Colorado College Bulletin

On the Campaign Trail

Three CC Graduates Witness Election History

By ED GOLDSTEIN '79
(Photos courtesy of the Associated Press)

Lynne and Dick Cheney with granddaughters Elizabeth and Kate PerryIn America, not every boy or girl can grow up to be president of the United States -- or vice president for that matter. The Constitution eliminates from eligibility citizens under age 35, those who haven’t lived at least 14 years on U.S. soil, or are not natural born citizens.  And, since the Kennedy-Johnson administration, the talent pool for our top elected leaders has been limited to the ranks of current and former senators, representatives and governors.

Even in this narrow universe, otherwise qualified would-be candidates can get tripped up by the hidden political barriers.  Up until last year, for example, when Al Gore selected Joe Lieberman as his running mate, it was considered by many political insiders too risky to place a non-Christian on a national ticket.

Similarly, George W. Bush’s pick of Richard “Dick” Cheney (’91, Honorary Ph.D., Laws) for vice president defied conventional political logic.  “After all, he came from a state (Wyoming) with three electoral votes; a state that was going for the Republican ticket no matter who they ran,” says Colorado College political science Professor Robert Loevy. “Classically, a good vice presidential candidate brings you a pile of electoral votes; but even better a pile of electoral votes in a state that will have a close outcome.  And on neither of these criteria did Cheney qualify.”

The former White House chief of staff, five-term congressman, and secretary of defense did, however, give the GOP ticket someone “who you could argue was one of the most experienced and savvy politicians in the U.S.,” said Loevy.  “Having Cheney at his side helped George Bush counteract the charge that he wasn’t experienced enough for the job.” 

Dick Cheney also brought something else to his run for office: his family.  Cheney campaigns have always been a family affair.  In 1978, when he first ran for Wyoming’s sole congressional seat, Cheney campaigned with his wife Lynne Vincent Cheney (’63, English, ’87, Honorary Ph.D., Humane Letters) and daughters Elizabeth “Liz” (’88, Political Science) and Mary (’91, History).  In that race, when having a cup of coffee with two or more voters at a time constituted a successful rally, the Cheneys traveled Wyoming’s lonely roads in a Winnebago driven by the Vice President’s late father, Dick. 

In the 2000 campaign, Lynne, the former head of the National Endowment for the Humanities and currently a Senior Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, had a high profile campaign role.  Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Liz and her husband, Phil Perry (’86, English), pitched in by helping with vice presidential debate preparations. Liz made campaign appearances in Minnesota and Louisiana, and Mary served as her father’s personal campaign aide, traveling via motorcade, bus, train, and plane to more than 30 states. 

From their unique vantage points, Liz, Phil, and Mary were eyewitnesses to the closest election campaign in American history, and the bizarre 36-day post-election battle over Florida’s vote count.  Bill Hochman, history professor emeritus and proud liberal who taught Liz and Mary, envies their experience. “Both were good students in political science and history,” he says. “And to me, to be able to participate in a national campaign at close range must have been the experience of a lifetime. Wow!” 

Wow, indeed. On Jan. 20, Liz and Mary held the family Bible as their father, with Lynne at his side, was sworn in by Chief Justice William Rehnquist as the 46th vice president of the United States. Here are some of campaign trail stories from the first family with a Colorado College connection to our nation’s second highest office.  

Welcome to the Bubble

Mary Cheney calls it “the bubble,” the surreal experience of finding oneself in the epicenter of a national political campaign.  Inside the bubble everything moves at incredible speed.  You are under constant pressure and scrutiny from the news media.   Campaign supporters push forward to get a handshake and brief word with the candidate, while you try to move through the phalanx of reporters, campaign aides, and ever present Secret Service protection.

Lynne and Dick Cheney began receiving Secret Service protection in July 2000 when George Bush announced his choice for the ticket. “I can’t say enough good about them,” says Liz of the Secret Service agents assigned to protect her parents.  “They are terrific. Although it’s an adjustment, they make it as easy as possible to live a normal life.”

The ‘Thrill in the Ville’               

“There’s a theory that there are two times during the campaign that the vice presidential candidate can make a difference,” says Liz.  “First, with your speech at the convention, and second during the debate.” 

Vice presidential debates have been a fixture in national elections since 1976.  These made-for-TV dramas can cast in concrete a candidate’s public image (e.g., Lloyd Bentsen’s line about Dan Quayle being “no Jack Kennedy” in 1988, and Ross Perot’s running mate Admiral James Bond Stockdale, USN-Ret. -- also a parent of three Colorado College alumni -- being misunderstood and satirized when he rhetorically asked, “Who am I? Why am I here?” in 1992).  The candidate entrusted Liz to handle his debate preparations.   “My job was to put together briefing materials and run the mock debate sessions,” she says.  “It was like the intensity of the Block Plan when you are totally focused on one topic for 3 1/2 weeks at a time.  And the actual debate was akin to the final exam at the end of the block.”

In preparing for the event, Cheney aides rigorously analyzed tapes of past Lieberman debate performances.  The debate preparation team then held eight mock debate sessions, including one at the Wild West Dinner Theatre in Jackson Hole, Wyo., where Cheney jousted with Rep. Rob Portman (R-IL), who played Lieberman.

