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Cheney and Obama are 8th Cousins

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 08:25:04 PM EST
Tags: Dick Cheney, Barack Obama (all tags)
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Lynn Cheney told NBC's Norah O'Donnell today that Dick Cheney's geneology shows he and Barack Obama are 8th cousins, related through a relative from France in the 1700's.

Why was she telling this? She was "admitting" it to acknowledge any perceived bias on her part against Hillary.

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    Cheney and Obama are 8th Cousins | 48 comments (48 topical)

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    Um (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by manys on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 10:30:30 PM EST
    Isn't there some point at which everybody is a cousin? I'd think that 8th cousins wouldn't be too far off from that.

    That said, I think she's just trying to knock Obama down a bit with Dems via association.

    Join me (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by jondee on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 04:31:15 PM EST
    in condemning it, if it occured.

    Why hasn't everyone already joined (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by glanton on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 09:26:49 PM EST
    ME???????

    Oh, well, won't you all join me in joining jondee in condemning it?  If, as he poignantly notes, it occured.

    To those not joining me in joining jondee: why do you hate America?

    Parent

    Will everyone please join me (5.00 / 0) (#43)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 10:20:15 PM EST
    in not condemning this?
    One does not compromise with Straussians, neocons, chickenhawks or clueless bastards.  People who still support George W. Bush, torture and war profiteering at this late stage of human history are beyond reason or persuasion.  There is no point whatsoever in worrying about how such people see things, what they might say, or how they might characterize our actions or arguments.  These people should not be appeased or wooed, they should be marginalized and driven back under the rocks from which they have slithered.
    Or is there someone here who would condemn this?

    Parent
    I will join you Edger (5.00 / 2) (#45)
    by glanton on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 11:16:15 PM EST
    Who else takes up the challenge?

    Join us?  Condemn the condemners who hate America?

    Parent

    Looks like we've got them outnumbered, Glanton (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by Edger on Thu Oct 18, 2007 at 12:01:03 PM EST


    Parent
    Hey, Squeaky! (5.00 / 1) (#50)
    by Edger on Thu Oct 18, 2007 at 01:08:40 PM EST
    That makes it 4 - Zip, so far.

    They haven't got a chance! :-)

    Parent

    cousins (none / 0) (#1)
    by chemoelectric on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 09:33:18 PM EST
    I once traced out that sort of thing for myself, looking for relationships to presidents specifically. Including relationships by marriage, I came up with U. S. Grant. To this faint connection I attribute my fondness for the flavor of whiskey.

    I guess that's not the same as finding a relationship to someone alive now, or at least someone not dead.

    So far I have been fortunate not to find any relationship to Franklin Pierce.

    that you know of! (none / 0) (#3)
    by cpinva on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 10:25:59 PM EST
    So far I have been fortunate not to find any relationship to Franklin Pierce.

    bearing in mind, his DNA had delusions of mediocracy, making it all that more difficult to identify. :)

    squeaky, i would say that's true mostly of those who trace their american lineage to before the civil war, and mostly in the southeast.

    Parent

    Not Surprising (none / 0) (#2)
    by squeaky on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 10:05:44 PM EST
    Most 'white' people in America have African blood.

    Considering the consensus is (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Molly Bloom on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 10:33:56 PM EST
    Homo erectus dispersed from Africa across Asia between 1 and 2 million years ago, we all have "African" blood.

    Skipping that basic point, mixed ancestry is not confined to the South, though clearly the South had more than its fair share of dumb laws regarding race and racial classification.

    Parent

    The... (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by desertswine on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 03:51:49 PM EST
    National Geographic has a nice site about the human journey out of Africa.

    "DNA studies suggest that all humans today descend from a group of African ancestors who - about 60,000 years ago - began a remarkable journey."

    Only 60,000 years, imagine.

    Parent

    I Was (none / 0) (#11)
    by squeaky on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 12:11:47 PM EST
    Thinking more along the lines that most "white" americans have blood from african slaves, not just on their hands but mixed in with their "whiteness". IOW race is a fiction invented as a tool of opression.  

    The one drop rule says it all.

    Parent

    Not that it really matters, (none / 0) (#19)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 02:10:18 PM EST
    but
    most "white" americans have blood from african slaves, not just on their hands but mixed in with their "whiteness".
    is your made-up-out-of-whole-cloth statistic and not anything based in objective reality...right?

    Parent
    hahahaha (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by squeaky on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 02:49:03 PM EST
    Race is a fiction.
    Finally in 1924, the Virginia Racial Purity Act defines Black persons as having any trace of African ancestry - the infamous "one-drop" rule. Practically speaking, most people cannot prove their ancestry and the rule is applied inconsistently. Other states also define Blackness differently. As historian James Horton notes, one could cross a state line and literally, legally change race.

    Hope that you didn't have some illusion that you belonged to a white race.

