… about truth and democracy anyway
Liz Cheney says they told her to lie if she wanted to keep her seat. Of course they did:
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told Colorado College graduates in a commencement speech Sunday the U.S. “cannot remain a free nation if we abandon the truth,” as she took aim at fellow Republicans and former President Trump.
“My fellow Republicans wanted me to lie. They wanted me to say the 2020 election was stolen, the attack of Jan. 6th wasn’t a big deal, and Donald Trump wasn’t dangerous,” said the former vice chair of the Jan. 6 panel that investigated the Capitol riot, who hasn’t ruled out running for president in the 2024.
“I had to choose between lying and losing my position in House leadership,” continued Cheney, who was ousted as the No. 3 House Republican after she called out Trump’s false election claims.
“As I spoke to my colleagues on my last morning as chair of the Republican conference, I told them that if they wanted a leader who would lie, they should choose someone else,” added the 1988 Colorado College graduate.
“No party, no nation, no people can defend and perpetuate a constitutional republic if they accept leaders who have gone to war with the rule of law, with the democratic process, with the peaceful transfer of power, with the Constitution itself.”
Good words and I agree with her. And right now, there must be a popular front to fight these forces so we have no choice but to make common cause with those who join the battle.
But Liz Cheney has no political home. Her record of far right conservatism leaves her with nowhere to go if she rejects Trump and MAGA because there is no difference now. And for years, people like Liz with their antediluvian worldview are what made them possible. Trump just put the fun back in fascism.
So I agree with the kids who did this too:
While most applauded Cheney’s commencement speech, about half of the 450 graduates turned their chairs so they showed their backs to the now-University of Virginia professor in protest against her voting history on issues including LGBTQ+ rights, per The Gazette.
Her history on LGBTQ+ rights is particularly odious since her sister is gay.