Mary Cheney: Public Figure, Campaign Official, Professional Lesbian

[Stephanie]

The Cheney's want to have it both ways.

_______________________________

http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/820/820_cvr_cheney.asp

Hiding in plain sight
Mary Cheney may be silent, but her presence speaks volumes about the relationship between family and sexual identity
By Sarah Wildman

From The Advocate, September 12, 2000

It’s not for want of trying by reporters. In an attempt to talk to her, The Advocate contacted friends, associates, and former coworkers from Coors Brewing Co. Some had lost contact with her since she left her job as a manager of Coors’s corporate relations for the gay and lesbian market. Others, such as activists at Equality Colorado, a statewide gay group, refused to pass along messages out of respect for her privacy. Some people who knew her did not return phone calls, and messages to Cheney’s home in Conifer, Colo., went unanswered. Suddenly, the woman who is the first openly gay or lesbian child of a major national candidate (and a conservative one at that) was nowhere to be found—except on television screens across the country as she sat at the Republican convention applauding her father. The silence is particularly striking for someone who until recently made her living doing outreach to gays and lesbians, even touring the country with the 1999 International Mr. Leather to bolster support for Coors among gays and lesbians.

_______________________________

http://www.newsmax.com/scripts/showinside.pl?a=2002/5/28/214344
Tuesday, May 28, 2002 10:42 p.m. EDT
Prez Ford, Mary Cheney Join Gay Outreach Group

Former President Gerald Ford and Mary Cheney, the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, have joined the Republican Unity Coalition, a group seeking to forge a "gay-straight alliance" in an effort to build bridges between the GOP and the homosexual community.

<snip>

Ms. Cheney joined the RUC last month, telling the Blade that the group "is an organization that reflects my fundamental beliefs and principles.

"Working together, we can expand the Republican Party's outreach to nontraditional Republicans; we can make sexual orientation a non-issue for the Republican Party," she added.

Mr. Francis told the Blade that Ms. Cheney plans to attend RUC fundraisers this summer all across the country, in a bid to raise $1 million for gay-friendly GOP candidates in the 2002 election.

_______________________________

http://www.washblade.com/2004/2-20/view/actionalert/action.cfm
Missing Mary?
Veep’s lesbian daughter targeted by Web site
By CHRISTOPHER SEELY
Friday, February 20, 2004

<snip>

Cheney in the past worked as a paid gay liaison for Coors Brewing Company and served on the board of the Republican Unity Coalition, a gay rights group, Aravosis said.

But Cheney, 34, resigned from RUC last year. She is now director of vice presidential operations for the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign, with an annual salary nearing $75,000 after taxes, according to the Washington Post.

<snip>

DURING HER TENURE AS professional gay advocate, Cheney urged the Republican Party not to focus on gay issues.

“We can make sexual orientation a non-issue for the Republican Party, and we can help achieve equality for all gay and lesbian Americans,” Mary Cheney said in an April 2002 statement, according to Newsweek.

_______________________________

http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/bush/bushorg.html

V I C E P R E S I D E N T I A L

Director of Vice Presidential Operations Mary Cheney

(announced July 2, 2003) Worked as a personal aide to Dick Cheney on the 2000 campaign. MBA from the University of Denver's Daniels School of Business ('02). Has worked for the Colorado Rockies baseball team and Coors Brewing Company.

_______________________________

[kokomo]

1. And what if the "Mary" controversey was Mary's plan???

From 365gay.com/

"Sources close to the Bush-Cheney campaign tell 365Gay.com that the idea came up in a telephone call between Mary and her parents immediately after the presidential debate Wednesday night.

The younger Cheney, who serves as a backroom advisor to her father, suggested that she would continue to be a 'issue' for Democrats unless something was done to stop it immediately."

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/10/101604mary.htm

[xray s]

4. the "issue" is Republican gay bashing

The Republicans have been playing the "hate the fags" card all year. Some of the local races are getting very ugly; the queers will molest your kids at school, etc etc.

Where is the outrage from the Cheney's about THAT??

At first I thought Kerry made a mistake at the last debate, but now I have concluded that he did exactly the right thing. His comments were not negative in any way, just factual. And tens of millions of voters were watching and know that Mary Cheney is gay.

Now, when the Republicans make their vicious, hateful, bigoted attacks against gays, which was their plan all along, we can say "are you talking about people like Mary Cheney?"

And THAT is why the Republicans are so mad right now...because we have exposed their ugliness for ALL to SEE!