    Parent

    Ok, so you're saying that you have nothing to (none / 0) (#26)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 03:35:15 PM EST
    substantiate your claim that
    most "white" americans have blood from african slaves [...] mixed in with their "whiteness."
    Fair enough.

    Parent
    Open Your Eyes (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by squeaky on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 03:42:46 PM EST
    And you will see. I provided links that show that there is no such thing as a white race. Are you into eugenics?  

    Parent
    Well open my eyes then. Show me. (none / 0) (#29)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 04:20:50 PM EST
    Hell, never mind "white" Americans, let's make it easier for you.

    I'd even be happy with something you dig up that supports the contention that most Americans - regardless of "race" - have blood from african slaves in their heritage.

    Parent

    Well You (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by squeaky on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 05:02:36 PM EST
    Will have to do your own work on this, because, as I have shown having one-drop of Black blood put an American in a lower caste with significantly less rights. All who could pass did and are now considered white.
    A creole friend of mine from NOLA has relatives who refuse to acknowledge any relation to her because they are "white". We are talking first cousins.

    So bottom line, since you acknowledge that there is no such thing as race, there is no way to prove that most Americans have African Slave blood.  There is no test. But if you are interested you can start to do some research and you will be able to deduct that most American families have African American blood.

    Here is a site that is a good start.

    James Landrith

    When I first got involved with the "multiracial movement" in 1996, I had considered myself to be of German, French and English stock solely.......



    Parent
    Exactly. (none / 0) (#34)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 06:10:49 PM EST
    there is no way to prove that most Americans have African Slave blood.
    Nor is there any support for your original claim that:
    most "white" americans have blood from african slaves [...] mixed in with their "whiteness."
    unless you are now saying that by your phrase "blood from african slaves" you actually meant "blood from the distant ancestors of african slaves."

    Sigh. You wouldn't possibly be that disingenuous, would you?

    fwiw, no one, afaik, is arguing with this completely different statement of yours:

    most American families have African American blood.


    Parent
    No (none / 0) (#40)
    by squeaky on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 08:14:45 PM EST
    Don't be silly. I am clearly refering to decendents of African/American slaves. I have already clarified that point with Molly Bloom.

    You are good at math. Take Peaches suggestion and do some math. The longer your family has been in America the more likely you have African Slave relatives. And counting  non "white" population the total number is much greater.

    Jefferson said:

     Jefferson promised in his 1809 Indian address.
    " Absorption into the white race--a consummation devoutly to be wished from one perspective--was the lure Jefferson tossed before the tribes.    

    The race of Sally Hemings's and Thomas Jefferson's son, Eston Hemings, was indisputably "black" while he was a slave at Monticello. Years later, living in Ohio in 1850 as a free man, Eston was described by a census taker as "mulatto." A decade later, Eston and his wife had moved to Wisconsin where a census taker listed them as "white."

    link

    Parent

    You embarass yourself. (none / 0) (#44)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 10:52:17 PM EST
    It is your right.

    Parent
    In Deep Denial, SUO? (none / 0) (#47)
    by squeaky on Thu Oct 18, 2007 at 09:02:15 AM EST
    I guess some prefer to maintain the fantasy of being part of a pure white race rather than do a little reading and a little math. The one-drop rule comes back to bite the Eugenisists in the a$$. hahahahaha.


    Parent
    I think a better contention (none / 0) (#32)
    by Peaches on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 04:34:43 PM EST
    is that most Americans all share a common ancestry with African slaves (whatever we define this as) that is similar to Cheney Obama connnection (8th cousins. Simple math should be, at least, thought provoking - though not proof.

    Each of us going back eight generations has

    2 parents
    4 grand parents
    8 great grandparents
    16 great great grandparents
    32 great great great grandparents
    64 great great great great grandparents
    128 great great great grandparents
    256 great great great great grandparents
    512 great great great great great grandparents.

    Thats a lot of possibilities for shared ancestors amongst individual family trees. It doesn't take many more generations to encompass all of mankind.

    proves nothing, but something to think about.

    Parent

    Indeed (none / 0) (#35)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 06:14:55 PM EST
    most Americans all share a common ancestry with African slaves
    since the entire human population, if traced back far enough, has common African ancestors, it is clear that the American population would share that ancestry.

    Parent
    Something about (none / 0) (#30)
    by jondee on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 04:25:53 PM EST
    "..The content of their character.." occurs to me.

    Btw, Enough slaves blood got spilled that it's probobly a permanant element in the water supply.

    Parent

    Oh, And (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by squeaky on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 03:12:49 PM EST
    This is worth a read if you are really interested in the fiction of a White Race.

    The Pocahontas Exception

    by Kevin Noble Maillard


    Parent

    Great,, (none / 0) (#49)
    by Pancho on Thu Oct 18, 2007 at 12:12:02 PM EST
    let's stop considering race so as better to end oppression

    Parent
    WOW - This is like the Patty Duke Show (none / 0) (#6)
    by RedHead on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 11:51:20 PM EST
    Cheney is also Kevin Bacon's 6th Cousing

    The old joke about the south (none / 0) (#7)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 08:30:09 AM EST

    Crimes are so hard to solve because the DNA is all the same, and there are no dental records.

