Dick Cheney had this piece of advice for his daughter after Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-Wyo.) election to House leadership: “Don’t screw it up.”
Liz Cheney relayed the anecdote during an appearance on Rep. Sean Duffy’s (R-Wis.) “Plaidcast” podcast, saying the former vice president offered the advice while visiting on the day of her election as conference chair.
{mosads}“It was really special for me to have him there,” she said. “And I did ask his advice — and he’s warmer and fuzzier than his public persona — but the advice he gave was pretty vintage Dick Cheney. He said, ‘Liz, just don’t screw it up.’ ”
Cheney took over as conference chair — the No. 3 GOP leadership spot, which is responsible for helping craft messaging strategy, shortly after Republicans lost the majority.
She said the shift has been an adjustment for many members.
“I think the frustrations that I have are the ones we all have in the minority,” she said. “You’re like, you know, you don’t win a single vote. You see all those votes go up on the board for them.”
She said that in her leadership role, she’s trying to make sure various GOP viewpoints on policies are heard in a way that resonates with constituents in hopes of taking back power in the next election.
“The way I view that job is we cannot do effective messaging unless we really have substance and policy see behind it,” she said. “So we do a lot of work making sure members have the information they need about bills that are coming up, when you know, we’re in the minority as we are now.”