Florida camera gnat Matt Gaetz parachuting into Wyoming to tell Wyoming what we should think about Representative Liz Cheney is the perfect illustration of politics in 2021.
Never mind that Liz voted with President Trump 93% of the time – much more often than Matt Gaetz ever did, never mind that Liz is far more conservative than Matt Gaetz’s own squish record, never mind that Liz is more effective at getting conservative legislation passed into law, never mind that before last weekend Matt Gaetz could not have located Wyoming on a map.
Now, the perpetually attention seeking Matt Gaetz is somehow, without the record to back it up, the self-appointed voice for Wyoming “conservatives.” Oh, and anyone that opposes him is a RINO. Just ask him, but be sure to get your question in while the camera light is on because he won’t be around later.
So, I have a few questions for Matt Gaetz and his anti-Wyoming buddies.
First, have you ever heard of trona? Didn’t think so. Mining trona provides more than 2,300 high paying jobs in Wyoming.
Liz Cheney saved that industry. She was able to get the federal government to reduce their royalties they take from trona to allow this industry to compete with subsidized artificial trona made in China.
If you work in the trona patch, you have a job in large part because of Liz Cheney. That is two thousand three hundred families that get to live and work in Wyoming thanks to Liz Cheney.
Second, Matt from Florida, what have you ever done for coal? Did you know Wyoming produces more coal than any other state?
Liz Cheney has introduced legislation to end the devastating coal lease moratoriums and to allow more of the money the federal government takes to mine Wyoming coal to come back to the State of Wyoming. Wyoming has never had a better friend of coal than Liz Cheney.
Don’t believe me, go look what the Wyoming Mining Association and the more than 7,500 hard working Wyoming miners they represent say about Liz.
What about federal lands, Matt, do you deal with those much in Florida? Did you know Liz introduced legislation to overturn the absurd BLM Planning 2.0 rules (hint, Matt, when we say BLM in Wyoming, we are referring to the Bureau of Land Management).
Did you know Liz worked to overturn the BLM Methane Rules that would have devastated oil and gas development on federal lands? Again, Liz saved tens of thousands of Wyoming jobs and millions of tax revenue for Wyoming. That is why the Petroleum Association of Wyoming and the thousands of oil field workers they represent stand with Liz.
Speaking of federal lands, Liz sponsored the Resilient Federal Forest Act to improve our national forests to protect us from the devastating fires we have seen in Wyoming and help our local sawmills.
And what about farming and ranching, an incredibly important part of Wyoming’s economy. Liz sponsored legislation to protect Wyoming ranchers from frivolous lawsuits that could cause them to lose their grazing allotments.
She fought for sugar beet farmers and opposed legislation that would have devastated those hard-working Wyoming families. Liz co-sponsored the Gray Wolf State Management Act that would allow the State of Wyoming to manage wolves in Wyoming. You ever get to deal with the federal government introducing wolves in Florida – Matt? That is sort of a big deal here.
No matter the issue, Liz has been the effective, leading, job saving voice for Wyoming. Time after time, when we needed her, she was there.
If we have learned anything from the first few weeks from the Biden administration, it is that he is a puppet to the far left/progressive wing of his party. He has taken actions that pose an existential threat to our state and to the good people that work here.
Liz Cheney is simply the most effective voice for Wyoming at a time when we need that voice. She has proven that she can fight and more importantly win on issues that matter to our state. If Wyoming is going to survive, we need Liz Cheney to remain in Congress. We need her leadership and her intelligence in fighting these battles. Now more than ever, Wyoming needs Liz Cheney.
I have one final point for Matt Gaetz. We have seen gadflies like you before. You don’t like the cold much. When the cameras go off, you will fly back home to the beach.
Meanwhile, those of us that love Wyoming understand that many conservatives are upset and that there are questions that Liz Cheney needs to answer. But you know what, she will. That is how it works in Wyoming. We get to talk directly with our elected officials.
We don’t need some random, elitist, wannabe celebrity coming to tell us hicks in flyover country what to think. We can figure it out on our own. And when we do, we will look at her entire record and judge her accordingly.
Matt Micheli is the former chairman of the Republican Party in Wyoming.
