This is intriguing on a multitude of levels. The story starts out with the RNC meeting in Salt Lake this week. Originally, they were supposed to vote on whether to expel Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their participation on the January 6 Committee, pursuant to a resolution to do so by David Bossie. Ronna McDaniel was conspicuously silent on the resolution.
But that’s over now. The resolution to expel has been modified to censure, but even that is curious because of the way the censure rationale is phrased. How did Cheney and Kinzinger “defy party leadership?” Politico:
“This is not about them being anti-Trump,” Dhillon said. “There are plenty of other people in the party who are anti-Trump whose names don’t appear in the resolution. These two took specific action to defy party leadership.”
The resolution would amount to a weaker admonishment of Cheney and Kinzinger than initially proposed. Led by David Bossie, a longtime Trump ally and RNC member from Maryland, ardent Cheney and Kinzinger critics had lobbied for a resolution calling for their ouster from the House conference. That proposal had drawn resistance from some RNC members, who said they feared the language was unnecessarily inflammatory.
Still, for the Republican National Committee to censure two of its own members is significant — a pointed escalation in the GOP’s bid to purge itself of Republicans perceived as disloyal to Trump. Republicans meeting here fumed over Cheney and Kinzinger’s participation on the Jan. 6 committee, which Trump earlier Thursday called a “corrupt Unselect Committee of political hacks and highly partisan sleazebags.” And even among RNC members who were hesitant to engage in intraparty warring, several said they would likely support the censure resolution on Friday. […]
For the national party, however, calling for the lawmakers’ ouster entirely from the House conference would have been more complicated. Several RNC members said they feared it would create a political headache for both the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, and the RNC chair, Ronna McDaniel. McDaniel said in November that Cheney “obviously” is “still a Republican.”
McDaniel spoke in favor of the resolution as passed, Dhillon said.
In plain language, if it defies party leadership to investigate the Capitol riot, then does that mean that party leadership endorses the Capitol riot? Because what is the harm of investigating it? What is the harm of investigating anything, for that matter? Is the GOP advocating stonewalls and silence in moments of controversy?
And look at the larger statement here: the two Republicans who had the guts to do the right thing and investigate the riot are being censured for doing so, which certainly makes a chilling statement to any future Republicans who might wish to step forward in controversial circumstances and do what their conscience says is right.
Or is the message this: the GOP is emphatically the party of Trump?
Or, is the message that it doesn’t matter what a president with an R behind his or her name does, the party ratifies it, right or wrong? Richard Nixon was born too soon. He would have loved this.
The optics here are not good. I can’t wait to hear different commentators jump in on this one. I think the GOP is shooting itself in the foot with this.
Ronna Romney McDaniel is as stupid as Qevin McCarthy. Liz Cheney will wear this as a badge of honor. How do you defy party leadership? Having some ideas of your own? Every time I read one of these rethugs killing their own stories, I’m reminded of the words of Barack Obama when he realized Mittens was digging his own grave, “Please, proceed”.
You mention Ronna ROMNEY McDaniel. Funny that old Mitt didn’t bother to mention that familial connection when he made his mild statement about the error of the resolution. He is hedging his bets for his next aspirations and trying to insulate himself to continue obstruction, but the old way.
Those chickenshits…still trying to thread the needle with a railroad tie. The only thing this braindead stunt has accomplished is elevating Cheney and Kinzinger’s rep when the ongoing pump-and-dump of the RNC has concluded.
Barring the obvious loonies (Boebert, Green, Hawthorn, et al), I believe the rest of the GQP are scared shitless of not only Trump and what he’d do to their careers, but of his rabid followers. They’re afraid they’ll be treated to the same threats and harassment, possible physical harm to them and their families that people like Dr. Fauci are living with. These legislators call themselves patriots but a real patriot stands up for the Constitution and the rule of law, will sacrifice themselves to save the nation. Not the GQP. They cower, grovel and capitulate to save themselves. They have no ethics, no morals, no conscience, no heroism. Only Cheney and Kinsinger are showing any spine but even they continue to vote the party line. Losers, all of them.
They better realize the majority of us are not going to lay down for a fascist takeover. Be very goddamn afraid assholes.