I urged Liz Cheney to run for Senate against Mike Enzi the other night because I didn’t like the sense of entitlement exhibited by his supporters, Run, Liz Cheney, Run.
I noted that I had nothing against Enzi, and that I didn’t know much about him.
In that comment, I may have missed the biggest point. We need leaders in this fight, not people we never hear about.
That’s a point made in a column by Kurt Schlichter, Time to Throw Out Second Best GOP Senators (h/t Instapundit):
Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi is a loyal Republican, a decent guy, and generally a good senator. He also needs to retire from the Senate because he is not good enough, and I don’t care if that makes him sad.
The New York Times probably thought it was helping him recently when it ran an article about how Dick Cheney’s daughter Liz is planning to challenge him in the 2014 Republican primary. The Times hailed him as “a studious, low-key legislator who worked well with Senator Edward M. Kennedy,” and Enzi probably thinks that’s a compliment.
For that reason alone he needs to go.
He needs to go because we can do better. It’s not about Mike Enzi or any other Republican politician. It’s about winning this war against progressivism, and if you aren’t leading the fight then bow out and make room for someone who will.
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Comments
BRAVO, Liz!!!
I’m with you, Professor. We NEED her in the US Senate. Smart, tough, resolute, conservative, gifted with DNA from 2-extraordinary parents. C’mon, Wyoming voters!
William F. Buckley Jr. said we should always elect the most conservative person who can win in every election (local, state, national).
And of course eat your broccoli and read Professor Jacobson every day!
I’m sorry, but I’m getting tired of this quote. This quote was the one used to suggest that we should go with Romney since he was the “most electable” candidate in the primary.
The fact is, we can’t read the future so we don’t know who can be elected until after the race is over. It is possible that one of the other candidates could have beaten Obama, since they wouldn’t have had the albatross that was Romneycare around their neck and could gone on the offensive with Obamacare.
Are you suggesting you want someone more photogenic with name recognition? If your idea is to expand your political base, that kind of thinking isn’t going to attract Independents like me.
If that is the understanding you got from reading the linked articles then I doubt there is much that could be said that would attract your vote – your reading comprehension ability appearing to be rather problematic.
And with disparaging comments like that, you wonder why you have trouble convincing people your points of view have validity?
I’ve heard Liz Cheney on various Fox News formats. She’s a competent well spoken commentator, and I’ve agreed with her on some issues (her defense of the Israeli blockade)and found her suspect on others (her explanation of her involvement with that Iranian business guy seemed facile). But mostly she’s a State Department wonk, with a famous daddy, and a perky High School cheerleader personality. What experience has she had that would make her a good Senator for the people of Wyoming, who may think her recent move there merely a disingenuous ploy to run for senator? BTW, the talk when that idea first came out was of her ‘sense of entitlement’ in expecting Enzi to drop out and not run.
And of all the subsequent comments below critical of Jacobson’s view, do you think all of those people are having comprehension difficulty too…
Yes, the GOP does need people who can lead, although it’s not wise to have only leaders in the GOP.
Still, my view is that each GOP candidate for office, and especially for re-election, needs to face the fire of competition, to demonstrate how that candidate differs from other persons running for the GOP’s nomination for that office.
However, competition does bring the danger of primaries becoming heated and contentious, which could harm the eventual nominee for office; so be it.
The GOP does need leaders, I agree. They also need fighters. That is definitely not Enzi. So if he won’t lead, then he needs to fight. Instead he is too busy schmoozing with leftists to do that.
Unfortunately, in Wyoming the only real battles are in the primaries. There are even cases where the Democrats don’t even bother to field candidates for the general election, so candidates actually win the election after the primary.
As I mentioned in response to the earlier post, I can hardly imagine a bigger waste of available resources. Remember, there is only so much money sloshing around that can be dedicated to campaigns. For every contested primary requiring major campaign fundraising and expenditures that is money that will not end up in a race against a D. The pool of people willing to fund such things is not unlimited. If they fund this they will hold off funding something else more valuable.
BTW – ‘We’ aren’t involved other than as financial contributors. This is a Wyoming thing. Sure some states like NY will take a high profile carpetbagger, but it is generally best over the long haul to go with the person known and liked in the state.
