Nice Joke .... NOT
Talking about his family roots and how he's distantly related to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the vice president noted that he had Cheneys on both sides of his family.
"And we don't even live in West Virginia," Cheney quipped.
No disrespect, My Cheney, but I am glad you are not from West Virginia. Here are some of the representatives from WV take on the situation:
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, quickly asked Cheney to apologize.
"I truly cannot believe that any vice president of the United States, regardless of their political affiliation, would make such a derogatory statement about my state or any state for that matter,"
"This is exactly the type of stereotyping that we don't need from our elected officials," said Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. "It's disrespectful, and it's certainly not funny. ... As a proud state, I can say we are disappointed."
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., blasted Cheney, saying that for a vice president to openly display "such contempt and astounding ignorance toward his own countrymen" was an insult to all Americans.
"Now that he or the administration he represents no longer needs their vote, Mr. Cheney apparently feels that he is now free to mock and belittle the people of West Virginia," Byrd said.
But all is good, right. He apologized. Here is the apology ....
"The vice president's offhand comment was not meant to hurt anyone," Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said later Monday. "On reflection, he concluded that it was an inappropriate attempt at humor that he should not have made. The vice president apologizes to the people of West Virginia for the inappropriate remark."
1 comment:
Hey, lighten up. At least he didn't shoot anybody.
Where were all these critics when movies like "The Hills Have Eyes" came out? I mean, there are some of us who "get" this kind of humor. Thinking people know we're not all a bunch of inbred hicks--at least no more than in other parts of the country. And there are worse things to lift up to the light than this. Those Texas kids come to mind--you know, the ones who have so many fathers in common it would make a West Virginian blush. Ol' Dick himself has probably had to put up with hearing many more widespread jokes in the media about his own first name. You don't hear him whining about feeling insulted.
Now, what part of Texas was Bush from?
Too bad Cheney made this comment RIGHT THERE in West Virginia. Too bad he happened to be VICE PRESIDENT at the moment when he said it. There's a kind of dark, masculine side in me that thinks he just might be the kind of guy you'd enjoy encountering at the neighboring urinal in the men's room. I bet he has more jokes where that came from. Still, it's good that he apologized. He should represent SOME kind of moral standard, dammit.
Even here in the cultural backwater of Asheville, NC, I have heard jokes about our neighbors in the county just north of us. "What's the definiton of 'virgin' in Madison County?" (That's a very, very rural area.) The answer? "Any girl who can run faster than her brothers."
How easy it is to take offense and express outrage when you're a public figure; it's a great opportunity for political mileage. Ordinary folks share this kind of humor all the time and don't blink an eye. And it is so comforting to know that, if you work hard, make a lot of money, and shoot an occasional hunting buddy, ANYONE can become Vice President of America.
Or even President, for that matter.
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