If Mitt Romney is serious about stopping Trump — and he should be — now is the time to throw down the gauntlet:
Attendees caution that Romney’s annual summit — The Experts and Enthusiasts, or E2, retreat — is not an exclusive conclave for the #NeverTrump movement. Yet it is the closest thing to a safe space for conservatives who agree that Trump is not a Republican in the mold of their 2012 Republican nominee, who remains revered by associates.
Romney, who has criticized Trump at every turn, will brief his allies in a highly-anticipated, even if brief, set of remarks Thursday evening…
That name [of a potential third-party candidate], his advisers say again and again, will not be him. But many are curious about just how far he will go to stop Trump in November: Will he instruct some of his fundraisers to stay far from him? Will he stump for Senate candidates who repudiate him? Will he warm toward an existing third-party candidate like Libertarian hopeful Gary Johnson?
“We’d be lying if we told you there wasn’t a lot of interest in what his plans might be,” said one person familiar with the event, who described Romney as “very distraught.” “We’re interested to see his disposition, his temperament.”
Writing for Hot Air, Allahpundit isn’t sure what to make of this upcoming speech. On the one hand, he writes, Romney could go all in, telling his loyalists not to support Donald Trump no matter what. On the other hand, he could surrender and tell them to do whatever they want. Since these donors are extremely loyal to Romney, his words will carry great weight with them.
And that’s precisely why Romney can’t afford to throw his towel into the ring. The former Massachusetts governor is, despite his defeat to Obama in 2012, still a Republican powerhouse and it’s up to him to step up to the plate now by publicly and vocally campaigning against Trump. Sure, a President Hillary would be bad for America, but there’s no reason whatsoever to believe that Trump will be much better. In fact, he’s — if possible — even worse on some issues such as foreign policy. Just look at Hillary’s recent foreign policy speech in which she came at Trump from the right.
Yes, the Republican Party has a presumptive nominee who’s further to the left on some issues than Hillary. That truly says it all about the GOP’s horrific primary season.
For all his faults, Romney is a knowledgeable politician who understands foreign policy better than most, and especially better than Trump. Let’s not forget: it was Romney who rightfully predicted that Russia would continue to be America’s number one geopolitical foe. A prediction that has, sadly, come true, even though the leftist media — and President Obama, of course — laughed at him when he issued that dire warning.
Because of his undeniable foresight and knowledge, Romney has rightfully made a comeback in recent years as one of America’s most prominent Republican leaders. A statesman, which is what he has become, has the moral obligation to warn his party and his country when they’re about to make a bad decision — yes, even if they don’t want to hear it.
The time has come for Romney to take a stand against Trump and for his party and country. If he does not, he forsakes his duty. And that is simply inexcusable.
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