"Because, I think, the challenges that I describe in the book and the challenges that we face, you know, they're ones that I think people across the political spectrum, with the exception of some in the Republican Party, really recognize how grave this threat is."
Co-host Joy Behar cited Cheney's comment that the country is "sleepwalking into a dictatorship." She asked why so many people are still on Donald Trump's side.
"I think part of it is because what he's saying is so horrible, and in a way we've become numb," Cheney began. "And I also think that all of us, as Americans, we've become accustomed to sort of being able to rely on our republic surviving, and so it can become very difficult."
"I hear people on the right saying, 'Oh, you're catastrophizing and exaggerating this threat.' When I said sleepwalking into a dictatorship, it's not really understanding and recognizing how dangerous it would be. For example, to have a president who was unwilling to enforce the rulings of the courts. He was just simply saying that if I don't agree with the court, I'll ignore those rulings. That's the end of the constitutional republic."
Ana Navarro said that there are a lot of Republicans who talk tough but then refuse to back it up with action. She asked Cheney what happened to the conservative ideas she was raised on and how the GOP had strayed so far. She also asked if the GOP could be salvaged.
"Well, I think that, first of all, we don't know. Nobody has voted yet, so we don't know for sure who the nominees are going to be on each side," Cheney said. Donald Trump is currently leading by a considerable amount in Iowa and other early primary states and is favored to be the Republican nominee.
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"I think that the Republican Party itself is clearly so caught up in this cult of personality that it's very hard to imagine that the party can survive. I think increasingly it's clear that once we get through 2024, we're going to have to have something else, something new. I believe the country has to have a party that's based on conservative principles and values — where we can engage with the Democrats on substance and on policy," said Cheney.
Alyssa Farah Griffin asked about the House Republicans and noted that she's fearful what happened on Jan. 6 could happen again with some of the same people in charge who were willing to throw out the Constitution.
Cheney made it clear that it is "really important for everybody who is watching to understand that [Speaker] Mike Johnson's (R-LA) argument when he objected to the electoral votes was that he, Mike Johnson, has the authority because he believes that the Constitution was violated in these states. Forget about the fact that he completely ignored the fact that the allegations that were being made had already been rejected by the courts."
She confessed concern after watching Johnson.
He was "ignoring the rulings of the court and ignoring the votes had been certified by governors in all those states, ignoring the law, ignoring the Constitution and making the assertion members of Congress can simply decide they're going to throw out the votes of tens of millions Americans and install the person they want to be president," said Cheney.
"That's why I say as someone who's been a lifelong Republican — Republicans cannot be in the majority in the House of Representatives come Jan. 2025. It's so, so important, and I think that people across the country have to recognize we have to vote for people who believe in the constitution and reject election deniers."
See some of the clips of the show below or at the link here.
