E.J. Dionne gives Dick Cheney too much credit I think. While Dionne certainly explores the possibility of Cheney cynical positioning himself as a states rights upholder in the gay marriage debate, so that he can appeal to voters, Dionne is not totally convinced this is the case, explaining:
“Moreover, even if Cheney’s statement was primarily a politically shrewd tilt toward the center, the vice president thereby demonstrated that the gay marriage issue is not the sure-fire winner in this election that many social conservatives think it is.”
I think the polls have already demonstrated this isn’t “sure-fire” - or even close. Most people are not for gay marriage, but the vast majority doesn’t want a Constitutional amendment either. E.J. Dionne, an astute political observer who is one of my favorite political writers, is simply too kind here. Dick Cheney, like his wife, has cover for the very love-of-their-daughter reasons Dionne cites, which allows him to give the states rights position on gay marriage, and help bring along the libertarian elements of the party. It’s not love, it’s not principle, it’s expediency - and it runs in the family. If it were anything else it would be individual rights, not state’s rights, at issue. It would be about Mary - and the other gay people in America.
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