Sorry, I’m going to label that comment what it is; dumb.
Contests in nature are expensive to individuals…you could even say to the population, to some degree. They are vastly more beneficial to the whole.
There are no free goods, after all.
And vigorous challenges and contests in the right end of the spectrum are well worth the costs.
Bring them on.
By that logic, all available Republican resources should be depleted in primaries leaving the Ds who avoided following course an advantage in the general election. I’m gathering from your comment that you’ve never been involved in campaign politics in any serious manner. The campaign committees of all legislative bodies, state and federal house and senate, not to mention state and national party organizations expend considerable energy working to avoid resource depleting primaries. They do this because resources are scarce. This is especially true where, as here, you have a politically reliable incumbent with greater ties to the community/state, than the allegedly star opponent. In addition, let me note that Liz Cheney has never come across to me as particularly impressive. So, conversations that presume, a priori, her supposed appeal to conservatives need to be founded on a little more evidence than has been provided so far (facts not in evidence).
It is superficially popular to dislike campaign politics and those who practice these ‘dark arts’ but it would be naive to assume that you know more than these folks who practice this tactical game on a professional and career basis and not one of these people would endorse your comment about the supposed value of contesting incumbents all the time. Not, at least, if your objective is to retain or achieve a conservative majority in a legislative body.
By that logic, every rut all deer should be killed…
See…???
That is simply a stupid argument.
I want the strongest in the herd to survive. That entails some of the herd being challenged. Is there a cost? Wul, yeh. If I am Mr. Bambi, maybe I don’t get the does I want, and they might really like me. And I might even get killed. Damn.
Duh.
You articulated a general principle ‘that all contests are beneficial’ that doesn’t account for scarce resources in pursuing such contests and other, higher, possibly conflicting objectives such as retaining or gaining a legislative majority. It is certainly not established that all contests both produce the best individual candidate and also advance the interests of achieving a legislative majority. In fact, as I explained above, most political professionals believe that such contests are low value or harmful to the larger purpose of achieving legislative majorities through the efficient allocation of scarce campaign resources. There are many reasons this is true, not only is money scarce and limited but it generally comes from sources that have a maximum dollar amount they will spend and money spent one place is denied elsewhere where it could achieve greater results for a legislative majority. In fact, incumbent legislators are often a key source of campaign money that is donated to party campaign organizations for such things as get out the vote, etc. A guy like Enzi, as an unopposed candidate, can raise all kinds of money that is transferred to a party committee that uses the money more efficiently. For him to have to forgo this beneficial function he would otherwise perform for the party by using this money in a low value primary contest is an overall loss for the effort to achieve a legislative majority.
“…most political professionals believe that such contests are low value or harmful to the larger purpose…”
Well, I will just leave that right there.
It is a ripe clump of fallacious grapes, ready for any reader to swallow. And the irony is, you don’t see the irony.
Did you read any of the links? Particularly the second linked article? The WY Republican primary effectively is the election.
What better place to spend resources than where they will affect a positive change.
Enzi is becoming ever more squishy the longer he stays in DC, this might be tolerable if he represented a more leftist state. But he doesn’t, he represents Wyoming, and we can demand, and get better.
Thomas – you used the ‘we’ . Are you a Wyoming voter?
I am not certain of course but my crystal ball says outside influencers – including stars like Palin – will be more scarcer in 14 .
My question would be, given the NYT faint praise, how many Democratic minds, like Senator Ted Kennedy, did he effectively change or sway to vote in a more conservative manner? Next, how many times were his votes swayed by Senators like Ted Kennedy?
As EBL has said above, paraphrasing William F Buckley, elect the most conservative candidate you can who will win each and every time. Given that Enzi is highly rated on conservatism, and has won elections hands down, I’m not sure how he gets the high rating and still doesn’t lead in some manner.
If I lived in Wyoming I’d need more than Schlichter’s negative no-endorsement to make up my mind. Nothing against Liz Cheney in the meantime and I’d vote for her in a heartbeat if she were to run for Senate in Michigan…anyone to the right of Marx would be nice.
