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‘Never Trump’ Republican Liz Cheney has come full circle. On Thursday, Cheney endorsed Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) for reelection.
Cheney, who was soundly defeated in Wyoming’s August primary, will join Slotkin on the campaign trail in Lansing next week. Ironically, Slotkin’s seat is one Republicans believe they can flip.
Cheney and Slotkin are kindred spirits. Both were very vocal in their opposition to former President Donald Trump, and were proponents of the formation of the House Select Committee on Jan. 6, of which Cheney is the vice-chair.
They also appear to be on the same page when it comes to involving the U.S. in seemingly endless wars.
“The Putin Wing” Of The Party
Last week, House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is likely to become the next House Speaker, said that should the GOP take control of Congress in January, “I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. They just won’t do it. … It’s not a free blank check.”
The thought of not funneling en endless supply of American tax dollars to Ukraine was just too much for Liz Cheney.
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During a recent appearance with NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet The Press,” Cheney fired back at McCarthy, saying:
“Such as the aid to Ukraine, the idea that the party is now no longer going to support the Ukrainian people. For somebody who has the picture of Ronald Reagan on his wall in his office in the Capitol, the notion that now Kevin McCarthy is going to make himself the leader of the pro-Putin wing of my party is just a stunning thing.”
To summarize, if you disagree with Liz Cheney, you are part of the “pro-Putin” wing of the Republican Party.
Elissa Slotkin is also on board with funding the war in Ukraine in perpetuity – which at least partially explains Cheney’s sudden affinity for her. In April, the House passed the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act. The bill, led by Slotkin, sped up delivery of military equipment to Ukraine.
In September, Slotkin spoke at a town hall meeting in her district and made a very telling statement, “Right now, Congress is still supportive of what’s going on in Ukraine. But I have to be honest with you that Americans are very gung-ho at the start of wars but lose attention span very quickly … it is extremely important that we keep it alive in the media.”
Keep it alive? Maybe it is not because they are no longer “gung-ho,” but that they figured out there is no end game.
Can We Trade?
At this point, it might be fair to ask, why doesn’t Liz Cheney just become a Democrat and call it a day? While that might be unknown, what is known is that it’s a hugely sharp contrast to the recent departure of former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from the Democrat Party.
Gabbard announced her decision earlier this month, and issued a statement in which she pointed out the primary reason for her departure.
She stated, “I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoke anti-white racism.”
Cheney has been flirting with supporting Democrat candidates. She recently said that if she lived in Arizona, she would “absolutely” vote for Democrat gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs and Democrat Secretary of State candidate Adrian Fontes.
Cheney’s obsession with former President Donald Trump is verging on legendary. In September, she stated, “I’m going to make sure Donald Trump, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure he is not the nominee. And if he is the nominee, I won’t be a Republican.”
She was also asked if doing whatever she could to prevent Trump from becoming the GOP nominee would include campaigning for Democrats, the answer was “yes.”
And here we are.
Reporting by The Political Insider.
