The announcement this week by Utah Senator Mitt Romney that he will not seek re-election in 2024 leaves a void not only in the Republican party, but on our national political scene.
When Mitt Romney was our governor, he showed that a person of integrity and dedication to office can get things done for the benefit of all citizens. His willingness to work with the Democrats to pass the landmark health care bill that guarantees health insurance for all Massachusetts residents served as a model for the historic Obamacare legislation a few years later at the national level.
In addition, Romney did not play politics (in contrast to governors both before and after)
with his government and judicial appointments. Mitt Romney was a straight shooter who held to the simple belief that excellence in government is attainable.
Unfortunately, Romney sold his proverbial soul to the devil when he entered national politics, changing his previously-held views on a woman’s right to choose and even disavowing his own creation, dubbed Romneycare, despite its success in Massachusetts, in order to cater to the archconservatives of the modern Republican party.
However, after his unsuccessful run for president in 2012 in which he was defeated by Barack Obama, Mitt Romney became the de facto leader of the opposition to the ultra-Republicans whose modus operandi can only be described as anarchy.
“A very large portion of my party,” said Romney, “really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.”
Even though we disagree with Mitt Romney on just about every issue, we nonetheless believe that he is one of the few politicians who would have made a great President. His departure from the U.S. Senate will leave a void that few, if any, will dare to fill.