Can complicit Republicans' change of heart on Donald Trump be trusted?

[marmar]

Can complicit Republicans' change of heart on Donald Trump be trusted?
Democrats don't need Liz Cheney's offer of assistance — but should they take it anyway?

By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
PUBLISHED AUGUST 19, 2022 9:30AM (EDT)


(Salon) Back in 2019, I saw Liz Cheney as the most dangerous woman in America. I was referring at the time to her grotesque insistence that Democrats supported "infanticide" and the absurd threat to shut down the government unless Congress paid for Trump's stupid wall. And she was more than happy to be a Trumpish attack dog, going after Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with undisguised glee. Cheney wasn't just the daughter of one of the primary architects of the Iraq war debacle, she worked in the State Department and helped with its execution. As a member of GOP House leadership, she was a rising star in GOP politics and a likely presidential candidate who had a good shot at becoming the first woman president as the successor to Donald Trump. I sounded the alarm again in 2021.

A lot has certainly changed since then, hasn't it?

Cheney may have been a good little Trumper for most of his tenure, demeaning Democrats and voting in lockstep but she decided that staging a coup was a bridge too far and we all know where she has landed since then. She was stripped of her leadership post, censured by her state party and lost her re-election bid this week by nearly 40 points. She is, however, now one of the most famous politicians in the country and will no doubt be mentioned in the history books for her bold stand against the undisputed leader of her own party. And, as I predicted years ago, she is being actively discussed as a presidential candidate and appears to be seriously considering it. The reasons for her ascent may be different than I thought they would be but there was always something about Liz that suggested she was aiming for the top job.

Cheney knew she was going to lose her congressional seat and I would guess that she knew that from the moment she spoke out about Trump after the 2020 election. There may have been a moment or two that the GOP leadership thought they were finally finished with him but Cheney is a savvy operator and almost certainly understood that being a strong critic of the man who won her state by 44 points would cost her politically. Once she made the decision to go all-in and join the January 6 committee the die was cast and it was clear her political future was not going to be in the House of Representatives.

....(snip)....

The American Prospect's Robert Kuttner did make the point that if she runs as an Independent in the general election there is an inherent risk. "Cheney is a widely admired figure at a time when voters are hostile to both parties. In a true three-way, almost anything could happen. Cheney might even win." But his real concern is one that I share: Cheney could split the anti-Trump vote with the Democrat and inadvertently hand the White House back to Trump.

I wish I believed that no Democrats would ever vote for a hardcore rightwinger like Cheney, but I don't. She is being deified by the mainstream media as a patriotic hero and I'm sure there are some Biden voters who see her as the savior of the Republic. Looking back at the 2000 and 2016 elections should remind us that it only takes a small number of third party defectors to give the White House to the GOP. ..........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2022/08/19/can-complicit-republicans-change-of-heart-on-donald-be-trusted/

[peppertree]

1. Of course not. They're just looking for a new Mussolini.

Since the old shot himself in the foot too many times.

[Moostache]

2. Doing the right thing once in an evil lifetime is not enough...

I am glad that she accepted reality, but there are some things that require more than a change of heart and an acknowledgement of the truth once to fully change a person's ultimate ledger of good and evil.

The daughter of Darth Vader is not an ally, not a friend to progressive or liberal causes and not worthy of trust. She is the scorpion on the back of the frog and we would be wise to NEVER forget that fact.

[2naSalit]

3. Only after they vote like they mean it.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. No, in the end they are conservatives. Their ideology is based on individual power.

It is more likely they will sell out and fall in line.

[TheRealNorth]

5. Any Republican that didn't impeach or support the impeachment of Benedict Donald after 1/6 is a Fasc

And cannot be trusted running for dog catcher.