A Woman Among Cowardly Men
By: Tim Miller
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Liz Cheney's appearance with Harris in Ripon yesterday was inspiring. It was maddening, too.
Tim Miller and Sam Stein Oct 04, 2024
Liz Cheney, Alone
by Tim Miller
"Thank you Liz!" the crowd shouted, drowning out the former congresswoman who had come to Ripon, Wisconsin to deliver the most unlikely cri de coeur in political memory.
Cheney endorsed Harris weeks ago. But this was the first time she spoke at an official Harris for President event. There she stood, stern but emotional, positioned behind the seal of the office her father once held—a crowd of appreciative Democrats before her.
It was a powerful scene. It was deserved. And it was overdue. Cheney has earned a moment with flowers and applause for her willingness to call out the threat posed by Trump. Yesterday she finally got it, replete with a few choked back tears.
But the visible emotions passed quickly. This was not a time for valedictory celebration. There is real business before us. Nobody understands that more than Liz. For her, this isn't about ego or pageantry. She earnestly believes it's the most important thing she will ever do. Her dad said as much.
On Thursday, she spoke in stark and powerful terms. First, she reiterated that her values and policy views haven't changed, and they needn't change, to make this endorsement.
I was a Republican even-before Donald Trump started spray tanning. I am a Ronald Reagan conservative.… Above all else, I know that the most conservative of conservative values is fidelity to our Constitution. I tell you, I have never voted for a Democrat. But this year, I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Then, she laid out the clear choice before the country.
In this election, a broad coalition has come together to support Vice President Kamala Harris. Now, we may disagree on some things, but we are bound together by the one thing that matters to us as Americans more than any other, and that's our duty to our Constitution and our belief in the miracle and the blessing of this incredible nation… So, today I ask all of you here and everyone listening across this great country to join us. I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand in truth to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump. And I ask you instead to help us elect Kamala Harris as President
As I processed this speech, I couldn't shake the sad spectacle hovering over it. Given the stakes and the unimpeachable arguments presented, it is striking that Cheney is so alone among her peers.1
Back when Charlie helmed this newsletter, he wrote a series about the singular bravery of Mitt Romney. "Romney, Alone." "Romney, One Man Alone" "Romney, Alone Again."
In the series' final installment he wrote this.
Almost alone among his colleagues, Romney seems focused on the verdict of history…What would happen if three or four—or eight or nine—Republicans senators joined Romney? How would Trump react to a critical mass of senators who pushed back? What would happen if a half dozen senators who remembered the legacy of Margaret Chase Smith joined together to condemn "Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry and Smear"? Would Trump tweet insults at them all? And how would their Senate colleagues react then? As the impeachment inquiry progresses and we find more evidence of exactly what Trump did with regard to foreign interference in U.S. elections, we may well find out. Until then, Romney stands alone. Again.
Today, Romney doesn't stand alone. He stands on the sidelines. Rather than focusing on the verdict in November, he prefers to try and ensure he is "in a position after this election to have some influence on the direction of our party in the future."
God (and Liz) willing, when this election is over there will be something left to influence.
Mike Pence wasn't in Ripon either. But he was there in spirit. In absentia, Trump's former vice president received a spirited round of applause from the Democrats in Wisconsin after Cheney congratulated him for refusing to violate his constitutional oath. (Democrats applauding Mike Pence. Yes, you read that right).
The list of others who were missing is too long and too depressing to enumerate, so I shan't. Instead, I'll return to The Bulwark's persistent yawp. After all these years and all these disappointments it remains impossible to process that at this moment, with everything on the line, it is Liz, alone. How could it be? How can they risk putting Donald Trump back in the Oval Office after he ate well-done cheeseburgers in front of his TV while a mob he sent ransacked the capitol, assaulted police and tried to hang his vice president?
How????
As long as I live I will never fully comprehend it. There should have been a line of honest and wise men a mile long standing behind Cheney on Thursday. But their cowardice, their venality, their shameful abdication of responsibility only served to make this moment in Ripon more powerful.
Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris walks out with former US representative Liz Cheney during a rally at Ripon College on October 3, 2024 in Ripon, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
Because instead of that mile long line of men, there stood two women with vanishingly little in common. There they were, in the place where an honest, abolitionist Republican party formed, in political unity, bound by a mutual love of country and a commitment to its best ideals.
Two women standing in the breach to protect the country from the men trying to tear it apart.
Two women alone, standing together for all of us.
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Percentage of staffers who have left Harris since becoming VP. 90%
Number of votes Harris accumulated in the 2024 Primary. Zero
Liberals putting a Cheney on a pedestal after flipping to support Harris? Priceless.
you must be afraid.
there was nothing shady about making Harris the nominee.
Nope, but it was stupid. She has no chance because of her past and present radical left views and agenda.
lol …. It’s nothing but shady and undemocratic. Not recognizing that is denial to the Nth degree.
Amazing!
You're entitled to your opinion!
Yep, shared by millions and very accurate. She's done.
Shared by the maga cult so not at all accurate.
Yep, she’s toast unless of course the cheaters prosper again …,,
Her policies are far right wing, nice try Greg.
Percentage of A team members, Cabinet members and government appointees or Acting Directors who left the Trump Administration in four years? 300%? 400%?
Chart: How Does Trump's Turnover Compare? | Statista
Meaningless. What laws were violated by the DNC, a private corporation like the RNC? During the Convention Harris received 99% of the votes. That's all that mattered.
