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Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) brought Goldstein Auditorium back to the hours following the Jan. 6 insurrection at a discussion Monday. She described members of the National Guard slumped and exhausted next to statues of iconic American leaders.

Among the wreckage from the attack, Cheney saw a painting of George Washington relinquishing power over the Continental Army.

“He began the tradition and history in our nation of a peaceful transfer of power,” she said. “Every single president of the United States, every one, has honored that duty, has treated it as sacred, except for one.”

During the event, which was organized by Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Cheney spoke with Provost Gretchen Ritter about the importance of citizenship in defending American democracy following the insurrection. Throughout the talk, Cheney denounced political polarization and encouraged students to engage in civil service to make a difference.

Cheney focused on her perspective as a sitting Republican who called for Trump’s impeachment following Jan. 6, and chairs the committee investigating the incident.
She said those defending the events of Jan. 6 undercut the foundation of the country’s democracy.

“When you defend a behavior like that, it increasingly becomes acceptable, increasingly becomes perceived as allowable and we cannot be a country where elections are determined by violence,” Cheney said.

Before Cheney took the stage, Maxwell Dean David Van Slyke opened the event speaking on the importance of being open-minded to differing political opinions.

“We are committed to fostering civil dialogue and meaningful exchanges in an increasingly polarized society,” Van Slyke said. “We believe in the right to protest as much as the right to free critical inquiry, and part of that is being willing to listen to each other.”

Highlighting Cheney’s work is important as she has shown the ability to defect from her party’s rhetoric, he said.

“What a tremendous blessing it is that we get to live in a place where we get to make decisions about our government and our laws,” Cheney said. “But what a tremendous duty and responsibility of citizenship that that imposes on all of us.”

It is every Americans’ duty to ensure that future generations understand the gravity of peaceful transfers of power, she continued.

Cheney reiterated that she still is a Republican and that she wants to steer the direction of the party away from the behaviors shown at the insurrection. The Republican Party censured her last May.

She said the Republican Party needs to stick to its foundations of limited government, strong national defense and prioritizing people as individuals.

“We’re either going to embrace those ideologies, those ideological principles on which we were built, or we’re going to go down the path of embracing insurrection and excusing it,” Cheney said.

Cheney encouraged people to make informed and thoughtful decisions when they use their power of voting by searching for excellence, honesty and character in elected officials in order to push out “partisan toxicity.”

Sean O’Keefe, a professor in the Maxwell School and a former Secretary of the U.S. Navy, said Cheney has taken the oath of office “to a substantially higher standard” with her actions in a time of “great division and domestic tension.”

“Our honored guest today has embraced the ideals of national vision (and) citizenship,” O’Keefe said.

During the event, Ritter pressed Cheney on climate change legislation and gay marriage, items she had previously opposed. Up until 2021, Cheney stated that she believed in the “traditional” definition of marriage. Cheney said that she was “wrong on the issue” in the past and now supports the right of people “to marry who they love.”

Cheney also spoke on political partisanship in the news media, and questioned whether Fox News’ coverage is helping or harming the country.

“People have a First Amendment right, they have the right to say what they believe, but news outlets have a duty and an obligation to ask themselves, ‘why are we giving a platform to these perspectives?’” Cheney said.

Ritter and Cheney closed their conservation by turning the focus towards students who want to work in the public sector. Cheney said the government needs even more workers in light of the insurrection.

“While it can seem impossible to make a difference, the lesson of January 6 is that the only thing that makes a difference is people,” she said. “We need every single good and honorable person of character to step forward and serve the country.”

Published on October 3, 2022 at 11:46 pm

Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu