Last night, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney lost her Wyoming primary election in a landslide defeat by her Trump-endorsed challenger Harriet Hageman.
Hageman has, as the New York Times put it, “a track record in Wyoming of fierce advocacy on issues particularly relevant to the state’s ranchers”—namely, shutting down environmentalist advocacy and fighting federal protections of land, water and endangered species—but ultimately, it’s hard to see Cheney’s massive loss as being anything but punishment for her indictment of Donald Trump.
Cheney was one of just 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump, and all but two of those Republicans have either lost their reelection campaigns or decided to retire rather than face what seems to be inevitable defeat. She further angered her party and Trump loyalist voters when she signed on to join the January 6 commission. She was officially censored by the Republican Party and removed from her leadership position as the chairwoman of the Republican Conference.
Over the last year or so, there’s been a lot of praise for Cheney coming from Democrats and mainstream media, celebrating her willingness to stand up to Trump, and her choice to stick to her principles in the face of immense pressure. Leading up to and now after her inevitable primary defeat, there’s already talk of her possibly running for President—an idea that’s being treated favorably by a number of so-called liberal news outlets.
Liz Cheney will be on cable news ad nauseam, sell a shit ton of books and then probably run for president. She didn’t do this out of the goodness of her heart.
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) August 17, 2022
While it is encouraging that there are a few Republicans who refuse to cave to the cult of Trump, it’s also important to remember that despite her opposition to Trump and Trumpism, Liz Cheney still sucks.
Who is Liz Cheney and why does she suck?
Cheney, of course, is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who led the country into an unnecessary, racist, and excessively cruel war based on lies and hysteria. In recent years, Liz Cheney has defended her warmonger father, even trying to paint him as a #Resistance ally, saying he is “deeply troubled” by the state of the Republican Party post-Trump.
But even removed from her familial legacy of power-hungry destruction, Liz Cheney is awful all on her own and her voting record reflects that.
Cheney recently tried to claim that she’d come around on her lifelong history of homophobia but just this year voted against the Equality Act, which would extend necessary protections to LGBTQ+ people. She also voted against the Inflation Reduction Act—Biden’s sweeping social spending bill addressing climate change, healthcare, and more—the Voting Rights Act, the Equal Rights Amendment, the George Floyd Act to combat racist policing tactics, and much more. And that’s because while she might not like Trump, she sure does love much of what he stands for.
Liz Cheney doesn’t care about the American people, she cares about norms and niceties. Trump didn’t ruin the Republican Party, he just cost them the ability to oppress people quietly.
FYI—Liz Cheney opposed the Voting Rights Act, min wage increase, Equality Act, Equal Rights Amendment, George Floyd Act, BBB, Infrastructure bill, Inflation Reduction Act, $35 Insulin bill, Women’s Health Protection Act, anti-gas price gouging bill—& voted w/Trump 93% of the time
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) August 17, 2022
Liz Cheney is a Republican. She votes like one, she ideologically aligned with Trump a majority of the time—- the only time she faltered was to stand up for our democracy, and now she has lost her primary and been ousted by the GOP.
— Olivia Julianna (@0liviajulianna) August 17, 2022
The GOP is dead. This is outright facism.
Do not feel bad for Liz Cheney; she is a monster. That she belongs to a party that is worse than her most depraved instincts is an indictment of them, not a positive for her.
— Kaitlin Byrd: Renaissance Maiden (@GothamGirlBlue) August 17, 2022
It’s okay to not feel bad for the chick who only supported like 99% of the fascism.
— Kashana (@kashanacauley) August 17, 2022
(image: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
