“There is beauty in truth, even if it’s painful. Those who lie, twist life so that it looks tasty to the lazy, brilliant to the ignorant, and powerful to the weak. But lies only strengthen our defects. They don’t teach anything, help anything, fix anything or cure anything. Nor do they develop one’s character, one’s mind, one’s heart or one’s soul.”
―José N. Harris
Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney was booted from her post as GOP conference chair this week in a closed-door voice vote held by the House’s 212 GOP members. Cheney, who has in the past voted more conservatively than her replacement Elise Stefanik (R-NY), has come under fire from her party for her refusal to embrace the “big lie,” and her insistence that the GOP tell the truth about the insurrection at the Capitol.
Rep. Cheney stated, “We cannot both embrace the ‘big lie’ and embrace the Constitution,” and she went on to add that the vote to oust her is a sign of a fight for the very soul of the GOP and the preservation of democracy. “I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office,” she said. “We have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language. We have seen his lack of commitment and dedication to the Constitution.”
Interestingly, freshman Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) voted against stripping Cheney of her title as House Republican Conference chair. Moore stated, “I have remained vocal and consistent on the importance of election integrity, and I will continue to prioritize this issue by showcasing Utah’s inclusive and secure process. I believe and have previously communicated that President [Joe] Biden won the election.”
Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) offered his timid support for Cheney in a series of tweets, and he recently told reporters, “The best future for democracy, as well as for my party, is if we stand by the truth and we welcome people who have different points of view. I happen to agree with Congresswoman Cheney — I think she is a woman of character and integrity, and I respect her.”
It’s tragic to see the GOP grasp ever so firmly to the “big lie,” to consistently refuse to believe that Trump did incite the insurrection, and he did try to overthrow our democracy by invalidating the 2020 election results. I applaud Rep. Cheney, and even Blake Moore and Mitt Romney for speaking up, however, they are greatly outnumbered by Trump supporters in the GOP.
The GOP has a severe case of cognitive dissonance, and it has metastasized to all levels of politics and American society. The majority of registered Republicans believe that the election was stolen, and the majority of GOP lawmakers in Washington refuse to acknowledge the truth, side-stepping and making excuses for the desecration of our nation’s capital. In classic “gaslighting” fashion, these lawmakers deflect the blame on Democrats and Antifa.
In New Mexico, Republican State Senator Mark Moores, who is running against Democrat Melanie Stanbury for Deb Haaland’s US Congressional seat, has failed to condemn the storming of the Capitol, claiming that “both” sides are to blame for the insurrection. A curious comment since only one side showed up for the riot. In a recent televised debate with Stanbury, the moderator asked the question on whether Trump bears responsibility for the storming of Capitol last January, and Moores side-stepped the question, replying that “the rhetoric has been out of control for all, for many of us, including the president, the former president, including Ms. Stansbury.”
The Moores campaign has launched a website, http://www.radicalmelanie.com, in which he claims that Melanie will strip 90,000 oil and gas jobs by supporting the Green New Deal, that she will take away your private healthcare by supporting Medicare for All, and that she wants to take away guns and tasers from police officers. The website maintains that Stansbury also supports emptying each federal prison in the country, releasing hordes of child molesters, rapists, and murderers and that she supports taxpayer-funded abortion services for illegal immigrants and prisoners.
In regards to the oil and gas industry, the Green New Deal seeks to transition from oil and gas to more renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, of which New Mexico has an abundance. In combating climate change, adhering to the status quo of preserving oil and gas is counter-intuitive. And besides, oil and gas profits in New Mexico have been declining since 2014.
Moore claims about Standury supports taking away guns and tasers from law enforcement officers, and cites the Breath Act. The Breathe Act, inspired by the BLM movement and the murder of George Floyd, calls for the prohibition of military-grade weapons and tasers for federal law enforcement, as well as tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper bullets, pepper spray, flashbangs, and long-range acoustic devices. Perhaps Mr. Moores should read the bill, since it pertains to law enforcement at the federal level and not the state level, and no, it says nothing about taking guns away from police officers. Also, the Breathe Act says nothing about releasing thousands of child molesters and rapists. It proposes prison reform, especially in cases where people of color are disproportionately incarcerated for possession of marijuana and other misdemeanor charges.
Regarding taxpayer-funded abortion services for illegal immigrants and prisoners. In the Breathe Act, under the Reproductive Justice for all Women section, federal, state, and local policymakers are barred from interfering with private insurers’ decisions to provide abortion coverage, which includes Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces. There is no mention of illegal immigrants or prisoners getting free abortions.
Mr. Moores should brush up on his data. The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1976, originally excluded abortion from the comprehensive health care services provided to low-income people by the federal government through Medicaid. Since then, Congress made some exceptions to the funding ban, in cases of rape or incest, as well as when a pregnant woman’s life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury. Also, most states have followed the federal government’s lead in restricting public funding for abortion. Mr. Moores is just another candidate who has no problem telling women what to do with their bodies and supports restricting abortion rights.
Mr. Moores is yet another GOP member who refuses to decry the erosion of his party and its intolerance of diversity. This past week, he has come under fire for his cultural materialist comment during a forum on water access. He is quoted as saying that access to water has been an issue “since we first civilized the Southwest.” Moores emphasizes his roots in Northern New Mexico, claiming that he is the only person in the race “with both Hispanic and Indigenous blood that dates back to New Mexico well past hundreds of years.” Apparently, Mr. Moores is ashamed of his indigenous heritage and credits his colonizing European ancestors for bringing civilization to New Mexico.
I find it tragic that more Republicans do not speak up in the way Liz Cheney has. I find it even more alarming that the majority of GOP legislators and candidates, such as Mark Moores, continue to push the false narrative the attack on the Capitol was somehow the work of “both sides.” If we are to build a better society and preserve our democracy, pushing lies will not help, it will only further the erosion of our republic and chip way at any prospects of unity between political parties.