In politics, you’re either on-message or you’re losing. Let’s get to it.
Welcome to On Message, a weekly look at where the battle lines are drawn and who is winning the war of words.
This week… For the Record.
For the past several days, House Republicans in Washington were slow marching Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney to a vote that would remove her from her leadership position as conference chair.
Congresswoman Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has been an outspoken opponent of former President Donald Trump, deriding his baseless accusations of a stolen election and his role in whipping up his followers to such a frenzy that they attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.
Clearly, this is the age of cancel culture regardless of which side of the aisle you are on.
Before the vote, Cheney delivered a six-minute speech in the well of the House of Representatives where she said this:
Congresswoman Cheney: “Those who refuse to accept the rulings of our courts are at war with the Constitution. Our duty is clear. Every one of us who has sworn the oath must act to prevent the unraveling of our democracy. This is not about policy. This is not about partisanship. This is about our duty as Americans. Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar.”
As she delivered those words, Congresswoman Cheney knew how the vote would go. Politicians are good at counting votes.
She could have tried to mollify her position or try to bargain to save her position of power.
Instead, she stood and delivered a clear declaration of her position and her principles.
I, for one, hope things like that are still admired.
So, what’s the lesson?
When faced with a negative outcome… when things just aren’t going to go your way, take it as an opportunity to set the record straight. Play the long game and trust that, eventually, people will either see that you were right or they will, at the very least, respect you for standing up for what you believe in.
Holding her ground cost Congresswoman Cheney her official standing within the party, but in the process, she showed without a doubt she’s a woman of principle.
That’s it for this week.
More On Message in the next issue of the Utah Political Underground.
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