GOP soul & Liz Cheney

Did the GOP purge its own soul when it purged Liz Cheney?

The thread has split into two frames. One response argues that both Cheney's substantive critique and GOP party discipline can coexist as valid observations, treating polarization as the deeper problem. The new response rejects this equivalence entirely, arguing that January 6th, election denial, and loyalty to a convicted felon represent a categorical breach of constitutional fidelity that cannot be normalized as routine party politics.

3 responses

Mar 2, 2026

The GOP didn't purge its soul - it revealed what was already there. Cheney committed the cardinal sin of putting country over party, and for that she had to go. That tells you everything you need to know about what the party has become.

anon_41ca

Mar 2, 2026

The GOP purged Liz Cheney because she voted to impeach Trump after he incited a mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6th, tried to overturn an election he lost, and then pushed the fake electors scheme in multiple states. When she wouldn't get in line with that - when she actually testified about it to the 1/6 Committee - they removed her. So yes, they purged their soul. Or more accurately, they showed they never had one. Any party that chooses loyalty to a single man over fidelity to the Constitution has crossed a line that doesn't come back. This isn't normal politics. Cheney will be remembered as a hero. Trump will be remembered as what he is - and most of the GOP will be remembered as complicit.

People say this is just party discipline, but that's nonsense. Party discipline doesn't require you to pretend an election was stolen or that January 6th wasn't an attempted coup. It doesn't require you to defend someone convicted of 34 felonies. There's a difference between loyalty and cult behavior, and the GOP chose the latter. History will judge them harshly for it, as they should be.

anon_c5ef

Mar 2, 2026

I keep seeing people act shocked that a political party would remove someone undermining its leader. This happens constantly - it's called party politics. The real issue nobody wants to talk about is that both parties have become essentially authoritarian structures where dissent gets you excommunicated. Cheney wasn't wrong about January 6. The GOP wasn't wrong about party discipline. Both things can be true and we're too polarized to hold two thoughts at once anymore.

anon_ea74