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Liz Cheney’s endorsement won’t help Kamala Harris

Zero followers. Credit: Getty

September 6, 2024 - 10:00am

“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.

Vox recently asked David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report to explain what we know about undecided voters in swing states. This fractional but significant group, according to Wasserman, consists of people who “are more distrustful of institutions and government, tend to work blue-collar jobs, have less than a four-year college degree, have broad dissatisfaction with the two-party system, and believe that the Biden administration has mishandled the economy”.

In other words, this isn’t the key demographic for neoconservative nepo-babies whose primary political motivator appears to be the tragedy of 6 January. They’re people with bills to pay.

The flip side of this coin is that nobody who has yet to make up their mind cares enough about Cheney’s argument to vote against Harris because of it either. Like many politicians who flipped on Trump at one point or another, Cheney’s full 180 defies belief, which makes her sanctimoniousness all the more egregious to those of us who’ve had the misfortune of following her career. Fortunately for Harris, though, there aren’t many of us.


Emily Jashinsky is UnHerd‘s Washington D.C. Correspondent.

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Johann Strauss
Johann Strauss
2 months ago

This clearly shows that Liz Cheney is simply out of her mind, and incapable of thinking straight when it comes to Trump. Fortunately the good people of Wyoming saw straight through her and sent her packing.

Graham Stull
Graham Stull
2 months ago
Reply to  Johann Strauss

I would say it shows Cheney is in bed with so many dirty deep state interests, that she sees Trump as a legitimate threat to her personal fortunes and future well being.
And that could be the only thing she really cares about.

Andrew Dalton
Andrew Dalton
2 months ago
Reply to  Graham Stull

Apples and trees

Y Way
Y Way
2 months ago
Reply to  Graham Stull

Bingo

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
2 months ago

Liz Cheney comes across as an irritable and very unhappy and even unpleasant person. It’s hard to imagine that she’d have any traction on any issue if she ever did. A poster child for ‘Karen’ hood.

John Kanefsky
John Kanefsky
2 months ago
Reply to  Cathy Carron

I have no skin in this particular game, or brief for Ms. Cheney, but it strikes me that the ad-hominem “an irritable and very unhappy and even unpleasant person” could be applied to many politicians.
At least she seems more willing to listen and change her mind than most, and IMO rigid partisan politics (my side right, your side evil) is a big part of the current malaise both sides of the pond.

UnHerd Reader
UnHerd Reader
2 months ago
Reply to  John Kanefsky

“rigid partisan politics (my side right, your side evil) is a big part of the current malaise”

I completely agree. imo, I t’s not the politicians that will destroy our respective societies, but the highly tribal members of our societies.

T Bone
T Bone
2 months ago
Reply to  John Kanefsky

This is an uninformed comment. She is a Neoconservative that believes in global democracy spreading and believes anyone who isn’t on the side of Democracy Building is not to be trusted.

You’re being gaslit with simpleton narratives about “partisan division.” The Constitutional system was designed for partisan division. Its supposed to be hard for the federal government to take action because their role is supposed to be LIMITED.

Alex Lekas
Alex Lekas
2 months ago

This is so comical. The Dems are now home to a name they have spent decades reviling as synonymous with war crimes, graft, greed, and a host of other things. Then again, this is the same party that has engaged in a full-on embrace of the surveillance and police state, especially those three-letter agencies that old-school lefties used to hate. The country has descended into self-parody.

Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
2 months ago
Reply to  Alex Lekas

Don’t forget Bush. He’s a big Dem booster as well.

Kent Ausburn
Kent Ausburn
1 month ago
Reply to  Jim Veenbaas

But his brother Jeb has said he is endorsing Trump. Fodder for interesting discussion at the Bush family Thsnksgiving dinner table.

JR Stoker
JR Stoker
2 months ago

If the GOP wants to survive, if American democracy is not to become dangerously threatened, then Cheney is right; however appalling Harris is, Trump is worse. If you are a thoughtful Republican, just for once, vote Harris.

Graham Stull
Graham Stull
2 months ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

What exactly is so bad about Trump?

Champagne Socialist
Champagne Socialist
2 months ago
Reply to  Graham Stull

This is a joke, right?

Graham Stull
Graham Stull
2 months ago

No Champagne, it’s not.
I want to hear why JR Stoker thinks Trump is such a monster. I want to hear reasoned opinions beyond the talking points of the MSM. What, actually, is so evil?

Champagne Socialist
Champagne Socialist
2 months ago
Reply to  Graham Stull

Trump isn’t a monster – he’s too stupid to be a monster.

Champagne Socialist
Champagne Socialist
2 months ago

Oh yeah, the long record of sexual assault isn’t great either

Graham Stull
Graham Stull
1 month ago

I’ve heard people say that before too. But what I’ve never heard them explain is how someone that stupid can build some of the biggest and most expensive buildings in America.
I mean, what have you built in your life, Champagne? A wood shed? Maybe a tower of blocks when you were a little boy?
I’ve done a couple of small ground-up renovation projects and I can tell you, it’s hard, damn hard, to build anything and get it running, then sell it at a profit.
So Trump might be a lot of things, but ‘stupid’ certainly isn’t one of them.

