I keep forgetting that Mitt Romney is now a senator. Is it just me or did that deserve to be a bigger headline in 2018? Mitt Romney, 71, was elected as a first-time senator in Utah, after serving as governor of Massachusetts and running for president in 2012. Well, Mittens Is Coming To Washington and he has some thoughts! Mittens wrote an op-ed in today’s Washington Post called “Mitt Romney: The president shapes the public character of the nation. Trump’s character falls short.” Strong words from a Republican who will vote with Trump 99.9% of the time, eh? Here’s part of the op-ed:
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.
It is not that all of the president’s policies have been misguided. He was right to align U.S. corporate taxes with those of global competitors, to strip out excessive regulations, to crack down on China’s unfair trade practices, to reform criminal justice and to appoint conservative judges. These are policies mainstream Republicans have promoted for years. But policies and appointments are only a part of a presidency.
To a great degree, a presidency shapes the public character of the nation. A president should unite us and inspire us to follow “our better angels.” A president should demonstrate the essential qualities of honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect. As a nation, we have been blessed with presidents who have called on the greatness of the American spirit. With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent’s shortfall has been most glaring.
If we still have books in the future Trumplandia Dystopia, many will be written about what happened within the Republican Party to get Trump elected, and what was done (or not done) within the GOP once Trump was in office. I feel like Romney will get a chapter – here’s an intelligent man, a man who could wipe the floor with Trump in business and finance, a man who looks like the poster child for Republican Hair. Romney comes into Washington owing no one, especially not Trump. And this is all we get? Some weaksauce “Trump is no moral leader” sad-sack routine? Trump is unpresidential because HE IS INSANE. He’s a despot, he’s a fascist, he radicalized homegrown terrorists and he’s a giant embarrassment at home and abroad. Now is not the time to tut-tut about how Trump has only recently made some bad decisions.
Wow brave op-ed from Mitt Romney pic.twitter.com/mD273muPqL
— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) January 2, 2019
Mitt Romney still believes in tax cuts for the rich, overturning Roe v. Wade and putting corporations before people, but at least he's real nice about it.
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) January 2, 2019
“The Crazed Supernatural Killer Who’s Stalking Our Summer Camp Should Litter Less” by Mitt Romney
— Mark Agee (@MarkAgee) January 2, 2019
Mitt Romney is the Susan Collins of Jeff Flakes. https://t.co/hjIsNX3VwN
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) January 2, 2019
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Meh…I’m not impressed. Republicans say this stuff, but are still 100% behind Trump and vote accordingly. They always fall in line in the end.
Romney is a Mormon. Not that one organized religion is worse than another, but he is a member of an organization that seeks to limit the rights of women and excommunicates LGBTQ people, among other things so…. yeah, I’m not surprised.
I say this is a registered Independent who voted for candidates of all parties in the last election.
There is policy and there is behavior, Romney can support Republican policies and still call out trump’s horrific behavior. If the Republican Party wants to survive, it has to do this. A few high profile republicans in senate need to lead the way…..maybe Romney, Rubio, Tillis. Fighting trump on everything may be what the average resisters from all sides wants, yet that isn’t practical for the republican ones. It’s cutting off your nose to spite your face. If you are a Republican, and you want to change the party, you either change it from within or you walk away and become independent. Most will choose the former.
The thing is that the so-called Republican policies are also terrible. Taxe cuts for the riches that increases the deficit, shutting down the ACA, de-regulating banks so that we go head-first into a new financial crisis, removing environmental laws so that companies can throw their waste in rivers and reducing the size of natural parks to benefit the industry because money is more important than the future of the planet, allowing sexual assaulters on the SCOTUS? All this is freaking awful.
It’s not just a problem of behaviour.
All Republicans are bad.
I’m not here for Mitt, who was just fine accepting Trump’s endorsement, now pulling this. And make no mistake, he doesn’t give a crap about Trump and his behavior. He’s just getting his name out there so he can run for president and seize control.
+1 Jenns. People will take issue with “all republicans are bad”, but when the party is constantly voting to cut social programs that are proven to help, medical care, and food assistance, it really is the truth and there is no beating around the bush. Regulatory capture is the end goal for the GOP. They want to burn everything to the ground and then step back and say, “SEE?!?!?! We TOLD YOU this would happen!” Then privatize multiple facets of the govt so shady billionaires and corporations can control. There is certainly an argument for less government, but the GOP never actually makes it. Less govt means more privatization, not more freedom.
