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Liz Cheney, the Wyoming congresswoman ousted this week from her House leadership position, is a voice of sanity in the wilderness of lies that is the current Republican Party.

The national party continues to kowtow to Donald Trump, who lost the election in 2020 and relentlessly perpetuates the false narrative that the White House was somehow stolen from him.

While the leadership of the GOP is unwilling to step out from under Trumps shadow and find its next path, the Cambria County Republican Party is positioned to take a higher road and divorce itself from the lies and dangerous tactics.

Step one: Ditch the Cambria County: Trump County slogan. Its at worst insulting, and at best outdated.

Step two: Embrace the long-held positive qualities of Republican politics fiscal responsibility, limited corporate taxes, military superiority and bring forth representatives and candidates who not only trumpet those values but who are unwilling to support strategies built on fear, dishonesty and blame over action.

The party locally and nationally needs to move in a new and better direction.

Cheney represents that there can be an alternative although she never stood a chance in the muck of D.C.

Even her blood ties to father Dick Cheney vice president under George W. Bush and former secretary of defense were not enough to save Liz Cheney from removal Wednesday from her status as the No. 3 GOP House member.

Instead, the national party tightened its hitch on the Trump wagon and the ex-presidents dangerous, divisive ways.

Some Trump backers are attempting to convince us that what we all saw play out on our television screens on Jan. 6 didnt actually happen. Right.

Former Vice President Mike Pence embraced his four years under Trump after literally having his life threatened during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot when re-emerging politically in hopes of recapturing the spotlight. Apparently Pence doesnt believe he has enough juice to stand on his own.

So who does?

Come on, Republicans find an alternative that will bring the heat in the areas of business growth and jobs without burning down the entire house that is American politics.

Cheney ran afoul of Trump and his troops when she called him out following the January insurrection at the Capitol.

She voted with nine other GOP House members who supported impeaching Trump for inciting the violent assault on the halls of Congress even after he had reluctantly left office in defeat.

Among those leading the charge to knock Cheney down a notch were Trump lap dogs Kevin McCarthy of California and Steve Scalise of Louisiana both of whom stood to increase in stature with her demise.

With her removal imminent, Cheney pushed back in a speech to almost no one at the Capitol:

I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former presidents crusade to undermine our democracy.

Today, we face a threat America has never seen before a former president who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol, in an effort to steal the election, (and) has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election was stolen from him. He risks inciting further violence.

Inciting violence and undermining democracy are strategies right out of the Trump playbook along with embracing racism and anti-Semitism, seeking support from Christian groups without actually sharing their beliefs, enacting policies that benefit himself and his enterprises, and exhibiting generally petty and unprofessional behavior. (Trump called Cheney a bitter, horrible human being.)

All this to set the stage for the 2022 mid-term elections and the next race for the presidency.

While in the meantime, the Republican Party is bleeding from a million self-inflicted cuts unified behind a dangerous authoritarian rather than positive conservative ideals.

Liz Cheney daughter of Dick Cheney, a disciple of Richard Nixon and architect of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now says she will prepare for a presidential run in 2024.

Liberals dislike Cheney because of her war-hawk lineage and her conservative views on social issues. But at least her stances represent traditional Republican values that can be debated and either backed or opposed.

Trump prefers a power grab without a hint of values and no debate.

As an alternative to the lies of Trump and the spinelessness of GOP leaders in the House and Senate, Cheney would make for a compelling option in a 2024 primary.

And hey, Cambria County: Cheney County would be an upgrade in character and integrity.

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Chip Minemyer is the editor of The Tribune-Democrat and TribDem.com, and CNHI regional editor for Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia. He can be reached at 814-532-5091. Follow him on Twitter @MinemyerChip.

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Chip Minemyer | When Liz Cheney is the voice of sanity for the GOP ... - TribDem.com

The first Latino to be elected as mayor of a Georgia city is now turning his attention to the State Capitol.

Loganville Mayor Rey Martinez announced Wednesday that he will run for the Georgia House District 114 seat that long-time Republican state Rep. Tom Kirby currently holds. Kirby announced earlier this week that he plans to retire when his current term ends in 2022, after a decade in the General Assembly.

Martinez, who was elected Loganville's mayor in 2017, will run as a Republican for the legislative seat.

Id like to first thank Rep. Tom Kirby for his years of service on behalf of the citizens of the 114th District," Martinez said in a statement. "We need to continue to have conservative leadership under the Gold Dome, and thats why I am excited to announce my campaign. I am very much looking forward to the hard work ahead to earn the honor to serve you."

Martinez made state history when he was elected as Loganville's mayor in 2017 because he was the first Latino elected to lead a city in the state. Prior to that, he served on the Loganville City Council from 2010 until he was elected mayor.

The mayor is also a U.S. Navy veteran who was serving in the Navy Reserves when he first ran for a seat on the City Council.

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Although city elections are non-partisan affairs, Martinez is no stranger in Republican circles. During the 2016 presidential election cycle, he led the Georgia Hispanics for Trump Coalition. He also spoke at a rally headlined by Mike Pence, who was still just a candidate for vice president at the time, during that election cycle.

Im not running with a lot of empty promises," Martinez said. "As a lifelong Republican andPro-Trump Conservative, I vow to work hard and always fight for theprinciples that brought me into the Republican Party when I cast my firstvote in 1988: lower taxes, personal responsibility, individual freedoms andputting America and Georgia First.

"I am a battle tested fighter with thescars to prove it who is ready to work hard on behalf of the hardworkingpeople on the 114th House District.

Martinez is also touting his leadership in Loganville, including his support of the city's police and balancing the city's budget, something he said he did while keeping taxes low. He is also touting his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When COVID-19 hit our community, I ensured wefollowed the science to keep each other safe, while also ensuring weprotected our small business owners from being crippled by overreachingmandates," Martinez said. "I was one of the few mayors that chose to safely reopen businessand hold community events like our Independence Day Celebration."

Photos of every 2021 valedictorian and salutatorian from Gwinnett County's public and private high schools. Click for more.

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Loganville Mayor Rey Martinez will run for seat in Georgia House of Representatives in 2022 - Gwinnettdailypost.com

Four business owners in Columbus, Indiana, the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence, share their thoughts on Pence's legacy in the White House. Indianapolis Star

It was a grave, grave disappointment to hear former Vice-President Mike Pence's recent speech in South Carolina.

Pence praised Trump and his presidencybut refused to disavow or even mention the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6. That assault was carried out in Trump's name with the express purpose of overturning the result of the 2020 presidential election. Pence was also a main target of that assault because he refused to overturn the certification of the vote on that day.

Even though Pence had echoed Trump's big election lie from November until early January, he knew that Biden's win by more than 7 million votes had been legally verified several times.

And on Jan. 6, Pence courageously upheld the Constitution.

He and his family had to hide during the assault, while protesters yelled "Hang Mike Pence."

But now, for the sake of retaining the support of Trump's base, Pence has turned his back on the truth. In spite of being targeted on Jan. 6, Pence is willing to sweep an act of sedition under the rug. This is truly shocking. Democracy depends upon the truth.

And there is no greater threat to democracy in America than the

conspiracy theory known as The Big Lie. Pence knows that, and yet he is more than willing to brush The Big Lie and Jan. 6 aside in favor of his ambitions.

Zoe Sitzmann

Zionsville

Excellent articleon the umpire shortage.

When I was 16 (1966), I worked at a car dealership in the parts department. One of the mechanics was in his 60s and knew all about auto engines going back to the Model T. When a younger mechanic asked him how to fix an issue with an engine, he asked the younger mechanic if he wanted a remedy or if he wanted a cure. A remedy is a Band-Aid, while a cure fixes the problem permanently.

Using this analogy, I think a cure is needed, not a remedy.

The IHSAA and also the governing bodies of local non-IHSAA sports need to implement the following:

Once the fans in the stands hear this enough times, it will sink in. Once an unruly fan gets ejected, the taunting will stop.

Now it's up to the sports writers at IndyStar to do their part, which is start beating the drum with the IHSAA to implement the above. You know who the folks who make the decisions are, so the ball is in your court.

Once the IHSAA agrees to implementing this set of rules, the media statewide needs to publish articles before each sport season about these road rules.

This will also send the message to the umpires/referees that they are appreciated, and more will join the ranks.

Jan Bednarz

Indianapolis

Kidney Disease is a public health crisis that affects more than 37 million adults in the U.S. and results in greater risk of severe COVID-19 complications.

