The Liz Cheney fist bump that will launch a thousand negative ads - CNN Politics - 0 views
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As President Joe Biden made his way toward the House dais to deliver his speech on Wednesday night, he and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (Wyoming) exchanged a very brief fist bump.
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Cheney was one of at least 20 people – and that is a low-end estimate – whom Biden fist-bumped or elbow-bumped on his way to the podium
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But Cheney has become the No. 1 target of the former president because she had the audacity to vote for his impeachment following his incitement of a riot that led to an armed insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6
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Despite all of that, as soon as I saw it happen, all I could think to myself was: Donald Trump (and his acolytes) are going to have a field day with this. Here’s why: We are a visual people. Which means videos have power in our society. And the video of Biden fist-bumping Cheney is going to be used by every Trumpist who wants Cheney to lose her seat next year as evidence that she is a Republican In Name Only (RINO) and a sellout of conservative principles.
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In an interview with Punchbowl News on Tuesday – before the fist-bump – Cheney was both pragmatic and optimistic about her political future. She acknowledged that she is likely to face a “challenging primary” following her vote against Trump, but quickly added: “Anybody who wants to get in that race and who wants to do it on the basis of debating me about whether or not President Trump should have been impeached, I’ll have that debate every day of the week.”
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“Liz Cheney is polling sooo low in Wyoming, and has sooo little support, even from the Wyoming Republican Party, that she is looking for a way out of her Congressional race,” said Trump in a statement released Tuesday. “Based on all polling, there is no way she can win.” (Sidebar: Yes, he really wrote “sooo,” not once but twice.)
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If you don’t think a moment – caught on tape – matters, just ask former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) about his decision to embrace former President Barack Obama during a presidential visit in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.