The red team is not the red team
Liz Cheney delivered the most powerful speech of this election season. History will look kindly upon her.
It’s five minutes to midnight, and I wanted to salute Republicans who have recognised the fundamental truth of these last few years. The Red team is not the Red team. It has turned Orange, there is a wannabe fascist at the helm, one who admires dictators and speaks openly about the retribution and havoc he intends to wreak.
Liz Cheney’s endorsement of Vice President Harris at Ripon College on 3rd October was, for mine, the speech of these last few months. It begins with an emotional lip tremor as a lifelong Republican fronts up to a truly daunting task — to stand before a sea of blue banners and call an insurrection an insurrection. ‘What January 6th shows us is that there is not an ounce of compassion in Donald Trump. He is petty, he is vindictive, and he is cruel. And Donald Trump is not fit to lead this good and great nation.’
It’s worth hearing Cheney’s entire speech, but this part hits home for me:
And in this country, under our Constitution, our president has a particular solemn obligation to ensure and guarantee the peaceful transfer of power. Since the beginning of the republic, every president in our history has fulfilled that duty, every president until Donald Trump.
When Donald Trump woke up on the morning of January 6th 2021, his intention, despite having lost the election, was that he would remain president. Rather than accept his loss and concede defeat, he had spent months overseeing a multi part plan to attempt to seize power and remain in office. He ignored the rulings of the courts. He corruptly pressured state legislatures, including here in Wisconsin, to overturn the results of their elections. He told the Justice Department to lie for him. He conspired to have fake electoral votes cast and he corruptly pressured his vice president to take illegal and unconstitutional actions.
He summoned a mob to Washington, D.C. with his lies, and he sent the armed mob to the United States Capitol in an effort to stop the counting of electoral votes. As the violent mob attacked our Capitol in Donald Trump's name, as they brutally beat law enforcement officers, as they hunted the vice president and the speaker of the House, Donald Trump watched the attack on television for hours,
Sitting in the dining room next to the Oval Office, he refused repeated pleas from his family, from his closest advisers, from the most senior officials in his campaign and in our government to tell the mob to leave.
And when Donald Trump finally did speak publicly after hours of violence, after the Capitol had been invaded, he praised the rioters. He did not condemn them. That's who Donald Trump is.
I’ve been listening to the likes of
and at and of the , lamenting the fact that Republicans who hid under desks during the Capitol riot, are hiding again now, because speaking out will displease their Overlord (if that’s the way the cards fall), or not wanting to fall out with the spellbound base if Trump loses and the power struggle begins.They’re right to worry about criticising Trump. He has repeatedly said that there will be consequences for those who oppose him, ‘I am your warrior, I am your justice, I am your retribution’, and this week he said about Cheney ‘ Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, okay? Let's see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face.’
Guns trained on her face. This is from a man who has survived an assassination attempt himself. Guns trained on her face. How has this party ended up here?
Given there are prominent Republicans who are stopping short of endorsing Harris, hoping they can ostrich their way to January 21st with the republic still intact, I thought I’d make a small collection of speeches from when everyone was feeling a little more courageous.
Mitt Romney, ‘Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud’, Utah 2016
1 March 2016, Utah, USA
I am far from the first to conclude that Donald Trump lacks the temperament of be president. After all, this is an individual who mocked a disabled reporter, who attributed a reporter’s questions to her menstrual cycle, who mocked a brilliant rival who happened to be a woman due to her appearance, who bragged about his marital affairs, and who laces his public speeches with vulgarity.
Donald Trump says he admires Vladimir Putin, while has called George W. Bush a liar. That is a twisted example of evil trumping good.
There is dark irony in his boasts of his sexual exploits during the Vietnam War while John McCain, whom he has mocked, was imprisoned and tortured.
Dishonesty is Trump’s hallmark: He claimed that he had spoken clearly and boldly against going into Iraq. Wrong, he spoke in favor of invading Iraq. He said he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11. Wrong, he saw no such thing. He imagined it. His is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader. His imagination must not be married to real power.
