As near as I can tell, besides her father and Erick Erickson, virtually every Republican I can think of came out crapping on Liz Cheney’s decision to carpet bag into Wyoming and trying to unseat resolutely boring sitting Sen. Mike Enzi. And TPM Reader LW thinks Cheney may end up rueing the day …
FWIW, I think Liz Cheney just made a fatal career move. Having lived in WY for 35 years, I do not believe that Liz can beat Enzi. I think this is going to cause all kinds of hard feelings in Wyoming because this kind of disrespect to a man who has done nothing to deserve being disrespected in this way will simply not sit well. It’s a very east coast kind of move (think Cory Booker) and will only serve to remind people that Liz Cheney has absolutely no real history in Wyoming.
She also seems to have forgotten a very basic element of the WY electoral process, i.e., we have same day voter registration and Democrats routinely turn into Republicans when they walk into the polling place for the primary and then switch back to Democrat on their way out. Personally, I’ve done this at least 4 or 5 times and I will surely do it again next year. Democrats often do this simply to meddle in the Republican primary, often to vote for the most conservative crazy in the field. But this time, I am sure a lot of Dems will happily switch just for the joy of voting against Liz Cheney.
Yes, she will have a bundle of money. But Enzi will have enough and money just doesn’t matter much in WY elections. It’s the personal connections because, literally, here you don’t just expect to meet the candidates, you KNOW the candidates. And if you don’t know them, your friends know them. Enzi will have all that — and many years of good will and humble, serious service which are values that Wyomingites appreciate — while Liz will have what? Money? A father? And the carpetbag she brought with her. I’ll be stunned if it works.
And where does Liz Cheney go after she loses a primary to a man as non-charismatic as Mike Enzi? I’d say that’s pretty much the end of her career. She should have talked to Pete Simpson — Alan’s brother, son of beloved former governor, Milward Simpson. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Pete Simpson. But when he ran for governor, he lost. Because we’re not big on dynasties here. And we’re not fond of people who think they are entitled to anything.
So have fun running, Liz. I will definitely enjoy having the unexpected opportunity to vote against you.
