I’ve read many posts here criticizing Liz Cheney and Cassidy Hutchinson, attributing the most cynical of motivations to them and lumping them in with the worst of the worst GQP. I understand where some of the skepticism is coming from but think it’s overly harsh and counterproductive.
I don’t know why it’s taken so long for many Republicans to see through TFG and grasp how dangerous he is. We need to remember that many Democrats and media types were slow to grasp this, too.
Both parties have a wide range of voters from different backgrounds and perspectives. Some people are hard-wired to be liberal or conservative just as some are hard-wired to be LGBTQ or whatever. It’s part of the balance of nature and the diversity we claim to support. (MAGA isn’t conservative, of course, but fascist and faux populist.)
We’ll always have liberals and conservatives, but there’s an immediate need now to stop the rise of authoritarianism and corruption. I admire the clear-eyed courage of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger in our current state of emergency, regardless of their opinions on policy matters. No one is 100% “ethical and good” or “unethical and evil”, and this situation is constantly evolving just as many individuals are.
No Republican candidates should be trusted now, period. Many ordinary Republicans haven’t questioned the conservatism they absorbed as children, though, from their families, churches, and media environment. We’re social animals and mostly go along with those around us until something transforms our thinking. Some here attribute all Republican behavior to personal racism and “black hearts”, when much of it stems from pernicious rightwing propaganda and warped conservative churches. Most Republicans believe they’re good and righteous, even if we don’t.
The smartest, most ethical never-Trumpers bailed early on. I’m personally grateful for people like Nicolle Wallace, Steve Schmidt, and so many others who are pro-democracy and anti-corruption, regardless of where they were 10 years ago or will be 10 years from now. These people are professionally involved with politics, though, and most Americans aren’t. One of the great challenges is to break through their ignorance, and I think these never-Trumpers are helping as much as they can. Their messaging is often more precise and hard-hitting than that from Democrats, too.
As a progressive Democrat I’m often frustrated by the old “bringing a butter knife to a gunfight” response of many Democratic leaders. Former Republicans like Kurt Bardella are very good at sounding the alarm and prodding us to respond much more aggressively. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have effectively removed themselves from the current GQP, even if they want to hang on, revamp and strengthen the party later. We need to focus on the current situation and embrace help from every cooperative source. Cheney and Kinzinger are clearly reality based and ethical in the way we need right now. Let’s not argue about whether they’re heroes or not if that distracts us from more important things.
I don’t know anything about Cassidy Hutchinson’s background, but she was probably raised in a conservative family and perhaps church. Her youthful idealism and drive were apparent in college when she wrote, “I have set a personal goal to pursue a path of civic significance.” Many young interns are starry-eyed and grateful to be working with anyone “famous” in D.C. Having learned to respect and trust her elders, and being focused on doing the best job she possibly could, I’m not at all surprised Cassidy would have held back from reaching the conclusions we as Democrats came to long ago. How many of us Boomers accepted bad behavior at her age, thinking it was just the way things are and not being sure how to respond? The power dynamics are certainly something we should recognize by now.
Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) said, “She has been an unvarnished truth-teller, and I find her to be an encouraging and inspiring figure because she is so young and she has not allowed her idealism and belief in government to be jaded and poisoned by the people around her”. Cassidy said that as an American she was disgusted by the Jan. 6 attack, and she is still processing her emotions about all of this. Until we have reason to believe otherwise, let’s give her credit for being sincere and not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
I’m curious to know how many other Democrats have similar thoughts. Life is complicated, not black and white, and we need as many Americans as possible to “see the light”, however different their paths might be.
(Here are some videos from a former conservative who woke up —https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOZUBrXpu8A , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS-_mapaDhk. Let’s hope there are many more like him, and welcome them into the fold.)