Cheney Insults West Virginia with Incest Joke - Spokeswoman Apologizes
By Bill W. Monday Jun 02, 2008 8:33am 
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Mary Ann Akers, WaPo's Sleuth:
During a question-and-answer session toward the end of the luncheon, someone asked the vice president about his wife Lynne Cheney's revelation on MSNBC last year that "Dick and Barack Obama are eighth cousins."
The questioner jokingly asked the vice president if he and Obama were going to have a family reunion, to which Cheney replied he would "have no objections" though he said he doubted Obama would want one - "certainly not before November."
Then came the offensive punch line. Cheney explained that during the course of researching his family lineage for Lynne's memoir "Blue Skies, No Fences" last year, he learned there were Cheneys on both his father's and his mother's side of the family. There was a Richard Cheney on his mother's side, the vice president said.
"So I had Cheneys on both sides of the family and we don't even live in West Virginia," Cheney quipped.
West Virginia politicians aren't laughing at Cheney's little joke, including his fellow Republican, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
After several W.V. pols voiced their complaints, Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, issued an apology.
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classy.
no apology needed...people need to get a sense of humor.
How do you know the toothbrush was invented in New Hampshire?
Otherwise it would be called the teethbrush.
Hey, at least he didn't make fun of them for guns or religion:D! I'm sure all will be forgiven, since he's a republican.
After eight years of pure evil, death, and destruction, DICK'S going to apologize(through a flunky of course) for this little shit?
Damn, I'm slow. I read this twice in the paper this morning and didn't get it. Finally reading it here, I got it. How in the hell did he think that would be funny. Maybe in his circle of friends they laugh at his "jokes". But to think the people he was making fun of would find it humorous, was at the very least, stupid as hell.
I hate Cheney, but that's kind of funny.
Go ahead, joke about Canadians. I can take it.
Said spokeperson Lea Anne McBride:
"We are all regretful and deeply sorry that the Vice President is a soul-less war criminal and unfeeling douchebag"
Was it the one where the hillbilly's lover said, "Get off daddy, you're crushing my smokes."
Getting off metaphorically speaking.
Imagine if a Democrat had said this. They would be forced to resign.
He's a Dick
Both my parents were distant decendents of Plantagenet kings.
He's still has the balls to go out in public?
Based on his approval ratings, it appears that the only people that view him positively are family members and George Bush, and we can discount George Bush since he doesn't read the papers.
xenophon @ 2:
It's not that people need to grow a thicker skin, its the fact that when you are the Republican Vice President of the United States you probably shouldn't make mean jokes about the denizens of one of those states. Especially a red state during an election year.
He may be one of the most evil bastards in history, but that's still funny.
Cheney comes from a long line of chickenhawks and old lawyer hunters.
xenophon @ 2:
So do you get commenters saying your sign-in is dorky too?
Bet he's waited 8 years to use that joke.
Liberal AND Proud @ 13:
Rarely. He spends most of his days in the spider hole formerly occupied by Saddam Hussein.
Ruthless People @ 16:
Shhh...be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting chicken-hawks...
Because nothing says "I'm sorry." like having a subordinate say it for you.
Ruthless People @ 19:
I heard he's got a TV tuned to Faux News in there.
So?
His mother gave him a proper 1st name, but it goes to show our VP is nothing more than an ignorant hick. He would fit right in with the after the bar closes 2 AM crowd at some no name diner ordering breakfast and telling bigoted story book jokes and yucking it up with toothless yahoo's.
Hmmmm ... Cheney is getting votes for Obama?
This type of remark is nothing new from him ... it kind of goes right along with his "SO?" remark a few months back.
Tom @ 22:
yeah .. The Undisclosed Location.
Cheney: "He (Obama) might be afraid I would whisper in his ear and change his views on middle east policy".
Only if he had no conscience whatsoever and were a lying, warmongering, war profiteering killer for personal profit http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=118&contentid=2857
Cheney is one of the worst people on the planet, but come on...its funny.
