Well, I figured this was coming.
She announced her withdrawal today, citing, health concerns in her family as the reason.
She did have some concerns, to be sure..a daughter with newly diagnosed juvenile diabetes. I can personally testify to how devastating that can be to deal with.
Aside from the heavy odds taking on long time conservative Senator Mike Enzi, a struggle in itself in a small state like Wyoming, there was also the unfortunate matter of her remarks on gay marriage.
Her sister Mary,whom she's always been close to married her partner Heather Poe in 2012.
There's no law that says someone has to have a position on each and every issue, and no matter how one feels about same sex marriage, a response along the lines of 'this is a family matter for me and I don't feel it's appropriate to comment' would have been a proper response. Instead, she chose to make it a campaign issue, understandably enraging her sister and putting her parents in the uncomfortable position of being in the middle.
That lack of judgment alone would have had me pulling the lever for Mike Enzi if I lived in Wyoming. But I'm also prepared to cut Liz Cheney some slack and call it an unforced rookie error, provided she learns from it and makes an effort to make things right. An endorsement of Enzi might be a good start, as well as an apology to members of her family.
While she was taking a beating in the polls, the fact also remains that she raised over $2 million in funding,very respectable for Wyoming. Enzi's 69, junior Senator John Barrasso turns 62 this year, and Wyoming's sole member of the House, Rep. Cynthia Lummis is well entrenched. Meanwhile, Liz Cheney is fairly young and a retirement by any of them or even a run in a nearby state, along with some seasoning, might see Liz Cheney in Congress.
'this is a family matter for me and I don't feel it's appropriate to comment'
ReplyDeleteuh, yes, that would be an appropriate response, if her last name were clinton.
Nah, I don't agree here. Once you say that, you stick to it. And I actually think people in Wyoming would have understood that.
ReplyDeleteThe people you love mean more than a gig. Or should,anyway. Although I also have to say that Mary and Heather could have ripped Liz privately instead of going on Facebook, although they would probably say that since Liz went public,they did too.
Like I wrote, hopefully this was a learning experience for Liz Cheney..and if her kid has juvenile diabetes, I understand fully why she decided to devote herself to the home front. My younger sister died of it.