[Stephanie]

8. They are implying that Kerry outted her in some way

When she has not only been out but has been working professionally and publically on gay issues. The Cheney's would like her to be out when they want to get gay votes or gay money, but in the closet when they are performing in front of their bigoted base.

[arewenotdemo]

26. eggzactly!

they need to install a revolving closet door for her

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

40. Thirty Troops Dead in Iraq Last Week...

but all the media wanted to talk about was whether John Kerry was "beastly" for mentioning that the Vice President's notoriously-uncloseted daughter is a lesbian...

Thanks for the distraction, Mary.

[krkaufman]

15. Additionally... they'll see Dick Cheney going "merrily" along...

... with Bush's anti-gay agenda, making the Cheneys appear heartless to be supporting a platform that hurts their daughter.

[naufragus]

2. let this die --- its OLD news

only freepers are harping on this

[Stephanie]

5. I am not harping on it

I just want the facts known.

[kokomo]

10. Republicans love us when we "keep quiet" like good little folks.

Robert Novak brought Mary up again today, snarling disgust for Kerry for going over the line. CNN has been showing a graph of polls and both Bush and Kerry were dead even the night of the last debate, then the lines on the poll begin their split every day since. What else has happened since the debate to bolster Bush's numbers? Success in Iraq? Sanchez's memo? Bush privatizing Social Security? There is nothing that I know of which should cause this divergence in poll numbers OTHER than possibly Mary Cheney. We can ignore it but you can bet the Rovians won't let it lie and a lie unanswered is a lie that becomes the "truth".

Now the mutiny of soldiers refusing orders because of bad equipment is being used against Kerry. I get upset when Democrats won't answer the Kerry vote against the $87 Billion. Brought up once again on Crossfire, and yet Dems stay quiet, hoping it will go away. I have read some very good reasons why Kerry voted for, then voted against....mainly having to do with being dissatisfied about how the money was to be spent, for what, to whom. A little complicated but NOT explaining it only reinforces the "flip-flop" mantras.

[Misunderestimator]

14. Unfortunately, it's not old, the media is keeping it alive...

Just heard Cokie Roberts talking about it on NPR this morning as Kerry's biggest "mistake" during his debate. Why do they have her on NPR, I ask? We can ignore it, but they won't...

[MADem]

24. I think the hypocrisy SHOULD be discussed

...but I really wish people would bother to find one of the original threads and ADD to it instead of constantly creating new threads on the same subject. It takes a few extra seconds, but it is polite to contribute to an existing thread rather than start up a thousand new ones.

[Stephanie]

25. Pardon me

Next time I'll clear it with you first.

[gratuitous]

3. What the hell?

"An annual salary nearing $75,000 after taxes" in the Washington Blade article? Hanh? Why not just say "a six figure salary," which is what you'd have to be getting paid if you were to clear $75,000 after taxes?

And you'd think someone who "earns" that much money, in her mid-30s, could speak for herself about this ginned-up "controversy" over John Kerry's throwaway comment at the debate. Of course, since John didn't mention Mary by name (surprised?), it's possible that she doesn't realize that he was talking about her.

Uh huh.

[mzmolly]

6. If she were a nurse and the question were about healhcare, would Kerry

be accused of disrespecting her "privacy" no. Mary Cheney is an out lesbian, the outrage on the part of the R's is faux.

[Stephanie]

7. If they were asked about women's issues

And Kerry said "I have daughters, Bush has daughters, Cheney has daughters, and we are all concerned about women's issues" it would be the equivalent - or should be.

[mzmolly]

16. That's right.

:hi:

[Mr_Spock]

9. You know, if the whole country went lesbian, it would be a nicer place :)

:D

[Neecy]

11. dead-on with your title

Mary Cheney is indeed a 'professional lesbian'; she's been making a comfortable living off of the gay and lesbian community for most of her adult life, while supporting positions that are poisonous to that same community.

She's a blood-sucking leech and a disgrace. She's willing to support anti-gay policies as long as the policy-makers give her a fat enough salary to afford the house in Colorado she bought with her partner. As with most Republicans, it's all about the money, baby. SHE knows that her own rights will always be protected by her powerful friends - and the rest of us can go straight to hell.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

32. 'professional lesbian'?

Strange but- hard to argue that she's not.

[HootieMcBoob]

12. She had the word LESBIAN in her freaking job title for crying out loud!

Why doesn't someone say this? You are absolutely right. She isn't just a normal old everyday lesbian, she's a professional lesbian.

