Thursday, January 03, 2019
Political Mayhem Thursday: The Romney Report
Incoming Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) made things pretty clear even before the session opened: He may vote with Donald Trump, but he probably won't be his friend. In an eye-popping op-ed in the Washington Post-- titled "The President Shapes the Character of the Nation. Trump's Character Falls Short:-- Romney said the following:
It is well known that Donald Trump was not my choice for the Republican presidential nomination. After he became the nominee, I hoped his campaign would refrain from resentment and name-calling. It did not. When he won the election, I hoped he would rise to the occasion. His early appointments of Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions, Nikki Haley, Gary Cohn, H.R. McMaster, Kelly and Mattis were encouraging. But, on balance, his conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions last month, is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office.
What is Romney up to here? As even the Op-Ed makes clear, he supports many of Trump's policies. Will he really be a dissenting voice when he does not?
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In this case, I feel like the conventional wisdom is pretty much correct. He's not discussing substantive policy, the stump-speech quality of the writing is at odds with the fact that he just finished a campaign, and the thesis of the thing seems to be that America's position on the world stage is fundamentally determined by the temperament of its chief executive. I don't disagree with that thesis, exactly, but I do think it's notable that he doesn't seem to put too much stock in Congress as a check on executive nonsense.
So, all denials aside, he's clearly angling for a 2020 primary challenge. I'm thoroughly convinced that he won't win, which is a real shame. I wouldn't vote for him for President, but the chance of me voting for a Republican is infinitesimal anyway, and I'd much rather have an intelligent statesman with whom I have serious disagreements as president than, well, y'know.
So, all denials aside, he's clearly angling for a 2020 primary challenge. I'm thoroughly convinced that he won't win, which is a real shame. I wouldn't vote for him for President, but the chance of me voting for a Republican is infinitesimal anyway, and I'd much rather have an intelligent statesman with whom I have serious disagreements as president than, well, y'know.
I mean heck, the people of Massachusetts elected him which speaks volumes. I am guessing he would like to challenge 45. I would vote for him in a primary. In NC we have open primaries and as a registered 'not affiliated' I would have that option. I know plenty of Republicans that would gladly (now) vote for the saner more moderate option. It sure would make things interesting and take some media heat off of the Democrats during primary season.
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