I’m with her.

SOTD: Come Together 

There’s no easy way to say this, but I’m with Liz Cheney. 

Let me explain. 

The Trump as President thing was a complete and total nightmare. And even as we saw the results of the election, where he legitimately lost, people like me experienced anxiety over his refusal to accept that loss FOR MONTHS. It wasn’t until January 20th that people like me breathed as sigh of relief. But before that, we had to live through 1/6/21 — the day that Trump orchestrated starting back in December. 

I’ve had to bite my tongue so many times with blissfully ignorant family members who believe the big lie. Not only that, but these people are still convinced that it wasn’t their own ilk that participated in the insurrection. (And surprise —they think Covid is overblown and the vaccine is dangerous 🤦🏻‍♀️) 

There was a time when I (a staunch democrat) could intern for a Republican. That time was 2002, and I know this because I did. There was a time when people on opposite sides didn’t hate each other. It was prior to Obama’s election. That race, particularly, the rhetoric of Sarah Palin, was a turning point in political discourse. But even as she promoted the lie that Obama was a Muslim (as if it were a bad thing), John McCain put country over party and spoke the truth when faced with a different big lie. Years later, just before his death, John McCain would address his colleagues on the Senate floor, in the most passionate plea for bipartisanship. And then there’s George W. Bush; a warmer, gentler, almost charismatic former President wormed his way into my heart with his friendship with Michelle Obama and his folksy paintings and his truthful disbelief of the dystopian nightmare that was the Trump era. 

And now Liz Cheney. Daughter of one of the most polarizing men in politics, she knows the stakes of her vote later today. The effort to remove her from GOP leadership, because she won’t tell the big lie, is problematic for many reasons, but the worst, by far, is that she is one of the few Republicans who are still rational and purposed. Don’t get me wrong, our politics will NEVER align, but my respect and admiration for the speech she delivered, a few hours ago, is endless. 

I’m optimistic (at least I’m trying to be) about the vote. It is a secret ballot. I’m hopeful that more members of the GOP will find a backbone during that secret vote. I’m hopeful that in secret, more members will remember their oath to put country over party. I’m hopeful that not all those representing the right have drank the kool-aid. Because we need a healthy two party system. But if I’m wrong, if she is ousted, the damage to the GOP will be irreversible. The party will be split and the next 2-4 years could be uglier than the last decade just with Republican infighting. 

I’ll never vote for a Liz Cheney, but I respect the hell out of her for standing strong in the truth. So much, that I’m going to say something I never dreamed I’d say: I’m completely with her — Liz Cheney.