POLITICS

No Good Deed

She spoke. We heard. They canceled.

The radicalization of the GOP continues as House Republicans voted to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her post this week.

Cheney’s ouster comes in the wake of her criticism of former president Donald Trump over his continued attempts to undermine the election results. Since his defeat by Joe Biden, Trump and his allies have spread unfounded accusations of election tampering in several key states.

Cheney emerged as the most outspoken voice against Trump’s lies, branding him as an existential threat to American democracy.

“Today we face a threat America has never seen before. A former president, who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol in an effort to steal the election, has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election was stolen from him. He risks inciting further violence,” said Cheney during a speech on the House floor.

Cheney becomes the latest casualty in an ongoing battle against radical Trumpist elements within the GOP, bent on seizing power from mainstream Republican leadership.

Gone but not forgotten

Trump’s departure from the White House has done little to quell the fear he struck in the hearts of the current GOP leadership. His takeover of the party was swift and complete, leaving no doubt as to who is still calling the shots. Trump’s strongman tactics along with his vast support from the far-right have rendered mainstream Republican leaders all but useless as the radicals continue to make inroads.

Cheney’s removal as the 3rd most powerful GOP House leader is a not-so-subtle reminder to others that no dissent is allowed when it comes to their de facto leader and no one is safe from Trump’s wrath.

With Cheney now out of the mix, the GOP moves another step closer to implosion, paving the way for Trumpists to seize full control of the party.

The cardinal sin

In 1966, during his bid for the California governorship, Ronald Reagan invoked the so-called “11th Commandment” which states, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” Reagan’s decree was ostensibly calling for unity within the party. Today, that phrase should read “Thou shalt not speak ill of Donald Trump.”

Despite the fact that Cheney consistently demonstrated support for most of Trump’s agenda, her refusal to swear absolute loyalty to him was her first mistake. Her second mistake was daring to speak the truth about Trump’s brazen attempts to retake power. Her third mistake, sadly, is simply being a woman in the male-dominated matrix of the GOP.

Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil

In spite of Cheney’s former lofty position inside the GOP power structure, it is apparent that it was purely for the show because the moment she broke with the status quo, she was instantly ostracized. One might argue that this does not mean her gender played a part in the decision to remove her but a closer examination proves otherwise.

Let us take a look at a similar situation that had a drastically different outcome than Cheney’s. During Trump’s impeachment trials, Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote against Trump. Outrage at Romney ensued and there were calls for his removal yet nothing happened. In fact, even an attempt to censure Romney by the Utah state GOP failed. As far as his Republican brethren in Congress, other than the usual criticism and some dirty looks, no moves were made against Romney — despite voting to convict Trump twice!

So we see that Romney emerged relatively unscathed in spite of his vocal criticism of Trump and his twin votes to convict him. So why go after Liz Cheney? The answer is simple. It is not the goal of the male-centric Republican party to empower women by allowing them to express their own opinions more than it is for them to be able to give women their opinions.

Cheney broke that unspoken rule by speaking out against Trump — not just in the capacity of a fellow Republican, but also in the capacity of a woman who “overstepped” her boundaries. Allowing Cheney to continue doing so and remain at her post would not only upset Trump’s paper-thin sensibilities but also possibly disrupt their patriarchy.

Now that the radical right is taking hold of the reigns of power within the GOP, we can expect to see more and more moves toward the inception of a political caste system where men hold absolute power and women and minorities will become more marginalized — except in cases where they need to trot them out to show how “enlightened” they are.

The beginning of the end

From the moment Cheney uttered the first words of criticism toward Trump, her days were numbered. It was only a matter of time before Trump’s influence overcame the good sense of GOP leaders. Now that the deed is done the time is coming for the consequences.

By ousting Cheney, the GOP may have also torpedoed their chances of regaining power in the upcoming elections.

“Expelling Liz Cheney from leadership won’t gain the GOP one additional voter, but it will cost us quite a few,” said Sen. Mitt Romney in tweet.

Romney’s comment speaks volumes when it comes to the tenuous position the GOP is now in. Although the rise of Trump attracted many on the far and extreme right-wing, it also disillusioned many mainstream and moderate Republicans. During the time the GOP controlled all three branches of government, it spent more time addressing Trump’s pet projects, trying to avoid angering his base and massaging his overinflated ego, instead of shoring up the foundations with its traditional base.

In fact, if it were not for the existence of the Electoral College the GOP would have likely already gone extinct. The Republican Party has lost the popular vote in all but one of the last eight consecutive elections. This means that the majority of Americans are dissatisfied with Republican leadership. The GOP’s attitude towards minorities and women does not help matters either.

The Republican expulsion of the top woman in their party from her leadership role does not bode well for the future of the GOP. In fact, it will likely stunt its growth.

In a world that is constantly changing and moving forward, the GOP has effectively stopped the clock’s movement toward progress, and in many ways, it is turning back the hands of time, to an era where no one wants to be, except for a bunch of stuffy old men, desperate to maintain their power and control.

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