The President of the United States has long been the leader of the free world. The president and yes the nominees of the country’s great parties help define America to billions of people. All of them bear the responsibility of being an example for our children and grandchildren.
Think of Donald Trump’s personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics. We have long referred to him as “The Donald.” He is the only person in America to whom we have added an article before his name. It wasn’t because he had attributes we admired.
Now imagine your children and your grandchildren acting the way he does. Will you welcome that? Haven’t we seen before what happens when people in prominent positions fail the basic responsibility of honorable conduct? We have, and it always injures our families and our country.
Watch how he responds to my speech today. Will he talk about our policy differences or will he attack me with every imaginable low road insult? This may tell you what you need to know about his temperament, his stability, and his suitability to be president.
Mitch McConnell: -'President Trump is practically and morally responsible', Acquittal of Trump, Second Impeachment - 2021
Let me put that to the side for one moment and reiterate something I said weeks ago: There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day.
The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their President.
And their having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements, conspiracy theories, and reckless hyperbole which the defeated President kept shouting into the largest megaphone on planet Earth.
The issue is not only the President's intemperate language on January 6th.
It is not just his endorsement of remarks in which an associate urged 'trial by combat.'
It was also the entire manufactured atmosphere of looming catastrophe; the increasingly wild myths about a reverse landslide election that was being stolen in some secret coup by our now-President.
I defended the President's right to bring any complaints to our legal system. The legal system spoke. The Electoral College spoke. As I stood up and said clearly at the time, the election was settled.
George H.W. Bush & George W Bush
President Bush the elder 41 called Trump ‘a blowhard’. Bush W. 43 said in response to Trump’s claim that ‘I will be my own adviser’ that he ‘doesn’t know what it means to be president’. Here is a CNN interview with their biographer:
That was all pre January 6th. Afterwards, President Bush delivered this pretty tepid condemnation, where he didn’t call out Trump by name, but we know who he’s talking about:
Kevin McCarthy: ‘Last week’s violent attack on the Capitol was undemocratic, un-American and criminal’, speech to the House - 2021
These men and women in the uniform, they got overrun, One officer got killed…they got broken arms. You don’t understand what was transpiring at that moment and that time. People hanging. People brought ropes. When I got back into my building, I found the straps that they had. I don’t know if they come and try to kidnap somebody or whatever. But they, they were well planned for it.
They scaled walls. They brought ropes. A couple of protesters died because they scaled. And when you have the inaugural there was scaffolding. They were scaling the scaffolding. They, they overtook the place.
Susan Collins: ‘The tipping point was when he started criticising the grieving parents who’d lost a son in Iraq’ - 2016
My concerns had been growing over several months, but I really reached the tipping point when Donald Trump started criticising the grieving parents who have lost a son in Iraq. That was just a bridge too far for me.’
Unfortunately Senator Collins would prefer to write ‘Nikki Haley’ on her ballot paper than vote for Harris, that is a bridge too far for her as well, even when she knows very well where her cowardice might land the country.
Mike Pence: ‘On that day President Trump asked me to put him above the Constitution, and I chose the Constitution’, doorstop interview - 2023
Irrespective of the indictment, I want the American people to know that I had no right to overturn the election. And that on that day President Trump asked me to put him above the Constitution, but I chose the Constitution and I always will. I really do believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States, and anyone who asks someone else to put themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States again.
Unfortunately, the former Vice President can’t bring himself to endorse a Democrat. He has all sorts of religious baggage hanging off his every sinew, so maybe the decision is understandable. But THIS is what he thinks. He knows what Trump is. You can hear the resolve. After all, Trump said ‘so what’ when the message drifted through that his mob was out to string Pence up. ‘Anyone who asks someone else to put themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States again.’
Chris Christie: 'Donald Trump wants you to be angry every day because he’s angry', end of Presidential bid - 2024
11 January 2024, Windham, New Hampshire, USA
This was such a great speech.
