Don’t give Cheney your grief

In a week that saw Rep. Liz Cheney become the left’s newest star witness in their case against the modern-GOP, many need to realize she is not on their side.

Opinion By Matthew Royer, Staff Writer

Post Commander Dale Miller (right) and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney (left) take part in the centennial celebration in Lusk for American Legion Post No. 1 on June 29, 2019. (Photo by Tyler Schiele/Wyoming State Public Affairs Office)

She does not want our troops to come home, she does not believe in gay marriage, she defended “birthers” and she helped build the “MAGA” movement; Rep. Liz Cheney is not a friend of the left.

In a week that saw Cheney (R-WY) ousted from House Republican leadership, those on the left-side of the political spectrum gifted the congresswoman with a media cycle that seems to never end. Minutes after a vote that removed Cheney from her position as chair of the House Republican Conference — the No. 3 Republican position in the House of Representatives — Cheney could be seen on NBC being interviewed by TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie.

In the interview the Wyoming Republican was asked questions such as, “Would you run for President?” as she played dumb in wondering why her party has left her behind.

“For reasons that I don't understand, leaders in my party have decided to embrace the former president who launched that attack,” said Cheney to TODAY. “I think you've watched, over the course of the last several months, the former president get more aggressive, more vocal, pushing the lie, and I think that's a really important thing for people to understand.”

It is worrying to see from an outside perspective. A political party becoming one with “Trumpism,” instead of allowing perspectives like the one led by the former vice president’s daughter in Cheney, sends a shock to the American political system that has been tough to swallow for many who have stuck with the conservative movement through the past few years.

However, the perspective led by Cheney is not one that should be followed by most Americans, as her beliefs have more in common with former president Donald J. Trump than moderate conservative voices like Rep. Peter Mejer (R-MI). The congresswoman may provide a calming presence compared to her Republican counterparts such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) or Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), but she spews the same hateful rhetoric that led to the presidency of Trump. Cheney has created a facade in which Democrats and those on the left-side of the aisle have fallen for, focusing on shaping a new appearance for the Wyoming Republican, instead of the faults of her politics that have led to the hurt of so many.

In fact, Cheney is best-known for opposing gay marriage, betraying her own sister Mary Cheney. When she ran for Senate in 2016 and made her views clearly known to the public, Mary’s wife — Heather Poe — released a statement on Facebook against Liz’s hateful views.

“Liz has been a guest in our home, has spent time and shared holidays with our children, and when Mary and I got married in 2012 – she didn't hesitate to tell us how happy she was for us,” read Poe’s statement. “To have her now say she doesn't support our right to marry is offensive to say the least.”

The congresswoman simply responded, “This is just an issue in which we disagree,” according to USA Today.

Liz still leads the defense of her father’s actions up to and during the Iraq War, going so far as to oppose the actions of President Joe Biden when it comes to his plan to remove all troops from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of 9/11, according to Wyofile, an independent Wyoming-based journalism website.

When it comes to today’s GOP, there are no winners, but those on the left need to remember that just because one disagrees with how their party is run, does not mean they are now on the side of the left, no matter how hard one tries to mask their image.

Republicans may think that Cheney is a danger to their party, but in reality, she is a danger to the nation. Giving her a platform does more good than harm, the left must realize this before it is too late.