Cheney's pregnant daughter

[fli]

Original link...

A pregnant pause in right wing
Social conservatives remain silent or temper their criticism about news that Cheney's gay daughter is expecting.
By Johanna Neuman, Times Staff Writer
December 7, 2006

WASHINGTON — No Republican in Washington is more beloved by social conservatives than Vice President Dick Cheney, who with his wife, Lynne, has backed and breathed every issue dear to them for six tumultuous years.

News that Cheney's lesbian daughter, Mary, is pregnant has therefore touched a nerve, as advocates for conservative values struggle to reconcile their loyalty to the Cheneys with their visceral opposition to same-sex relationships — and particularly to raising a child without a father.

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"Not only is she doing a disservice to her child, she's voiding all the effort her father put into the Bush administration," said Janice Shaw Crouse, senior fellow at the Beverly LaHaye Institute, the think tank of Concerned Women for America. Asked why the administration downplayed the news, she added, "This is Cheney's daughter; anything they say will make the situation worse."

The vice president's office confirmed Wednesday that Mary Cheney, 37, an executive at AOL, was expecting her first child with her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe. The vice president and his wife issued a statement saying they are "looking forward with eager anticipation to the arrival of their sixth grandchild."

Cheney's older daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Philip Perry, had their fifth child in July. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said that when Cheney told President Bush of Mary Cheney's pregnancy, "the president congratulated them and said he is very happy for them."

Some groups that oppose same-sex marriage and gay adoptions — such as the Family Research Council and the Eagle Forum — declined to comment. But others were critical, albeit with a delicate touch not always seen in the political wars over gay issues.

"Children deserve the very best we can offer, and gay adoption — by definition — intentionally denies children either a mother or a father," said Carrie Gordon Earll, an analyst for Focus on the Family, the Colorado-based family advocacy ministry. "Adoption laws should put the needs of children first, above the desires of adults."

The Family Pride Coalition, a Washington-based organization that supports gay parenthood and organized gay families to join the Easter egg roll on the White House lawn this year, argued that Cheney's pregnancy will focus attention on the injustice of parents without equal rights. She and Poe live in Virginia, which has a state law and a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage or civil unions, and where the legal status of adoption by gays is unclear.

"Unless they move to a handful of less restrictive states, Heather will never be able to have a legal relationship with her child," said Jennifer Chrisler, the group's executive director. "Grandpa Cheney has been part of an administration that has leveled unprecedented attacks [on gays]…. If this doesn't make it real for him, I don't know what will."

Social conservatives countered that the case highlights the tragedy of children raised without fathers. "The best thing we can do for a child is to provide a father and a mother," Crouse said.

Others disagreed. "All of the peer-reviewed social science studies show that gay people can be and are good parents," said consultant Chris Barron, ex-political director for the Log Cabin Republicans, the largest organization for gays in the GOP. "Research shows that the difficulty is for single parents, who are in more difficult economic situations and are forced to spend less time with the children."

[e-mail]

I am feeling two things... no... 3 things, really--
It's joy. Anger... jealousy...

I'm happy for Mary, she's seems happy. Politically, I'm certainly not alligned with her family's politics. But I'm happy that in this administration twisted perversions, that happiness has flowered in Mary's family. I imagine her love for her father is great (and maybe a touch of difficult) but I'm so happy...

Heck, I'm sort of jealous of her. She's gonna raise a family.
She's bearing life, life that has started with her and that is simply amazing... That's why I'm jealous but it's the innocent type of jealous. It's longing- jealousy and the sorta opens "Hey-- let's adopt a kid" dialogue (okay, for me at least.)

But the RAGE... the fucking rage...
The fucking Neo-Con volutures looking down on the daughter of the guy who's higher up on them... And nope, there's no dialgue in Washington right now.

Which is good because this is a personal mater, but the goddamn HYPOCRISY--
Had it been a person of the "other side" or on the "lower-level" then you know FOX would be talking about how evil this situation would be... ad fucking naseum.

This fucking idealism that... all families should have parents... should be well prepared... should be quaint... should be nice... should be perfect... should be loving and caring.

