Trump, Not Cheney, Rules the Republican Party [OPINION]

You have a right to be a member of whichever political party you chose, but you do not have a right to be a member of the national Republican Party leadership unless you are elected or appointed to a position.

All of the media hype over Rep. Liz Cheney's (R-Wyoming) ouster as GOP conference chair on Wednesday was an attempt to persuade voters that the Grand Old Party is in disarray. It is not.

There is a handful of "old school," so-called conservative Republicans such as Cheney, Mitt Romney, and Mitch McConnell that are actually a part of the swamp. They are part of the problem. They are RINOs, Republican in name only. They represent the old way of doing things: put up a token defense against the ruling class Democrats, and then give away the store.

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This is Donald Trump's Republican Party now. Trump will be the kingmaker in the midterm elections in 2022, not Cheney or Romney. The RINOs are on the run. There is no civil war within the Republican Party. For once, the party seems to know where it is going and is determined to get there. Republicans have learned to fight. They learned from Donald Trump. Cheney must have missed the memo.

Veteran political reporter and commentator Jeff Greenfield wrote an excellent piece on the subject for Politico.

Republican leaders have every right to remove members from leadership positions who do not support the party line. The position as conference chair is an important one. That person is responsible for winning elections for Republicans next year. Why would Republicans want a conference chair who doesn't support the party's leader and its agenda?

Cheney chose to break with the party and not the other way around. She paid for her disloyalty with her position.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.