“On the Holmes Front,” with Frank Holmes
Joe Biden’s favorite Republican wants to take over the Republican Party, — and the “Never Trump” leader has floated a plan to beat Donald Trump, smear any other conservative challengers, and then become its 2024 presidential candidate.
As Biden slowly rambled around the House chamber to give his address to Congress this week, his eyes lit up when he saw Rep. Liz Cheney, R-M.T., over his mask.
Biden — who laid out a radical $6 trillion spending plan, talked about expanding abortion, and bragged about his plot to keep law-abiding citizens from buying guns — shuffled over to Cheney so he could give her a fist bump… and she couldn’t wait to gave one back.
Republicans were outraged that Cheney, the third most powerful member of the House, embraced Biden after eight years of something bordering on burning hatred for Donald Trump.
“’Republican’ warmonger Liz Cheney gives Sleepy Joe a fist bump after he delivered a radical socialist vision for the future of America,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, “So glad she’s in the GOP leadership.”
“Republican” warmonger Liz Cheney gives Sleepy Joe a fist bump after he delivered a radical socialist vision for the future of America. So glad she’s in the GOP leadership, I guess they wanted to be more inclusive and put Democrats in there too?!? pic.twitter.com/T1qke3TO5b
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) April 29, 2021
Cheney defended herself by saying she just wanted to “respond in a civil, respectful & dignified way.”
“We’re not sworn enemies. We’re Americans,” she said.
I disagree strongly w/@JoeBiden policies, but when the President reaches out to greet me in the chamber of the US House of Representatives, I will always respond in a civil, respectful & dignified way. We’re different political parties. We’re not sworn enemies. We’re Americans.
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) April 30, 2021
This may not be the last time a Cheney and a Trump clash: Cheney’s name has been raised as a possible “Never Trump” alternative in case Donald Trump seeks the nomination again in 2024.
“I’m not ruling anything in or out,” she told The New York Post. “Ever is a long time.”
Then Cheney decided to sling mud at some of the more grassroots, America First candidates who might be running for the top office against her in a few years.
“I do think that some of our candidates who led the charge, particularly the senators who” voted “not to certify the (2020 presidential) election — you know, in my view, that’s disqualifying.”
Almost one of every four Republican senators said we should wait to certify the controversial 2020 presidential election results until a full emergency audit of the results, to investigate allegations of voter fraud, was completed.
The list includes Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and John Kennedy of Louisiana.
Cheney pushed back. No wonder Joe Biden loves her.
Former President Trump said Cheney is only talking about giving up her House seat to run for the Oval Office, because “she is looking for a way out of her Congressional race.”
“Based on all polling, there is no way she can win,” Trump said in a press release, since he has been banned from social media.
He ought to know—his top pollster found that 73% of Wyoming voters had a negative view of Cheney. Just 10% of Wyoming Republicans said they would vote for her, and she trails primary challenger Anthony Bouchard by 33 points!
A 2024 run would let Cheney say she’s stepping down from office to concentrate on running in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries. Then, she can move on to another post in the Swamp.
“She’ll either be yet another lobbyist or maybe embarrass her family by running for President, in order to save face,” Trump said.
Cheney’s relationship with her own party has been on the rocks for years.
She clashed with President Trump repeatedly, because she didn’t want to remove troops from Afghanistan and Germany.
Liz Cheney was just one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach President Trump earlier this year.
The Wyoming Republican Party voted to censure her, since she sided against the party’s last presidential candidate “despite the lack of any formal hearing being held, evidence being presented, witnesses being sworn to testify, or accusers being questioned.”
Then, House conservatives tried to force her out of her leadership position in February—but she won the vote by a huge margin of 145-61.
At the time, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., stood by her.
“People can have differences of opinion,” he said, and “Liz” had the “right to vote her conscience” on impeachment of a Republican president, McCarthy said.
But Tuesday, when reporters asked if she still had a future working with him, he didn’t exactly give a direct answer.
Whether she survived or not was a “question for the conference,” he said.
Then he took a swipe at her from the mic: “If you’re sitting here at a retreat that’s focused on policy… and you’re talking about something else” — like how some 2024 Republican presidential candidates stink — “you’re not being productive.”
Maybe you are… if you’re working for the other side.
Frank Holmes is a veteran journalist and an outspoken conservative that talks about the news that was in his weekly article, “On The Holmes Front.”