards' part to announce twice on national televison that Dick Cheney's daughter is a lesbian. I suspect they got exactly the brouhaha they wanted. Now everybody knows that Dick Cheney's daughter is a lesbian, and people are saying "Dick Cheney" and "lesbian" in the same breath a lot.
Remember that there truly are a bunch of [insert nasty labels here] people who get nauseated and freaked out about anything having to do with homosexuals. What you want is for these people, when they are standing in the election booth and staring at the words "Dick Cheney," to see the word "lesbian" floating in front of them. They really might just feel disgusted and decide not to vote for him--maybe not to vote for anyone.
Now that's real "puke politics" for ya.
I asked my lesbian friends what they thought of this whole thing. They felt that if Mary Cheney were a child, or if she were trying very hard to stay away from politics, then it would not have been right to bring her up. But in this case, Mary Cheney is an adult who is heavily involved in her father's re-election campaign--and they brought the issue up first. It is telling that they are having Lynne Cheney speak protectively of her daughter, as though she were a child who could not speak for herself.
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