Dem
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GOP
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Liz Cheney is no fan of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who has changed from a moderate from upstate New York to a fire-breathing Trumpist in a very short time. On Ex-Twitter, Cheney wrote: "One day she will have to explain how and why she morphed into a total crackpot. History, and our children, deserve to know." In Cheney's recent book, she wrote that "Stefanik was a reasonable and thoughtful lawmaker who has undergone a dramatic transition into a Trump sycophant."
Actually, the explanation is fairly straightforward: Stefanik doesn't believe a word she is saying but she is the ultimate opportunist. By sounding Trumpier than Trump, she propelled herself from being an unknown backbencher to being #4 in the House Republican hierarchy. Now she sees an opportunity to become Donald Trump's running mate and, win or lose, to become the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. That's heady stuff.
One problem for Stefanik is that she has left a paper trail behind. Shortly after Jan. 6, 2021, she wrote: "I fully condemn the dangerous violence and destruction that occurred today at the United States Capitol. Americans have a Constitutional right to protest and freedom of speech, but violence in any form is absolutely unacceptable and anti-American." Now she is echoing Trump and calling the people who were convicted of storming the Capitol "hostages." Her spokesperson said: "Liz Cheney's only remaining relevance is that she will soon have to answer for her role in deleting and hiding evidence from the investigation into the sham January 6 Select Committee." Of course, Cheney did no such thing.
If Trump picks Stefanik, she and Cheney are going to exchange quite a few words during the campaign as Cheney obviously does not have a high opinion of her. Don't forget that when Stefanik became the House Republicans' #4, she took the job from the recently ejected Cheney. Of course, we don't know if Trump will pick Stefanik, but he might since she is young (39) and attractive, characteristics that, say, Mike Pompeo, doesn't have. But Stefanik hasn't really been vetted very carefully and if Trump picks her, all the microscopes will be revved up. Her third grade teacher will be deluged with questions. Every guy she dated in college will have a chance to get his 15 minutes of fame. Her hairdresser will get to be on national television. Stefanik graduated from Harvard, so she is presumably much smarter than Sarah Palin, who attended six colleges before finally graduating from the University of Idaho. But Stefanik morphed from a moderate to an extreme Trumpist very fast. She is going to have to explain her extremely rapid metamorphosis over and over, and she could botch it.
Stefanik has already hit the campaign trail supporting Trump. She wants him to see that she can campaign well and can defend him against all attacks. He might well be taken in by her. We'll see. (V)