For those sessions, Phil took the role of debate moderator Bernard Shaw of CNN. “I tried to think up the hardest questions Shaw could pose and put our candidate on the spot,” he says.  “But he (Cheney) was immensely skilled and immediately perceived what the appropriate response should be.”   

The actual “Thrill in the Ville” as the debate at Danville, Kentucky’s Center College (a liberal arts school with 1,050 students) came to be known, was characterized by civil exchanges between the candidates.  Both candidates were praised in the national media for the high tone of their discourse.  Following the debate, and a gracious hand shake with members of the Lieberman family on the stage, Liz walked through “spin alley,” the designated media area, and went on national television with CNBC’s Chris Mathews and MSNBC’s Brian Williams to discuss her father’s performance.

Sprint to the Finish Line            

aboard the campaign plane last Nov. 6On the campaign trail, Mary was getting into the routine -- if you can call it that -- of 18-hour campaign days.  Mary joined her dad on the campaign trail at the Republican Convention and accompanied him to every campaign event right through Election Day.  Her responsibilities included reviewing all scheduling and briefing materials, assisting with the formation of rapid responses on issues ranging from energy policy to tax cuts, and making sure her dad didn't wear the same tie for three straight days.  One of her favorite parts of each event was working the rope line with her dad and watching supporters thrust various personal items his way.  Among the most popular was a Dick Cheney trading card issued during the Gulf War that people wanted autographed.  “Often on the rope line parents of veterans would say to my dad, ‘Thank you for bringing my son and daughter home (from the Gulf War) safely.’ That always got to me.  It was moments like these that brought home what the campaign is all about.” 

In the final 48 hours of the campaign, Colin Powell joined Cheney for three rallies in California.  On election-eve, the Cheney entourage sprinted through two rallies in Oregon and three in Washington, concluding the campaign at the Jackson Hole, Wyo., airport hanger, where old friends who had gone to high school with Dick and Lynne showed up to voice their support.   

On election night, the Cheneys reunited in Austin to wait out the returns with the Bushes.  “There’s a photo of Mary and me at the precise moment it was announced on the networks that Bush-Cheney had won,” notes Liz.  “It was a moment of sheer exhilaration.  We then sat in the governor’s mansion while Vice President Gore retracted his concession and we remained up all night.  The next morning, we were all sort of saying ‘Now what?’”  

The 36 Days            

During the 36-day period when Florida’s vote was contested, Mary anxiously watched events from Denver. Liz and Phil returned to Washington to find temporary office space for the Bush-Cheney transition effort.  On the night when Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified the election for the GOP ticket, Liz woke up eldest daughter Kate (7) to tell her Grandpa had just been elected vice president.  Kate, who like most Americans was by now rightfully confused by events, responded thusly:  “Again?” 

In early December, the Cheneys escaped the Florida melodrama by taking in the Russell Crowe-Meg Ryan movie, “Proof of Life.”  “Midway through the movie all of our cell phones went off at once,” says Liz.  “We were being called because the Supreme Court had just issued its first stay on the vote counting.” A few days later, Liz, Phil, Mary and 200 other spectators watched in person as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case that would effectively halt the Florida recount. When Vice President Gore conceded on December 13, Liz was able to tell Kate, and her sisters, Elizabeth, 3, and Grace, 1, that Grandpa would become vice president, this time for sure.

Inauguration Moments               

Prior to the inauguration ceremony, Liz joined her parents and Al and Tipper Gore for a tour of the Vice President’s Mansion on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory.  “It’s a beautiful old Victorian mansion with a 200-year-old tree in front that’s called the ‘Constitution Tree’ because it was there when the Constitution was ratified,” she says.  “The kids love to play at the residence on weekends and take dips in the swimming pool.” 

There was no time for relaxing inauguration weekend.  On inauguration eve, the Cheneys attended the Wyoming inauguration ball, an event Mary says “was filled with anyone in Washington with a tie to Wyoming and lots of people from back home.”  She and Liz also count as memorable the Salute to Veterans gala that featured moving remarks by Bob Dole and John McCain, and a symbolically empty table that represented America’s Missing-in-Action.  

Inauguration morning dawned with a forecast of rain and sleet.  At 5 a.m., Liz was told by inauguration officials that the ceremony might move indoors. It wasn’t and 300,000 spectators on the National Mall saw President Bush and Vice President Cheney take the oath of office.  

During the inauguration ceremony, Liz, Phil, and Mary sat next to Laura Bush’s mother and George and Barbara Bush, both of whom brought hand warmers typically used on ski slopes.  “It was a tremendous feeling of pride to watch my father being sworn in, and just a feeling of tremendous honor to be up there on the podium,” says Liz. Following the inauguration, the Cheneys got a quick tour of the Oval Office, which was undergoing a change of carpeting and furniture, before viewing the inaugural parade.      

The events of the 2000 election may seem like a distant memory to many. They remain fresh in the minds of the Cheney family members who both witnessed and played a part in American history.  “For me,” says  Mary, “it was the best learning experience one could possibly have.”  

(Editor's Note:  Colorado College has always valued public service as one of the highest callings for its graduates. We thought it worthwhile to highlight the incredible experiences of Liz, Mary and Phil, three graduates who were eyewitnesses to election history. This article was written before the tragic events of Sept. 11. We’ve included it in this issue to recognize the enduring value of public service.)

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