Mitt Romney is an American hero. No, I don’t regret that he lost to Barack Obama and I don’t think the attacks against him during the campaign were unfair. I disagree with him on most major policy debates, but I believe he has a very clear-eyed view of the threat to this country and an understanding of the dysfunction that permeates our federal government. He also stands up for what he believes regardless of who it rankles. That’s a lot to admire, especially at this time in our history.
Romney stands in contrast to forces within both parties. The national Democratic Party is a remarkably inept organization that has let itself be defined by its fringe elements at the expense of a broad middle. Despite record job growth, a robust economy, rebuilding our standing the world, and largely ending a pandemic, Joe Biden’s approval ratings keep getting worse. It’s gross incompetence.
The GOP, for its part, has allowed an anti-democratic cancer to grow within it and too few elected Republicans are willing to stand up to it because they’re either part of it, in denial, or cowards. Yesterday, 63 Republican House members voted against a resolution calling for support for NATO “as an alliance founded on democratic principles.” North Carolina House members Dan Bishop, Madison Cawthorn, and Greg Murphy opposed it. (Cawthorn and Bishop also opposed Russian sanctions and ending normal trade with Russia.) The conservative organization CPAC is holding its annual conference in Hungary to celebrate anti-democratic strongman Victor Orban.
Romney understands that our nation is built on compromise and tolerance. Democracy is the system that allows people who disagree to live peacefully in the same country. Compromise is the basis for our two-party system. Tolerance is the concept that we allow all ideas to flourish, even if we disagree with them. When compromise and tolerance fail, violence fills the void.
Yesterday, Romney announced that he will vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court, virtually ensuring that she will sit on the highest court. Romney knows that she will make decisions with which he disagrees, but he also knows that she is more than qualified to make those decisions and back them up with rigorous scholarship. That’s tolerance.
Romney is managing to stand by his democratic principles while standing up against the right flank that’s growing in influence within his party. He seems to understand the stakes and he appears unfazed by criticism or peer pressure. He’s a patriot and example for people of all political persuasions. He’s a man to be admired and respected, regardless of political beliefs. He embodies so much of what we need in leaders today and sadly lack.
I only take issue with one remark here, and this could almost be it’s own column: “The national Democratic Party is a remarkably inept organization that has let itself be defined by its fringe elements at the expense of a broad middle. Despite record job growth, a robust economy, rebuilding our standing the world, and largely ending a pandemic, Joe Biden’s approval ratings keep getting worse. It’s gross incompetence.”
I actually think this is a bit unfair to the Dems considering all the things they actually have achieved under Biden given that they have a very minimal House majority and just 50 seats in the Senate! In addition to the notable good things you have already mentioned, there was also a child tax credit that was extended through most of 2021, a major infrastructure bill passed with several Republican votes, the US Postal reform (getting rid of the unfair requirement to prefund decades of retirement benefits and helping shield it from future conservative attacks). Also, they just seated the first female African-American Supreme Court justice – another promise kept! This is with a couple of senators who have been able to scuttle some of the Dems’ more ambitious agendas.
The problem is simply that we have high inflation and high gas prices, due to lingering COVID-related issues including supply chains plus a rapidly recovering economy, and recently the war in Ukraine. Everyday people just see that up close and experience it on very direct level. Plus, when local and national media spend all day running and re-running stories about how expensive everything is and the painful effect on consumers (which yes, I get is very real) and a Democrat is in the White House, that is basically why Biden’s approval is low. He’s tried to take action to minimize that, releasing the strategic oil reserves to increase supply. Some are also trying to relieve that pain at the pump as well through suspension of gas taxes. Gas is starting to come down a bit again, but it goes up like a rocket and down like a feather.
But my main point is that there is only so much Biden or the party can actually do about the immediate inflation/gas issue, but local and national media basically choose to highlight and frame stories so that the economy seems bad so that there is more outrage-inducing stuff to click on. Many people actually believe the US LOST jobs last year, which is the opposite of what happened. No amount of “messaging” from the WH can overcome the constant bad-faith and low-context information being pumped out not only by the GOP, but by media. See the late Eric Boehlert’s last article – “Why is the Press Rooting Against Biden?” for more on this. Further, if the American public is only concerned with cheap gas and isn’t concerned with the dangers of a warming planet or about the risks to democracy posed by electing Republicans to positions of power, then what exactly is a party with limited majorities supposed to do? Ultimately, the public is still choosing to prioritize short-term economic interest over important fundamentals and that is the problem.
All that you mention is true. This country is returning to normal; folks are employed, have better benefits, average income has improved, and the GDP is the highest it has been in years. Internationally there are no signs prohibiting dogs and the US President from being on the grass. We have foreign allies and not potential personal business partners willing to unite against a common enemy and climate change. But historically folks enjoy voting against their own interests. They seem to enjoy being poor, working for years and retiring with a highly reduced income and costly medical benefits. But here in North Carolina and other GOP dominated states they can walk around packing a pistol which is more important than national unity. This is what the GOP calls freedom. Unfortunately, the GOP will oversee at least one of the legislative branches soon and we can all set or watches back a hundred years.
Thomas,
Thank you for your column on Mitt Romney. I totally agree with it.
As a a lifelong liberal Democrat from of all places Republican Mitchell County, N.C., I admire Senator Romney. He and I probably would not agree on most policy issues. But on the fundamental issue of democracy we do. I only wish more members of his party had a fraction of his political courage. He is a good and decent man and an ornament in our public life.
It is telling — even sad — that someone who exhibits a modicum of moral courage and basic decency is hailed as a hero of democracy. RMoney was and is a vulture capitalist who blew his shot at the Oval by planting a silver foot in his mouth.
But in these times the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
If 51% of the country can vote away the rights of the 49%, how do you explain that Voting Rights of the majority of Americans are denied? The Electoral College gives minority states greater rights than the majority states. The Senate over-represents smaller states with smaller populations, giving Red States an out-sized advantage over populous Blue States. Wyoming has two senators representing less than 600,000 people while California has two senators representing nearly 40 million people. Gerrymandering prevents the majority from electing its representatives as do laws enacted by Republican legislatures to frustrate the majority. Republicans hate free and fair elections, because they believe they will lose them.
Romney is a patriot because he’ll vote for a highly qualified Supreme Court candidate that most of his Party dissed? Can you cite any other acts of patriotism that in normal times would be called “doing your job”? Man, is your American Hero bar low,
“Democracy is the system that allows people who disagree to live peacefully in the same country.” This is patently, and even dangerously, incorrect. Democracy is nothing more than majority rule. It is a system in which 51% of any population can vote away the rights of 49%, absent checks, balances, and safeguards.
The ACTUAL system by which our founders enabled a large and diverse population to leave peacefully was federalism and divided sovereignty. That allows for maximum local control and stops every federal election from seeming like a “most important election ever” zero-sum game.
Centralizing power at the federal level, and in particular in the Presidency, has given everything an ultra high-stakes feel that feeds into political dysfunction and acrimony. Democracy alone can’t fix that.
“an ultra-high stakes feel that feeds into political dysfunction and acrimony” is that your understanding of just doing the right thing?