I Can No Longer Call Myself a Republican: The RNC Censures Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger

I have been a Republican my entire life. I have worked on campaigns, run for political office, volunteered for the party, and even donated money. But I can no longer call myself a Republican. This week, the Republican National Committee censured Representatives Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) for speaking out against President Donald Trump. They are two of the most principled conservatives in Congress.

According to the RNC’s website, the “primary goal of the Republican National Committee is to guide the Republican Party in the United States. It is in charge of drafting and promoting the Republican party’s political platform, as well as raising money and election planning”.

Ironically, the first sentence on the About our party portion of the website states, “Initially united in 1854 by the promise to abolish slavery, the Republican Party has always stood for freedom, prosperity, and opportunity. “How far have they fallen.

Last week, the RNC censured Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger. Funny, I went to the RNC website, gop.com, to find a copy of the resolution, but it was nowhere to be found. You would have thought that it would have been front and center or at least in the news and press release section, but nothing.

So I did a little digging and found the resolution on the NY Times website and found the “resolution to formally censure Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and to no longer support them as members of the Republican Party”.

The first line of the resolution states, “the primary mission of the Republican Party is to elect Republicans who support the United States Constitution and share our values.” To me, this means a shift in the mission of the Republican Party from something to do with platforms, freedom, pick your bumper sticker, to “elect Republicans.” At least that portion of the resolution was straightforward. Republicans are only focused on regaining political control. I think that should have added, “by any means necessary.”

The first sentence was the beginning of the patently absurd resolution condemning two of the most conservative Republicans. When it came to legislation, the pair was in lockstep for the former President. Liz Cheney sided with Trump 92.9 percent of the time and Adam Kinzinger 90.2 percent. These are folks former President Trump would consider RINOs, Republican in Name Only. How did they get sideways with President Trump? Both of whom are currently among the party’s all-too-few elected officials, fighting bravely for the Constitution against a former president who was prepared to overturn a fair election result and who continues to wield control over his party.

The resolution adds false narratives regarding substituting socialism for liberty, opening borders, removing national defense measures, and purposely destroying the economy with inflation and environmental policies.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the resolution goes off the rails. First, it defines that the primary goal of the House of Representatives should be winning back the House in 2022, not passing the legislature, not doing the things the House is supposed to be doing but winning. It continues that Cheney and Kinzinger support the Democratic Party in attempting to destroy the former President. The resolution states that the January 6th Committee is engaged in the “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” How can anyone read this resolution without cringing?

So there you go. The RNC has taken the stance that, as of February 7, 2022, 740 arrested and 240 pled guilty were engaged in legitimate political discourse. The “discourse” in question included making threats to hang the Vice President and other elected officials. They were carrying out their duty under the Constitution to certify the electoral college count. It has become more evident over the last month of former President Trump and his inner circle attempting to come up with ways to overturn the election. These are his words, not mine.

I am done. As I have written numerous times, the Trump Administration was difficult for me as a Republican. When your party and party rallies attract Neo-Nazis and Confederate Flag waving “patriots,” you need to reassess your associations. When the party decides to stand behind one man, a former President that was impeached twice and has no qualms stating that the Vice President should not have certified the election, you need to think hard. When the same guy giddily looks at the television watching the rioters march with a Confederate flag in Statuary Hall of the Congress and sees “good people,” you have to decide. And when you have leadership that is more concerned with the party than the nation, you have to step away.