Armstrong: Ken Buck tells some uncomfortable truths
In today’s political climate, a Republican leader simply telling the truth is a shocking act—and apparently a disqualification to serve in public office in the eyes of many Republican voters.
In announcing he’s leaving Congress, Ken Buck said: “Our nation is on a collision course with reality. And a steadfast commitment to truth, even uncomfortable truths, is the only way forward.
“Too many Republican leaders are lying to America, claiming that the 2020 election was stolen, describing January 6 as an ‘unguided tour’ of the Capitol, and asserting that the ensuing prosecutions are a weaponization of our justice system. These insidious narratives breed widespread cynicism and erode Americans’ confidence in the rule of law.
“It is impossible for the Republican Party to confront our problems, and offer a course correction for the future, while being obsessively fixated on retribution and vengeance for contrived injustices of the past. This trend among Republicans is a significant departure from the enduring principles of conservatism. We belong to the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. Our movement has always been fueled by immutable truths about human nature, individual liberty, and economic freedoms. The Republican Party of today, however, is ignoring self-evident truths about the rule of law and limited government in exchange for self-serving lies.”
Some have called Buck the Liz Cheney of Colorado. In my book, that’s one of the highest compliments one can pay a Republican politician. But that is not how anti-reality conspiracy mongering “Republicans” imagine things.