Dick Cheney in The Associated Press
On Civil Rights:
“Freedom means freedom for everyone,” including gays
Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter Mary is a lesbian, distanced himself from President Bush’s call for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage “Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it’s an issue our family is very familiar with,”
Cheney told an audience that included his daughter. “With the respect to the question of relationships, my general view is freedom means freedom for everyone. People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.
“The question that comes up with the issue of marriage is what kind of official sanction or approval is going to be granted by government? Historically, that’s been a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that
fundamental decision of what constitutes a marriage,” he said. Bush backs a constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage. Cheney commented: “My own preference is as I’ve stated, but the president makes policy for the administration.”
Source: Todd Dvorak, Associated Press Writer in SF Chronicle
Aug 24, 2004
On Budget & Economy:
In 1980s, US needed limited spending for deficit & Cold War
Defending his votes against social spending, Cheney said he would be able to support more of social spending today, now that the budget deficit has been erased.Cheney credited Reagan with ending the Cold War, which he said led to the end of deficits.
He suggested that Clinton deserves little credit for the good economic times; saying his appointment of Alan Greenspan was his only accomplishment. “I don’t think the economy suddenly turned around when Clinton and Gore arrived in Washington,” he said.
Source: D. Ian Hopper, Associated Press
Jul 26, 2000
On Health Care:
Prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients
Cheney said he opposed some worthy social programs while in Congress because the country couldn’t afford them, given budget deficits and the need to increase military spending to fight the Cold War. Given the current economic climate, Cheney said: “We’re
now in a position to be able to look at doing some things from the compassionate standpoint.” He mentioned prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients, something his fellow conservatives fought for some time before offering a plan of their own.
Cheney said he opposed some worthy social programs while in Congress because the country couldn’t afford them, given budget deficits and the need to increase military spending to fight the Cold War. Given the current economic climate, Cheney said: “We’re
now in a position to be able to look at doing some things from the compassionate standpoint.” He mentioned prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients, something his fellow conservatives fought for some time before offering a plan of their own.
Source: D. Ian Hopper, Associated Press
Jul 26, 2000
Page last updated: Feb 15, 2019