Why some hail Liz Cheney an 'unlikely heroine' — while others insist 'the apple’s not far from the tree'
During the question-and-answer portion of one of former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney's (R-WY) recent book tour stops, an audience member said to her, "I have to tell you that my family and I disagree with you on 90% of your policy positions but my sister and I are overwhelmed with gratitude and privilege and honour to tell you personally that you are our 'shero', you're an American treasure and we thank you and your wonderful family for your courage, your strength, your integrity."
In a Sunday, December 17 report, The Guardian's David Smith details the ex-Republican lawmaker's fall among fellow GOPers and rise among liberals — becoming an "unlikely heroine" — as a result of her "decision to put democracy before party."
Cheney's book, Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning — "a scathing account of Donald Trump’s assault on democracy and urgent plea for America to avoid a repeat" — Smith notes, was received well during the event organized by Washington, DC bookstore, Politics & Prose, which is managed by a "Hillary Clinton alumnus and former Washington Post journalist."
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Former Republican strategist and Lincoln Project senior adviser Tara Setmayer told The Guardian, "It's rather remarkable as I watch her evolution from being Republican royalty to an apostate simply because she has spoken the truth about who and what Donald Trump is, what he has done to the Republican party and ultimately what he has done to our country, based off of Republican principles that she thought were unmovable. But apparently they are for many Republicans and she's exposed that hypocrisy."
She added, "Liz Cheney should be the template for every Republican in the party. Unfortunately, she is an anomaly."
However, Smith notes, "Cheney is unapologetically conservative. She remains close to her father, an architect of the Iraq war, and used to appear regularly on Rupert Murdoch's Fox News network. She voted in line with Trump's position 93% of the time during his presidency, according to the FiveThirtyEight website."
As a result, he adds, "Some on the left are uneasy with such role reversals, warning that shifting the goalposts serves only to mainstream and normalise figures whose actions were beyond the pale."
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University of Wyoming professor emeritus James King emphasized, "Clearly she does not disagree with most of Trump's policies. It's just his adequacy to be president she’s made something of a crusade over the last two years."
Similarly, RootsAction.org national director Norman Solomon added, "The fact that she has done one admirable thing in her life politically, and that is stand up against Donald Trump, does not change the fact that she voted with him an overwhelming amount of the time. On virtually every other issue even a mainstream Democrat would find her votes abhorrent. In the House she was one of the most prominent, outspoken militarists eager to go to war. The apple's not far from the tree in that way."
Smith points out since the book's December 5 debut, one of Cheney's "most notable" interviews includes a conversation with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, who opened the segment saying, "I disagree with Liz Cheney about everything. My whole adult life on everything in politics, I would not just say that Liz Cheney and I were on different proverbial teams, I would say we are from different proverbial planets. And they are planets that are mostly at war with each other. It's important because that tells you how serious and big something has to be to put us, to put me and Liz Cheney, together on the same side of something in American life. I’m sure Noah had a hard time convincing the mice that they should get on the same boat with the snakes … but needs must."
Late-night host Stephen Colbert said during his conversation with the GOP outsider, "I didn't expect to interview you ever, really."
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Setmayer noted, "What's interesting about seeing Liz Cheney on programmes like that and in venues that would not have normally been part of her book tour circuit or her media circuit is that it shows you how how much bigger her message is. It transcends party lines."
The former Republican Capitol Hill staffer emphasized, "The threat that Donald Trump and Trumpism poses to our country as a whole has created interesting bedfellows. Seeing Liz Cheney sitting down with Rachel Maddow and being simpatico on an issue as important as our democracy should give everyone hope that it's not too late to turn this around."
The Guardian's full report is here (subscription required).