[mzmolly]

17. These are the things that need to be pointed out to the media... but

thanfully they've moved on today to some of the issues. Sheesh!

[Misunderestimator]

13. Mary Cheney is the gay equivalent of a "compassionate conservative"

[Deja Q]

21. A phony and hypocrite.

:-(

[Stephanie]

22. Imagine having that Dick for a Dad, though.

I feel sorry for her.

[Zuni]

18. Mary Cheney---Bull Dyke

just kidding

[GRLMGC]

19. All the Cheney's are bad people

It's amazing how one family can consist of so much ugliness and evil. Oh well, I hope we never have to see them again after Jan 20

[Stephanie]

20. Mary Cheney: Sadly, still a Cheney

I do feel sorry for her. Imagine being kept off the stage at the Republican Convention while your sister went out there. Think of how "Mom always liked you best" that must have been!

[PurityOfEssence]

27. shitheadedness is an equal opportunity affliction

There are plenty of evil gays, rotten non-believers, racist blacks and all sorts of others who cut against the grain of the sad simplicity of all the downtrodden being noble and good. Sharpton said it best in one of the debates by saying that he knew plenty of good rich people and plenty of poor people who were very cold.

Mary Cheney needs to step up and state her position on this or she's an extreme user: she's allowing her "pain" to be used for political advantage. No longer is she an aggrieved party; she benefits mightily from her family position, having taken high-paying jobs and working for the campaign. If she's hurt, she needs to say so.

Remember: Roy Cohn was gay, and he was one of the nastiest pieces of work in recent history.

[Princess Turandot]

36. Forget the high-paying job..it's nothing compared to her likely ..

inheritance from her multi-millionaire parents. That's probably why she's sticking with them.

[Chelsea Patriot]

50. Yeah, Her Inheritance'll let her eat out wherever+whenever she wants!

[ruggerson]

23. The Touring WIth the Mr. International Leather Should Be Sent To Olbermann

[blue sky at night]

28. you forgot

hemorrhoid sufferer.

[Stephanie]

29. um

go back to freeperville

[cleangreencar]

30. Here's the thing...

Lay off Mary. Whatever job title she had in the past, she didn't ask for this and doesn't have to defend herself on the whims of others.

If you all are too stupid to realise that people are pissed because John refered to another candidate's daughter's private life to gain politically, you deserve to lose! Chelsea got at least that much respect.

In the interest of being honest, which my friends know me for being, John blew it. I'm pissed because I still want to respect him. For him to stoop to using a minority lifestyle for leverage is as bad as being a repugnican. rant over

[kiahzero]

31. Wait... so being a lesbian is a bad thing?

Is that what you're saying? That being a lesbian is something that should be hidden away?

Because if it's not, if it's not wrong to be a lesbian, then there's nothing wrong with mentioning it, when it's been mentioned before, several times, by her and her parents.

The ONLY way what the Cheney's are saying makes ANY sense is if you presuppose that they see her daughter's sexual orientation as a negative.

[cleangreencar]

33. HELL NO it's not bad!

In the abstract, there's nothing wrong with the topic or a discussion. A presidential debate is not a casual forum. It's not what was said but how the topic was being used. John wanted to drive a wedge between social conservatives and their party while also keeping a part of his base tight. While I detest being used politically, I'd be willing to let it pass if it weren't for his blundering mistake.

He's pissed off parents by using the child of his opponent. They may not care about alt lifestyles, but bringing the "child" into the fight is a line not to be crossed.

Bottom line: There are a lot more parents than social conservatives and GLBs combined. There are a million other answers that would have worked fine, but the ass had to "go after" their kid.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

34. Ummm... Mary's 35 y.o. not a 'child'. She's a paid 'lesbian liason'

1st for Coors, and now for B/C '04.
Doth protest too much. I smell paydirt here. I think we go in for the kill and expose the Cheneys (and Bush) for the 100% hypocrites they are.
Now don't bother responding to me, I am off to send a few e-mails to all my contacts at the Times.
This is going front page.

[cleangreencar]

35. Actually...

why do you think I put child in "quotes"?!

It's not that anyone thinks she's a child by definition, but rather offspring are ALWAYS their "child" even if the "child" is 50. When you "contact" those at the "Times" don't forget to watch your "punctuation".