Robert
Robert
2 months ago
Reply to  Graham Stull

On January 6th, while people were smashing their way into the Capitol building, Trump sat in an anteroom next to the Oval Office and ate cheeseburgers and watched the show on TV for almost three hours. Her swore an oath to uphold and defend the constitution, btw…
All he had to do was tweet a very simple, “Hey! Knock it off!” and he could have ended that cluster. Better yet, he could have gone down there and personally demanded people stop the riot. He did neither.
Monster? Meh. Unfit for office? Hell yeah.

Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
2 months ago
Reply to  Robert

The Dems are much smarter and effective at subverting democracy that’s for sure. They line up 50 former CIA and FBI officials to assure Americans the Hunter Biden laptop is yet another Russian disinformation campaign. And they strong arm big tech to suppress the story. Nothing to see here though. And then they have the gall to donate $10 mill to the most MAGA candidates in the Republican primaries, while telling the rubes that MAGA is such a dire threat to democracy.

Steven Carr
Steven Carr
1 month ago
Reply to  Robert

‘On January 6th, while people were smashing their way into the Capitol building….Trump sat in an anteroom next to the Oval Office’
Actually, the Capitol was breached before Trump had finished speaking in the Ellipse park, about 40 mins walk from the Capitol Hill.

But thanks to the magical properties of TDS, Trump’s speech reached back in time to incite people before it had ended.

‘All he had to do was tweet a very simple, “Hey! Knock it off!” and he could have ended that cluster. ‘
Trump’s tweets were deleted by Twitter.
So many people arrested, and not one phone message, tweet, facebook post or a statement to police or a court by a protestor that Trump had instigated any violent action…..
Not one….

Robert
Robert
1 month ago
Reply to  Steven Carr

Trump’s tweets were deleted by Twitter.
C’mon, Steven. Again, he could have gone down there. He could have called an immediate press conference once barricades started falling. These were his supporters. Even his kids were begging him to speak out. Instead, he did nothing.
He’s profoundly unfit.
Having said that, Harris will be a disaster.

Graham Stull
Graham Stull
1 month ago
Reply to  Robert

Your take, not mine. My take was the election was rigged, and 40% of the country knew it. They got angry seeing their democracy going up in flames. Who can blame them?
As for the cheeseburgers – what do you eat, Robert? Plankton sanctified by Her Universality the Goddess Gaia?

Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
2 months ago
Reply to  Graham Stull

No one is required to like Trump. He opposes open borders and net zero. Good enough for me. Meanwhile, Stellantis is shutting down two factory lines for EVs and possibly laying off 2,000 workers after raking in millions in subsidies. This is why you don’t vote Harris.

Graham Stull
Graham Stull
1 month ago
Reply to  Jim Veenbaas

The fact that he is open mined enough to accept the RFKJr MAHA agenda is enough to win him my vote. I also thought his “Fight, fight” moment was pretty bada$$.

JR Stoker
JR Stoker
2 months ago
Reply to  Graham Stull

I think that he tried to overturn an election result by show of force is sufficient for most people, but I guess you are aware of that and think democracy is only good if you get the result you want?
He is a man with with a complex legal record; enough that no previous contender would have tried to run.
He is blustering, self centred to a remarkable degree, vulgar, does not listen, is not at all intelligent, has no reasoned perspective on world affairs, or indeed domestic.
American presidents have often come from humble backgrounds, perhaps were not well educated, but they informed themselves, surrounded themselves with good people, reflected before they spoke. This man should not be the Republican candidate; he has no feeling for the American people or for the democratic process.

UnHerd Reader
UnHerd Reader
2 months ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

You are in that gray zone where the difference between “delusion” and “lying” is indistinguishable. I only hope you getvto be “tried” under the same faux rules Trump was faced with. The head of the DoJ commu ications just admitted that the lawfare against Trump is a perversion of justice. May you face the same.

JR Stoker
JR Stoker
1 month ago
Reply to  UnHerd Reader

Your courtesy and elegance makes you a shining star amongst self delusionists. Thank you for your self revelations.

Peter B
Peter B
2 months ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

How did he get elected president if “he has no feeling for the American people” ?
Like it or not, a lot of people seem to vote for him and voluntarily turn up in large numbers for his rallies. He’s certainly connecting with some of them.
And if this is what the American people actually prefer, who are we to tell them what they should or shouldn’t have ? Obama tried telling us how to vote in the UK – remember how that turned out.

Carlos Danger
Carlos Danger
1 month ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

I think your judgments about Donald Trump are too facile. Like your comment that he “does not listen”. Where do you get that idea? People who have reported on his management style say that he always asks questions and always listens. We saw that on the campaign trail where he was asking people who he should pick as vice president. He wants to know what people think, and he acts based on what he finds out.

