House Republicans made it official Friday: The former guy rules their world. Rep. Liz Cheney, who voted with Trump on policy nearly 100% of the time, is out of leadership. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who voted with him less than 70% of the time, has been crowned homecoming queen GOP conference chair.

Cheney’s problem with fellow Republicans has never been a policy one. Republicans don’t do that anymore. It’s all about the Big Lie, and Cheney not being willing to forgive and forget after Trump sicced his violent mob on Congress on Jan. 6 to overturn the results of the election. God help us all, Liz Cheney has proven to be too principled for the 2021 GOP. Liz Cheney, spawn of Dick. The shooting-people-in-the-face, lie-us-into-war, torturing-loving Dick. Because she met the lowest bar of integrity in acknowledging the results of the election and voting to impeach Trump for inciting a violent insurrection to overthrow Congress.

It’s about ambition, of course. Cheney, basically while the House Republican vote was happening, was appearing on New Hampshire Today. (Yeah, New Hampshire.) Cheney’s got a massive media megaphone now and she’s going to use it to try to be the Republican who rises out of Trump’s ashes and becomes the next GOP president. Of course she is.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has ambitions, too. He wants to become speaker and believes that path goes through Trump. And he’ll do anything. Which we already knew. Remember, "There’s … there’s two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump … swear to God"? Yeah, that was McCarthy in June 2016. McCarthy of 2021 was among the seditionists in voting to overturn election results and is schlepping down to Florida to kiss the ring.

Then there’s Stefanik. This one is quite the piece of work. Check out her evolution from Never Trumper to Trump cheerleader.

True to her new form, whatever that is, Stefanik paid obeisance to the creator after her win: “I also want to thank President Trump for his support. He’s a critical part of our Republican team.” Uh huh. Lord only knows what she’s projecting as her career path, but it’s not going to be pretty.

Here’s something she might want to keep in mind, though, about the fickleness of fate in today’s GOP. 

It would all be hilarious to watch this massive unraveling of the GOP if it weren’t so damned dangerous for the country.