Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

As Impeachment Fails, Romney Stands Alone
The Federalist ^ | February 6, 2020 | Ben Domenech

Posted on 02/06/2020 10:56:57 AM PST by Kaslin

To the extent that Mitt Romney, handsome rich guy, is a sympathetic figure, it is because his attempts to prostrate himself before the left fail so consistently. The “binders full of women” comment, perverted as it was by the media, was also a total capitulation to the idea that there ought to be more quotas and affirmative action in hiring. But even then – even then! – they still painted him and Paul Ryan as racists who wanted to kill grandma and crawl through your window at night to steal your birth control. The lesson Republican voters took away was: what’s the point in nominating some nice guy? So they stopped.

I will brook no argument that anyone has a stronger negative opinion about Mitt Romney than me. It is no secret. From the moment Romney told me in the only interview we’ve ever done, in 2006, that he never considered himself pro-choice – despite also being the same man who ran to Ted Kennedy’s left on the issue – I’ve thought of him as the definition of the chameleon-like politician who aspires to patrician statesmanship. His technocratic approach to politics rankles, his hubris is without charm, and his outward niceties do nothing to disguise his clumsily savage approach to politics. He lost in 2008 when every other candidate hated him, and won in 2012 by nuking anyone more likable than him from orbit with a metric ton of cash. Hugh Hewitt wrote an entire chunk in his book, “A Mormon in the White House”, just dedicated to rebutting me.

That he would run for Senate struck me as a way to salvage his political career after a loss, but also to potentially chart a path back to leadership. Maybe not the White House, but if Romney could remake himself – as so many American politicians have – into a leader within the body, who’s to say he couldn’t have a fourth act? The unsubtle secondary reason, of course, is in case of disaster, break glass – where a Mueller Report that eradicates the Trump presidency provides Romney that long dreamed of opportunity to save Republican hopes. Arise! Your man on a horse is here.

Alas! His hopes dashed, Romney is now relegated to a body he clearly finds frustrating. Yesterday John Cornyn was asked about Romney’s decision to vote to convict on the first article – he split his vote, he is Mitt Romney after all – and he responded that Romney “keeps his own counsel” as a Senator. But that’s because he doesn’t really want to be a Senator. A Senator who wanted to lead and believed deeply that Trump deserved conviction would have worked tirelessly to convince his fellow Republican Senators to join him in this vote. Instead, Romney waited until after the decisions made by all his fellow Republicans were announced to take his stand – ineffective as the protesters outside. Except to the extent it is helpful to the campaigns of Democratic candidates running against Cory Gardner and Susan Collins.

(Perhaps my favorite plot point of the whole thing was Romney’s decision to give not one, but three “exclusive” branded interviews – to The Atlantic, Deseret News, and Chris Wallace at Fox. Oh, Mitt.)

As for Trump, the past month must seem like a glee-filled dream. He has soundly defeated his political adversaries in their attempt to remove him from office. He has killed terrorists at will and not gotten sucked into another war. He closed trade deals, crushed a State of the Union, and watched his strongest potential general election opponent crumble. He enjoys the economic winds at his back, a Republican Party at their highest popularity in 15 years, and his highest personal rating since he was inaugurated. And at the end of the day, the one Republican out of the 250 in Congress who broke with him is the one he most enjoys having as a political foil.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: 2012; abortion; alone; conservatives; demoncrats; donaldtrump; gop; impeachment; mittromeny; mormonchurch; paulryan; republicans; romney
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-35 last
To: Red Badger; hardspunned; DesertRhino
Milt the Monkey thought that ADumb Schitt said that he pay him in "peanuts".

What Milt didn't realize is that Schitt has got a lisp, and that he hangs around with Ed Buck.

You can bet that come payday, Schitt will be behind Mitt all the way...


21 posted on 02/06/2020 11:28:24 AM PST by kiryandil (Chris Wallace: Because someone has to drive the Clown Car)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: DesertRhino

uh oh, are YOU gonna get in trouble with that post, ha!

but anyway it will generate far more interesting replies than more discussion about the Utah dickhead


22 posted on 02/06/2020 11:29:25 AM PST by faithhopecharity ( “Politicians are not born; they are excreted.” Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE).)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Bonemaker

You nailed it. Greasy sleazy conman RomneyRat.


23 posted on 02/06/2020 11:31:58 AM PST by TianaHighrider (God bless President Trump. Prayers for PDJT and his loyal supporters.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: dynachrome
Scott Adams:

"Benedict Arnold made the Revolutionary War bi-partisan."

 face 

with tears of joy face 

with tears of joy face 

with tears of joy

24 posted on 02/06/2020 11:32:52 AM PST by kiryandil (Chris Wallace: Because someone has to drive the Clown Car)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: dp0622

Nobody respects a traitor, not even the side he helped.


25 posted on 02/06/2020 11:33:32 AM PST by jospehm20
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: jospehm20

Well how do you trust him now that he’s on your side?


26 posted on 02/06/2020 11:35:08 AM PST by dp0622 (Radicals, racists Don't point finger at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin' to make ends meet)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: DesertRhino

Money covers a lot of blemishes and character faults.


27 posted on 02/06/2020 11:36:00 AM PST by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: dp0622

You don’t. He’s made himself completely ineffective in the Senate. I would be mad if I voted for him.


28 posted on 02/06/2020 11:40:00 AM PST by jospehm20
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: jospehm20

I realized Fully that he was a narcissist when he boxed holeyfield for charity.

There’s LOTS of ways to raise money for charity besides making yourself look like a buffoon.

Only problem is he didn’t think he looked like a buffoon.

Because he’s a narcissist.

So many narcissists can’t take that Trump has what they want. The adoration of the people.

romney, mccain before him, bloomberg, soros and more.

To paraphrase Citizen Kane..they want people to love them but on their terms.


29 posted on 02/06/2020 11:46:00 AM PST by dp0622 (Radicals, racists Don't point finger at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin' to make ends meet)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: jospehm20

Nobody respects a traitor, not even the side he helped.

Of course.


30 posted on 02/06/2020 11:46:46 AM PST by samtheman (Trump TV Ad: Virginia takes guns. NY legalizes crime. Iowa steals votes. What Democrats do.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Rapscallion

If Romney had all the integrity he claims he has would resign and stand for election to see if the people of Utah agree with his position.


31 posted on 02/06/2020 11:57:01 AM PST by colorado tanker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

A worthless piece of feces. I didn’t vote for him in 2012, so my conscience is clear. But Mitt should have easily won in 2012 when it was quite obvious what an inept and incompetent buffoon B Hussein Obama was, and an economy that just wasn’t recovering. But Mitt couldn’t even pull it off when running against the worst president in our nation’s history. Ironically, Mitt’s legacy is by losing in 2012, he paved the way for Donald Trump in 2016. And for that, our nation should be eternally grateful.


32 posted on 02/06/2020 12:12:13 PM PST by AlaskaErik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Romney needs to run against Trump for POTUS, just so he can lose and get it rubbed in his face that he lost and won’t ever be POTUS.


33 posted on 02/06/2020 12:38:27 PM PST by Morpheus2009
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dynachrome
Any comparison between Mitt Romney and Neville Chamberlain is unfair to Neville Chamberlain.

Chamberlain may have been fooled at Munich but even Winston Churchill had praise for his later activities after he woke up to the fact that Hitler couldn't be trusted.

34 posted on 02/06/2020 2:09:36 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin; All

35 posted on 02/06/2020 4:04:15 PM PST by HotHunt (Been there. Done that.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-35 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson