“As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. And because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.” So said Liz Cheney during a Wednesday event at Duke University.
There is nothing Cheney’s recent endorsement can do for Harris. It will not help her presidential bid. And frankly, it won’t hurt her too much either. That’s because Cheney is irrelevant.
It is, of course, always amusing to revisit Cheney’s prior statements. As a Republican congresswoman in 2020, she posted on what was then Twitter: “Kamala Harris is a radical liberal who would raise taxes, take away guns & health insurance, and explode the size and power of the federal gov’t. She wants to recreate America in the image of what’s happening on the streets of Portland & Seattle. We won’t give her the chance.” She also described Harris as a “radical liberal” on Fox News at the time, claiming the Democrat’s voting record was “to the Left of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren” in the Senate.
This does not necessarily render Cheney’s sentiment insincere. She’s merely a member of the anti-Trump “Flight 93” movement, a group of people who see the threat of Trumpism as so great that it requires voting for his opponent, even if that person poses great threats as well. Boiled all the way down, this is just an age-old argument for the lesser of two evils.
There are people who share Cheney’s position, but they’re not undecided at this point and they’re hardly legion. As the proud daughter of a deeply unpopular former vice president, one associated with America’s deeply unpopular political establishment, it’s tempting to wonder whether an endorsement from Cheney could hurt Harris.
In reality, though, nobody is paying attention to Cheney outside the Beltway. She may have credibility with some MSNBC viewers and the #Resistance movement on X. But they’re already voting for Harris.
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