Well, that's a huge "should be."
Reality dictates this: families aren't always perfect. Families don't alway have a mom and a dad. Families aren't always nice, often they can be hostile, stress, and wholey shitty. Families are fucking tangible things! Not idealistic philosophies.

And as such,
we should deal families as reality.

To help out families... perhaps we should re-examine our legistlation and stop the fucking absurd laws that prevent families from functioning? Like this ban on gay marriages?

C'est la vie... *le sigh*

What really pisses me off is how the article portrays Mary Cheney as a single parent... when clearly her spouse Heather Poe is also a parent!

[stafffighter]

At 12/8/06 04:32 AM, fli wrote:

What really pisses me off is how the article portrays Mary Cheney as a single parent... when clearly her spouse Heather Poe is also a parent!

While there are adoptive measures that would give her some level of legal recognition it's heaped in arbitration simply allowing them to be a family would save.

[ReiperX]

I couldn't agree with you any more there Fli.

[MortifiedPenguins]

At 12/8/06 04:32 AM, fli wrote:

What really pisses me off is how the article portrays Mary Cheney as a single parent... when clearly her spouse Heather Poe is also a parent!

Who's the father.

Or, at least, do they know his sperm.

And remember, Gay marraige is still illegal in Washinton D.C.

So, legally she still is a single parent.

But otherwise...

[emmytee]

I bet it was Dick.

[LazyDrunk]

At 12/8/06 10:21 AM, American-Badass wrote:

At 12/8/06 07:15 AM, emmytee wrote: I bet it was Dick.

It definately was Dick that got her pregnant.

Dick only delivered the package.

I don't think any respectable news organization would flaunt this VERY personal matter, at least until Ms Cheney declares what exactly what's going on and what she'll do after birth (if she even decides to go public with the info, for whatever reason).

[Togukawa]

At 12/8/06 10:54 AM, LazyDrunk wrote:

I don't think any respectable news organization would flaunt this VERY personal matter, at least until Ms Cheney declares what exactly what's going on and what she'll do after birth (if she even decides to go public with the info, for whatever reason).

Clinton's affair with Monica was personal too. I'm afraid juicy scandals will always be flaunted.

[LazyDrunk]

At 12/8/06 11:24 AM, Togukawa wrote:

At 12/8/06 10:54 AM, LazyDrunk wrote:

I don't think any respectable news organization would flaunt this VERY personal matter, at least until Ms Cheney declares what exactly what's going on and what she'll do after birth (if she even decides to go public with the info, for whatever reason).

Clinton's affair with Monica was personal too. I'm afraid juicy scandals will always be flaunted.

One's the public figurehead of America and the other is that figurehead's assistant's token daughter.

What would flaunting this do, other than indicate the mud-slingers are getting even more desperate?

[BeFell]

How is this news?

Headline:

CHILD DOES SOMETHING PARENT DOESN'T APPROVE OF!!!

Holy shit, reporters should be following teenagers around so they can pounce every time they puff a cigarette, refuse to eat meat or join the Mormon church.

What exactly does the left expect to gain by milking this? Do they think Cheney is going to stand up and say, "Well, since my daughter has once again defied me I have decided to completely change my value system." Or maybe they just hope to an elicit a simple "Yep, she's a constant source of disappointment and embarrassment for me, now back off hippies or you'll get it like that smack talking lawyer."

[stafffighter]

At 12/8/06 11:48 AM, BeFell wrote: How is this news?

Headline:

CHILD DOES SOMETHING PARENT DOESN'T APPROVE OF!!!

How dare she be gay without approval.

[Elfer]

At 12/8/06 11:48 AM, BeFell wrote: How is this news?

Because lots of people know who Dick Cheney is, and then a thing happened involving Dick Cheney.

See, in North America, we have this thing called "celebrity"

[BeFell]

At 12/8/06 01:08 PM, Elfer wrote: See, in North America, we have this thing called "celebrity"

So this is about as significant as Britany Spears's divorce?

[the-salmon-of-doubt]

this sounds conspicuously like the dunwich horror