Put it on the front page for all I care, because I don't. I'm done. I'm pissed at the whole thing. They all suck. I say burn your vote card like it's a draft card.

[Morning Dew]

37. Yeah, right - minority lifestyle, alt. lifestyle . . .

don't vote.

Something smells.

[cleangreencar]

54. Gee...

Shouldn't have gone to bed when I did.

Sorry about the "don't want to vote" thing, it's more of a feeling than an actual statement. I'll still vote, it was just an outburst of frustration. I'm sorry that it caused some to make assumptions and statements that made themselves look vindictave and shallow. I don't take it personally, just separates the wheat from the chafe.

I'll stick behind my point. Bringing up the big L, John was talking to us, his base. We understand what he meant and the the details surrounding the issue. He needs to work on voters outside the base and to these people, his statement sounds like an attack. Truth: it backfired.

[Radio-Active]

53. looks like..

some people are getting really desperate.

phony outrage from a self-styled "radical"

[kiahzero]

39. So it doesn't matter that she's heading his campaign?

Or that she worked for the campaign in 2000, to reach out to gay and lesbian voters?

He didn't use her to drive a wedge between social conservatives and their party - he made his point by mentioning a person who demonstrates the concept being discussed, just like is common in speeches and debates.

Again, you use the language of attack:
There are a million other answers that would have worked fine, but the ass had to "go after" their kid.

So, referring to someone's sexual orientation is an attack?

[Chelsea Patriot]

51. Qu-e-e-e-en! Your Slip's Showin'! Better Tuck Better Next Time, Doll!

Not that there's that much to tuck!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

38. kick

[chiburb]

41. And this from today's Chicago Tribune:

Snip:

In the late 1990s through early 2000, Cheney, now 35, traveled the country using her status as a lesbian to sell beer.

The Coors Brewing Co., long a controversial company in the gay community for its support of ultra-conservative causes, hired her to head its gay and lesbian outreach program.

A large part of her job was visiting bar owners and distributors--at times in the company of "International Mr. Leather"-- and convincing them that the Coors company had changed completely since the 1970s when gays began boycotting its products.

And, indeed, as the Tribune reported four years ago when Cheney's father, Richard, became the Republican vice-presidential nominee, "with her help, Coors lured gay drinkers so successfully that religious conservatives denounced the brewer, claiming the firm undermined traditional family values."

She was as out as Sammy Sosa in the clutch.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ericzorn/...

[NewYorkerfromMass]

42. I'm telling you, Kerry threw kryptonite at them

this issue will bring them down like nothing else.

[Stephanie]

43. Do you think the Chic Trib reads DU?

We've had this up here for a few days now.

[chiburb]

44. Hi Steph. See this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1109823

[NewYorkerfromMass]

45. I'm working on the NYTimes today

I want front page. :evilgrin:

[chiburb]

46. I don't blame you. Mine was front page, but of section 2...n/t

[NewYorkerfromMass]

47. Oh believe me. This will be front page if they run it.

the Times is our friend!

[Neecy]

48. ho, ho, ho

"...using her status as a lesbian..."

Let's see, if you're a right-wing whacko with a rich and powerful father, being lesbian is a 'status'.

For the rest of the poor slobs, it means being legally barred from marrying your spouse, being cut off from your partner's medical insurance benefits, being discriminated against in your job/housing, paying out the nose in taxes for services (schools, child care credits) that you probably don't use, and having the Republican right-wing bash you as the biggest social threat EVER to the republic! What a deal! Not to mention Mary's right-wing buddies who bash gays and lesbians, causing death and injury, on the streets of America.

And Mary Cheney uses her 'status' to pull down a big salary, and on top of it, there's a hue and cry about this poor chile having her sexuality mentioned - the very sexuality on which her livlihood depends. Ugh.

[Stephanie]

49. Dear David "Teeny Little Girly Hands" Brooks - Meet Mr. Leather!

How I loathe this neo-con liar. From today's NY Times column "Kerry Off the Leash" -

Kerry's third attack is the whole Mary Cheney thing. That's been hashed over enough. But remarkably, Kerry has not apologized. You use somebody's daughter to attack the father and his running mate. The parents are upset. The only decent thing is to apologize. If anything, an apology would make Kerry look admirable. But Kerry, in his permanent attack dog mode, can't do the decent and politically advantageous thing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/19/opinion/19brooks.html?oref=login&hp

[aeolian]

52. "Professional Lesbian?"

Wow! She must be very good at it, then.

:)