Why progressives should be celebrating Liz Cheney and Ben Sasse right now
Opinion by Eugene Robinson
I look forward to the day when I can get back to disagreeing with the likes of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) about basically everything. But right now, with former president Donald Trump's second impeachment trial set to begin, even progressives need to celebrate these conservatives as heroes.
It is in everyone's interest that the GOP become an actual political party again, rather than a cult dedicated — in Sasse's memorable phrase — to "the weird worship of one dude." Such a party could play a productive role in governing and policymaking, rather than using Washington as the set for an increasingly bizarre reality show. For that to happen, lawmakers such as Sasse and Cheney need to win the battle for their party. Democrats should be self-interested enough to recognize the costs of letting the GOP devolve further into lunacy.
I never thought I'd have to share a foxhole with some of the nation's most doctrinaire conservatives, but here we are. Cheney, Sasse and a precious few other Republicans have been telling the truth to their base about Trump and the grave injury he has done to our democracy. Given all the times today's truth-tellers pretended not to notice Trump's outrages in the past, it is tempting to say they are merely reaping what they have sown. But they have shown up and spoken out when it counts most.
In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Cheney was on fire. "People have been lied to," she said. "The extent to which the president, President Trump, for months leading up to January 6th spread the notion that the election had been stolen or that the election was rigged was a lie. And people need to understand that. We need to make sure that we as Republicans are the party of truth, and that we're being honest about what really did happen in 2020, so we actually have a chance to win in 2022 and win the White House back in 2024."
Let's work hard to make sure that Republicans do not win those coming elections; hoping for sane debating partners who might cross the aisle on occasion is not the same thing as wanting to cede control to conservatives. But let's applaud the fact that Cheney was addressing the GOP-leaning Fox News audience so bluntly.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-progressives-should-be-celebrating-liz-cheney-and-ben-sasse-right-now/2021/02/08/29581fa2-6a3d-11eb-9f80-3d7646ce1bc0_story.html
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