The article on this site about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez draws attention to the Republican Party’s longstanding problems dealing with Democratic women. These problems apply to women in the G.O.P. as well. A striking example appeared in the news a few weeks ago. Several male leaders of the G.O.P. in the U.S. House gave a verbal lashing to Liz Cheney, the most prominent female in their ranks. Representative Cheney is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. She has been a fast-climbing conservative star in party and is ranked third in the Republicans’ House leadership. These qualifications amounted to little when male colleagues lambasted her at a closed meeting. The men complained that Cheney was not sufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump.
One of the actions that stirred resistance from colleagues related to Cheney’s defense of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the distinguished infectious disease specialist. Fauci irritated President Trump when he affirmed the seriousness of the pandemic in the United States. Trump suggested the virus would “disappear” soon. Cheney also alienated Republican House members by expressing disagreement with Trump’s foreign policies. She was unhappy about the administration’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Germany, and she expressed concern that Russia may have paid bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers. Cheney’s positions on these issues were clearly within the mainstream of public discussion.
Liz Cheney received harsh reprimands from her fellow legislators. Representative Jim Jordan, a powerful figure among Republicans in Washington, said the party would be better served by someone who helped the president rather than going after him. Another representative called on her to step down as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. Some accused her of betraying the president and hurting his chances for reelection.
The Republican Party has been criticized for years about the lack of female presence in its legislative ranks. After several Democratic women won congressional elections in 2018, Republicans seemed to recognize it was time for an adjustment. That interest may have been a factor in Liz Cheney’s quick elevation to the third most prestigious position among House Republicans. Party members also chose her because she is not afraid to fight for her ideas. She demonstrated that courage in the tense meeting, responding sharply to the criticisms hurled at her.
Two lessons stand out from this news story. First, the treatment of Liz Cheney represents yet another example of a practice that has become all-too common within the G.O.P. Pressures are great to follow the leader. Party officials will not even tolerate substantive questions about policy if they differ from the judgments of President Trump. Secondly, this is another example of the male-oriented party’s clumsy and discourteous treatment of women. If a conservative and prominent woman like Liz Cheney receives a drubbing from her colleagues after raising legitimate questions, no wonder the G.O.P. has problems recruiting talented women to run for public office.
Was this a clash over Policy or Gender? Evidently, both.
