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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe Wyoming GOP Deserves a Coward Like Liz Cheney
The Wyoming GOP Deserves a Coward Like Liz CheneyBy Mark Joseph Stern
On Sunday, the New York Times ran a fantastically juicy piece documenting a feud between the Cheney sisters, whose relationship has apparently been sacrificed at the altar of Liz Cheneys deeply silly Senate primary campaign against three-term Republican Sen. Mike Enzi. According to the Times, Lizs parroting of the GOPs anti-gay party line offended Mary Cheney, a married lesbian with two children. In a moment of startling candor, Mary told the Times that it may be impossible to reconcile with her anti-gay sister, and noted that, at the Cheney familys annual Christmas get-together in Jackson Hole, I will not be seeing her.
There are two ways to look at this. Mary might, as Dan Savage suspects, be fabricating her anger to give her sister a much-needed boost in the polls. Anybody can say they dont like gay people, but it takes a dedicated homophobe to do so at the expense of familial relations. Besides, whereas Enzi has a proven track record of opposing gay rights, Christian conservatives have long detected a certain squishiness about Lizs anti-gay positions. By publicly opposing the rights of her very own sister, the theory goes, Liz could nab the conservative bona fides she requires to topple Enzi. And Marywho doesnt exactly have a sterling track record herself on LGBT issuescould be happy to play the role of selfish, bitter lesbian.
Of course, its also entirely possible that the rift is authentic and Mary is legitimately miffed at her sister for throwing her rights under the bus. This strikes me as the more likely option. Unless the Cheneys truly have the Times wrapped around their finger, even they couldnt successfully pull off a publicity ruse of this caliber. Marys grievances over her sisters extremely public homophobia, moreover, have a ring of authenticity about them: not shrill and harsh, like one who doth protest too much, but plangent and disappointed, like, well, a sister who has seen her family bonds needlessly severed. Either way, one thing is for sure: This sleazy, rotten mess is the race that Wyoming GOP voters deserve. In bluer states, where the gay issue has been effectively neutralized, a candidate can come out of the closet without facing more than a dollop of controversy. But in an intensely homophobic state like Wyoming, where the vast majority of GOP voters oppose marriage equality, any Republican primary is fated to be a grotesque pissing contest of anti-gay animus. Thats why pro-Enzi SuperPAC ads slamming Cheney as a covert gay rights supporter are inundating Wyomings airwaves: They work, appealing to voters basest bigotries and helping Enzi open up a 52-point lead over his opponent.
Its easy to find the entire sordid business of anti-gay pandering darkly amusing, especially in a race as hopeless as this one. But really, in the long run, its just pathetic. Cheney might not actually be homophobic, but she certainly is a cynical, callous coward. When politicians lose electionsas Cheney soon will, in an ignominious routthey often say they look forward to spending more time with their families. But what happens when youve thrown your family under the bus in pursuit of your hubristic whims? That, in reality, is the only question left to be answered in this miserable farce of a race.
Mark Joseph Stern is a Slate contributor. He writes about science, the law, and LGBT issues.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2013/11/18/cheney_sisters_feud_wyoming_republicans_deserve_liz_cheney.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content
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The Wyoming GOP Deserves a Coward Like Liz Cheney (Original Post)
DonViejo
Nov 2013
OP
gejohnston
(17,502 posts)1. my original analysis still stands
http://www.democraticunderground.com/101667876#post8
When the majority supports civil unions (as opposed to marriage) I would not call that "intensely homophobic either. I think the State should be out of the marriage business entirely. Unfortunately, the US does not have a legal distinction between the two. (marriage is a religious ceremony. Civil union is a legal creation.)
I don't think it would be going out on a limb to say Mr. Stern 1)knows nothing about Wyoming politics 2)has ever been there other than maybe going to Yellowstone as a kid.
When the majority supports civil unions (as opposed to marriage) I would not call that "intensely homophobic either. I think the State should be out of the marriage business entirely. Unfortunately, the US does not have a legal distinction between the two. (marriage is a religious ceremony. Civil union is a legal creation.)
I don't think it would be going out on a limb to say Mr. Stern 1)knows nothing about Wyoming politics 2)has ever been there other than maybe going to Yellowstone as a kid.