In May 2022 when Liz Cheney was awarded the Profile in Courage Award from the JFK Library she spoke to the recipients that “will we do our duty, will we defend our Constitution, will we stand for truth, will we put duty to our oath above partisan politics or will we look away from danger, ignore the threat, embrace the lies and enable the liar?”
Ms. Cheney lost her primary election because of one simple reason: she refused to go along with Donald Trump’s attack on our democracy. As she stated, “no House seat, no office in this land is more important than the principles that we are all sworn to protect.” I cannot say as much about Rep. Matt Rosendale, Sen. Steve Daines, or Ryan Zinke. Each in their own way made decisions to go along with “the Big Lie” and prostitute themselves to the alter of Trump.
Ms. Cheney stated that there are “major elements of my party still vehemently defending those” who caused the Jan. 6 attempted coup. She continues, “if we do not condemn the conspiracies and the lies, if we do not hold those responsible to account, we will be excusing their conduct, and it will become a feature of all elections. America will never be the same. Today there are Republican candidates for governor who deny the outcome of the 2020 election, and who may refuse to certify future elections if they oppose the results. We have candidates for secretary of state who may refuse to report the actual results of the popular vote in future elections.” And, of course, there are those in Congress who refuse to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Together, along with certain media sources, have infected our body politic with a cancer.
Ms. Cheney stated that “no American should elect people for any genuine responsibility who deny the results of a lawful election. We have heard from the January 6th Committee and from people who served Trump loyally that testified that they told him the election was not stolen or rigged.” Even now he continues voicing conspiracies that provoke violence and threats of violence. In spite of this, Donald Trump recently released the names of the FBI agents involved in the lawful search of his home. This act was intentional and malicious. Do his actions demonstrate patriotism? Integrity? Honor?
And finally, Ms. Cheney encapsulates the situation Americans find ourselves in: “Our duty as citizens of this republic is not only to defend the freedom that’s been handed down to us.” We also have an obligation to learn from the actions of those who came before and listen to the words of the Representative from Wyoming.
David R. James
Eureka