Even though Donald Trump no longer occupies the White House, the destructive sellout to Trumpism by Republicans and faux conservatives continues. The latest evidence of this reality comes to us from the state of Arizona, where Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward provides proof of how Trumpism is destroying conservatism and liberty.
Ward’s faux conservatism bona fides were first revealed in 2015 when she primaried then-Sen. John McCain, who was running for reelection. As a frequent critic of John McCain — he was the first enshrinee to the Gutless On Principles Hall of Shame — I found Ward to be an intriguing candidate, particularly after she received the endorsement of pre-Trump Mark Levin.
Ward failed to unseat McCain, but she returned in 2017 as an alternative to Jeff Flake — he was still considering a 2018 run for reelection at the time — and she promised to be “a conservative champion who will stand with President Trump” if elected. After Trump targeted Flake for failing to give Trump the undying loyalty worthy of the Narcissist-in-Chief, Flake decided to retire, but Ward later lost the nomination to fellow Trumpist Martha McSally, who lost in the general election to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.
By the way, after John McCain lost his battle with brain cancer in 2018, McSally was appointed to temporarily fill his Senate seat, but she lost (again) when she faced Democrat Mark Kelly in the 2020 special election.
Even after her multiple failures, Kelli Ward rode the Trump Train to victory in 2019 as the chair of the Arizona Republican Party, and used her new position to promote Trumpism over conservatism and liberty.
Before Ward and Trumpism, Republicans held both seats in the U.S. Senate and the presidency; after Ward and Trumpism, the party was completely shut out. Still, Ward continued to embrace all things Trump.
During Trump’s attempt to steal the election after being demolished by Joe Biden, Ward filed lawsuits seeking to nullify the Arizona election results as she embraced Trump’s election conspiracy theories. Eventually, she called on Trump to, essentially, use the military to seize control of Washington and establish his dictatorship.
Mr. President @realDonaldTrump – we are with you in #Arizona. We are working every avenue to stop this coup & to stop our Republic from crumbing. Patriots are united. Those who are against us are exposing themselves. #Liberty & #freedom are on the line. #CrossTheRubicon @GenFlynn pic.twitter.com/wbzjqkQJv7
— Dr. Kelli Ward 🇺🇸 (@kelliwardaz) December 20, 2020
The idiom “Cross the Rubicon” means to irrevocably commit to a course of action, or to make a fateful and final decision. It touches on the actions of Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon River with his army, precipitating the Roman Civil War against Pompey and the Roman Senate, ultimately leading to the rise of Caesar as dictator.
But in the true spirit of “Trumpism is forever,” Ward has been at work destroying conservatism and liberty in America at the state level.
According to a report by NBC News, Republican lawmakers in Arizona have just introduced a bill that could have helped Trump steal the election had it already been the law. The legislation will give the state legislature full authority to override the secretary of state and toss out election results at any time up to the presidential inauguration.
GOP Rep. Shawnna Bolick introduced the bill, which rewrites parts of the state’s election law, such as sections on election observers and securing and auditing ballots, among other measures.
One section grants the Legislature, which is currently under GOP control, the ability to revoke the secretary of state’s certification “by majority vote at any time before the presidential inauguration.”
“The legislature may take action pursuant to this subsection without regard to whether the legislature is in regular or special session or has held committee or other hearings on the matter.”
The introduction of the bill comes as the Arizona GOP has faced an intraparty fight after former President Donald Trump fueled baseless claims about the election after the state went to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election — the first time in 24 years a Democrat has won the state. (emphasis mine)
The introduction of the bill follows the Arizona Republican Party’s recent decision to censure Cindy McCain, wife of the late John McCain, and Jeff Flake. Both of them openly supported Biden over Trump, but as the long-time political enemies of the ex-president, it wasn’t all that surprising to see Ward push through something that I’m sure was suggested by Trump.
The Arizona House and Senate are controlled by the Republican Party, but the fate of this legislation is still a guessing game at this point. However, the fact that this bill was introduced in the first place is proof that Trumpism is destroying conservatism and liberty in America.
Ironically, Kelli Ward has been caught in a “do as I say, not as I do” situation. After repeating Trump’s claim that his reelection was stolen from him due to widespread voter fraud and demanding a recount of votes, Ward is currently under scrutiny over allegations of fraud in her reelection for Arizona Republican Party chair while refusing to allow a recount of votes in her narrow victory.
I guess voter fraud isn’t an issue when the person with an “R” after their name wins.
I wish Kelli Ward’s Trumpism was an isolated incident, but it isn’t. Trumpism is destroying conservatism and liberty in other states once thought to be strongholds in defense of these values.
After one of the Trump’s numerous attempts to steal the election failed when the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 against a Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the outcome in four battleground states, Allen West, the failed TEA Party congressman and current state chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, called for a new Civil War and secession in a statement released shortly after the ruling.
The Republican Party was responsible for the rise of Donald Trump in 2016 after the Mitch McConnells of the party decided years earlier that their future laid not in conservatism, but in being more like the far-left they pretend to oppose every election season. And if we’ve learned anything over the past four years leading up to the Joe Biden presidency, it’s that elections have nothing to do with the non-existent differences between Republicans and Democrats, and everything to do with the sick condition of an America that has lost her heart.
Republicans have replaced conservatism with Trumpism and nationalism, and they want us to believe that America will be free as long as we work to get rid of Democrats. But the actions of Kelli Ward and other disciples of Trumpism prove otherwise. Trump’s bought-and-paid-for Republican Party has only one objective: self preservation at the expense of conservatism and liberty.
Unless we dedicate ourselves to putting the Constitution above party politics, Kelli Ward and other lovers of Trumpism will continue destroying conservatism and liberty in America. There are a lot of bad players with the name “conservative” attached to their work out there, and the days are too short and the cost is too great for us to do nothing to expose these frauds.
David Leach is the owner of the Strident Conservative. He holds people of every political stripe accountable for their failure to uphold conservative values, and he promotes those values instead of political parties.
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