Donald Trump wants you to be angry every day because he’s angry. He wants you to be angry so that you’ll relate to his anger and then to vote for him. Please understand this. I have known him well for 22 years, more than anybody else in this race has known him, and I can promise you this. If you put him back behind the desk in the Oval Office and the choice comes and the decision is needed to be made as to whether he puts himself first or he puts you first, how much more evidence do you need that he will pick himself? And if that is what we have there, then people are going to remain angry, remain divided, and become even more exhausted than they are today.
And before that:
As a party, we need to be willing to take the responsibility for the part we’ve played in getting here. Our country is angry. It’s divided. It’s accomplishing little, and it is leading our citizens to be exhausted. You just look at what’s happening just in the last few days, good people who got into politics, I believe for the right reasons. People like Senator John Barrasso, people like Congressman Tom Emmer stand up and endorse Donald Trump.
They know better. I know they know better. People who continue to deny the results of the 2020 election. People in leadership in the House who go on TV and say that the people who attack the Capitol on January 6th are hostages. I’ll tell you who hostages are. The Israelis who are still being hidden in tunnels in Gaza against their will out of no fault of their own. These people speak louder for the folks who attacked our Capitol on January 6th than they are willing to stand up and speak for the people of Israel who are in tunnels in Gaza. That’s not leadership. That’s ambition and cowardice, which is outstripped their otherwise good judgment.
We want to change this party, and if we want to change this country, it’s hard work. It’s not easy. From the moment I got into the race, the decision that I made was really simple. I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win. I feel no differently today because this is a fight for the soul of our party and the soul of our country. Why have we resisted the calls to drop out of this race? Because unlike some of the other candidates, we’re fighting for something bigger than ourselves. We’re fighting for something bigger than self-interest. We’re fighting for something bigger than the next title. I’ve got plenty of titles, enough titles to last me the rest of my life. US Attorney, governor, husband, father, son, brother. I have enough titles to last me for the rest of my life. We are fighting for something bigger.
Jeff Flake: 'Anger and resentment are not a governing philosophy', Senate resignation speech - 2017
24 October 2017, Washington DC, USA
If we simply become inured to this condition, thinking that it is just politics as usual, then heaven help us. Without fear of the consequences and without consideration of the rules of what is politically safe or palatable, we must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal. Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as telling it like it is when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified.
And when such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else. It is dangerous to a democracy. Such behavior does not project strength because our strength comes from our values. It instead projects a corruption of the spirit and weakness. It is often said that children are watching. Well, they are. And what are we going to do about that? When the next generation asks us, why didn’t you do something? Why didn’t you speak up? What are we going to say?
Mr President, I rise today to say: enough. We must dedicate ourselves to making sure that the anomalous never becomes the normal. With respect and humility, I must say that we have fooled ourselves for long enough that a pivot to governing is right around the corner, a return to civility and stability right behind it.
And let’s finish with more Mitt:
Mitt Romney: 'What happened here today was an insurrection', Remarks from Capitol - 2021
6 January 2021, Capitol, Washington DC, USA
We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.
I want to salute the following prominent Republicans who, like Dick and Liz Cheney, have acknowledged that this is the moment for party over country, that the Red Team has turned Orange, and that they will vote for Harris.1
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Adam Kizinger (his episodes on
are my favourite), Anthony Scaramucci, Geoff Duncan, Jeff Flake, Alberto Gonzales, Denver Riggleman, Fred Upton, Tom Rath, Gordon Humphrey, Stephanie Grisham, Jimmy McCain, Robert Cowles, John Giles, John Negroponte, William Webster and Olivia Troye.On Wednesday, Australian time, I’ll be hoping for good news, but knowing that even if the result goes as well as possible, Trump will begin again:
He is a menace.
One of the worst figures in human history.
I hope we’re coming to the end.
Best wishes everyone,
Tony
The Republicans Crossing Party Lines and Voting for Harris Over Trump‘, Time Magazine. Nov 3 2024, https://time.com/7160907/republicans-crossing-party-lines-voting-kamala-harris-over-donald-trump/