    No .... that was about Arkansas (none / 0) (#14)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 01:13:57 PM EST
    They invented the "tooth" brush..

    ;-)

    Parent

    yeah, i thought about that afterwards. (none / 0) (#8)
    by cpinva on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 09:08:31 AM EST
    Homo erectus dispersed from Africa across Asia between 1 and 2 million years ago, we all have "African" blood.

    assuming the "out of africa" theory is correct, then we're all related, at least at some distant point.

    ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, does that mean that rush limbaugh is related to me? say it ain't so!

    Rush Erectus (none / 0) (#10)
    by jondee on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 11:47:10 AM EST
    I pretty sure I heard a mathematician say years ago that none of us were more distantly related than eighth cousin. So, we've all got a little bit of Hitler and a little bit of the J-Man (what Bill Murray used to call him).

    Parent
    Don't worry, he'll never admit it... (none / 0) (#13)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 01:11:41 PM EST


    Parent
    My uncle paid a guy (none / 0) (#12)
    by kdog on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 12:56:26 PM EST
    to trace our family history, he came up with Pocohontas as a distant ancestor.  I'm skeptical...I think the guy may have felt obligated to come up with a famous name once he cashed my uncle's check.

    An Exception For Purity (none / 0) (#24)
    by squeaky on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 02:57:37 PM EST
    Many states retained laws that allowed persons to claim remote amounts of Indian blood, but still classify themselves as white.  Similar amounts of black blood would render a person's claim to whiteness as moot.  In Virginia, a statute existed that defined "white" as "one-sixteenth or less of the blood of the American Indian and hav[ing] no other non-Caucasic blood."  This allowance permitted Indian blood to override the doctrine of hypodescent -- its presence alongside European ancestry did not automatically prevent one from being white.
    In its accommodation of one-sixteenth Indian blood, the 1924 Racial Integrity Act venerated the "Pocahontas Exception." Acknowledging the interracial marriage of Pocahontas, the famous "Indian Princess" and the Englishman John Rolfe, the Pocahontas Exception ensured that their descendants could be legally white.

    Parent
    WHAT???? You mean you are not (none / 0) (#15)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 01:22:18 PM EST
    THE Dark Avenger?????

    sigh.....

    I dunno (none / 0) (#16)
    by Jen M on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 01:31:43 PM EST
    maybe its only his great great who wasn't a Dark Avenger

    Parent
    You're probably right (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 02:37:15 PM EST
    unless his Great Great was writing in Morse code.

    ;-)

    Parent

    heh (none / 0) (#41)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 08:33:07 PM EST


    Parent
    If you go back to 1750... (none / 0) (#17)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 01:34:45 PM EST
    and figure 25 years between generations then that would be 14 generations or 2...4....8...16....32...16,064 "Grand" parents..

    A psychopathic neocon in the woodpile? (5.00 / 0) (#18)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 02:03:43 PM EST
    Won't you join me in condemning this? No one in their right mind would want anything to do with psychopathic neocons, after all.

    What could Barack's ancestor have been thinking?

    Parent

    Will I join you? (1.00 / 0) (#21)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 02:40:08 PM EST
    Of course I will.

    Here's to neocons!

    With 16,064 grandparents there must be at least one in mone... in your case perhaps more.... psychos in the mix.

    Parent

    You don't think (none / 0) (#23)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 02:55:39 PM EST
    there was any coercion involved, do you?

    Parent
    Involved in what?? (1.00 / 1) (#36)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 06:27:23 PM EST
    Getting you to condemn everyone who uses children as political pawns....and those on both sides who attack them?

    Getting you to condemn this statement from one of the websites you link to??

    gorillasguides.com/2007/07/13/what-dark-assessment-paleface/

    *  Jonathan said, on July 14th, 2007 at 2:06 am
    The more I read about what is going on, the more I despise my nation and my people. I look at this empire my nation has built and I hope this horrible war we started with break my nation and drive it into ruin. At least then the rest of the world will be spared our ignorance and pride.



    Parent
    Ooooops. (5.00 / 0) (#38)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 06:45:22 PM EST
    Coercion? Woodpiles??? Oh, f**k!!! Jesus!!!!

    Sh*t! Now what? Quick change the subject, to ummm... well... anything but coercion and woodpiles.

    Parent

    No.... (1.00 / 1) (#37)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 06:28:39 PM EST
    And you didn't.

    Parent
    And the Obama bashing continues... (none / 0) (#46)
    by Aaron on Thu Oct 18, 2007 at 07:50:32 AM EST
    ...here at talkleft.  Better watch it or you're going to get sued for defamation.

    :-)

    Cheney and Obama are 8th Cousins | 48 comments (48 topical)

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