Campaigns & Elections - August 2007 - (Page 64)

figuratively speaking Dick Cheney: Role Model for Millions JOHN ZOGBY Dick Cheney is even more controversial than his boss, who has poll numbers in the 20s. He is the lightening rod for an administration that, so it appears to many, can’t shoot straight—both literally and figuratively. A growing circle of critics see Cheney as a political liability—his job approval poll numbers are falling steadily and a majority (54 percent in the latest offering from the American Research Group) want Cheney to be impeached. So there is a growing buzz among his fellow Republicans that he should be involuntarily “resigned” from office and replaced by a new face (in order of importance: Fred Thompson, Fred Thompson, Fred Thompson). Such a switch would give the Republicans a leg up in the 2008 presidential election, the subterranean argument maintains. Of course, while such a scenario may make for sweet GOP dreams, it is only in a Republican dream world that a Democratic Congress would readily approve of such a grand stratagem. And as much as critics complain about the role Cheney has played politically, there is no denying that he is a role model and an important historical figure on the American scene. He is a sitting vice president with a history of several heart attacks, a pacemaker, and—yikes to anyone who tries to get a life insurance policy at a premium less than the GDP of Gabon—a “pre-existing condition.” Sure, Franklin Roosevelt had polio, but not everyone knew it. Ike had two heart attacks—but they came during his second term, after his re-election. And no one had a clue about John F. Kennedy’s Addison’s Disease. But Cheney ran for office twice with his condition and is still being treated. More importantly, his schedule is daunting, arguably death-defying. During a recent trip to Indonesia, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, he logged 65 hours in the air. That is simply exhausting for an average wild boar—let alone a man of a certain age (as the French say) with a heart condition. Of course, that voters would elect to the second-highest office in the land a man just a heartbeat from the presidency and a skipped heartbeat from the emergency room says something about how our country has changed. People are simply not nearly as bothered by heart disease as they once were. There are, of course, those days when Cheney needs a new pacemaker battery or feels some discomfort, but those events are mostly low-key and result in run-of-the-mill news stories, not the breaking news alerts one would have expected a decade or two earlier. Cheney appears to be comfortable and pursues a normal work schedule despite his condition. His staid normalcy is inspirational. That is my very point. The vice president does not get enough credit for being such an inspiration. And I want to not only share my kudos but to explain what he has meant to me personally. I had my first heart attack in 1995, followed by quadruple bypass surgery. Just this past Memorial Day weekend I had my second heart attack and, soon after, was given a clean bill of health—with instructions to slow down. I was on the road over 200 days each in 2005 and 2006 and I am approaching 59; so slowing the pace a bit suits me just fine. I have a lot to do: watch my sons achieve middle age and great success, grow my business, knock out another eight more presidential elections, visit more new places with my wife and generally enjoy life. Slowing down the engine a little means saving fuel for a much longer trip, it doesn’t mean shutting down completely. I am happy that Cheney, who faces pressures most of us can only guess, continues to break down a barrier for many of us. He serves to remind me and millions of other Americans that a long, full, healthy and productive life is ahead. It is an example I am happy to follow. So, to a guy who is not polling very well and whose policy legacy will be hotly debated in the future, here is an unexpected—and might I say, hearty— thanks for being there. C&E John Zogby, president of Zogby International, is widely considered one of the world’s most accurate pollsters. You can comment on the Zogby Forums at Zogby.com. 64 CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS 08.07 http://www.zogby.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

Cover Contents Editor’s Note Ames Straw Poll Cavalcade; Last Candidate Standing; The New Dollar-A-Year Guy; Web Videos That Can Change the Election Across State Lines: Campaign News from Around the Country People and Organizations Movers and Shakers: Ten Questions for Matthew Taylor and Philip de Vellis Campaign Consultant Sign-Ups Reel Time Cover Story: Building Blocks From Madison Avenue to K Street Money Can’t Buy Votes Dick Cheney: Roll Model for Millions Ames: Still Weird, Still Important How to Do Tougher, Quicker Crisis Management Online Cause-Based SocNets Lure Issue Voters The Great Exaggeration Why Primetime TV is Alive and Well, Politically Speaking Buyer’s Guide Tips for Toeing the Fine Line Between Employment, Friendship Managing Your Friend’s Campaign? Think ‘Consigliore’ Off The Record

Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

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