I'm Sorry, But It Is The Cheney's Using Their Daughter As A Political Tool

[DrFunkenstein]

Kerry's comment about Mary Cheney was completely respectful, as was that of John Edwards. It was not a planned statement, it was a response to an unusual question by the moderator about homosexuality and choice.

The reason this question came up is because Alan Keyes made an enormous stink by calling Mary Cheney a "selfish hedonist." Mr. Schieffer wanted to clarify the impetus behind Bush's call to amend the Constitution to limit marriage to heterosexual couples.

John Kerry brought up Mary Cheney because this was clearly the unspoken reference in the question.

On the other hand, the Bush/Cheney campaign - clearly desperate after 3 failed debates and plummeting approval numbers - decided to resort to wedge politics again, this time in the name of "outraged parents." Not only is this move shameful at the political level, it is so utterly disappointing to see the one nice thing about the Cheneys - their love of their daughter trumping politics - get pissed on.

[sangh0]

1. Kerry is NOT going to run a Mary Cheney ad

Kerry *IS* going to run an ad with bush* saying he doesn't think about where OBL is.

What do you think Kerry wants us to talk about?

[DrFunkenstein]

2. I Hardly Want A Mary Cheney Ad

But Kerry's knuckleheaded surrogates have to have a real response when the issue comes up. Not just a response, but they have to bury this thing before it gets legs.

[sangh0]

4. If it has legs

it's because people like you are running with it.

You don't win elections by playing defense. When Kerry was attacked he said "Being lectured by bush* is like being lectured by Tony Soprano about law and order". Learn from the master, John Kerry.

"Being lectured about lesbians by a republican is like being lectured about fiscal responsibility by bush*"

[DrFunkenstein]

10. This Is What Clinton Would Call "An Opportunity"

Not only can we hammer home the hypocrisy and Alan Keyes, we can nail them for using the Constitution as a wedge, their daughter as a wedge, and talk about Cheney's comment that a vote for Kerry would bring about a nuclear war. Hell, we can bring up Trent Lott if we want to.

That's not defense. That's counter-punching. In Jujitsu, it would be using the enemy's aggression against themselves.

[sangh0]

15. Kerry will NOT run a Mary Cheney ad. He will run an OBL ad

with video of bush* saying he doesn't think about OBL.

What do you think Kerry wants us to talk about.

That's not defense. That's counter-punching. In Jujitsu, it would be using the enemy's aggression against themselves

After the debate, both parties scrutinized the transcripts and decided how they should spin the debate. Unless you think it's the Kerry campaign that's raising this issue, it's obvious that the bush* team came to the conclusion that it would be best for them to talk about lesbians.

If bush* thinks it's best spin is to talk about lesbians instead of bush*'s OBL lie, why would you want to agree with them?

Don't you think the OBL lie is an "opportunity"?

[unfrigginreal]

13. You always see things from a Democratic Activists eyes

you never try to understand the mindset of the public as a whole. Sometimes the strategy has to include countering the opposition. We can't always win by just spouting our own talking points and ignoring the other sides'.

The campaign should have started to agressively combat this yesterday. We've now lost a full media cycle because our answer has been "but we won the debate." Yeah, we sure did and we're well on our way to not only losing but getting clobbered by the post debate spin.

[sangh0]

16. You don't win by playing defense either.

After the debate, both parties scrutinized the transcripts and decided how they should spin the debate. Unless you think it's the Kerry campaign that's raising this issue, it's obvious that the bush* team came to the conclusion that it would be best for them to talk about lesbians

Kerry has obviously decided that lesbians are not what he wants to talk about. The RNC has obviously decided that they DO want to talk about lesbians.

Why agree with the RNC?

[Catfight]

8. I really hope he runs an ad that Bush said Osma isn't important!

[sangh0]

9. He has already created the commercial

and it *IS* going to run in battleground states.

[Radio-Active]

3. yep, if they thought Mary Cheney's privacy was being violated,

why are they talking about this non-stop?

Has anyone asked Mary Cheney what she thinks?

[sangh0]

5. They're talking about it non-stop

because they don't want to talk about how bush* said he "doesn't think" about where OBL is.

[cali]

6. The better question is

why are WE talking about this non-stop? Enough. Already. Let it be.

[Solomon]

7. I'm having a real good time laughing about this one. The big bad ole

murdering monsters crying, bwa bwa bwa, like babies. It warms my cockles. (Whatever they are)

They would have been better off leaving this one alone. They look so trite crying about it. Just like bullies. Crying cause they got spit on. Ha. Ha. I love it. They have no shame in murdering innocent people, wrecking an entire country, telling people to "go fuck yourself". Bwaaa bwaaaa.

[mcg]

11. Absolutely, Keyes called Mary Cheney a sinner

[NewYorkerfromMass]

12. Agreed. nt

[Strawman]

14. If they really cared about their daughter..

and knowing what kind of hateful homophobic right-wing kooks are out there because they are the people they see in every town the campaign bus rolls into, the Cheneys would want this story to go away as quickly as possible and would never have allowed it to become a Republican talking point. Even if they really thought it was a below the belt attack by Kerry, for their daughters sake, you would think they would have just been the bigger people and said "thanks for the kind words" like Cheney did to Edwards in the VP debate. Instead, they ensured that this would be kept alive and mentioned on every Fox News affiliate in the country by trying to twist it against Kerry. Would the threats, and nasty letters their daughter is sure to receive from right-wing hatemongers as a result of raising the profile of this story in the media be worth scoring a political point if the Cheneys were really putting their daughter first?

I feel bad for Mary Cheney. I wish Kerry hadn't brought it up, and I wish her parents had just brushed it off when he did. I don't totally buy the "she's fair game" line of thinking. Sure she is openly gay and volunteers for her dad's campaign. Sure she markets beer to the gay community for Coors. But I don't think she bargained for all this and for having her sexuality turned into a political volleyball in the intense spotlight of a Presidential campaign when she decided to stand by her dad and took a job promoting Coors merchandise at gay bars or gay pride festivals or whatever that job entailed. I don't think it would be unreasonable for her to expect more respect for her privacy about her personal sexuality and how well or poorly her family dealt with that. That information and those feelings belong to her and to a lesser degree to her family and it's up to her to decide how much and when and where she wants to share any of that with the public.