On Wednesday February 5, 2020, Senator Mitt Romney of Utah etched his name into future history books. By voting to convict President Donald Trump of the “high crime” of Abuse of Power, Romney became the only United States Senator in the history of the republic to vote to remove a president of his own party from office. As a result, he will endure the full wrath of Trump, his propaganda apparatus at Fox News, and millions of Trump’s followers. Some have said that Romney’s political career is over. Perhaps, it is. But if it is coming to an end, it would be a shame to allow this moment in history to pass without doing the most possible good for the country while he is still in a position to have an impact . By casting a vote of “guilty”, Mitt Romney demonstrated a quality seemingly absent from Washington: leadership. In 2012, Mitt Romney sought to lead the country and came up a bit short. Much has changed in eight years and in 2020, it is time once again for Mitt Romney to answer the call to lead the country. It’s time for Mitt Romney to run for President of the United States.
First, we must state the obvious, Mitt Romney can not run as a Republican. Donald Trump is the leader of the Republican Party and he will be the nominee in 2020. For Romney to challenge Trump in the primary would be a fool's errand and a waste of resources. For Romney to seek the Libertarian nomination would be disingenuous; he’s not a Libertarian. No, Mitt Romney must run as an Independent conservative candidate. Romney believes in low taxes, deregulation, free trade, and small government. In regards to social issues, he is pro-life and pro-gun, with a sincere religious faith. In short, he is what the Republican Party used to be and many conservatives still are. If a non-MAGA version of conservatism still exists in this country, as I believe it does, Romney’s best bet is to run as an Independent conservative alternative to Trump.
Secondly, there is the issue of viability. No Third Party or Independent candidate has ever won the presidency. However, that is not the point. When Romney cast his vote with the Democrats on Wednesday, he was voting to remove President Trump from office. He clearly believes that the President is unfit for office and must be removed. Following Trump’s acquittal in the Senate, the only method left for removal is the ballot box. Romney’s name on a ballot would no doubt siphon off several million would-be Trump voters across the country. This would increase the likelihood that Trump is removed from office by the voters. Trump no longer occupying the White House would be the result Romney pushed for when he cast his vote on February 5th. Can a minor party candidate have such an impact on a Republican running for re-election? You needn’t look any further than one-term Republican Presidents William Howard Taft and George Bush.
Finally, we must face facts. If Senator Mitt Romney runs for President of the United States as an Independent conservative candidate he...CAN WIN! Yes, he can! There are two reasons for this: math and the Constitution. President Trump doesn’t care much for math (see six bankrupt Trump properties) and he has never had any respect for the Constitution. However, there is one part of the Constitution that Trump loves and the Republican Party will defend until the end: the Electoral College. Mitt Romney can use the Electoral College to deny Trump a second term and potentially win the White House despite coming in a likely third in the popular vote. By winning as little as one traditionally red state, Romney could conceivably prevent either party from winning a majority of the electoral vote (270) thereby sending the election to the House of Representatives as outlined in the Constitution. The House may choose whichever of the top three candidates they wish. This has happened before during the Election of 1824. Could Romney win a single state’s electoral votes? Yes, definitely. His name ID alone would garner him enough media attention to make him be taken seriously and all but guarantee him a spot in the presidential debates. Furthermore, Mitt Romney is uniquely suited to defeat Trump in one state: Utah. Not only is Romney the Senator from Utah, he is a beloved figure in the state. When he ran for president in 2012 he won the state with more than 72% of the vote. By contrast, Trump won deep red Utah by receiving less than 46% of the vote. There is no reason to believe that Mitt Romney could not win Utah. The Electoral Map could look much like the one below with no candidate winning a majority and Romney emerging as the compromise candidate in the House.
If Mitt Romney were to run for President, it would only make sense that he would appear on the ballot in a handful of traditionally red states where he could conceivably win electoral votes and where a successful campaign could be run with limited resources. States like Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Oklahoma would make sense. If resources allow, he could expand his campaign to larger states. If he ran in states such as these there are only 3 outcomes:
I realize the improbability of such an endeavor. However, Senator Romney took a stand that he can not possibly step away from now. In the eyes of Trump loyalist and the Right Wing media he has committed the cardinal sin: he showed character. He took an oath before God and showed fidelity to our Constitution. This excludes him from ever again being welcome in Donald Trump’s Republican Party. This does not exclude him from standing up for the millions of conservative and moderate voters across the country without a political home. If he chose a running mate such as Rep. Justin Amash, who was kicked out of the GOP for defending the Constitution, Romney would make himself an even more attractive conservative alternative to Trump. With the backing of organizations like The Lincoln Project and the potential endorsements of former Republican leaders like John Kasich, Jeb Bush, and Jeff Flake, Mitt Romney would have a shot. As a Democrat living in a red state where no Democratic presidential candidate stands a realistic chance of winning, I stand ready to support Mitt Romney. I don’t think I'm alone. I did not vote for Mitt Romney in 2012. I have significant disagreements with many of the policies he supports. However, 2020 isn’t about the traditional conservative progressive divide. It is about removing from office a man that poses an existential threat to our Constitution and republic. With his vote on Wednesday, Mitt Romney cast his lot with history and history will be kind. Now it's time for Mitt Romney to lead. “Romney For America”
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Derek Trent AshcraftA place to discuss, among other things, politics, culture, food, faith, and nonsense. Archives
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