Congresswomen Liz Cheney and Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke out regarding Trump’s impeachment, leaving Republicans to decide who they stand with
Picking up the pieces of debris from Trump’s presidency, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have set in place their new administration, aiming to restore calm and bring about equality. Biden’s administration has been a radical change from the past four years of the Trump administration’s racist policies and beliefs. Trump’s leave from office and the Capitol insurrection has left the Republican Party in disarray as most Republicans find themselves having to reassess and consider what end of the political spectrum they truly align themselves with.
These past few weeks, two prominent women in politics have made headlines with their opposing views. One goes against her party and supports Trump’s impeachment. The other promotes outlandish and aggressive conspiracy theories. Both were attempted to be ousted by their own party. First, we have Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and a devout Republican, she adheres to the belief in minimal federal government power and civil liberties. However, she was quick to speak out against the riots in support of President Trump that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6. She claimed that Republicans had been “lied to’’ by Trump and said that Trump would no longer be a figure of influence for the Republican Party. But, he still is. Here is why: a majority of Republicans in the House and the Senate continue to push the idea that there was election fraud and have refused to impeach the former president. Republicans are so quick to protect Trump when he has abandoned them and left behind a mess for them and the Biden administration to deal with. Cheney is one of the few Republicans to realize this and recognize what a dramatic effect Trump has had on the party, its beliefs and its supporters.
Cheney’s local Wyoming supporters are condemning her for speaking out against Trump and his actions as well as supporting his impeachment, which may jeopardize her campaign for reelection in 2022. She spoke out during a Fox News interview on Feb. 7 and urged her fellow Republicans to inform themselves and to stop believing the stream of lies that Trump has poured out. She stressed for the party to return to their original beliefs saying, “We are the party of Lincoln. We are not the party of QAnon or Antisemitism or Holocaust deniers, or white supremacy or conspiracy theories.” Because of her speaking out, her own party attempted to oust her from her position in office. Now, she has been asked to resign by her own state, but she has refused. Cheney is one the few people remaining in the Republican party that understands and believes in Republican values. She is advocating for change and the dissociation of the Republican party from Trump’s racist beliefs, words and actions.
Criticized by Cheney for her absurd conspiracy theories, Marjorie Taylor Greene was the second woman that was recently officially ousted from her position on various congressional committees that she was a part of. Her unconditional devotion to Trump remains a steadfast part of her beliefs saying that “The party is his. It doesn’t belong to anybody else.” Her belief in Trump as some sort of almighty party leader gives the allusion to an undemocratic government. Her idolization of Trump is common amongst other Trump supporters, and Greene’s recent appalling theories have also become a staple in radical conservative beliefs. Her past association with the conspiracy theory group QAnon has prompted many of her racist, anti-semitic and anti-Islamic theories. Some of these extreme theories include: the Jan. 6 insurrection was caused by Antifa, promotion of the assassination of Democrat leaders like Nancy Pelosi and that California forest fires were caused by Jewish space lasers. All of these beliefs were brought about with no real evidence and were thus confirmed to be utterly false. Greene went too far, and the consequences of her removal from committees is fair and just. Republicans and we as a nation cannot let citizens, just because they are government leaders, spew lies that go against American values and promote domestic terrorism, violence and racism.
Republicans are being pulled in every direction and it comes down to whether or not they are ready to move past the Trump era and enter into this era of “Reconstruction.” There is such a drastic spectrum of beliefs within the party, ranging from moderates like Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney, to conservatives like Kevin McCarthy all the way to radical Trump fanatics like Marjorie Taylor Greene. The party cannot be pulled every which way to the point where they have opposing beliefs. Either Republicans have to attempt to remove the stain that Trump has inflicted upon them. Or, conservatives that are still holding onto Trump need to move on and assess whether their beliefs really align with those of the Republican Party.