Pssst: Being from Michigan, I make v-e-r-y little distinction between Republicans and Democrats…other than the lapel pins they wear at election time. We’ve been taxed to death and the worst of it came under a 14 year Republican Governor [Milliken…who formally endorse Kerry in 2004]. We now have a new Republican Governor…so we’ll see if there is a real difference this time…so far, good on him…he dumped the closeted and unmitigated VAT tax we had.
if her last name were not cheney would she be as electable or have as much initial support?
I have trust issues.
With all due respect, Professor, among responses to your post were a good number (I’d have to go back and check, but it was sizeable) of commenters who 1) were in complete agreement regarding Liz Cheney’s suitability for office, and 2) who also thought she should run from the state where she lives. Count me among them.
R. Kennedy, H. Clinton, R. Lugar, R. Kerry – that’s a collection of “special” and “entitled” people whose call to serve was in “response to the will of the people.” I don’t care which party these people represent, they’re not that important – do it right or not at all. If she doesn’t do it as a candidate from Virginia, she can stay home.
Trial by Ambush. I can’t believe FL allows instructions on lesser-included offenses regardless what is charged. How common is that? How is child abuse a lesser included. Did the information expressly allege TM was a minor? Amazing.
Oops wrong thread. Sorry.
I concur with the entitlement mentality. Paraphrasing: he hasn’t done anything wrong; doesn’t deserve to lose. WTF? Is that how people are re-elected now? He hasn’t been caught in a sex scandal, so let’s not upset his apple cart?
Screw that! Enzi needs to be a big boy and take the challenge. Good grief…
Mike Enzi is a great, conservative Senator who doesn’t seek the media spotlight because he has said the media merely wants legislators to bash on each other. Liz Cheney, although an admirable conservative and daughter of a great Wyomingite, IS NOT FROM WYOMING! She has never lived there in her LIFE until she bought a house in Jackson a year ago. I urge all Wyomingites to resist carpet-bag politics and keep Wyomingites representing us in Washington. Name doesn’t get you elected, as was proved when the son of Alan Simpson was defeated when he ran for state-wide office.
Mike Enzi used to be mayor of Gillette. He knows how Federal laws and regulate impact Wyoming on the local level. He doesn’t deserve the job because he’s entitled – that’s what Cheney is running on- The entitlement of her Daddy’s good name. That won’t be good enough for Wyoming’s voters.
“Liz Cheney… IS NOT FROM WYOMING! She has never lived there in her LIFE until she bought a house in Jackson a year ago.”
Yes, this. I find it amusing that she’s running around the state trying to convince us that she’s One Of Us when she didn’t live here until a year ago… and when she decided to move here, she chose Jackson, not “real” Wyoming. (Apparently her parents’ hometown of Casper, and the Natrona County schools her parents attended, aren’t “good enough” for her and her kids?)
I’m not a huge Enzi fan, but I’ll take a real Wyomingite who understands Wyoming issues and Wyoming values over a Beltway denizen who expects to vault into office on the strength of her parentage.
Another Wyoming citizen chiming in here.
Ok, I am not a fan of Enzi and I think he needs to go. Last week when he decided to grace us with his presence for a “listening” tour, I called him out in my local paper for avoiding much of us instead.
http://trib.com/opinion/letters/come-to-casper-sen-enzi/article_76076183-7540-5e74-84e2-82f63ad12a55.html
That said, I don’t want Liz Cheney either. She is NOT a Wyoming citizen. Further I am not a fan of the political dynasties that America seems to be adopting. America is not (or at least should not be) a hereditary aristocracy. I don’t want another Bush, Clinton or Kennedy in the presidency and I sure don’t think that just because Dick Cheney is your father that you deserve to represent Wyoming.
Why is no one talking of the possibility of picking up senate seats ? Louisiana is up for Mary Dynasty person.
Hey why not have a Dynasty Party? Chelsea could do Arkansas soon. Are there any Gores to get a solid Memphis seat?
I can’t remember Bush 1’s Vp name but his kid is in already. Then there is Beau Biden a distinct possibility.
Heck why have elections – just invite them . No draft of course .