Cheney Neither Leads Nor Follows GOP

In the current Republican Party leadership in the House, it is lead, follow, or get out of the way, and Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., is going to have to do the latter, according to political strategist Dick Morris and American Conservative Union chair Matt Schlapp on Newsmax TV.

"This whole talk about split in the Republican Party, there is no split: It's 99-1," Morris told Saturday's "The Count" about Cheney's lack of support within the House GOP. "The Republican Party is solidly behind Trump, and the Democratic and liberal media efforts to portray a split, is ridiculous."

Cheney is going to lose her House leadership position not just because of her "animus" against former President Donald Trump, but because she just is no longer a part of the GOP "coalition," Morris and Schlapp told host Heather Childers.

"There's this real popular uprising across the country, because Washington has failed them," Schlapp told Childers. "So, consistently, except for the short tenure of Donald Trump as president, the thing about congresswoman Cheney is she will be kicked out of her leadership position. I think that's a fait accompli that she almost wants to happen.

"When you're in leadership in the house, part of being in leadership is you go along with the message and the agenda of that majority, and she's had a very independent streak."

Most notably, according to both Morris or Schlapp, is Cheney's "animus" against Trump has left her with no support among the GOP. "She is not a fan of Donald Trump," Schlapp continued. "She's never been a fan of Donald Trump. She has a different world view than his desire to pull back our troops overseas, and she's got every right to have that point of view. It's just not very popular in the conference or with other Republicans."

Schlapp does admit Cheney has had a more consecrative voting record than Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. – a potential replacement for Cheney as the House Republican Conference chair – but that is a function of the districts and constituents they serve in 2 vastly different states Wyoming and New York.

"This is one of those cases where you could actually have a more conservative voting record like Liz Cheney has but failed to understand the most important part of this coalition was, which is staying close to President Trump and his policies, which are overwhelmingly popular," Schlapp added, noting Stefanik started "defending Donald Trump during the second impeachment and actually both impeachments and she won a lot of hearts and minds."

Cheney's downfall began before Trump even won the Republican nomination in 2016, Morris added.

"You got to go back to the reason that Liz Cheney hates Donald Trump," Morris said. "The Bush family, which basically is the Cheney operation – Cheney and Bush joined at the hip – wasn't satisfied with 2 presidents. They wanted three. They wanted [George H.W. Bush] to be succeeded by [George W. Bush], to be succeeded by Jeb [Bush], and he was the heir apparent," Morris said.

"And Donald Trump derailed his candidacy in a very harsh way in '15 and '16, belittling him in the debates and transform him as a candidacy to a bit of a laughing stock. And the Bush family never forgave that. It's why former President Bush, the 43rd, wrote in the name of Condoleeza Rice, rather than voting for the nominee of his party President Trump. And Cheney continued that process with the impeachment vote and is venting her longtime animus against Donald Trump."

Morris also noted Cheney also "orchestrated" the "fallacious" and "disingenuous" narrative of a potential coup by Trump supporters seeking to challenge the election results.

"She orchestrated a letter sent by 10 former defense secretaries including her father – that she was the organizer of – warning that Donald Trump might politicize the military – a thinly veiled warning that he might be leading a coup d'état against the elected government, or her worries about that," Morris said.

"Of course, Trump never contemplated that. It's Liz Cheney's paranoia and anti-Trump feelings. But after sending that letter, she might as well have attached a letter of resignation as chairman of the conference of the Republicans."

Nevermind leading House Republicans, Morris concluded, "she's a dead duck in Wyoming."