So cackled Dick Cheney at a recent Q&A session at the National Press Club. In talking about his family heritage (and trying to dispel any belief that he might be distantly related to Barack Obama - gasp! a black man!), Dick C. spewed the following gem of sensitivity and thoughtfulness:

“So, I had Cheneys on both sides of the family — and we don’t even live in West Virginia.” After pausing to allow chuckles from the crowd, added, “You can say those things when you’re not running for re-election.”

Boys, it’s getting ridiculous already (yes, George, I’m including you here, too). Stop blatantly disrespecting the American people. I’m not so politically correct (clearly) that I cannot take a joke. But you are the Vice President of the United States. And you’re using stereotypes to poke fun at the American people.

West Virginia, and other red states, please stop voting for Republicans just because they mention the G-word or because they talk about “values.” I am not even certain what the word values means, and I don’t think they are, either. (Though I suspect it might have something to do with the G-word.) Republican policies, as they are practically administered today, don’t benefit poorer Americans. Hell, their policies don’t even benefit the middle class. And, as evidenced by Cheney’s distasteful jokes and self-serving practices over the past 7+ years, they don’t offer much by way of these supposed values, either.