Mainstream journalists and other Democrats can't get enough of Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.), who not only shares their view of former president Donald Trump but also has given them a convenient excuse to limit their coverage of more newsworthy events—violent clashes in Israel, a stagnant economy, and gas shortages resulting from an unprecedented cyber attack—that might reflect poorly on the current president, Joe Biden.
Cheney was formally removed from her leadership position in the House Republican conference on Wednesday. CNN's frontpage headline described the event, without evidence, as "a major turning point in US political history."
The move was prompted in large part by Cheney's refusal to stop criticizing Trump, whom she accused of leading a "crusade to undermine our democracy." That alone would explain the media's obsession, given their insufficiently sated lust for nonstop Trump content. Another frontpage headline on CNN asserted: "Liz Cheney's ouster from GOP leadership for criticizing Trump's lies shows the party has moved on from its beacon-of-freedom ideals."
The Cheney political dynasty, one of the most prolific purveyors of "beacon-of-freedom ideals," has not always counted journos, libs, and Democrats among its cadre of fans. They did not, for example, support elder statesman Dick Cheney in his successful quest to liberate Iraq from a fascist dictator. Now they are singing a different tune. Ethics expert Walter Shaub, for example, praised Liz Cheney's efforts to combat "the rising fascist threat."
Jonathan Capehart, a mediocre columnist for the Washington Post, hailed Cheney as an icon of liberation.
Liz Cheney Independence Day Wednesday pic.twitter.com/DFqMqlXF0r
— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) May 12, 2021
CNN's Stephen Collinson, a "reporter" whose articles are frequently labeled "analysis," made use of opulent prose in his celebration of Cheney's courage, applauding the "powerful speech" she delivered earlier this week on the House floor and exalting her "spare but eloquent remarks that will embroider themselves in political lore."
Cheney has certainly made some enemies within the political party her father once commanded with an iron fist, but that doesn't mean her family's influence is on the decline. Dynasties, much like empires, must occasionally seek new allies to preserve their hegemony. Her fight—to impose America's beacon-of-freedom ideals on every country on earth, by force or otherwise—is only just beginning.