I mean, I personally dont care for him, but who actually likes him? He’s generally portrayed by the media as an evil overlord…but then, when Ive seen him interviewed he seems relatively normal for an over privileged power broker. Is he just a symbol for big oil, which everyone loves to hate…as we all drive our cars around…perhaps Dick just represents what we hate about ourselves ?
So, to keep it simple, does ANYONE on this board LIKE Dick Cheney? Does anyone know anyone (personally) who does?
I like to think of him as a regular prince of a guy…
…Prince of Darkness, that is.
He’s a mean son of a bitch, demonstrated by John Edwards thanking him after the debate and Cheney smirking at him.
Er, the OP. Sorry.
No.
Eh, it’s all an act. I mean, look at the guy! He’s all cuddly ‘n’ stuff. Heck, I’d drink beer with the guy (not sure I’d go hunting with him, tho )
I can’t imagine Dubya and I getting along at all well, but I bet Cheney is a hoot to hang with.
Well, he’s got kids, so he must have been able to get someone to like him at least temporarily…
Oh come on, remember the joke about Bismarck having sex? The prostitute begins to enjoy it and Bismarck says, “Nun, Greta, who ist f—ing whom?”
He’s great.
I saw Cheney speak in Ohio during the last election (along with Kerry and Edwards) when they came through Ohio, and I’ve seen as many interviews on the tube of him as anybody has. I’m also familiar with Cheney’s “type”–ie, millionaires who head big companies and spend the majority of their lives wealthy or powerful or both.
My impression is that for his type Cheney is not unusual. If anything, he’s more diplomatic than average. People joke about his demeanor, but I personally could care less if he’s a “nice guy,” so long as he’s an effective leader. That he IS effective–and I’m defining that as effective at reaching his political goals–is beyond doubt.
And that’s the real crux of the matter people hate Cheney because not only does he radically disagree with the views of a great many Americans, but he also gets his way. Take away either one of those things and the dislike for him would be lukeward at best.
It’s best to put all this hatred in perspective. When Clinton was in office Republicans hated him just as much as anyone hates Cheney.
Nuh-uh – less filling!
I can’t agree with this. It’s not just those two things. It’s that his demeanor is such that he assumes there is no other viable way of thinking. I’ve never seen him consider an opponent’s perspective, or acknowledge a different point-of-view (at least in a way that didn’t come across as disingenuous). He may be “diplomatic” in some senses, but it also translates to patronizing “I know better than you” condescension, as if nobody else has considered the problem.
Are there people like that on the left? Sure. But none with any significant power. The fact that he doesn’t seem to care what other well-informed people think, consider the possibility that he might be wrong on occasion, or concede his position when inconvenient facts show his unrelentiing position in a bad light–these are the things that I find infuriating.
I think that’s a good summary. He always reminds me of the CEO who, when you enter his office, is thinking: Why is this guy wasting my time?
But it would be a good idea to go back to the 2000 campaign and remember how Cheney was thought of as the wise elder statesman who made up for Bush’s lack of foreign policy experience. Bush might have lost the election* without him-- which might be a reason in and of itself to hate him.
*yeah, yeah, the 2000 election was stolen, blah-blah-blah
I like him…and in fact, during the run-up to the last presidential election, I asked several of the Cheney-haters around here just what specific thing it was that made them think of him as being so mean (which was the overwhelming accusation toward him in that thread at the time) and the overall consensus was pretty much “Uh, well, nothing really…but just look at him, he’s got to be evil! And besides, he’s a Republican…there’s your proof right there!”
Ever heard of “cloning?”
Really! Hmm. And you can name, and quote, how many?
I’d vote for Cheney in a heartbeat. Oh, wait, I did vote him to be one heartbeat away…
Maybe all those folks calling for Bush to be impeached are on to something.
Sure thing, luce, you know I wouldn’t steer ya wrong…just rummage around in this thread starting at about post #20:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=284287&highlight=cheney
Very squirelly, there SA. Why not quote the specific posts, if there are any?
Does THAT look less filling?
Scylla exaggerates a little, Cheney’s not great, but he’s definitely very big.
Of course, I’m sure most here expect me to say I like Cheney. And for once the preconceived notion holds true. I do like him. But not for the evil he & I share according to some here.
He’s been in the cutthroat oil industry for decades, he was head of Halliburton (have we all gotten over the fact Halliburton doesn’t control oil prices, class?) and took the company to a level of expertise that nobody else could match. The guy has the brains to know where to push, where to back off, and where to say “fuck it, I’m taking over and making a decision.”
Look, nobody is nominating him to the UN. His diplomatic skillz leave a lot to be desired. He’s a no-nonsense guy that wants to take care of the business at hand and to hell with trying to be poetic in front of a crowd of reporters. Ever wonder why spokespeople command such high salaries? No, you haven’t. Everyone knows the decision-makers for the most part aren’t always affable. Or for a better term, sellable.
It’s a melding of news, politics and entertainment into a 90 second piece that people seem to be looking for. And I’ve seen anger about it from just about everyone here for years. To steal an inane phrase, hate the game, not the player.
I’d go hunting with Cheney just as easily as I would let Bill Clinton babysit my neice then let Ted Kennedy drive her home. Infer what you want from that. It’s either a joke or something to hate people for and keep hammering away at it in an attempt to discredit. Whatever, I can’t decide for you.
But if I ever have the chance, Cheney and I will share a toast to America over a fine whisky.