Steven Carr
Steven Carr
2 months ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

Vote Harris?
13 million people voted for Biden to be their candidate this year.
Zero people voted for Harris.
Still, who cares about the voters, when Nancy Pelosi has the casting vote on who will be the candidate?

JR Stoker
JR Stoker
2 months ago
Reply to  Steven Carr

Er….they haven’t had the opportunity to vote for or against her yet. That’s what happens in November

Steven Carr
Steven Carr
1 month ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

‘Er….they haven’t had the opportunity to vote for or against her yet.’
Exactly! The Dems rigged the primaries so Biden would win, even cancelling some of them.

JR Stoker
JR Stoker
2 months ago
Reply to  Steven Carr

Incidentally, everybody who voted Biden as candidate voted voted for Harris as his Veep. So that seems pretty clear

Peter B
Peter B
2 months ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

Garbage. The primaries select only the candidate. Biden could have changed his VP nomination (had he been compos mentis).

JR Stoker
JR Stoker
1 month ago
Reply to  Peter B

But if the primary electors didn’t want Harris they should have not voted for Biden. As indeed some didn’t in the early primaries

Steven Carr
Steven Carr
1 month ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

No, Harris was not on the ticket on the primaries. The primaries do not vote for a Vice President.

UnHerd Reader
UnHerd Reader
2 months ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

JR Stoker,
With all due respect you are a blithering idiot.

JR Stoker
JR Stoker
1 month ago
Reply to  UnHerd Reader

Why say with all due respect when you intend to moronically rude?

Hugh Bryant
Hugh Bryant
1 month ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

The key is in the word ‘due’.

Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
2 months ago
Reply to  JR Stoker

Ugh. Why so?

Umm Spike
Umm Spike
2 months ago

All the “Never Trump” Republicans are irrelevant.

Harris is currently actively thwarting the Constitutional order by refusing to invoke the 25th amendment against Biden, who is clearly non compos mentis, leaving us Yanks with no executive.

Anyone who believes that a riot gone amuck 3 years ago is somehow disqualify but this is not clearly does not have the best interests of Americans at heart.

David Kingsworthy
David Kingsworthy
2 months ago
Reply to  Umm Spike

Actually, in addition to irrelevant, they are no longer Republicans. Jennifer Rubin is a good example of many who wear the skinsuit for the purpose of trashing conservatives. Cheney has joined that group.

Philip Burrell
Philip Burrell
2 months ago

So irrelevant that she deserves a whole piece about her in Unherd. Perhaps incorporating irrelevancy into the Unherd MO is going a bit too far!

Lancashire Lad
Lancashire Lad
2 months ago
Reply to  Philip Burrell

Very apt.

Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
2 months ago
Reply to  Philip Burrell

Good point -although unintentional. Why would Unherd think readers care about Cheney. I skipped the story and went straight to the comments.

Champagne Socialist
Champagne Socialist
2 months ago

RFK (bonkers) endorsing Trump is gamechanger!
Cheney endorsing Harris? Nothing to see here!
You guys are nothing if not predictable!

Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
2 months ago

This is silly of course. RFK is a much bigger fish than Cheney. And I’m not sure RFK moves the needle much either, just a lot more than Cheney.

Darwin Bohn
Darwin Bohn
2 months ago

RFK. Running for US President and has a voting constituency. Cheney a washed up politician with no voting constituency. Not predictable in the least.

Hugh Bryant
Hugh Bryant
1 month ago

Well , that gets the prize for dumb comment of the day. Cheney has no constituency, so any such comparison is fatuous. As I keep saying: stick to the insults, you’re not bright for the actual debate.

UnHerd Reader
UnHerd Reader
2 months ago

Liz is at best a poultroon. Her betrayal of due process and her support in the rigging of a transparent sham puts right there with staging Stalin era show trials. She is a disgusting aparatchik, with a nice payola as a faux professor

Peter B
Peter B
2 months ago

This is complete nonsense (from Liz Cheney).
We’ve had four years of Trump already and know that his bark is far worse than his bite. Was there any major constitutional damage last time around ? I’m struggling to remember anything.
On the other hand, we don’t know just how much damage Kamala Harris might do yet.

Brian Matthews
Brian Matthews
2 months ago

I hate to nitpick, but the word ‘utterly’ should have preceded ‘irrevelant’.

Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke
2 months ago

Cheney’s endorsement is only important because it is the latest in a long list of such endorsements, many by people who should know better, which is creating a roll effect.

Carlos Danger
Carlos Danger
1 month ago

Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have become caricatures. They are quislings who betrayed their party due to their delusion that Donald Trump is a danger to democracy. No one takes them seriously anymore.

And Liz Cheney’s half dead father d**k Cheney has become a d**k with the same delusion. Many thought he was dead. Instead, he lives to vote for Kamala Harris.

Kent Ausburn
Kent Ausburn
1 month ago

And now Liz’s father has said he will be voting for Harris as well. Clearly, runs in the family.