Last week, former congresswoman Liz Cheney endorsed Kamala Harris. It was not a surprise to me – while Liz Cheney has been a registered Republican all of her life, the Trump administration and the events of January 6th changed her. She was also part of the House’s Jan. 6th committee, and after all of that, she openly despised Donald Trump and his MAGA cult. On Friday, she spoke to the Texas Tribune about her endorsement of VP Harris, and she recommended that Texas voters vote straight Democratic, that they shouldn’t split their tickets. She also announced that her father, Dick Cheney, “will be voting for Kamala Harris…If you think about the moment we’re in, and you think about how serious this moment is, my dad believes — and he said publicly — there has never been an individual in our country who is as grave a threat to our democracy as Donald Trump is.” Soon afterwards, Dick Cheney released a statement endorsing Kamala Harris:
Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Friday that he will vote for Democrat Kamala Harris over fellow Republican Donald Trump in the November election, warning that the former president “can never be trusted with power again.”
“In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” Cheney said in a statement. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again.”
“As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” he concluded.
Harris, according to a statement from campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, was proud to receive Cheney’s support and “deeply respects his courage to put country over party.”
In her remarks Friday, Liz Cheney unleashed a torrent of criticism against the Republican presidential ticket, calling Trump “a depraved human being” and labeling him and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, “misogynistic pigs.”
“Every Republican, anybody who’s contemplating casting a vote for that ticket, you know, really needs to think about what they are enabling, what they’re embracing and the danger of electing people who will only honor election results if they agree with the outcome, and who are willing to set aside the Constitution,” she said in Austin. “And you know in the case of Donald Trump, promote, provoke, exploit violence in order to seize power.”
Trump, in turn, wrote on his Trump Social platform that “Dick Cheney is an irrelevant RINO, along with his daughter,” referring to the Cheneys as “Republican in name only.”
LMAO at “irrelevant RINO.” We’re talking about Dick Cheney here, the man who voted against MLK Day as a national holiday. Darth Cheney, the man who funneled billions in Defense contracts to his Halliburton buddies. Dick Cheney, who shot a man in the face and the man who got shot in the face apologized to Cheney. Dick Cheney who, for better or for worse, refused to be taken out of the White House on 9/11 and instead led the command in the Situation Room. Dick Cheney has been a Republican decades longer than Trump. And it does speak volumes that the Cheneys are being so vocal right now. It makes me wonder if the Bush family is soul-searching. Dubya is reportedly no fan of Trump, but Dubya stopped short of endorsing Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in 2016 and 2020. I wonder if he’ll say anything now.
.@Liz_Cheney on Donald Trump and JD Vance: "This is my diplomatic way of saying it; they're misogynistic pigs." #TribFest24 pic.twitter.com/tsRFvH18x9
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 6, 2024
New: @Liz_Cheney has endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred for Senate. #TribFest24 pic.twitter.com/ZE1zJFIZCx
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 6, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
-
- Vice President Dick Cheney made his last addressed to the CPAC as Vice President CPAC Conservative Political Action Conference Omni Shoreham Hotel Washington,Image: 310867562, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Carrie Devorah / Wenn / Avalon
-
- Vice President Dick Cheney made his last addressed to the CPAC as Vice President CPAC Conservative Political Action Conference Omni Shoreham Hotel Washington,Image: 349258737, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Carrie Devorah / Wenn / Avalon
-
- Former United States Vice President Dick Cheney, right, and his daughter, US Representative Liz Cheney (Republican of Wyoming), left, applaud as they listen to the speeches on the floor of the US House of Representatives on the first day of the 115th Congress in the US Capitol in Washington, DC on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. Ms. Cheney was elected in November 2016 to the seat formerly held by her Dad.,Image: 508541746, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Ron Sachs / Avalon
-
- Former Vice President Al Gore, left, speaks with former Vice President Joe Biden, second from left, and his wife Jill Biden, center, as former Vice President Dick Cheney, bottom center, speaks with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, right, before a State Funeral for former President George H.W. Bush at the National Cathedral, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington. Credit: Andrew Harnik / Pool via CNP | usage worldwide,Image: 534811272, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Andrew Harnik / Avalon
lol to calling Dick Cheney a RINO. Just more proof, as if any were needed, that reality will never get in the way of Trump saying what he wants. I’m not surprised that Liz Cheney endorsed Harris, but advocating for straight democratic ticket is next level recognition of what the Republican Party is right now.
Yeah, lol to Dick Cheney as a RINO. I agree with the Teitter post I read that something like, if Cheney is a RINO, the word Republican has lost all meaning, and RINO is just a non-Democrat who disagrees with Trump. It’s proof the Republican party has become a cult of Trump.
MAGAs may not understand the significance of Darth Vader voting for Luke Skywalker, but plenty of old school Republicans will, including Thomas and Alito.
LOL
If you care about the USA. One can only vote for Harris!!!!!
Let’s hope George W Bush remains quiet. Having Dick Cheney chime in is bad enough.
Yup. This is NOT the flex Democrats think it is. Cheney was one of the main advocates, mastermind, architect of the U.S. war against Iraq. Bush is just as complicit. If you believe what is happening in West Gaza is atrocious, imagine the destruction that was dealt to the Iraqi people. And all those American neocons who started that war got off easily. So nope, f*ck the Cheneys. I don’t care who disagrees with me.
I haven’t really seen anyone treating it as a flex, though. The general vibe is more “look, even THIS unimaginable asshole knows that Trump will destroy everything”. No one is groveling. Yes, it’d be amazing to hear the campaign throw Cheney’s famous “go f–k yourself” back in his face, but the election is (bafflingly, depressingly) way too close to risk alienating a single voter. Cheney is the Stalin to Trump’s Hitler now (and there is absolutely zero hyperbole in that statement).
It makes me feel icky too but we need every vote we can get. And I do think this was hard for them (or any lifelong Republican) to do. You don’t have to approve of them. Just take the win and move on. Politics is about addition, not subtraction. For me, the big picture is ridding us of Trump. And it helps that Liz also endorsed Allred and said very complimentary things about Kamala.
Didn’t see anyone saying it’s a flex.
More like “even they don’t like Trump!”
People like Cheney are what it is going to take to get Republicans who are uncomfortable with Trump to cross the aisle. If an evil mother f@+’er like Cheney can do the right thing, so can they.
Agreed, Megan.
People like the Cheneys are our only hope (sorry, you can’t dangle Star Wars references at me without activating that part of my brain for the rest of the day) for flipping the people who feel total discomfort with voting for Trump/Vance, but they still care too much about what their fellow “Republicans” would think if they voted for VP Harris. They are the only ones who can give a sort of permission to vote against your party, no amount of optimism and truth matters to these people. They need someone who they respect to give them permission.
Honestly, the state of the world right now is really fucking terrifying,
I honestly don’t see why it should be such a problem for Republicans who want to vote for Harris and yet are reluctant to cross party lines to do so. You don’t need to tell anyone who you’re voting for, simple as that. Because when you get down to it, it’s just you in that voting booth and you’re not obligated to tell anyone anything. I am a conservative old school Republican and I didn’t need to see all these top name Republicans endorsing Harris at the DNC to give me permission that it’s fine to vote Democrat. I had already made up my mind when I saw that the horror of Trump coming into office again was a real possibility. But then again, I’m old enough not to be bothered by other people’s opinions in doing what I feel is right. And I feel no disloyalty to a particular political party in doing so. I wish people would understand that you’re not voting for your party, you’re voting for what the state of America will be like for our future if the right person doesn’t get in to protect our freedom and democracy.
And to further add, I voted for Biden in 2020 because Trump was so bad back then and I wanted him out with every fiber of my being.
Yes, but they all have an inner voice, telling them that they are traitors to everything they stand for if they don’t vote R for President. Dick Cheney will absolutely give the people, fighting their own inner voice, permission to vote Democrat.
If DC et al can turn the tide of this election by basically saying that if they’re comfortable endorsing KH as Republicans and getting undecideds to do so, I’m all for it. I suppose I’m not one who thinks I’m a traitor to my party if my inner voice is telling me to do the right thing. But I realize that everyone has to deal with their own conscience in their personal way.
Why?
What @Mirelle said.
George W announced that he won’t be giving an endorsement. Not surprising since he and his dad appointed scotus justices who are tearing up the immunity rule books in favor to Trump.
Dubya has officially come out and said he won’t be publicly endorsing anyone. Coward.
Over at The Never Trump outlet called The Bulwark, they drag cowards like W. and Condeleeza Rice pretty much daily. Even Nicole Wallace at MSNBC has nothing good to say about her former boss W.
Dubya is doing everything he can to fade into the past.
@Megan: Bush’s legacy is already in the crapper. Not publicly stepping up to even condemn Trump will make his historical reputation even worse. Republicans stepping up now to endorse Democrats can improve their legacies. And you would think that George W. would not want Dick Cheney’s legacy to outshine his. But I guess not.
A former president simply not endorsing his party’s candidate is saying something though.
This is so gross. How did we become a country of people waiting for old people to die, so we can get some peace?
Bush announced through his office that he will not endorse anyone.
I’m glad the Cheneys are endorsing Harris but I won’t be welcoming them into the ranks of anyone I would ever consider voting for anytime soon. Liz still supports laws against women’s health and she went after AOC for correctly labeling Trump’s concentration camps what they were – concentration camps.
That said, I would dearly love to see Liz go after those in her party who knifed her in the back: Steve Scalise and his two handmaids, because he couldn’t be seen going after a woman, Elise Stefanik and Virginia Foxx.
@Lightpurple: Liz gets extra style points from me for truthfully calling Trump and Vance “misogynistic pigs”. Republicans never talk like that and rarely admit that misogyny exists.
To everyone saying that we need to court every voter we can get: there are plenty of voters not being courted by the Harris-Walz campaign. They are people who think that enabling the genocide of Palestinians, as the Biden administration has been doing, is a deal-breaker. Harris is, obviously, not in a position to break with Biden on such an important foreign-policy issue. She has made appropriate noises about wanting a ceasefire, so that people like me can feel better about voting for her, but, that’s about it. While actual Republicans were given a platform at the DNC convention, actual Democrats who wanted to raise the Palestinian issue were not.
Honestly, did anyone ever see that coming a month ago? I cannot stand Dick Cheney and he seemed pretty happy with people like Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich back in the day—a couple of Republicans whose loud, conservative views have directly led to Trump becoming president. This guy is absolutely not a RINO. If this helps convince anyone on the fence about keeping TFG out of office, then it’s a good thing he’s supporting Kamala Harris in this election. I still dislike him.
This. I can hate the man, and still recognize he’s being heroic, this one time.
Shout out to Liz Cheney. She did something none of the rest of us who have lost family members because of politics have done. She is a Goddess.
What I really appreciate about the Republican endorsements coming in for Harris/Walz is that none of them have been the result of lowering our standards and actively courting conservatives. Like the endorsements we saw from some Republicans during the convention, these appear to be unsolicited. We’re hearing from lifelong Republicans, with immaculate conservative credentials, who have recognized that Trump poses a serious existential threat to our country. Multiple speakers at the convention made comments along the lines of “you’re not voting for a Democrat; you’re voting for democracy”, which is a brilliant way of putting it (and would really be a great slogan for an ad campaign targeting red states).
I agree. I don’t think the Cheneys agree with any of Kamala Harris’s platform, but they understand that if Trump wins we will lose our democracy. They also speak to a segment of Republicans who can’t stand Trump and need a conservative voice to tell them them they need to vote blue up and down the ticket to save the country.
There’s a whole group online called Republican Voters Against Trump. They are trying to create “a permission structure” for Republicans to vote for country over party. They make ads featuring ordinary Republican voters who have seen the light.
I agree with this. I think they’re also looking ahead & trying to protect whatever shred of political decency they make possess in order to be on the right side of history when all the trump sh*t hits the proverbial fan. Actually, I think it’s already started–with the convictions in both civil & criminal courts–and the fan will pick up speed.
We didn’t have to “lower” our standards, because our “standards” are already where a lot of these Republicans are comfortable. We live in the neoliberal hellscape they’ve created.
This is painfully true, I really should’ve said “FURTHER lower our standards”.
It’s not comfortable having Voldermort on your side.
This is true, and I’m all out of Patronus charms.
As someone on social media said, ‘If Thanos tells you Kang is dangerous, you pay attention.’
Sorry never heard of this before,so.is being called a RINO a big insult?
@Neeve, yeah being called a RINO (Republican in Name Only) has been an insult that came into the public chatter circa 2012 (it’s been around way before then). It was supposedly strongly attached to Mitt Romney and his health care programme (pre-Obama) at the time.
Here’s a history of the term.
RINO has been in circulation longer than that. I suspect Newt Gingrich and his ilk introduced it, in the 90s.
Moderates who follow the Republican fiscal conservative and heavily pro-military stances but don’t buy into the culture wars on issues like reproductive freedoms, civil rights. The current GOP, lead by the likes of Limbaugh and now Charlie Kirk, Ben Shapiro, and other fascists, has been driving them out of the party for the past 2 decades and on several occasions, it has cost them control of the Senate when they primaried their own. They knocked the very powerful Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania out of the Senate because he dared tell Bush not to appoint Supreme Court justices with the purpose of overturning Roe v Wade and wanted to reverse his earlier stance on the Defense of Marriage Act and did the same to Rhode Island’s Lincoln Chaffee and caused Vermont’s Jim Jeffords to flip the Senate by changing parties during the W’s administration. Former Massachusetts Republican governor Bill Weld, pro-choice and performed one of the first same sex marriages in MA for one of his staff, saw his nomination for ambassador to Great Britain blocked by his own party and he has run for President as a Libertarian.
In the past there were many times I disagreed with Liz Cheney, but in this she has my complete admiration. Once she made the decision to openly oppose Trump, she did so at great personal expense. I hope that Republicans are listening as their own former party leaders warn against the dangers of Trump back in the White House. He has made it clear that if he ever gets back there he doesn’t intend to ever leave.
If it means more people vote for Harris and Walz, fine. But these hateful, warmongering criminals get no applause from me. Cheney and his puppet Bush did just as much damage as Trump. They just wrapped it in a shinier veneer.
@Sid amen. ITA.
DICK CHENEY? I’m on the floor. But anyone with half a brain would have to reject trump no matter how Republican. I was reading about polling in battleground states and it was SO depressing thinking how they can be this close or how some states are so completely red (including my Texas).
I think Texas is purple but voter suppression keeps it red. I’ll take sustained work to make it purple nationally and it starts with local elections like the school board, library board etc..
As a native I agree. Texas is purple lean blue in the cities, red in the counr, but yeah if Texas wasn’t gerrymandered out of all recognition, and if the dnc would actually invest money here Texas is flippable
The cities in Texas vote Blue. Even a couple of the suburban areas outside of Houston and Dallas do now too. But it’s a huge state so the small towns and rural and exurban voters tend to win out. That, and voter suppression (and sometimes apathy) have kept it Red. But the Dems should not sleep on Texas.
These endorsements aren’t a gift democrats, and they’re not for Liz and Dick Cheney to redeem themselves from some of the terrible things they’ve done in the past. (I’m pretty sure they don’t believe they need redemption!)
The endorsements are quite simply the right thing to do. They’re also a door held open for their fellow republicans to put the country first. Given the behavior of so many of their colleagues and party-mates who talk off the record about how much they hate Trump and his policies but march in lockstep with him to save their own skins, it’s admirable that the Cheneys are stepping forward like this. I’m going to give them credit for this (and only this) because it shows a level of integrity I would not have expected based on either of their pasts.
There are lots of republicans — like GWB — who haven’t taken that basic step of putting the future of the country they supposedly love ahead of their own personal interests or ambitions. They should feel deeply ashamed of themselves, but they probably won’t.
These people know no shame. And good point re it’s simply the right thing to do. I’m really wondering why Bushie couldn’t bring himself to do this. His non-endorsement of anyone is cowardly.
+1 to your comments. And GWB is a thoughtless coward with no backbone.
Good for Liz for calling out the cowards in the Republican party. There are so many who hate Trump in secret and hope that he is somehow defeated, but refuse speak up to make that happen, hoping that the work of beating him will magically be done by others.
What I wonder is, how much weight do these endorsements have on other Republicans?
Do these GOP endorsements really help?
I too am baffled by how many people are still planning on voting for him.
Also, regarding Texas, I read something recently…can’t remember where…that they really are purple these days and Dems could see some wins there. Including possibly ousting Ted Cruz. Not sure how true that is but it sounds wonderful!
This endorsement is for the large group of independents and “undecideds” who would have voted for the GOP of W and Cheney in the past and who voted for Romney. This isn’t for people who were voting Democrat anyway or the progressives.
And what they aren’t saying is that any GOP who is openly against Trump has been getting threats by the cult. Adam kinzinger has spoken about it but it’s happening to others especially Liz Cheney. The GOP who speak against Trump are putting their personal safety at risk for doing so.
It pulls in the moderate independents who have been fleeing the Republican party in droves as it has gone hard right on social issues and embraced bigotry.
Being in agreement with Dick Cheney on anything would have me second guessing myself but yeah, let’s keep Trump out of office please!
Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the guy who got the majority of the vote by a 2-1 margin has been prevented from declaring victory and instead has had to flee the country to seek asylum in Spain because the loser refuses to leave office and acknowledge that he lost. What the Cheneys are saying is that if TFG gets back in office there will never be another legitimate election in this country that represents the will of the people.
Perfectly stated. No notes.
I know the acronym TFG is in reference to Trump, but l never understood its meaning. I’m sure it’s absolutely appropriate to this despicable man, but can someone explain it please?
And if a man like Dick Cheney is horrified by the prospect of Trump back in office, I have no qualms about agreeing with someone I totally dislike.
TFG stands for “The Former Guy”.
It means “The Former Guy,” but I can’t help reading it as “That F*cking Guy.”
Thank you, I certainly prefer the latter reference!
Yeah, Venezuela. The country trump & musk will be meeting up in if trump doesn’t win. ‘Cause it’s so safe or something. 🙄
Liz Cheney and Darth cannot stand Trump–he’s bad for business. And yet, I can’t help thinking that she’s positioning herself for a future presidential run. She’s playing a long game here.
🎯
Yep. If you look at their records you know the Cheneys don’t do anything in the service of the country. They work on behalf of their party and their donors. Accept their support but don’t praise them. Dick should be considered a war criminal and Liz publicly opposed gay marriage even though her sister is a married lesbian with kids. Vile.
I’ve never felt this torn about anything in my life. On the one hand . . . . and on the other hand, Donald Trump. The devil and the deep blue sea harkens with this one for me.
Damn, even the devil is like “man that dude is straight up evil! I can’t f**k with him!” That’s mind blowing. We attended a Harris rally – and I saw a lot of Republicans for Harris shirts. It surprised me. I think there’s a growing resentment in the Republican Party that this is now Cult of Trump. If Trump lives and loses this election, you will see this party split by 2028. Trump has to keep running to keep up the grift and claim election interference, so if he lives to run again, that party is done for.
What will happen is Republicans will find their nerve and stand up to him they don’t want a 2 time loser to be their nominee. And he’s too old now, imagine that cognitive decline in 4 years. But he won’t go away. So he will go the way of third party. The Republican Party will never – after tolerating Trump, and the events of January 6th, have my vote, but they will can rebuild from scratch and try with the next generation.
I think Harris will win. I think we’re gonna see a lot less Karen in the voting booth behavior. And I think Republicans coming out saying Trump is a threat to America and democracy is a big part of that. I live in MAGAville NH – the number of Trump signs here have decreased by about 50%. This is shocking to me. I really really want Ted Cruz lose his seat – that slimy POS who left his dog and constituents freezing to death with no power on while he went to Cancun. He is a sack of garbage. I just hope he gets his ass whooped and we never hear from him again until it’s time to round up the traitors. So I love that they are telling people to vote straight Democrat!
I am getting ahead of myself – but the big battle will be January 6th. I think the reason Trump is freaking out about VP Harris’ crowd sizes is because it’s just more difficult to convince people he really won when the momentum is clearly with her. So he has to convince his people the crowds are fake, they’re AI etc. Otherwise it’s harder to tell another big lie. This time Democrats are ready. The Capitol will be ready. I really hope if Trump tries something we see Dark Brandon rising for real.
I really hope Trump is eventually convicted of treason, because it truly bothers me that when he dies this treasonous nazi will be treated like any other president who has passed. He doesn’t deserve this after having attacked this country.
From your mouth to God’s ear in everything you stated.
It is the Cult of that jacka–. Honestly, every Republican Representative and Senator could have joined forces after Jan 6 and turned against him. I don’t get it–did DT blackmail them and threaten to expose their secrets? Tell them Putin would “get” them? I guess it’s more likely he promised them power and money. They’re all disgusting.
You are so right Ocean Girl! They are disgusting. Remember Lindsay Graham put his foot down then got swarmed by a mob of rabid supporters threatening him at the airport – after that everyone fell in line. After those supporters came with gallows and showed the depths they are willing to sink for their orange god, everyone was terrified of Trumpsters. Not anymore. To think it all started with Walz calling them weird. It’s hilarious to see the whole f**k your feelings crowd cry salty tears about being called weird.
I heard Mitt Romney isn’t endorsing Trump (not surprising).
Dick Cheney is literally an evil man. Cannot believe he is still around in the universe, but when this kind of evil cannot get behind another kind of evil, everyone needs to listen.
This all boils down IMO to one’s character. I guess I have to admit that the Cheney’s have somewhat of a moral character. I never was horribly against Liz and liked how she stood up against Maga, but her dad is something else entirely—he literally shot his own friend “accidentally” whilst hunting! As someone who has known hunters, I am still baffled by that to this day.
I don’t believe the Cheneys have a moral compass. They would not do this if it didn’t benefit them in some way. Everything they do is inherently selfish. That being said, supporting TFG is most certainly a character flaw at this point. There is zero reason to support him.
You don’t need to ascribe his revulsion of Trump and endorsement of Harris to “moral character”. Cheney is serving his perceived best interests, as always.
Now if only Dick Cheney would invite Trump to go quail hunting with him…..
On a more superficial note, Dick Cheney was old when GWB was president. How does he still look so young and healthy? Has he had excellent work done? Or is it part of his deal with the Devil?
Maybe that heart transplant he got in 2012
“…[W]hile Liz Cheney has been a registered Republican all of her life, the Trump administration and the events of January 6th changed her.”
— They did no such thing. Liz’s heart has always belonged to Daddy Cheney, who is not above stealing an election, himself (remember the Brooks Brothers riots?), but, who, for whatever reason, doesn’t like Trump—possibly, because he sees Trump as a parvenu, who is about to upset the fascist-lite applecart Cheney worked decades to help construct.
I’m disappointed in Kamala Harris for being so grateful for their endorsement.
Sorry but I keep forgetting that Dick Cheney is still alive. It’s definitely because of the movie they made about him as if he were already dead.