The message behind Liz Cheney’s loss in Wyoming

For a politician, a concession speech is the beginning of a grieving period and an acknowledgment that their career in politics is either on hold or, more often than not, over.

Liz Cheney’s concession this month to rival Harriet Hageman, in the Republican primary election in Wyoming for the US House of Representatives, was very grudging and defiant, and sent a powerful message of concern for the health of American democratic values, the country’s institutions and the ability of its people to defend the Constitution for much longer.

It was less of a farewell speech and more of a “hasta la vista” that sent a message — especially to her archenemy, former President Donald Trump, who did not want her to keep her seat in Congress — that we might yet see her in the Oval Office.

To reinforce her message, she hitched her wagon to the shining stars of no lesser Republican Party luminaries than Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, both of whom fought for their nation’s freedom and served as president. Cheney equated her own battle to preserve constitutional freedoms with their struggles, in the process evoking the history of the Civil War.

Cheney has a long way to go before she can compare her political career, thus far as a three-term member of Congress, with those of the architects of victory in the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. But no one can be sure how long it will be before US politics once again ends up with people at each other’s throats.

In recent years, political discourse has crossed the line of ironing out legitimate ideological differences within a single nation with a shared sense of a common history, future and purpose, and has become increasingly belligerent with little concern for bridging the divisions not only between the two main parties, Democrats and Republicans, but also within the Republican party itself.

If this trend is not contained, it will only be a matter of time before the Jan. 6 insurrection is no longer viewed as an isolated occurrence.

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center clearly demonstrates that partisanship has taken hold of US politics and society, and a large proportion of one party’s supporters perceive those on the opposing side to be immoral, dishonest and close-minded. This state of affairs is not conducive to an honest, civilized and, most importantly, constructive dialogue to deal with differences.

Trump and his version of populism, Trumpism, is what led to Cheney’s defeat in a state to which, due to the sheer luck of love and marriage, I happen to be a frequent visitor. I genuinely think that this vast territory of Wyoming, which has a population of fewer than 600,000, is home to some of the nicest, most welcoming people who genuinely adhere to the best of traditional American values.

Yet, the vast majority of them, 69.94 percent to be precise, fell under Trump’s spell and voted for him in the 2020 presidential election for reasons that mystify me, as these people have nothing in common with his brand of politics and the personality traits that he represents, which are partisan and aimed at dividing the country for his own personal and political gain.

In the somewhat oversimplistic nature of US politics, the attitude of “you are either with us or against us” has migrated from the realm of foreign affairs to the domestic sphere. A failure to adopt a nuanced foreign policy runs the dangerous risk of clashing with other international entities; taking such a binary approach to domestic politics risks the rapid implosion of society.

Through his appointments to the Supreme Court during his term in office, Trump has guaranteed his divisive legacy for many years to come, in addition to his dumbing down of the discourse to one that questions the loyalty and patriotism of more progressive forces — and, basically, anyone who does not support his version of reality.

The case of Cheney’s fall from grace in the eyes of Wyoming Republicans is staggering and is just one example of how deep runs the Trumpist narrative of a “rigged” 2020 presidential election, and how effectively it is being exploited to purge political rivals. His vendetta against those Republican members of the House who voted to impeach him has so far been frighteningly successful: He endorsed seven of the 10 candidates who ran against them, and six of those he supported won the nomination.

There are a few exceptions, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a centrist Republican who has advanced to the general election despite voting in the Senate to convict the former president of inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Yet, Trump’s rate of success in open seats or endorsing incumbents has been decisive. What makes Cheney’s defeat so remarkable is that she comes from a dyed-in-the-wool Republican family and her father, Dick Cheney, is very much loved and respected by Wyomingites. For a decade they elected him to represent them in Washington as their congressman, before his elevation to defense secretary and subsequently vice president.

Furthermore, only two years ago, in the previous primary, Liz Cheney won a resounding victory with 73 percent of the vote. This month, her support collapsed to only 28.9 percent. This figure might have been even worse had it not been for Democrats in the state tactically switching their party registration for the purpose of supporting her and her fight to dispel the myth, which too many people still subscribe to, that Joe Biden and the Democrats “stole” the 2020 presidential election, and to ensure that those responsible for the orchestrated political hooliganism of Jan. 6 be brought to justice.

Come November, the US legislature will bid farewell to most of the small minority of Republican members who were courageous enough to dare to speak the truth that Trump was not fit for office by almost any account, but above all for his attempt to destroy the US democratic system and its values. Their integrity stands in stark contrast to all the other Republican members of Congress who would rather retain their seat than adhere to the truth and their duty to their country.

Liz Cheney, whose opinions and values are as Republican as it gets, might have paid a heavy political price, in being vilified by one of the most discredited former presidents in the country’s history — who seems more likely by the day to spend the next few years in courts of justice rather than return to the White House.

However, whether or not one agrees with Cheney’s political views, one should recognize that she should wear this month’s primary defeat as a badge of honor for her willingness to sacrifice her political career for the good of her country.

• Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media.

Twitter: @YMekelberg