this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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politics

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[–] [email protected] 57 points 1 year ago

Lawful evil concedes, chaotic evil prevails.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think yall are getting cause and effect mixed up. He would be 83 at the end of his next term and he's worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He can walk off into the sunset and enjoy his riches for a few years, and he was probably always going to do that.

Knowing he didn't need to run for re-election, he was able to vote his conscience during the Trump Administration.

So, he was reasonable because he was retiring, he's not retiring because he's too reasonable.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

He could easily get re-elected now even after voting conscientiously. His retiring has nothing to do with going against Trump / fascist GOP.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Romney in 2020 became the first senator in U.S. history to vote to convict a president from their own party in an impeachment trial. Romney was the only Republican to vote against Trump in his first impeachment and one of seven to vote to convict him in the second. ...
Romney was booed by a gathering of the Utah Republican Party’s most active members months after his vote at the second impeachment trial, and a measure to censure him narrowly failed. Members of the party even flung the term “Mitt Romney Republican” at their opponents on the campaign trail in 2022’s midterm elections.
Still, Romney has been seen as broadly popular in Utah, which has long harbored a band of the party that’s favored civil conservatism and resisted Trump’s brash and norm-busting style of politics.

Seems like he's in the wrong party. There's no room for actual conservatives or upholding the law against their own in the modern pro-fascism, post-truth, anti-democracy, GOP.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

He wouldn't have made it through a primary. Given it's Utah he'll be replaced by someone much worse.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Why do you think that? He's staunchly Mormon, and been a political figure head for their interests. I can't see them turning their back on him.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Seems like he’s in the wrong party. There’s no room for actual conservatives or upholding the law against their own in the modern pro-fascism, post-truth, anti-democracy, GOP.

Well he sure af isn't welcome to the Democratic party.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well he sure af isn’t welcome to the Democratic party.

Why not? Manchin and Sinema are. Mitt invented Obamacare back when it was Massachusetts' Romneycare. There's plenty of right-leaning, (or at very least, centrist,) Democrats.

Not sure his constituency would approve though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Manchin and Sinema shouldn't be either.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When we're opposing fascism there's no such thing as a tent that's too big.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

All they do is stall the system and prevent things that will genuinely help the working class. Want to win against the GOP? Pass meaningful legislation that improves people's lives. The reason we're in this mess is because the democratic party is too timid to actually take a solid stance and do what's necessary against the problems in this country. Having a big tent only makes it more difficult to make meaningful changes. DNC infighting just helps the GOP.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

If we want to move the Overton window leftward and do away with this issue, we need ranked choice voting. As long as we we are first-past-the-post, doing whatever is nessicary to defeat the greater evil is the right move.

Meaningful legislation doesn't matter to voters who are willfully ignorant and hateful, who choose to believe outright lies over credible evidence and regularly vote against their own interests. Good governance by the opposition will never be acknowledged by that segment.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Of which he's been along for the ride the whole time.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Well, you know...money, amirite?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

there’s no room for actual conservatives

I’m not sure what you mean. What do you think it means to be a conservative?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I’m not sure what you mean. What do you think it means to be a conservative?

In this context I'm referring to what the American right historically purports to be and not what it arguably is; small government, pro-business, law and order, supports traditional American values like democracy, pro-religion, in opposition robust social programs. This seems to be in line with Mitt Romney's version of conservatism, as opposed to the GOP's more recent openly fascist and antidemocratic behaviors. I could see potential for him as a Manchin-like Democrat who leans hard right, if he were so inclined and his voters approved.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Interesting. It wasn’t loaded to be honest. I just don’t understand what is a “true conservative” as every time I hear it come up, it’s usually just in the context of “current conservatives aren’t real conservatives.” So I was curious what your definition is.

Like let’s take “law and order.” Who is against that? It’s a meaningless phrase designed to paint opposition as for “no laws and disorder.” So the phrase is sort of meaningless to me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Like let’s take “law and order.” Who is against that?

Well, presently the Republicans Mitt Romney is at odds with. They consistently vote to shield Trump from consequences for his crimes.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Very true lol

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

People who are for "law and order" are generally just simping for cops. I do agree that it's kind of a ridiculous phrase but there are strong connotations that come along with it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I get what the connotations are but it’s like “pro-life.” The implication is opponents are “anti-life” or “pro-death” and so the entire conversation is immediately lopsided/in some ways poisoned and dishonest.

When you look at the conservative platform it’s all like this. “I am for families.” So that means opponents are against families. It’s very broad statements that make - when looked at closely - kind of ridiculous statements about their opponents. So if there is “real” conservative, which is usually a stand in for “reasonable,” I don’t actually know what their policies are. They used to hide behind “fiscal responsibility” but that was always dubious and their last 20 years of spending have eradicated any argument they make about spending lol

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I guess it's time to go home and watch the Great Salt Lake disappear while claiming humans aren't capable of changing god's climate.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mah, now he's retired he'll suddenly realize how terrible he's been all these years.

Climate change is real, we should help the poor, all that jazz, no more power to effect change.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I smell a biography book deal and a string of news appearances where he talks shit about how the GOP has lost its way.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Remember when "binders full of women" was enough of a gaffe to sink a presidential run? Man, do I miss those days.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

Or a “hiyaaaa!”

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh great, cue the criticism of the GOP from another EX-congress member

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Sounds like someone's planning to write a tell-all!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Back when we were all conspiring to take rights away from women and minorities, some of the tactics we used were unsavory

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Going out by saying 'enough of the boomers, give someone else a shot' is nice. We'll see who the Mormons pick to replace him.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Introducing... Matt Romney. Same policies, same lack of personality, same ability to fill a suit. But now slightly younger!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

"second verse
Same as the first
A little bit louder and a little bit worse"

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Headline should read "Mitt Romney Cashes Out" first line should read "During his x year senate career Romney's net worth increased by ..."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Never thought there would be a time where he would be more reasonable than most Republicans. The replacement will be more extreme than him.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I don't like Mitt at all, but almost guaranteed that whoever takes the seat will be much less reasonable and more right wing than Romney. We're more likely to get another Mike Lee than a Jon Huntsman.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

They found the photos

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Even this asshole has given up. He has enough wealth to at least live through the societal collapse for a few years maybe.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Never fear, they've got someone far worse to replace him with.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


Romney was booed by a gathering of the Utah Republican Party’s most active members months after his vote at the second impeachment trial, and a measure to censure him narrowly failed.

Still, Romney has been seen as broadly popular in Utah, which has long harbored a band of the party that’s favored civil conservatism and resisted Trump’s brash and norm-busting style of politics.

The faith arrived in the western state with pioneers fleeing religious persecution and spread globally with the religion’s missionaries, a legacy that’s left the church’s conservative members embracing immigrants and refugees.

Romney, a Brigham Young University graduate and one of the faith’s most visible members after his 2012 presidential campaign, had been a popular figure in the state for two decades.

The image crystallized with his comment, secretly recorded at a fundraiser, that he didn’t worry about winning the votes of “47% of Americans” who “believe they are victims” and “pay no income tax.”

Romney accepted Trump’s endorsement during the primary race for his 2018 Senate run but also pledged in an op-ed that year that he would “continue to speak out when the president says or does something which is divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions.”


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