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| Mitt Romney |
Mainstream media is reporting Mitt Romney's scathing op-ed against President Trump, which appeared in The Washington Post on New Year's day, at the surface level.
They are reporting Romney as calling out the President for a lack of leadership and Romney signaling that he will be a harsh critic of the President when he becomes a member of the Senate on swearing-in on Thursday.
I believe there is something much bigger going on.
It is Romney's first salvo at a possible run against Trump to gain the Republican presidential nomination in 2020.
Consider this snippet from Romney's essay:
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.Wow, the Republican establishment has their man.
The world is also watching. America has long been looked to for leadership. Our economic and military strength was part of that, of course, but our enduring commitment to principled conduct in foreign relations, and to the rights of all people to freedom and equal justice, was even more esteemed. Trump’s words and actions have caused dismay around the world. In a 2016 Pew Research Center poll, 84 percent of people in Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Sweden believed the American president would “do the right thing in world affairs.” One year later, that number had fallen to 16 percent.
his comes at a very unfortunate time. Several allies in Europe are experiencing political upheaval. Several former Soviet satellite states are rethinking their commitment to democracy. Some Asian nations, such as the Philippines, lean increasingly toward China, which advances to rival our economy and our military. The alternative to U.S. world leadership offered by China and Russia is autocratic, corrupt and brutal.
The world needs American leadership, and it is in America’s interest to provide it. A world led by authoritarian regimes is a world — and an America — with less prosperity, less freedom, less peace.
To reassume our leadership in world politics, we must repair failings in our politics at home. That project begins, of course, with the highest office once again acting to inspire and unite us. It includes political parties promoting policies that strengthen us rather than promote tribalism by exploiting fear and resentment. Our leaders must defend our vital institutions despite their inevitable failings: a free press, the rule of law, strong churches, and responsible corporations and unions...
I look forward to working on these priorities with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other senators.
Furthermore, I will act as I would with any president, in or out of my party: I will support policies that I believe are in the best interest of the country and my state, and oppose those that are not. I do not intend to comment on every tweet or fault. But I will speak out against significant statements or actions that are divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions.
If Romney spots an opening, he is going to run. And the Republican white shoes are going to do everything they can to make that opening very wide.
-RW
UPDATE
From The New York Times:
Indeed, parts of the essay sounded like the makings of a primary challenge against Mr. Trump from Mr. Romney.
UPDATE 2
Neocon Bill Kristol weighs in.
It's hard to believe, based on this op-ed, that Mitt Romney thinks Donald Trump deserves to be renominated in 2020.https://t.co/m16mOqrtsi— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) January 2, 2019
UPDATE 3 Trump's response:For now at least Mitt Romney has become the leader of the Republican Resistance to Trump.— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) January 2, 2019
Here we go with Mitt Romney, but so fast! Question will be, is he a Flake? I hope not. Would much prefer that Mitt focus on Border Security and so many other things where he can be helpful. I won big, and he didn’t. He should be happy for all Republicans. Be a TEAM player & WIN!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2019
Romney is there to be an obstructionist cuck. Imperfect as Trump is in many ways, he did some in two years what have been Republican talking points for decades. He has reduced a number of regulations for example so the energy industry could prosper. He called the Republicans out on Obamacare though it's bad he wants to replace it.
ReplyDeleteRomney is a self serving douche.
It's hard to believe that someone can publicly spew forth such tripe without embarrassment.
ReplyDelete"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." -- This just emphasizes how the presidency has become a cult. Who the hell (what self-respecting person) looks to a president to define his own personal character, and how can a nation of 320 million people have a single "character"? Moreover, since everything that the president does is coercive, how can he also act with "honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse with comity and mutual respect"?
"The world needs American leadership, and it is in America’s interest to provide it. A world led by authoritarian regimes is a world — and an America — with less prosperity, less freedom, less peace." -- How can Romney speak for what "the world" needs (metaphysically, the world cannot have "needs," and even if it could, how could Romney discern what those are)? And is he blind to the fact that the American government's aggressive military and foreign policies around the world are themselves authoritarian, resulting in less prosperity, freedom, and peace for foreigners, as well as for US citizens?
Its a call to return to the status quo ante; where everyone got a turn at the trough.
Delete