OPINION: RNC and DNC as Private Corporations - The Last Refuge (theconservativetreehouse.com)
JD Vance freed Cheney and Harris from all previously held positions, don't you agree? In the run up to the 2020 election Vance was a very loud Never Trumper who once said Trump was America's Hitler. Now he kisses the ring hoping for the office of VP or higher.
Must be new math. More quit than were members. Crazy math man
Nah, it’s meaningful to folks who truly appreciate Democracy as more than just a word to use when it’s convenient to push a narrative.
Lol …. Not even close. It’s real funny watching liberals, who use to constantly shout how shitty the Cheney ring was, kissing it now. Hilarious! Strangest bedfellows I’ve ever seen.
That's what happens when you multiple AGs and Acting Ags, multiple Defense Secs and Acting Def Secs, multiple Chiefs of staff, how many Press secretaries, 14? Trump broke all records for turnover. I do agree, sometimes he chose very good people, but he never listened to them if they didn't agree with Hannity or some other goof. Trump turnover in some cases exceeded all 5 previous Administrations combined. The chaos was so pervasive that people stopped publishing articles and comparisons by 2020 when the shock and awe wore off.
And then there were ten: With 85% turnover across President Trump’s A Team, who remains? (brookings.edu)
How Trump’s administration turnover compares with other presidents (nbcnews.com)
CHART: Trump's Cabinet Turnover Is Record-Setting : NPR
Another Trump Presidency promises more of the same chaos.
As usual, it's only meaningful to people who would never vote for Dem if their lives depended on it. Most Dems, lots of Indies and frankly way too many Republicans aren't swayed by such 'patriotism', they see the alternative as unacceptable.
True if you are throwing Dick in there, but you've been bitching about Liz for 4 years now, so that dog won't hunt.
What? Republicans who have flipped to Harris? Harris, who has flipped to less radical platforms? Or the current Republican candidate for VP who had no reason to denigrate Trump in the 2020 campaign but just could not keep his mouth shut about being a Never Trumper. I guess that was only one of his first lies that indicates a totally empty suit.
If you didn't agree with the former 'president' traitor or dared to tell him no - out you go.
Two expressions he is known for among his scummy inner circle are 'I want what I want' and 'That's not fair'.
I bet that's essentially what his staff and advisors heard to anything they didn't agree with in regards to the traitor.
I've never put any Cheney on a pedestal unlike supporters of the traitor who is held to no standard(s) whatsoever. I do however give credit where credit is due to those rare republicans with a spine.
How do you feel about democrats that have shown support for Trump?
Do you think they have a spine being that they are basing their decisions on what they see with the Biden/Harris failure, much like Cheney, et al, that have changed their views about Trump?
Like I said, must be new math. Over 100% is not mathematically possible in real math but I understand that the over 4 point scale crowd, feels differently.
Your thinking pizza. A pizza is limited to 100% of it's own size. In order to get to 150% you have to have a second pizza.
context matters.
Lets imagine your company of ten all quit in a horrible moment of clarity and you successfully replace them.
That would seem to me to be 100% turnover rate, but when, lets say 5 of those new people see the light and leave and you replace them, that's 150% turnover rate and so on.
I think is called statistics.
Classic progressive liberal thinking. I think i’ll waste a couple more minutes of my time here.
Yes, context does matter. The premise that an administrations baseline staffing number is defined only by the total number of position filled on day one and not the total people in these positions over time is sophomoric at best. And attempting to compare housing prices and a fixed number of cabinet positions is obtuse as well. Housing prices go up and down based on market conditions. Do number of cabinet positions go up and down based on market conditions? No because the total number of positions is fixed.
This four point plus mentality is classic academia thinking. In the real world, better than perfection (100%) is not possible. But it is, if we say so right? Last highest grade point I’ve heard was 4.6 One wonders, can we get 5.0 please? Maybe a 5.6?
Ridiculous, everyone gets a trophy garbage.
Nonsense. Total nonsense.
I think you misunderstand the term "turnover" in filling a single position, Sophmore.
Wrong. The Cabinet isn't mentioned in the Constitution. A President can add or eliminate Cabinet positions with the stroke of a pen.
Well, that's what, the fourth time we are in total agreement?
Keep chasing your own tail, it's amusing in a sad sort of way.
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I support her people before party attitude, not her right wing policies.
Same here, I've never put any republican on a pedestal, or anyone, just happy to acknowledge the rare few with a spine to stand up against that traitor.
Absolutely.
A golden spoon woman of flawed character bagging on another golden spoon of person flawed character
Weak sauce in my kitchen ….
Contrary to the general consensus here, I would double my vote up of this article if it were allowed to do so. My friends on the right already know that I put principle and integrity ahead of party loyalty, but I have no loyalty towards either major American party anyway, even though it meant in Liz Cheney's case to lose the support of her constituents. It is her constituents' preference of party loyalty over principle and integrity that is unfortunate.
Hear, Hear !
What I really hope to see is if Harris were to win, that she provides a cabinet position or other very important position to Liz Cheney. It would be a small step towards the vastly important need to unify the American people without needing a big attack made on America such as Pearl Harbor or 9/11 was. I know it's most likely just a dream, but one I did see come true at the end of the West Wing TV series. Who knows, maybe life will imitate art once again.