January 25, 2023
Commentary
Why I'm Endorsing Liz Cheney For President
- by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, July 1, 2022
Liz Cheney could not have picked a better place to kick off a 2024 Presidential run than in a venue associated with a true Republican -- the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. What's that, you say -- she didn't actually throw her hat in the ring? Well, maybe not, but listening to her speak to a roomful of real Republicans Wednesday made me think she may be the last best hope for the party.
And if not, maybe, just maybe, she might be the first viable third-party candidate for President of the United States, since progressive civil rights (ie. anti-slavery) advocates formed the Republican Party in 1854 and successfully elected the first true Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, in 1860.
The politics of the Republican Party may have shifted radically from its roots, for most of its 166 years -- growing progressively more conservative in terms of economics, civil liberties, and various other policies -- but at least it operated within the U.S. Constitutional framework (the two notable exceptions being Nixon and the other guy).
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But the height of the party's power, influence and, arguably, media spin was the Reagan area, so Cheney delivering her fiery speech at the Reagan library as the de facto kick-off for her 2024 run couldn't have been orchestrated better than if it had been scripted by Riney, Dusenberry or other members of the Tuesday Team.
Sure, as a Wyoming-based colleague of mine opined this morning after Cheney's Republican party primary debate in that state last night, "Cheney's career is over in Wyoming. She will need to change parties to survive in politics."
My thought about the first part of may colleague's statement was, "Good, that will give her more time to focus on her national campaign," because Wyomingites aren't going to vote for her, anyway. At least not the ones currently calling themselves Republicans.
My next thought about the second part of my colleague's statement -- the part about Cheney needing to change parties -- was, "Or maybe she'll change the Republican party."
On that note, I might suggest the following campaign slogan if she sticks with the party: "Make Republicans Great Again."
Don't get me wrong -- I'm the last person to get hung up on party politics. After being a life-long Democrat, I lost my party affiliation due to a voter registrars clerical error when I moved to my current town just as the 2016 election year was getting underway, and I haven't regretted it since.
I'm happy to be an "independent," because I don't think party politics serve our country well anymore, especially when they can be weaponized to appeal to lowest biases of American voters as part of a campaign to divide us and make us weaker.
The reason I'm nominating Cheney as a candidate for president in 2024 is because I think she has proven she is one of those rare politicians who actually stands above party politics -- stands up for the Constitution she swore to protect -- and because I think she genuinely cares about our most fundamental American values: democracy, the rule of law, and that the government should serve the will of the people, not the few who happen to be corrupt politicians or the people corrupting them.
As you might guess from my previous "life-long Democrat" reference, I do no agree on many of the policies Cheney would influence, but I've lived with and even respected many Republican presidents before, including Reagan, because I believed they had the best intentions for the Constitution, the will of the people, and the rule of law. Even if they were wrong about their policies.
I find it ironic how anti-Democratic Republicans seize on every opportunity to knock Joe Biden, including this week's attempt to tie the migrant death tragedy in Texas to his immigration policies, when the reason they died trying to smuggle their way into the country was because of the policies Biden is trying to overcome. I also find it ironic that it was Reagan, in fact, who championed more open borders and embraced immigrants as the new lifeblood of America. You know -- like very other immigrant population that has settled here since America was formed as a nation.
Yep, the Grand Old Party certainly has changed a lot since its founding, as well as from its Reagan-era heights, sinking so low as to pledge its allegiance to a shyster real-estate baron from New York City who probably was never actually a Republican at all, but has reshaped the party into the worst possible values just to stay in power.
So I'm endorsing Liz Cheney for president, because I think she will make Republicans great again. And if not, I'd welcome her as a Democrat, an Independent or whatever party wants my vote.
11 comments about "Why I'm Endorsing Liz Cheney For President".
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Joe Mandese is the Editor in Chief of MediaPost. You can reach Joe at joe@mediapost.com.
Excellent piece, but I'm not sure if you meant 2024 or 2028. Unless I missed something, there will be no Presidential election in 2026... just House mid-terms and one-third of the Senate.
@David Scardino: Oops, yes. Thanks for catching. I transposed the dates: 2024. Fixing now. -- Joe
Joe, as a fellow "independent" I would love to see Chaney run for president in 2024 but not as a democrat or a "Republican" ---as the latter will, no doubt, propose either Trump or a more rational ultra conservative who appeals to the MAGA base. That leaves the most likely path for Chaney as a third party run. We have had a number of these in the past but I suspect that this time smany voters are turned off by the endless political bickering and lying ---that's both parties,by the way---that they might elect a third party candidate and give us our first woman POTUS.
@Ed Papazian: Amen.
Welcome, Joe. Keep up the good work!
Hear, hear!
Ah yes, vote for Liz Cheney. Go right ahead. I give her enormous kudos for putting Country over party BUT her presidency would further the right wing endeavors to gut voting rights, eliminate a woman's right to choose and marriage equality. She's in lock step with the theocrats of her party on those issues. So go ahead and let us go further to fascism.
Liz Cheney desreves the Kennedy Profiles in Courage award for sure, but her right wing voting record is not to be countenanced by free thinking persons.
Love it. Stick a fork in Trump. He's done. Permanently scarred, and disgraced. I'd love to see a Pence/Cheney ticket. I'd be a "mule" and vote multiple times for them, regardless of party. I'm also Independent...
"The other guy" = "He Who Shall Not Be Named". Let's just start using that moniker and get a trend going. He's cruel and evil enough to have earned it.
I became an indepedent when He Who Shall Not Be Named became the GOP nominee. I have never voted party lines anyway and had been pulling away from the GOP over a number of concerning sociail issues anyway so I don't regret it. His nomination just cemented it for me as I could not, would not align myself in any way to something he was a part of even in name.
I give props to Liz Cheney for standing up to He Who Shall Not Be Named and for country over party but it would take more change from her current stance on social policy for me to endorse or vote for her. Still, she gives me hope that maybe the GOP can get their head out of....the sand.....and rejoin the human race.
A brave piece Joe - so congratulations.
We recently had a Federal Election and our conservative government was toppled and replaced by a middle-to-moderate left party. In your terms it would be Republicans out Democrats in.
We have a very different (IMHO better, but not perfect) electoral system. It has historically resulted in a two-party system. Our 151 seat parliament had 148 Red or Blue members and just 3 independents. We now have 10 independents.
Why? Ennui of the Red and the Blue. So the "Teal" (unofficial name) candidates emerged. All were Independent as they had walked away from the Red and the Blue. And importantly ... all women. There was also a growth in the (eco) Greens.
How did that work? They targeted 'getable' electorates that were more progressive (climate, indigenous, fair labour were key platforms) but held by conservatives. They had to break the "I have always voted..." or "Generations of our family has always voted...". Sanity ruled and they won seven new seats. While the government has a narrow margin of one seat they will hold a lot of sway regarding policy and the actual legislation.
The important thing is that it CAN BE DONE. [Though easier in Australia as we have an INDEPENDENT electoral system that can't be rigged.}
Ms. Cheney, although not meant for you, you describe yourself perfectly.
From the WSJ: “We must not elect people who are more loyal to themselves or to power than they are to our Constitution,” Ms. Cheney said to applause on Wednesday at a speech at the Reagan Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, Calif.