As a PhD candidate at Notre Dame studying kidney disease, reading the April 12 article on Gov. Eric Holcombs 2021 legislative agenda made me think about how much we spend treating kidney disease versus how little we spend to prevent it. Medicare spends $130 billion, 24% of the budget, on kidney disease patients. Kidney disease affects 11% of adults in the U.S., yet kidney-related research represents less than 0.2% of research at the National Institutes of Health. As NIH funding rose 37% (2015-2020), kidney research funding increased only 19%.

The CDCs Chronic Kidney Disease Initiative is similarly underfunded at $2.5 million. Investment in cancer research increased tenfold, which contributed to a 400% decline in cancer deaths. However, death and disability of kidney patients increased by 65%.

It is imperative that senators Young and Braun prioritize the 37 million Americans with kidney disease and treat these disparities as the public health crisis it is.

Investing in research and early detection at NIH and CDC will relieve the financial burden kidney disease places on Medicareand, more importantly, save lives.

Hannah Wesselman

Granger

The International Affairs Budget makes up 1% of the U.S. federal budget but impacts all aspects of life in America. These funds are imperative for helping the world's poor, and as global citizens, we must back initiatives that save millions of lives domestically and abroad.

As poverty and malnutrition rates drop, emerging markets are created for U.S. companies to reach and trade. Today, 45% of all U.S. exports now go to developing countries. U.S. job creation and national security are all linked to the plight of the world's poor.

Work remains, especially as 131 million people globally are at risk of starvation due to the impacts of COVID-19. Now more than ever, it is vital to prioritize international funding and provide relief to the world's most vulnerable communities.

Representatives shouldtake action to further global poverty reduction efforts and protect vulnerable members of populations other than our own. When we take care of each other, we all benefit.

Mary Molander

Indianapolis

Over a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and schools in our state had to instantly pivot from in-person to virtual learning. Thousands of children across Indiana were in danger of losing access to the nutrition they rely on from school meals. But Hoosier school nutrition staff immediately stepped up, working day and night to figure out new systems of getting meals to students through grab-n-go pick-ups, meal drop-offs and more.

Because of the crisis, even more families in our community are facing financial strain. In 2021, an alarming 1 in 6 kids could face hunger because of the pandemic. Yet throughout, school nutrition staff have been there, working tirelessly through the summer, through weekends, through holidays, to make sure kids in our state get the nutrition they need.

On School Lunch Hero Day and every day, thank you to all the school nutrition staff across Indiana. You help guarantee kids are healthy and ready to learn, and provide a constant in these challenging times. Your love and dedication for what you do and those you serve are noteworthy and extraordinary. Our gratitude cannot be overstated!

Help No Kid Hungry Indiana celebrate Hoosier Hunger Heroes by sharing the stories that impact your family and community on social media using #ThankAHungerHero and on Facebook (@NoKidHungryIndiana).

Tarrah Westercamp

Greenwood

I was very disappointed to read all the elected officials' Republican responses to President Biden's address to Congress Thursday night. Their published partisan remarks only serve to push the parties farther and farther apart.Being interviewed was their chance to take the high road and prove they are determined to govern the United States of America, not to further partisanship or their own careers.

The only way we will get beyond the Republican-Democrat stalemate in this country is for members of one party to begin publishing their points of agreement with the opposite party. And those of the other party to do likewise.That would be a mark of statesmanship in the leaders.Such statesmanship seems to be lacking. Our Indiana senators and representatives seemed to find no points of agreement with Biden's plans.Such pettiness and partisanship!Americans are weary of this! Democracy is being challenged and tested. We need real leaders who are willing to put the democracy first.

Are there not two elected officials who will take the same platform and declare to the world their willingness to work together?Who will proclaim that democracy is worth saving and thus requires tolerance and compromise?Where are the leaders who will call everyone who wants to live in this democracy to join them?

Let us see the beginning of bipartisanship in our leaders for the sake of the common good of all Americans!

Mary Heins

Indianapolis

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Letters: Pence turns his back on the truth to retain the support of Trump's base - IndyStar

COLUMBIA, S.C. As Mike Pence discussed his tenure as vice president with about 500 religious Republicans, some listeners couldn't help but wonder if they were seeing a preview of coming attractions.

I said to my husband, Did you think this was a trial run for a campaign speech? said Beth Atwater, an attorney from Lexington, South Carolina, who attended Pence's speech before the Palmetto Family Council last week.