So there's these two guys from West Virginia, walking back home around noon.
One says to the other, "Jeet jet?"
The guy answers, "Naw, letsg'eet"
So they had lunch.
Between Cheneys vulgar and uncaring attitude towards the citizens of the U.S. and Bush's malapropisms it kind of feels like we have gone back to the feudal times.
We serfs are such lowly meaningless little things.
So Cheney is out hunting with his friend in Texass, when he spots some water fowl:
CHENEY: "mr ducks"
FRIEND: "r not"
CHENEY: "osar, seeem wangs?"
FRIEND: "LB! mr ducks!"
So Cheney proceeds to blow his friend's face off.
I need some caffeine...
Bitter Bud Hussein @ 31:
Do you live in the south? I heard that once down in Georgia.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 30:
"Oh but if I went 'round sayin' I was Emperor, just because some
moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away! "
Is this going to get the 24/7 coverage of the "bitter" comment by Obama?
I mean, Cheney is an elite and is out of touch with the heartland.
Will John McCain reject and denounce? Will he distance himself? Will he confront Cheney for this attack on the heartland?
Come on MSM, get the wurlitzer going.
-GSD
Obama says "rednecks" = Elitist Prig
Cheney says "rednecks" = Lighthearted Jokester
OK, got it now,..thanks MSM.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 33:
Used to live in Texas. Then I "got smart" and left that dump in the rear view mirror.
His spokeswoman apologized??? Why isn't more hell being raised about this?
Cheney: "You can say those things when you're a Batman villain,... whanch whanch whanch!"
Next thing you know, they'll be cracking jokes about how Texas is full of rednecks, white trash and blue laws.
Fire up the tv. FYI, some big name political democrats are going to make some sort of announcement at 10:30 eastern time. Don't know what it's about. Could be the filibuster the repubs are threatening over the global warming bill or it could have something to do with the campaign for the presidential nominee.
I wish it was to announce the beginning of impeachment of the whole bush administration.
A guy from Wyoming who doesn't know better than to wear a cowboy hat when giving a commencement speech in Connecticut is now ridiculing people from West Virginia. There's something counter-intuitive about that.
For people who do genealogy research you can find that first cousins married first cousin all over the place back in the early 1800's. Just remember there were not too many people to choose from in the gene pool.
But I do think he should not have used such a poor source of words. It was offensive. With something that happened over 150 years ago in my family I would still be offended if someone constantly made reference to it.
But people shouldn't look down their nose. If you are familiar with any type of research you see it occurred in ALL FAMILIES BACK THEN. I will bet that not one of the early settlers families did not have several first cousin matches.
xenophon @ 2:
Oh, yeah, a whole bucket of laughs.
When every time you mention to someone out of state that you come from WV, you get the "did you marry your sister" comment or something similar, it gets pretty fucking tiresome.
It's offensive, plain and simple.
Listen to this crap 10 times a day for the entirety of your life and see how well you like it.
EIghth cousins? So one of Obama's distant ancestors was a reptile?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC8nDdPM_Qk
Marge @ 43:
I don't think Dick was enlightening us with his knowledge of genealogy and reproductive habits of the 19th century, Margie.
He was just being a Dick.
Send out the spokesperson to apologize. So THE DICK's record of never actually saying "I'm sorry" - not even to people shot in the face - can stay intact.
ysbaddaden @ 46:
Now yer tawkin'! :)
What else would expect from an ELITEST?
OT.........Video up on DecomarcyNow! site of Amy Goodman's interview yesterday with Jeremy Scahill and yet more on Blackwater.
It is a must see. This guy is beyond amazing, and maybe all of thirty-years-old? Again, you do not want to miss this.
In conjunction with an earlier C&L post about boosh's "Kill them" comments, this will give you nightmares........scratch that, even more nigtmares. Being informed has its price. Jeremy Scahill is a national treasure!!!
ysbaddaden @ 17:
My sign-in is my real name and it's cool.
xenophon @ 2:
If this was a comedian it would be funny. But coming from someone who's Halliburton stock has gone up 5000% just last year while our servicemen are being blown to pieces, the humor is so far gone,... let's see how funny it is when the planet finally wakes up & throws him int he Hague with the rest of the war criminals.
43 Marge
Edgar Allen Poe married his cousin, and did Jerry Lee Lewis (no not Jimmy Lee Swaggert).
In the 1818 edition of Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus Victor Frankenstein marries his cousin Elizabeth. In the 1831 reissue of the novel, making it one volumne instead of three, she was suddenly an orphan the family adopted from poor Italians who were caring for her. But they were encouraged to call each other cousin, and to eventually marry one another.
But the Frankenstein critter got there first on their wedding night.
That one flew right over W's head.
xenophon @ 51:
I thought you were using the Greek writer's name as I am utilizing one from The Mabinogion.
Have to admit though I was getting it criss-crossed with the Persian King Xerxes at first.
And thinking the one last thing you want to do to a warrior princess is try to get her off the phone.
Vader shouldn't have said it, but people should just lighten up. Obama or Bill or Hillary or Geraldine Ferraro or Pfleger shouldn't have said certain things either, but people are too quick to take offense and cry foul these days.
Ponder this instead:
FACT: Chuck Todd understands that there is a difference between "half" and "50 percent".
FACT: The answer is Chuck Todd. The question is irrelevant.
FACT: Chuck Todd is the only man who can use the term "caucus blocking" without sounding dirty.
FACT: Chuck Todd donates 200% of all profits to charity. Suck on that Paul Newman.
FACT: When John King grows up, he wants to be just like Chuck Todd.
For more more Chuck Todd Facts visit ChuckToddFacts.com.
I was born in the happy hamlet of Martinsburg, WV and I can assure you that incest is taken very seriously there. To have an outsider joke about one of our more cherished traditions is shameful!
I think Cheney's office knew they had to issue an apology because that particular "joke" could be seen as going a lot further than just West Virginia. People in the southern states (largely GOP dominated) hear similar jokes about them from a wide variety of people all the time and they could take Cheney's joke as being directed at them to. The very last thing any politician wants is to insult his/her core supporters.
Shannon @ 57:
Now that's the way to react to his comments. Seriously. Good job Shannon!
Regarding my comment number 41, maybe they meant 10:30 tonight, because nothing is happening now.
These two guys from Wyoming are sitting in a bar, and one of them says, "Did you know that we only use one third of our brains?"
And the other guy replies "Really? What do we do with the other third?"
wah wah wah.....this is a very common, and funny joke. Even Darth Cheney can get away with a joke like that.
Cheney is an insecure, self-loathing, systems technocrat whose power comes from coporatist Amerika and from his ability to manipulte the intellectual midget and simian warmonger, Dubya. His contempt for his fellow citizens has no bottom. String him up.
As a VP to people in ALL 50 states, Cheeeeeeeney practices the crudest, lowest, ugliest forms of humor that offer proof he is a complete and utter ass-HOLE.
What will be his next comedy routine? Something like this (?):
"So I had corpses on both sides of the family and we don’t serve in the military."
oh my. look closely and you can see his face actually flush and change color. was it a momentary showing of being human or was it a hit from the pace maker. we will never know. i do find it amazing that in the past couple of months bush and cheyney have let down their guard and no longer seem to care that we see what their true feelings really are towards americans, and their "middle class base". and it is not a very respectful picture. it was all summed up in one word from dick "so".
and again we here the "when your not running for re-election" cover all excuse. seems like the men of honor and integrity that ran for the republican's in 2000 and 04 are not the same as they made themselves out to be.
It is absolutely inconceivable to me that we are living in a country that will apoplectically demand a radio/tv talk-show host's head on a plate for a similar remark yet give a pass on something this obnoxious to the second (arguably, in this case, MOST) powerful position in the country. When will these self-centered, hegemonic, bigoted blights on the fabric of America be called out and removed from office and further destruction of this country?
