Wyoming Democratic Party Chairman Joe Barbuto on Tuesday said he was amused that Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney is frequently called a liberal or a RINO (Republican in Name Only) by Republicans in the state.
Barbuto, in two Facebook posts, said the labeling of Cheney as anything but a partisan Republican doesn’t make sense and her votes show it.
“I’m getting a kick out of the posts/comments accusing Liz Cheney of being a liberal,” Barbuto wrote. “Have you seen her voting record? She is most definitely on the conservative end of the political spectrum.”
“In fact, she voted in line with Donald Trump’s positions almost 94% of the time,” he said.
Barbuto told Cowboy State Daily that he believes the labeling of Cheney as a liberal or a RINO comes from one vote — the impeachment vote. He said if anyone truly believes she leans left, they aren’t paying attention or they’re just getting their news through biased social media accounts.
“Cheney is rated as one of the most partisan members of Congress on the right side of the aisle,” he said. “There is no case to be made that’s she’s liberal.”
“When Kevin McCarthy says she’s not delivering our message anymore, then what’s their message then? Because everything I hear are Republican talking points,” Barbuto said. “That’s been her role as long as she’s been in Washington, DC to be the megaphone for the Republican Party. She’s deviated from the message on one point and suddenly she’s not carrying the message anymore.”
Barbuto shared a CNN article that said Cheney could be losing support for her leadership role in Congress. Cheney is the third highest ranking Republican in the House.
The article mentioned House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s alleged frustration with Cheney for not toeing the party line all the time.
“We all need to be working as one, if we’re able to win the majority. Remember, majorities are not given, they are earned, and that’s about the message about going forward,” McCarthy said on FOX News.
However, Cheney spokesperson Jeremy Adler said the issue was about President Trump’s allegation that the presidential election was stolen and the significance of the riots at the U.S. Capitol in early January.
“This is about whether the Republican Party is going to perpetuate lies about the 2020 election and attempt to whitewash what happened on January 6,” Adler told CNN. “Liz will not do that. That is the issue.”
Because Cheney won’t bend, her leadership position could rest in the balance.
A second vote to remove Cheney (she survived the first attempt by a 145 – 61 margin in early February) could happen as early as May 12.