Republicans across the country are pondering Pence's chances of becoming president thanks in part to the man who remains at the heart of GOP politics and made Pence vice president: Donald Trump.

Trump and some allies criticize Pence for refusing Trump's demands that he help overturn his election loss of Joe Biden. The insurrection by pro-Trump rioters Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol put Pence's life in danger.

Republicans who want the party to move on from Trump see the former vice president as part of the problem a loyalist who too often enabled the president.

Pence hasn't said he's running for president, but he raised eyebrows with his reemergence in public in South Carolina, home of a key GOP primary in 2024. He has a lineup of events in the coming months that looks like an attempt to appeal to Trump voters without alienating their leader.

Building a base for a presidential run is always challenging, Republicans said, but Pence's predicament is unique.

"I just don't see the path," said Denver Riggleman, a former GOP congressman from Virginia and an outspoken critic of Trump.

Making the moves

Pence is one of several Republicans making the kind of moves one does when exploring a presidential run.

The former vice president has created a political committee, Advancing American Freedom, to promote and defend the policies of the Trump-Pence administration. It has run web ads featuring Pence on issues such as border security.

Young America's Foundation, a conservative group, announced that Pence will give the keynote address at its National Conservative Student Conference in August in Houston. Pence plans to campaign for Republican candidates in the 2022 congressional races.

The former vice president is writing an autobiography scheduled to be published in 2023, a year before the presidential election.

In deciding where to make his first first speech since leaving office, Pence picked South Carolina home of the first-in-the-South primary that has been pivotal in Republican nomination battles.

Friday, Pence will attend an early cattle call of eight potential Republican candidates not named Trump. Texas Republicans organized a private meeting of donors to hear from Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and Rick Scott.

Sarah Longwell, a GOP strategist who ran a group called Republican Voters Against Trump in 2020, said Pence's challenges in a 2024 race are many.

"No. 1, Trump is going to attack him as insufficiently loyal," she said, and Trump voters who believe the election was stolen will blame Pence.

Republicans who want to shed Trump see Pence as complicit in the administration's actions, including the drawn-out protests of the election.

Longwell said, "People who love Trump don't like him, and people who hate Trump don't like him."

'A Christian, a Conservative, a Republican in that order'

During his half-hour speech in a downtown Columbia ballroom last week, Pence said that serving alongside Trump was "the greatest honor of my life," though he didn't mention the ex-president's name that much. He spoke more about the administration's record and criticized the Biden administration over immigration, spending, taxes, abortion and religious freedom.

In his opening, Pence recited a standard self-description: "I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order."

Though vice presidents often find it hard to emerge from the shadow of the presidents they served, the job has become a stepping stone toward the Oval Office. Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush and Joe Biden were elected to the presidency as former vice presidents. Hubert Humphrey (1968), Walter Mondale (1984) and Al Gore (2000) won the Democratic nominations but fell short in the general elections.

None of those former veeps faced the kind of obstacle within their own party that Pence has in Trump.

Pence has to answer one question first: Will he run if Trump does? The former president said he is considering another race in 2024 but won't make an announcement until after the 2022 congressional races.

Normally, a former vice president would be in "the top spot" for the next election, but "in a Trump GOP, it is more complicated," said Mike DuHaime, former political director for the Republican National Committee.

Despite Pence's "fealty over the four years," DuHaime said, "Trump may have forever damaged his reputation with Trump supporters by calling him out during the election lie and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6."

Pence, who frequently talks about his religious faith, does have support from at least one important Republican constituency: evangelical voters such as the ones who saw him speak at the Palmetto Family Council.

Tim Miller, a former Republican political strategist who saw Pence in Columbia, said he has "a base of support with evangelicals, which is better than most have, but can he expand out of that?"

Members of Trump's "Make America Great Again" caucus may remain suspicious.

"Hard to imagine the MAGA voters are ever going to love him," Miller said.

'He did the right thing ... And it's going to cost him'

One of Pence's biggest hurdles to a potential run isn't just his association with Trump but Trump's own criticisms of him.

At a Republican donor conference last month at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said he was still "disappointed" that Pence did not move to block the counting of electoral votes from states that went for Biden.

In a statement this week attacking Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Trump said the election result would have been different "had Mike Pence referred the information on six states (only need two) back to State Legislatures."

