The GOP Censures Liz Cheney - WSJ
By: The Editorial Board (WSJ)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The polls suggest the GOP is in remarkably good position for November's elections, but never underestimate the party's ability to blow it. On Friday the Republican National Committee censured Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, citing their roles in the House inquiry into the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021. The RNC pledged to "immediately cease any and all support of them."
This kind of ritual purification is bad politics. Republicans should be talking about President Biden's $5 trillion spending plan, 7% inflation, and the Americans who are still trying to flee Afghanistan. Now the media is crowing because the RNC says Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger's role in investigating Jan. 6 amounts to "persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."
Republicans don’t have to agree with everything—or anything—that the House Jan. 6 committee is doing, and we think it was a mistake for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reject the appointees offered by GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy. But Republicans should not get within 10 miles of defending the Capitol riot. What is to be gained by the RNC’s indulgence of President Trump’s vendettas?
Mr. Kinzinger is bowing out of Congress by not seeking reelection. Republicans can think that Ms. Cheney is over the top in her focus on Jan. 6. But she also has a conservative record in Congress, and anyway her political fate will be decided by the people of Wyoming within months. She’s either on her way out the door, or she’ll win Wyoming’s backing.
Not all Republicans agree with Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger, but some do. By the same token, not all Democrats agree with Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, but some do. When political parties try to purge non-crazy dissenters, the result is that they get smaller. A GOP that really wants to take Congress in November would have better things to do.
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