Last week, former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania said he had already voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. A few days earlier, the Democrat also received some endorsements from prominent Wisconsin Republicans, including former Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz. A few days earlier, Al Cárdenas, the former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, announced his support for Harris.
They have a lot of company. Because the Democratic ticket is heavily focused on reaching independent and disaffected Republican voters, Republicans have become a surprisingly effective force for Harris, backed by former members of Congress, governors, state legislators, Cabinet secretaries, White House staffers and even a former Republican vice president who probably never dreamed he would support a Democratic presidential candidate.
The developments have not gone unnoticed. On the contrary, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina appeared on “Meet the Press” this weekend and asked a rather pointed question. NBC News reported:
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Sunday criticized members of his own party who support Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid, asking them, “What the hell are you doing?”
It was probably a rhetorical question, but it’s relatively easy to answer.
Liz Cheney, former chair of the House of Representatives Republican Conference, has held a number of public events with Harris, including one in Wisconsin where Charlie Sykes – a conservative media host who has also broken with his party and endorsed Harris – hosted the former congressman from Wyoming recalled Graham’s off-air comment and asked for her response.
“Well, don’t listen to Lindsey Graham,” Cheney replied. “It’s actually good life advice.”
Sykes: Lindsey Graham was on TV saying, what are you NeverTrump Republicans doing? There are many people who are disillusioned with the Republican Party, but they are afraid to pay the price. What do you say to them?
Cheney: Well, don’t listen to Lindsey Graham. It’s good life advice… pic.twitter.com/noaaVyBfDz
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 22, 2024
It was a funny line and it got some applause from the crowd, but that’s not all Cheney had to say about it. At the same event, Cheney even said, “If you wouldn’t… hire someone to watch your kids, you shouldn’t make that man president of the United States.” She continued: “In this election, we need to elect the person who is the responsible adult.”
Hours earlier, at a separate Harris event in Pennsylvania, the former leader of the House Republican Party encouraged voters to ponder the meaning of electing a president who is “completely erratic,” “completely unstable,” and who “worships tyrants.”
If Graham really wants to know “what the hell” anti-Trump Republicans are doing, there’s no great mystery here: They’re putting patriotism above party. They are coming to terms with the fact that their party has nominated an erratic criminal, credibly accused of mental instability, and running on an authoritarian platform. They believe it is in the nation’s best interest to defeat him and elect a qualified, regular vice president instead.
For more on this, I also refer the South Carolinian to Cheney’s recent comments in the birthplace of the Republican Party.
Nearly three weeks later, the speech is holding up pretty well, whether Lindsey Graham wants to listen or not.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
