From here:
"I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian" [...] Kerry told debate moderator Bob Schieffer.
And from here:
Now, as to this question, let me say first that I think the vice president and his wife love their daughter. I think they love her very much. And you can't have anything but respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter" [...]
Using a human being as a political football is rather unseemly, even in such a close election. Kerry-Edwards has used the late Christopher Reeve as well as the ill Michael J. Fox for exactly this purpose. The media have offered little criticism in response.
But using the VP's daughter, twice, is simply too much. Even the anti-Bush media have to call the Dems out on this.
They clearly want to hamper the Republicans in their effort to turn out their conservative, Christian base. But this is simply dirty pool.
Would Bush or Cheney have been given a pass by the media in pointing out that Kerry's daughter is a slut, or that Kerry's wife is nuts:
"John will never send a boy or girl in a uniform anywhere in the world because of our need and greed for oil."
Or that Ms. Edwards is morbidly obese?
I don't think so.
Kerry will pay a price here. Not among the anti-Bush homos, but in the media, where it counts.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - boomcrashbaby
Using a human being as a political football is rather unseemly, even in such a close election
Damn, do you think? How about using millions of Americans as political footballs by trying to modify the Constitution against them so that you can rally your hard-line base?
Kerry will pay a price here. Not among the anti-Bush homos, but in the media, where it counts.
Edwards and Kerry mention that a person who is publicly out of the closet is a lesbian. I wonder why we anti-Bush homo's won't have a problem with that.
This attempt to slam Kerry and Edwards for mentioning an out person's sexuality reeks of desperation from the Right. Joe Scarborough was beside himself over this. I was just laughing.
Somebody mentions that Edwards has a wife. No big deal. Somebody mentions Theresa Heinz Kerry. No big deal. Somebody mentions Mary Cheney has a girlfriend and 'shock, gasp' it's personal!
How about a President who decided it was none of your business who he was married to? Would you go without a First Lady? No, the concept is completely absurd. And that's because mentioning a heterosexual relationship is like mentioning the weather, it's just a given. But mention a same-sex relationship and you've invaded on someone's dirty little secret! Well, hogwash.
Mary Cheney is a public figure. Mary Cheney is out of the closet. Mary Cheney is the daughter of the vice president who's boss is trying to amend the U.S. Constitution against gay people.
This is only shocking and only news to those who want gay relationships to be in the shadows, and yes, they will try to use this as propaganda. Well, Mary's out and neither Edwards or Kerry outed her.
The Right doesn't like putting a face on the casualties of their theocratic, medieval platform. That is why a big stink will be made out of this.
2 - Mac Diva
Well said, Steve (Boom). Having such hogwash come from the party that brought us the Willie Horton ad is telling. Apparently, it is acceptable to demean 12 million Americans by asserting they are dangerous, but not to acknowledge a woman's sexual preference. John Kerry has been nothing but respectful of Mary Cheney. He, unlike George W. Bush, acknowledges her as a full human being. What Bush implied in the debate tonight is that she is a child of a lesser God. John Kerry is strong enough and honest enough to be straightforward about his beliefs: that the existence of gay people is natural, that the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade is not a legitimate reason to appoint judges to the Supreme Court, that racial and sexual discrimination are still very much with us and require affirmative action. George W. Bush lied about his stances on all three of these issues, in addition to not answering the question whether he believes homosexuality occurs naturally. Much of America heard the difference. And, much of America will respond.
3 - Bob A. Booey
RJ,
Your comments get more and more disappointing and thoughtless. This election is really bringing out the worst in you, analytically and personally.
Do you not get the irony in moralizing about someone using someone's daughter as a "political football" while attacking the opponent's daughter for the mortal sin of wearing a dress she didn't know was see-through to a premiere or making fun of a candidate's wife for being heavy?
Mary Cheney is a brave, talented, and very vocal and outspoken public advocate for gay rights. Dick Cheney has been fairly brave himself in supporting her and distancing himself from the President's views, even if it has meant alienating some of the evangelical base.
As for Kerry and Edwards bringing her up, it's just good, smart politics. They appear more empathetic for doing so. Edwards's reference wasn't purely political calculation, it was a geniune attempt to reach out to Cheney, which Cheney seemed touched by. Plus, it reminds people that gay rights isn't an abstract issue -- Us vs. Them -- and reminds them that gay people are as close as the daughter of a member of the ticket. Bringing up their empathy for Mary Cheney and connecting it to her father's care for her only serves to illustrate Bush's intolerance. It's not below the belt and it's smart politics.
That is all.
4 - Bob A. Booey
Oh yeah, and it helps to take gay rights off the table as a motivating issue to whip up the Religious Right base.
That is all.
5 - Steve Rhodes
Look, Mary worked as the gay and lesbian liason for Coors. She is out.
And Cheney himself brought her up when he said he was against the constitutional ammendment on gay marriage And his wife said it should be left to the states before he did.
Edwards and Kerry brought it up both to put a human face on the issue and hightlight that even Cheney doesn't' agree with Bush on the ammendment.
If they were really the liberals Bush claims they are, they'd ask why the Bush twins could marry men, but Mary can't marry her partner who she has been with for years. And if she did marry her, it wouldn't "harm" traditional marriage one bit.
But as you mentioned, this is really about rallying Bush's bigoted base since the ammendment will never get through either congress or the states.
6 - andy
Bob, You don't really believe that Edwards was trying to "reach" out to Cheney, do you? You can't possible be that naive!!!