There's a simpler explanation for this: Cheney is a sociopath and an asshole.
West Virginians have no reason to take offense. After all, they are so dumb they voted for bush and they think Joe Manchin is a good governor.
They think "redneck" is a compliment and they are proud of their lack of edyoucashun.
The fact is if you don't marry a cousin in West Virginia you'll probably stay single your whole life, because nobody wants to go there.
I live here because I'm trapped in a job. If I could get out, I would leave in a heartbeat. West Virginia is truly the armpit (and that's being nice) of America.
It's time for Cheney to be taken to the Place de la Concorde and meet Monsieur Guillotine. Fuck the trial.
Wait, dude is from Wyoming. West Virginia is like Paris to some places in Wyoming.
This lousy excuse for a human being had the gall to make this sick joke and then didn't have the decency to apologize himself, but sent a woman out to do his dirty work for him. Is it any wonder this turd is teamed up with the Bush crime family?
pissed off patricia @ 60:
pissed off patricia @ 41:
Prolly waiting for the polls to close.
What are they apologizing for? Dick Cheney is an ass and everybody should know that by now. Is he going to apologize for being himself.
Avouz @ 44:
Avouz, I won't direct you to any of the comments made in the threads here when West Virginians were being mocked for not voting in larger numbers for Barack Obama. That would be cruel of me to do so.
And please for you own sake don't try to look them up. They weren't pretty, and they weren't joking either.
As much as I hate Cheney, he's right on this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-q4MDQ0cDI
Dick Cheney on Operation: Iraqi Freedom --
"How many dead U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines does it take to screw in a light bulb?
...
4,087! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
On a sidenote, both my wife-cousin *and* my Uncle Dad object to this remark.
princess@ 74:
So, the posters at C&L are now holding the second highest political office in the land, princess? Christ, you fing twit, princess, you always fail at making an analogy. Apparently you are never tired of making a fool of yourself, princess.
dennis @ 74:
Good point.
Wow. It appears as though Cheney must've sucked the blood of a comedian lately. Or eaten a child with a sense of humor.
Gary @ 75:
He was even more right on this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BEsZMvrq-I
But that was before he was installed vice president finding himself in a position to make a killing (literally) from steering no-bid contracts to Halliburton http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=118&contentid=2857
Stevo @ 68:
Come off it, Dude!!!
You have a JOB !? In West (By God) Virginia?!?
Who are you kidding?
Cheney, the good Christian.
xenophon @ 77:
You're another dolt. You claim "people need a sense of humor" then you agree with the fake outrage of princess over C&L posters.
Rusty Shackleford @ 45:
Good One...
Stevo @ 68:
You haven't been Georgia.
Dr. (Bitter Hussein) Matt @ 84:
You haven't been *TO* Georgia.
Seriously, what the hell does it matter what Cheney says anymore. He isn't running for any political position ever again. He probably has a bet to see how low he can get his approval rating.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 72:
No, it happened but it was about the filibuster the repubs are threatening over the global warming bill so the stations didn't feel it was important enough to cover live.
Senator Clinton's campaign just released a statement saying she will concede the nomination tonight to Senator Obama.
That was one of the lesser demons telling the Great Satan he was a "charming guest."
pissed off patricia @ 88:
Yep, just heard it on the radio.
OT. Topic of oil prices on Cspan 1.
Just imagine the fake outrage from the reich-wing GOPigs and princess if Obama's former pastor said this.
I love offensive jokes, but that wasn't funny. "I've got Cheney on both sides of the family and I'm not even Royalty" now that's funny.
NotThisGod @ 86:
Obama's former pastor isn't running for any political position yet the reich-wing MSM spends every day dissecting 35 years worth of past sermons.
Dick Cheney is indefensible. Maybe the reaction to the joke was extreme (unless you live in West Virginia), but the fact that people were offended warranted an apology, and the fact is he should have been a man and made it himself. The fact that he didn't just reinforces the view that he feels he is above everyone else, and needn't lower himself to respond back to regular people.