Trump denounced his vice president at a rally Jan. 6 that preceded the insurrection at the Capitol, where some Trump supporters roamed the halls looking for Pence and calling him a traitor.

Riggleman, the former congressman from Virginia, said he has seen Trump-Pence yard signs in his district with the vice president's name painted over or otherwise vandalized.

He said he likes Pence and believes the vice president acted honorably in refusing to interfere Jan. 6 when Congress met to confirm Biden's victory. "He did the right thing for the country that day," Riggleman said. "And it's going to cost him."

One thing potentially working in Pence's favor: Few people are paying attention to the Republican presidential race.

Jenny Beth Martin, honorary chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action, said reporters and political activists are interested in the early jockeying, but most Americans are worried about things such as schools opening once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

When the time for attention comes, she said, "the grassroots would want to know first and foremost whether Trump is going to want to run."

'A long time away'

At the Columbia Convention Center, South Carolina Republicans said they believe compatriots in their state and elsewhere places such as Iowa and New Hampshire will judge Pence on his merits. They are intrigued by how Pence might navigate the issue of Trump.

Kelly Ross, who works for a nonprofit company in Greenville, said Pence's base of voters is different from Trump's, and the election "is a long time away" in any event.

Others said the Pence-Trump dispute over Jan. 6 will mean little to Republicans in 2024.

"I think people forget things and get over them and move on to what's best for the country," said Cathy Wells, a housewife from Lexington.

In short, many said, they'll wait and see.

"It's kind of hard to tell," said Atwater, the attorney from Lexington. "You know, politics changes so quickly."

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Mike Pence looks at the 2024 presidential race but sees Donald Trump everywhere - South Bend Tribune

Location, location, location!

In a move that will spark further 2024 speculation, former Vice President Mike Pence will headline a major Republican Party dinner and fundraising event in early June inNew Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House.

Fox News was first to report this past week that Pence will headline the Hillsborough County GOPs annual Lincoln Reagan awards dinner on June 3 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

2024 BUZZ SURROUNDING PENCE, BOTH SCOTTS, CHRISTIE, AND MORE

Days before the news broke, Pence traveledto South Carolina, the state thatvotes third in the GOP's nominating calendar and holds the first southern contest in the presidential primaries, to give his first address since the end of Donald Trump's administration on Jan. 20.

"We've got to guard our values ... by offering a positive agenda to the American people, grounded in our highest ideals,"Pence spotlighted in his speech.

He then pledged: "Over the coming months, I'll have more to say about all of that."

The former vice president also touted that he'll be spending the coming months "pushing back on the liberal agenda" of President Biden's administration, which he stressed was wrong for the country.

Never too early for cattle calls

On Friday Pence spokeat a donor appreciation gathering hosted by Karl Rove, the former President George W. Bush political adviser, longtime GOP strategistand Fox News contributor. The former vice president wasnt the only potential 2024 Republican White House hopeful attending the gathering, which was held in Austin, Texas.

Also on the list wereformer Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The event, titled the "Texas Victory Committee Donor Appreciation Conference," wasnt the only cattle call this past week.

POSSIBLE WHITE HOUSE HOPEFULS SPEAK AT PRO-LIFE SUMMIT

A half-dozen potentialpresidential contenders spoke in-person Monday and Tuesday at the Susan B. Anthony List's Pro-Life Leaders Summitin Palm Beach, Florida.

Headlining the first day of the summit, which was first reported by Fox News, was former President Trump, who has repeatedly flirted with making a 2024 presidential run. And Scott keynoted the second day of the summit. Pence addressed the gathering via video.

SBA List, whose "mission is to end abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders," has long attracted potential Republican White House hopefuls to its events. Social conservative voters have been a key part of the GOP base for decades.

The Trump tease continues

The former president keeps flirting with another White House run.

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A week after telling FOXBusiness Maria Bartiromo on "Mornings with Maria"that hes "100% thinking about running again," Trump told conservative pundit Candace Owens that "it's very early. But I think people are going to be very, very happy when I make a certain announcement."

"You know, for campaign finance reasons, you really can't do it too early because it becomes a whole different thing... Otherwise I think I'd give you an answer that you'd be very happy with. So we're looking at that very, very seriously," Trump added. "All I'd say is stay tuned."

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Pence trips spark further 2024 White House race speculation - Fox News