Cheney Drops Ball with Christian Athletes

K A N S A S   C I T Y, Mo., Aug. 30, 2000 -- Dick Cheney didn’t exactly hit a home run this week at an event with Christian athletes.

The Republican vice-presidential candidate spoke Tuesday at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., an event that left some in the audience of about 75 people scratching their heads.

Cheney’s campaign had asked the group, which features coaches and players who promote character values and leadership, to let him stop by and give a speech.

Missing His Cue

The event started awkwardly, with Cheney and his wife Lynne entering the room to complete silence. After the audience took a moment to recognize the couple, they were greeted with a round of applause.

Following introductory remarks by group members about the organization and the role Jesus Christ had played in bettering their lives, 16-year old Erika Garris took the podium. This telegenic track star went into great detail about how she has committed herself to God and has sworn to abstain from alcohol, drugs and premarital sex.

Kansas City Royals 1st baseman Mike Sweeney then introduced Cheney, presenting him with a commemorative baseball jersey. Cheney took to the podium, promptly held up the jersey and then walked right back to his seat — completely missing his cue to talk.

His wife came to the rescue, prodding him and whispering loudly, “You speak now.”

At this point, Cheney returned to the podium where he read for 10 minutes from his standard stump speech, outlined in note cards before him, which focuses heavily on the importance of honor and integrity.

In his speech, he mentioned Christ once before he left the podium, shook a few hands and exited the room.

The people who had come to see Cheney were clearly dismayed, saying things like, “Well, he certainly was direct,” and “I’ll bet he gets out of here in a hurry.” Apparently, they had been told to expect a much more “interactive program” that would last for about an hour longer than it did.

Afterward, the executive vice president of the FCA made clear to reporters that this event was not an endorsement of any one candidate. The parents of Erika Garris, the track star, told reporters they remained undecided on who they would support on Election Day.

Penalty Box

Leaving the event, Cheney met with local reporters, and — in what has become a routine of the campaign — national press were left out. Cheney’s staff is eager to offer the former defense secretary up to local news outlets, which have given the campaign coverage it considers very positive.

When it comes to the national press corps, however, the campaign seems to be of the mind that less is more. The Cheney camp has no plane, or even a van — standard fare for a national campaign — to shuttle reporters from event to event with the candidate.

After enduring some loud complaints about the lack of access to the candidate, the campaign decided to let national reporters stand by Cheney’s car in the motorcade and ask one question each.

Asked by the Associated Press if he thought politics was the proper forum for religious themes, Cheney responded, “I didn’t strike any religious themes.”

This, as he emerged from the headquarters of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, having said in his speech, “We should all live as Christ taught us.”

A moment later he added, “We have emphasized faith-based organizations as important elements of the governor’s philosophy of compassionate conservatism. We can recognize organizations like FCA for the good work they do. It doesn’t require anybody to buy into a particular set of religious beliefs or philosophical concerns.”

The Bouncing Ball

Responding to a question about poll numbers, Cheney cited the latest CNN/Gallup poll, which shows Bush leading by one point.

“I think the Gore post-convention bounce has faded and we’ve always said this was going to be a close race, expect it will be a close race, and that’s the way we’ll operate.”

When the reporter tried to ask a follow-up question, Cheney answered, “You had your question!”

‘A Man of Few Words’

Asked to compare his campaign style with that of the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Sen. Joe Lieberman — who has drawn large crowds, much hoopla, and a sense of excitement on the trail — Cheney downplayed the significance of the differences.

“It’s sort of in keeping with my quiet, low-key demeanor. I come from the West. A man of few words. Grew up in the House of Representatives where we are limited to five minutes in our speeches. Joe’s from Connecticut. He comes from the Senate, where they make a lot longer speeches.”