Jenns, I can’t help it, I agree. If I meet a Republican, my knee jerk reaction is disdain.
At this point, for me, they’re either bad or stupid.
Look I don’t buy that all Republican policies are bad. I also don’t buy that all democratic policies are bad. And ditto good.
And I am not alone.
More USA people identify as “independent” than as democrat or republican. I get that isn’t this case on this particular website, but it is a fact.
Buddyjack, that’s the problem; that a lot of people agree with you. That’s why we as a nation get stuck with shitty policies or on the fence dividers making their vote hurt, not help.
ALL republicans suck. Independents? ALL of them are making it worse.
This is NOT the time.
“He was right to align U.S. corporate taxes with those of global competitors, to strip out excessive regulations…”
Mr. “Corporations are people too” can KICK ROCKS!
The stance he made above leaves out the fact that corporations even BEFORE the tax cuts…NEVER paid their fair share of taxes…due to tax shelters and offshoring…Mitt is a standard GOP “trickle down” fiend which means that he and his monied friends get ALL THE BENEFITS…while the majority in this country…working class Americans get HAMMERED trying to make up the shortfalls…pushing the narrative that working class folks don’t pay income taxes…REALLY MITCH? Because every DIME of my income is taxed…coming AND going…
We’re a trillion dollars in debt because of those tax cuts…and has the unmitigated GALL to say that Trump was correct?
Also…he didn’t mention putting families and babies in cages unconstitutionally nor did he mention stacking judgeships with a bunch of deplorables…
Bump him…
He was/is the mentor of Paul ‘ I Get a Boner for Ayn Rand’ Ryan. I mean, it is not at all surprising.
Preach. Gah, he sucks.
My favorite tweet was “The Crazed Supernatural Killer Who’s Stalking Our Summer Camp Should Litter Less.”
Almost spit over that one🤣🤣🤣
“Romney is the Susan Collins of Jeff Flakes.”
LOLOL. That really does say it all doesn’t it.
Molly really did nail it. I love her on the Twitter.
Romney is a slippery snake oil salesman. The two timed failed presidential candidate cannot be trusted.
Besides, anyone who treated their dog badly is not a decent human—
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/dog-carrier/
Seamus deserved a better family.
ETA Not only did he do that terrible thing to that dog but Ann Romney approved it and we only know about it because Tagg Romney proudly offered it as an example of Mittens acting quickly to solve a crisis.
And he’s the reason Toys R Us went under.
Romney’s niece Ronna Romney, GOP spokeswoman who changed her name because Trump ordered her to do so, is now attacking her uncle on Twitter.
Wow I did not know that. I was wondering why people were making comments regarding a Romney family reunion. Whelp it looks like ol Ronna will sell out family for rubles.
I also ready that the gop is trying to make rumpster the automatic gop rep for 2020 presidential race. That means they aren’t leaving room for other gop hopefuls. Now what does Putin have over the gop?
Putin/Russia donated millions to the NRA which donated heavily to Republican senatorial and congressional and other races. Any Republican in office who took major donations from the NRA is in trouble.
Romney is planting the seeds to challenge Pence in the next presidential primary, knowing that Mueller is going to end Trump. Between him and Pence, I think Romney will win and will be the next Republican Presidential candidate for 2020.
Romney made his money stripping companies of all their value, privatizing the gains for him and his “investors/vultures,” then folding the companies, leaving many many workers left in the cold. He’s no job creator…but people see his wealth and good looks and assume he is. He also tied his dog to the roof of his car. The danger here is he looks presidential and people fall for that. I soooo dislike the guy…
Mitt Romney is nothing but an spineless opportunist IMO. Since McCain, Corker and Flake are no more, he’s decide that he will “selflessly lead the resistance”. (Watching Morning Joe this morning left me nauseous with Mika vouching for “what a good man Mitt is” Ugh!). What an absolute joke. Remember that this is the same guy who sucked up the the Orange Turd in order to apply for the job of Secretary of State. I think his plan is to primary Trump and run for President in 2020.
Mitt can eat my muffin.
I never forget a scoundrel.
He is only pandering to his base.
But, at the same time, an enemy of my enemy is my “friend”..
Sigh.