7 - Shark
RJ lectures the class about inappropriate comments from politicians.
Then he says this:
"...Kerry's daughter is a slut, or that Kerry's wife is nuts... Or that Ms. Edwards is morbidly obese?"
--- which gives us a good idea of RJ's level of hypocrisy vs integrity.
--- and exposes a symptom of what motivates his right-wing politics: the dude is incredibly nasty and intolerant -- just like the GOP.
8 - JR
Using a human being as a political football is rather unseemly, even in such a close election. Kerry-Edwards has used the late Christopher Reeve as well as the ill Michael J. Fox for exactly this purpose.
Yeah, those sleazy Democrats. Whereas Jeb Bush had enough class to use a comatose woman as a political football.
9 - andy
I have no problem with civil unions, but let's call them just that.
from thesaurus.com:
mar·riage
Pronunciation: 'mar-ij
Function: noun
1 : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a legal, consensual, and contractual relationship recognized and sanctioned by and dissolvable only by law.
This is the definition. I didn't write it.
10 - Rodney Welch
I doubt seriously that the father of Jenna and Laura Bush will ever point out that ANYONE is a slut.
11 - bhw
andy, do you realize that dictionaries don't DETERMINE the meanings of words, they just REFLECT the current meanings of words? Do you think that the people who write dictionaries actually control what words mean? Dictionaries are living documents; they change every year to reflect words that are no longer used, new words that merit inclusion, and changes to the way we use words.
If gay marriage were legal, the dictionary definition would simply change to match the meaning of the word as it is used. In fact, don't be surprised if the definition changes soon to reflect the existence of gay marriage in Massachusetts.
If the dictionary was an unchanging document that determined what words mean, we'd all still be speaking like Chaucer.
12 - andy marsh
well...that's a word that I think should stay just that way...like I said...I have no problem with civil unions.
Sorry if it offends. But I've been married to a WOMAN for 21 years. It's my belief that it's more of a religious sacrament than anything else.
Have your civil unions, they can have just as much civil authority as my marriage, but leave my marriage alone!
13 - The Dude
Obviously Andy here believes that marriage is only between man and his property.
14 - andy marsh
and how did you get that from my post???
15 - boomcrashbaby
Have your civil unions, they can have just as much civil authority as my marriage, but leave my marriage alone!
Nobody's trying to touch your marriage.
16 - RJ
"Apparently, it is acceptable to demean 12 million Americans by asserting they are dangerous"
Well well well. Our resident
Black Nationalist doesn't even know the correct number of black people in America. But then again, she thinks Pat Tillman got shot in Iraq, so it's really not too surprising when you think about it...
17 - andy marsh
yes you are...it's like calling margarine, butter!
marriage is between a man and a woman. it's not anything else just because the justices from the same state that consistently re-elect a murderer to the US Senate says otherwise!
18 - boomcrashbaby
I mean it's too bad you feel that it lessens what you have with your own spouse.
19 - andy marsh
you know, like I said before, I'm willing to give a little on this issue. I understand that the relationships that gays have with each other can be just as meaningful as the relationship I have with my wife. Just find another word for it!
20 - RJ
"you know, like I said before, I'm willing to give a little on this issue. I understand that the relationships that gays have with each other can be just as meaningful as the relationship I have with my wife. Just find another word for it!"
That's basicly my position on the issue. Give gays civil unions that will provide all the benefits of a marriage. But just don't call it marriage.
It's really not that much to ask. Just one little word is all. But the Far-Left views anything less than a complete redefinition of the institution of marriage, via undemocratic means, as unacceptable. And those who oppose gay marriage are nothing more than mindless bigots, to their eyes. (Of course, that would mean something like 70% of all Americans are "mindless bigots" but to the Left, that's pretty much par for the course...)
21 - andy marsh
thank you, finally!
22 - boomcrashbaby
Give gays civil unions that will provide all the benefits of a marriage. But just don't call it marriage.
America tried a separate but equal ideology once and decided that it didn't work and wasn't what America was about.
It's so odd, this multi-million dollar battle for that one 'word', because you already concede the concept behind it to the gay community.
23 - RJ
If the "M" word is so unimportant, BCB, why compare yourself to a black person in Alabama in 1930 because you aren't allowed to manipulate that word the way you'd like to?
If I was black, I'd be offended at your comparison. Gays today are widely accepted in just about every facet of American life. Blacks in the South in the early part of this century were publicly hung on the mere suspicion of "raping" a white woman.
There ain't no equivalence there.
24 - andy marsh
You say separate but equal doesn't work, yet everyone demands to be separate but equal. They feel the need to be called gay-american, african-american, italian-american, irish-american...well I have a new one...pissed off-married-heterosexual that doesn't wanna give up that word-american!
Whether you like it or not we're all separate and not always equal! It's life, it has nothing to do with America or any where else on the globe. It's why my father still can't program his VCR. It's why I can't play drums. We ARE NOT equal. It's why some people are ditch diggers and others are doctors.
It isn't what America used to be about, back in the day as they say ,when my grandfather landed at Ellis Island. Everyone just wanted to be called American.
25 - boomcrashbaby
Whether you like it or not we're all separate and not always equal!
oh, I most definitely believe I am not your equivalent.
'separate but equal' refers to the overall treatment/recognition of society, i.e. the government. It does not mean to suggest we want to be your physical equivalent, or your equivalent in matters of manual dexterity. The next time the government denies you a marriage license because you can't bang a drum, you let me know, until then I see no correlation.