Let’s Go, Romney

Hot off his tantrum directed at Tulsi Gabbard and her thoughts on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Utah senator Mitt Romney is back in the news.

Romney accused Gabbard of treason for having the temerity to voice an opinion about the conflict. Of course, things such as a republic and the First Amendment were never meant to be cut-and-dried, and whether or not Gabbard was wrong or unpopular is not the issue. Ostensibly, opinions — popular or otherwise — are meant to be aired in a free society, which for the moment, we still are. Sort of. Kinda.

Romney should be prepared to debate her, or at the very least uphold the First Amendment, which if I am not mistaken is in that little thing called the Constitution. In America, no one needs to earn the right to speak. But if that were the case, I would say that Gabbard has earned said right over Romney, who never served a nanosecond in uniform.

The electronic ink was scarcely dry on Romney’s rant when the senator bounced back into the news cycle by voting with Democrats on the Health, Labor, Education, and Pensions Committee to continue to mask toddlers as a prerequisite for their participation in the Head Start Program.

I have taken a little heat before about my COVID-19 opinions, but I maintain that for some people, the masks and shots were needed. But not for everyone, particularly children who were shown early in the pandemic not to be at risk. And in light of a study by researchers at Brown University that masks can affect a child’s development (for further reading, click here), one might have expected a more nuanced response from the senator. But no, Romney was the only member of GOP on the committee to vote against an amendment by Senator Mike Braun to block the move.

Once again, Romney showed his true colors. And while they are by no means red, they are not necessarily blue. Romney is showing his actual preference, which appears to be a muted, malleable pastel that can change on demand. A political chameleon, if you will. And a clumsy one at that.

How can anyone take Romney seriously? I mean, for crying out loud, this is the man who chose Pierre Delecto as his fake Twitter handle. That’s not even a good porn name.

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I was at the 2018 Utah Republican state convention as a delegate. Romney was forced into a primary then. Myself? I voted for his challenger, Mike Kennedy. I went to a few Romney events, more out of morbid curiosity than anything else. The shadow of “Romneycare” from his days as governor of Massachusetts loomed large over my decision. But more to the point, I was extremely suspicious of him after watching him tank the debates and the 2012 election against Obama. I know Obama was all but a shoo-in, but after the first debate, Romney didn’t even appear to try. The smell of honest failure is not necessarily bad, but something told me the game was afoot.

Romney was good at those appearances. He was well-groomed, articulate, and a master at providing nebulous answers to the questions posed to him. He looked for all the world like the person who sidles up to you after church or at a gathering to hawk the latest health shake or chance to make thousands of dollars from home. And it is evident that Romney views his constituents as nothing more than his multi-level-marketing down liners.

It is more than a coincidence that Utah, arguably the nation’s capital when it comes to MLM and pyramid schemes, would ultimately vote the man into office. While I am not LDS, I have lived in Utah off and on for 20 years. The demographic that makes up much of the GOP in the Beehive State is a trusting lot, and the fact that Romney is/was a quasi-celebrity who, despite fumbling the ball in his presidential run, at least in their eyes saved the 2002 Winter Olympics may have played a role. In fact, the 2002 games are still occasionally commemorated in Utah today. And no offense to the Mormon readers out there, it may have been the M, not so much the R after his name that, in tandem with the above, may have made him a good pick for the Senate slot. I have tried several different religions in my search for the truth, and I have learned that just because someone claims to adhere to a particular faith and has learned to parrot its words, those things are no indication that the person believes what they are saying. Just as so many Utahans have believed that they could make millions selling leggings, shakes, and essential oils, many probably believed that Romney would be there for them. They can unfortunately be easy pickings.

Why does Romney skew left so often? Maybe he made a back-room deal. Maybe someone has some particularly salacious dirt on him that keeps him toeing the accepted line. Maybe, but I highly doubt it. I think like so many people who have had a taste of power, Romney wants to squeeze every ounce of that power (and money) out of the people of Utah and the American public that he can. He scents the wind and makes what he sees as the best choice for him at the time. Should we be anything but surprised? After all, for the moment and probably the foreseeable future, the Left is where the power is, and moreover, the Left is where the money is. Go figure. It would be better for Utah and, for that matter, America if Romney either decided not to run or again gave up all pretense of believing in anything and just took a job as the token RINO on CNN or MSNBC.

I have to admit, I’m torn. Which sounds better: “Let’s go, Romney” or “Let’s go, Delecto?” You be the judge.