thats cute and all but Lindsay Graham went from Trump's #1 critic to #1 buttlicker in no time flat, and back. u think she can't move out from her dad's shadow by just shifting to a Trumpian follower?

you'd have a FAR stronger argument in the reverse, that being that (like McCain's daughter) she can shift back into typical neocon when needed. as compared to say a new blood politician who rode the Trump wave into office and is now left stranded.

This post was edited by thesnipa on Jan 13 2021 08:12am

I don't see any arguments here as to how her position helps her political career or helps roll back Trump's takeover of the GOP.

She's already #3 in leadership. If Marco Rubio won the presidency Kevin McCarthy would've ended up as the House Republican leader. Cheney could've reached that goal whether or not some Republicans tried the right-wing populist shtick. Her future doesn't hinge on neocons running the show again. But alienating the MAGA base and pissing off her colleagues certainly harms her. I don't think I'm the naive one here.

Lindsey Graham was never really beloved by the Trump base though. He had his 2 minutes of fame when he gave his little speech during the Kavanaugh hearing, but otherwise, the base was never that much into him, no matter how much he debased himself and sucked up to Trump. His Trump-critic comments from 2015/16 gave his political career a glass ceiling, he was basically maxed out by being a senator.

And let's not forget that he did show electoral weakness during the 2020 cycle, those close poll numbers are the reason why Democrats pumped $109m into his challenger Jaime Harrison.

Being the #3 in House leadership is not really that high of a position. I really doubt that her political ambitions are limited to this level.

I already linked an opinion article from a major conservative newspaper where journalists are calling for her to replace McCarthy as the House minority leader. This kind of promotion is only attainable for her if neocons gain the upper hand over the populists again. Offering a strong condemnation of Trump and making a bold move to lead the "purge Trump" movement within the party positions her in exactly this direction.

ok so take Graham out of my post. McCain's daughter and her "am i a trump supporter this week" act has done very well for her. she can be positioned as the right wing chair at a left wing table of ladies or the centrist girl in the right wing party all by her choice of what she wants to say. there's no reason Cheney is any different.

This post was edited by thesnipa on Jan 13 2021 08:28am

Uhh... it's 2 heartbeats away from #1. That seems kind of high.

Explain to me how Kevin McCarthy is a populist.

The answer: he's not. I didn't read the piece, but my guess is the author doesn't like McCarthy because he's enabled Trump's erratic behavior, not because he likes the trade war or supports $2,000 checks to Americans. Because he doesn't support those things.

You're just repeating yourself at this point. Your arguments are not convincing whatsoever. I don't think you've ever been able to concede, when a Republican puts themselves out there politically, that they've done so for principled reasons(Romney voting to convict being one example).

I'm curious though. Do you disagree with Cheney's statement she put out? If not, why are you unwilling to consider the possibility that she's simply taking this position because it's appropriate and true?

This post was edited by IceMage on Jan 13 2021 08:37am

The fact that her husband runs one of the most pro-Trumpy websites is kind of unbelievable to me, given Trump's treatment of his father-in-law.

will be curious to see what they do post-Trump. shift to neocon or just toe the line. more money in toeing the line but thats a dangerous game.