... and, when you consider that Mike Enzi was the 8th-most conservative senator
in 2012 and the 4th-most conservative one
in 2011,
her explanation makes absolutely no sense:
"We've got to stand and fight, and we have to defend what we believe in. We have to not be afraid of being called obstructionists," Cheney said.
"In my view, obstructing President Obama's policies and his agenda isn't actually obstruction; it's patriotism," Cheney said. [...]
Cheney didn't give specifics in response to reporters' questions about what she believes Enzi might have done to show complicity with Obama's agenda.
But she said, "Instead of cutting deals with the president's allies in Congress, we can be opposing them every step of the way."
In light of his voting record, that would have been a pretty good endorsement speech for Enzi, but as a rationale for Cheney's candidacy, it's gibberish and fluff. Obviously, the real reason Cheney is running is because she feels entitled to whatever she wants. Her dad was Dick Cheney, after all! In a way, that's actually understandable: Wouldn't you feel entitled to some sort of compensation if you were daddy's little draft deferment?
Seriously, though, while I wish Liz Cheney were more honest about the reason for her run, I do admire her willingness to put in the hard work necessary to win a wingnut primary. For at least four years now, she's taken fifteen minutes out of one or two Sundays a month to appear on one of those Sunday talk shows, and that shows dedication. In fact, it's probably more than fifteen minutes if you factor in the time it takes to apply makeup—not to mention the time it took for her to travel from her home in suburban Washington to the television studio.
Moreover, Cheney is so passionate about taking this job that she moved from those suburbs in Virginia all the way to Wyoming just so she could run for U.S. Senate. That's a big move! True, it's a bit ironic that she made the move to get a job that will allow her to move back home to Virginia, but for someone who clearly feels more at home in the swamp of Washington than the mountain ranges of Wyoming, that was a big sacrifice.
All that being said, to be absolutely fair to Liz Cheney, the reason I'm rooting against her is pretty much the same as the reason she's running: Because she's Dick Cheney's daughter.
7:43 AM PT: It also occurs to me that while Liz Cheney is running for a six year term, her entire rationale is about opposing a guy who will be president for only the first two years of that term (if Wyoming Republicans inflict her upon America).
7:49 AM PT: Last night on MSNBC, Chris Hayes had a very enjoyable tribute to all the reasons why Liz Cheney really is the worst thing in the world.