In order to talk about Now It’s My Turn, I probably should tell you how I felt about Mary Cheney before I read her book and how I felt about her during the 2000 election, too.
In 2000, I thought Bush made a good choice in Cheney for VP. I had no real feelings about Mary Cheney except that it’s too bad her orientation will be used in the campaign. But, since it is the republican party that has been responsible for discrimination of GLBTs in recent years, I didn’t have a whole lot of sympathy for her.
When the campaign got going and she and her family seemed so shocked and insulted that HER orientation would be used in the campaign, I thought their acting was pretty bad. To ever think she wouldn’t be used throughout the campaign, by both sides, was ridiculous and to pretend to be shocked and appalled was simply stupid. But even so, well into the first term, I had no issues with Mary or with her father.
But my feelings changed when Bush started pushing so hard for an amendment to the constitution that would very specifically discriminate against gays and lesbians. The idea that Mary Cheney would continue to work for a president who thought it was fine to add discriminatory language to our constitution was enough to send me over the edge. And then to be so angry and so insulted when she was again used during the campaign in 2004 – well that did it, I lost all respect.
Now about her book… I was moving along just fine, and I liked her just fine, until she got to the 2004 election and started talking about her decision to stick with the campaign even though she did not agree with Bush’s defense of marriage act…. even though her father (and the rest of her family) did not agree with such an amendment…. even though staff member after staff member told her that they did not agree with President Bush…. even though a staff member called her in fear of his job because he thought he was going to be outed….
Mary says she stuck with President Bush because she believed he was the candidate who could lead this country and under his leadership we would live in a country where GLBT and marriage could be discussed. And apparently, under democratic leadership we would become so weak that we could no longer discuss such an issue. Ummm Huh? That makes absolutely no sense to me. It’s an excuse and a poor one. It’s smoke that Mary has thrown up to take the heat for being too weak to stand up for what she believes in – or to come right out and say, “I don’t really care about the constitution of the US right now, I care about getting my dad back into office.”
How could supporting a president who thinks it’s perfectly fine to write discriminatory language into the constitution be good for our country?
Mary talks about the interracial marriage issue, as compared to the GLBT marriage issue) and the fact that it took 40 years to get those laws overturned. She doesn’t think it would take 40 years to end discrimination against gays. How long does she think it might take? She doesn’t say. And in the meantime, doesn’t it bother her that people (like that staff member) are terrified of losing their jobs? (and they don’t have her daddy there to help them keep their jobs, like that staff member did)
Doesn’t it concern her that the more President Bush pushes this discriminatory language, the more power it gives to those who would choose to physically, emotionally and economically attack GLBT people? What about all of those young people who are victims of verbal or physical assault right now – what happens to them when Mary’s choice for president manages to get that amendment passed? Even if it doesn’t pass, he has still given people like him the confidence and the ammunition to attack more young people, doesn’t that bother her? Oh wait, it’s ok because it won’t take 40 years for us to “overcome” like it did peple in interracial marriages. I guess Mary has decided that all of the gay folks who suffer under President Bush’s administration aren’t important. Maybe those folks she considers “acceptable losses”.
I have absolutely no issue with Mary Cheney the lesbian conservative republican, I like lesbian conservative republicans. I do have an issue with Mary Cheney’s choice to work on that campaign with full knowledge that the president believes discriminatory language belongs in our constitution. I take issue with her ability to blow smoke and scream foul when the democrats used her orientation to prove a point (or two or three) while she stood by and supported that president and his efforts to change our constitution in this manner.
Mary Cheney’s book – bah, just like Mary Cheney herself – all smoke and mirrors. I respect her dad just fine but I don’t respect her.
