Staff Reports
Former White House Press Secretary and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders made waves by declaring Liz Cheney a party of one when it comes to opposing former President Donald Trump. In a recent appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Sanders pointed out that Cheney is floundering in a sea of Republican support for Trump, essentially suggesting that she’s swimming alone in a small, conservative pool while the rest of the party enjoys a much larger, Trump-filled ocean.
Sanders didn’t mince words when explaining that Cheney’s attempts to claim the conservative mantle are laughable given her support for Democratic candidates. According to Sanders, backing the likes of Kamala Harris, who embodies everything conservatives stand against, excludes Cheney from calling herself a true Republican. It’s almost as if Cheney mixed up her party ID card with a membership in the “Establishment Defense League,” a group that’s more interested in keeping the status quo than supporting real conservative values.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Liz Cheney is ‘in the minority’ on being against Trumphttps://t.co/rsE2bes4y9 pic.twitter.com/OVF0hELMm1
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) September 9, 2024
The Arkansas governor made it clear that Cheney’s stance wasn’t particularly shocking, stating that anyone following the party’s pulse could see she was miles away from the actual Republican platform. Since she began denouncing Trump after the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, Cheney has tried to position herself as a true conservative. However, her endorsement of Harris has not just puzzled conservatives but has also exposed her as a political pariah within a party that Trump has energized like no one before.
Supporting Democratic candidates while declaring oneself a conservative is like saying one is a vegan while munching on a steak dinner—irresistibly contradictory. Sanders emphasized that claiming to uphold conservative principles while aligning with someone as radically left as Harris simply doesn’t compute. Cheney’s insistence that she’s still a dedicated Republican has turned into a comical attempt at political survival, akin to trying to play dodgeball with no one throwing balls at you; it’s just sad.
Cheney isn’t navigating these ideological waters alone, though. Other Republicans like former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan have joined her in crawling away from Trump, as they express their fondness for the anti-Trump club. The self-proclaimed estuary of middle-ground Republicanism seems to be catching a wave, albeit a rather lonely and shrinking one. In the grand scheme, Sanders’ remarks might serve to solidify Trump’s influence within the Republican Party, leaving critics like Cheney and her ilk standing on the sidelines of a conservative rally while the main event unfolds.
