Profile in Courage: Liz Cheney

There is little that Liz Cheney and I agree on in terms of political policies. 

Who would have thought even two years ago that I would ever write a post praising Dick Cheney's daughter?

I believe to my core that maximum liberty resides near the middle of the capitalism/socialism scale. I believe strongly in using government to level the playing field so that capitalism can work for society at large. I am convinced that an unfettered, unregulated capitalism is inherently tyrannical as surely as socialism and communism are tyrannical. 

Rep. Cheney would probably label me a "socialist" (I am not.) In her book capitalism should be, from my point of view, hardly regulated at all. I have voted opposite to her in every presidential election since she reached 18 years of age.

But we both believe in republicanism. We believe in the peaceful transfer of power when the people so vote.

She knew the stakes when she voted with the bi-partisan majority of the House to impeach Donald John Trump for his treachery. She did the right thing even though it meant she would lose her leadership position in the (so-called) Republican Party. She did the right thing even though as the lone Wyoming representative she knew her chances for re-election would fall drastically from the 70%+ that she won by in 2020. Actually her margin of loss in 2022 nearly matched her margin of victory in 2020! She knew that, by far, most of her friends in Wyoming were Trumpists -- she herself had supported his legislative policies by over 90%. It must have been a painful decision for her.

I, in my way, have had to stand against folks that are important to me, too. A majority of people in my community, my family, and my church vote differently from me. My beliefs cause friction sometimes. That friction strains relationships that I treasure. But I cannot be quiet when it comes to beliefs so basic as my belief in the principles stated so eloquently in the opening words of the Declaration and in the Preamble to the Constitution.

So I feel I understand Liz Cheney. And, however much I disagree with her about policy, I respect and admire her courage in putting country above party, above her own electoral viability. If I lived in Wyoming, I believe I would have changed my registration and voted for her despite our differences. The republic is on the line in America. We must have a coalition of small-r republicans. 

I will keep speaking out about the environment, about universal healthcare, about "well-regulated" firearms, about drastic wealth concentration, and more. But when push comes to shove; when we are down to a binary choice, I will join forces with anyone and everyone who supports our republican form of government over authoritarianism. 

Liz Cheney is an unapologetic Republican. I am proudly a supporter of the Democratic Party. 

But Liz Cheney and I are both, first, Americans.