Asshole of the Day, November 18, 2013: Liz Cheney
by TeaPartyCat (Follow @TeaPartyCat)
Gay marriage is increasingly popular with American voters, and is now legal in some states. And yet, there are still some in the GOP who feel that granting gays some rights, but not the right to marry, is an acceptable position. For a group who carries around the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to think it’s OK to grant some people fewer rights than others is particularly galling.
Even among hardliners, a family member who is gay is often the tipping point when they finally find the empathy to decide that everyone deserves the same rights. Apparently Liz Cheney doesn’t have even that much empathy:
On Fox News Sunday, Liz explained that while she does oppose discrimination against same-sex couples and supports some benefits for same-sex couples, she still believes in the “traditional definition of marriage”.
Liz commented to the New York Times, “I love my sister and her family and have always tried to be compassionate towards them. I believe that is the Christian way to behave.” The Times also spoke to Mary, who said it is “impossible” for the sisters to reconcile on this point and expressed no concern that the feud might hurt Liz’s campaign.
The most telling part is where she says she “tried to be compassionate towards them”. Tried. Because she wants us to know she doesn’t think she has to be compassionate, you know, because they’re gay. And Liz Cheney’s definition of being compassionate somehow doesn’t include supporting her sister in the struggle to get the same rights as she has.
And even beyond that, the "traditional definition of marriage" is a weak argument. If tradition is sacred and inviolable, then can we also assume that Ms. Cheney supports slavery? Or women as property of their husbands or fathers? Those traditions also go back to biblical times, so should they too be enshrined in law?
And finally, just keep in mind that by opposing gay marriage, Liz Cheney is more extreme than her father. Yep, it takes a real asshole to be to the right of Dick Cheney.
It is Liz Cheney’s first time being named Asshole of the Day, though today’s win was very similar to Chris Christie, a fellow GOP candidate for higher office who feels they need to pander to bigots, who said even if he had a gay son, he’d want him to be denied the full rights that straight people enjoy.
Full story: http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/11/18/2957601/cheney-family-feud-marriage/