Dick Cheney's Job Approval Rating: Why Does Anyone Care?

Yesterday, The Washington Independent's Dave Weigel dug into one of the day's hot Twitter spats ("Spatter?), between Salon's Glenn Greenwald and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough over former Vice President Dick Cheney. It went like this:

GREENWALD: Do Republicans psychologically block out the fact that Bush and Cheney were two of the most unpopular politicians in American history?

Followed by:

SCARBOROUGH: @glenngreenwald Pop Quiz: who has a lower approval rating currently? The former VP or current House speaker?

Now, I can't be bothered to dig into either gentleman's math. I'll leave fact-checking Twitter to CNN. But I think it's probably fair to say that Greenwald is referring to job approval ratings conducted while Bush and Cheney were in office. Whereas Scarborough is explicitly referring to current job approval ratings. This is not just a comparison of apples to oranges -- it's a comparison between apples that have been digested to oranges that are sort of asinine.

Might I take a moment to remind everyone that Dick Cheney currently does not have a job? So why should I, or anyone care about his approval rating? I might argue with Dick Cheney's positions on issues, but his job seems to consist of making speeches in front of organizations who have signaled their tacit approval of his remarks in advance, and giving awards to himself. Who am I to object to his performance, in this avocation? It seems to me he's doing quite well. Insofar as the office of the vice president serves as a frame of reference, what can I say? Dick Cheney is doing a bang-up job, not being Vice President. Of all the people currently not being Vice President, Dick Cheney is among the best. Why, I'd go so far to say that not-vice-presidenting is truly Cheney's calling in life. Would that he had taken up the occupation sooner! Pollsters of America, please mark me down as approving, 100%!

Nancy Pelosi, by contrast, is still serving in an official, non-imaginary capacity, still shaping policy, still presiding over debates, still facing and making tough choices. And people have every right to register their disapproval in real-time. I'm sure that Pelosi probably takes hits to her approval rating depending on how people feel about the direction of the House in general and the whole Democratic caucus. That might not seem fair on its face, but these are the perils of office and responsibility -- the office that Pelosi currently holds, responsibilities Pelosi to which Pelosi must currently answer.

Why does anyone care or report on Dick Cheney's current job approval ratings? Probably because the media has become fixated on creating the illusion that some sort of parallel debate is going on, where the current president is on equal footing to an imaginary vice president, in a separate universe, using quantum theory or something. It's all just pointless mental runoff, that dribbles out into the political discourse.

Also? As Dave Weigel points out, "Cheney's net negative rating is -22, while Pelosi's is -17. The answer to Scarborough's question is 'Cheney.'" So, here's an idea! Why don't we all just doubleplus shut the heck up about Dick Cheney's approval rating? KTHXBAI.

RELATED:
Joe Scarborough Bets on Cheney, Loses [Washington Independent]

PREVIOUSLY, on the HUFFINGTON POST:
The Dick And Liz Cheney Show Rolls On

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Comments

[SimplyBkuz]

What's Your Reaction?
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How about "typical"?

[Lahonda]

Dick!

[sviolette]

It doesn't matter what his approval ratings are. Torture is still illegal even if it's popular.

[Professorofdesire]

It is not for nothing that I call him "Morning Shmoe">

[openhand]

If Joe gambled with chips the way he does with the facts, he would have a deficit like California.

[pissedmichael]

Joe Scarborough and 'wrongly' naturally fit together. It's what happens when one's focus becomes the sound of one's voice, and not the substance.

[Greg Uchrin]

Hey, Dick Cheney has a lot of experience being wrong--we should listen to find out which way not to go...

[Pilate]

Amen.

[ukulelebailey]

Joe Scarborough was wrong about something? Unfathomable!

[jalaroc]

The neocons are basically trying to pump up cheney's standing in order to make his ideas and arguments more valid, or should I say, not as unpalatable and idiotic. Cheney lecturing the current administration about military strategy is like a blind man teaching a sighted person about how to read an eye chart. Not only is he pointing in the wrong direction, it becomes pretty obvious that he has no clue what he's talking about.

[JayDDrew]

Excellent point! Who cares about the approval rating of someone who doesn't have the job, and did such a crappy job when he did have one? That's like asking about Satan's approval rating as a former angel. Obviously, that job didn't work out so well!

[StillAmused]

Whenever Cheney is mentioned around Scarborough, it's like he's heard a dogwhistle. His façade of moderation falls away, the veins stand out in his neck and he rants endlessly in defense of the indefensible.

Some of the best entertainment on cable is watching him transparently -- and very self-consciously -- pretend to be anything but a rightwingapologist.

[XLintLuvR]

Indeed. Also count him among those that won't even admit to being a Repub. If you ask him, he'll claim to be a Conservative. He tries to pretend that he's got a balanced view of things but considering how much he agrees with Pat Buchanan, his credibility on all subjects is suspect.

[paulinasdad]

I think that everyone is missing the point. If Dick goes on the offense enough against the Obama Administrarion, any indictment for his crimes will just look like retaliation, so it would be impossible to indict him. This is why Obama needs to really go after Fox so they lose credibility for looking like they just hate Obama.

[JayDDrew]

No, that's why the current administration should have already initiated intense investigations. Cheney would have shut his trap because when you're under investigation, you keep your mouth closed or you could be knitting your own noose.

[Poboy]

What better way to shut him up? "Mr. Cheney, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law." I bet he then wouldn't have diarrhea of the mouth.

[sviolette]

Everything he says can still be used against him whether he is being investigated or not.

[PitBull6]

That's a non sequitur...Obama go after Fox because Cheney whhhat???

[taquinas]

I heart Pelosi. Wish I could vote for her re-election.

[LALAW]

I have to think about this. I can think of no one I'd rather be not vice president, but, he still could be doing a much better job of being not vice president.
He could be trying to atone for his misdeeds or sitting at home in his pajamas.
So, I'd have to say that "Cheenee" (as Matthews refers to him) gets a 10% approval rating. He is helpful to remind us how bad a vice president can be.
Joe Biden gets 100% for not being Dick Cheenee and not thinking like Dick Cheenee.

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

LALAW's got you there Jason - Chainey could do a doubleplusgoodlier job of not being vp.

[PitBull6]

Apparently the White House cares. They are constantly referring to the previous administration (generally frowned upon for sitting presidents) and complaining about the mess they inherited (as if Mr Obama did not voluntarily seek the job), yet never giving any credit to the Bush administration, whose GWOT/Iraq/­Afghanista­n policy it has largely adopted. And Gibbs seems to never pass on an opportunity to comment on Cheney when given the bait by the WH correspondents.

[postman66]

Never in the history has a President NOT referred to to failings of the previous President. You must be an immigrant.

[PitBull6]

Nope, lived here all my life. My mother was though. Why would you say that? Do you think immigrants are ignorant?

I didn't say that presidents don't refer to them, but it is considered bad form and I cannot recall Bush or Clinton going out of their way so much to place blame so often and to such a degree on their predecessor (while simultaneously claiming credit for anything positive). It seems Mr Obama cannot help himself and almost never ceases to pass up an opportunity to mention what he inherited.

[duhtruth]

I, for one, am quite upset that Dick Cheney does not have a job. When he is convicted of war crimes and graft and incarcerated in a federal prison, he will be given the job he deserves, breaking rocks. It is then and only then that we can assess his job performance and give him an accurate approval rating. I am hoping this can be done very soon.

[Ron44]

AMEN TO THAT!!!!