Mitt Romney’s political capital is ascending rapidly. If he were a stock, not the new Senator from Utah, it would be time to buy.
Take a look at who Romney ran against in his Senate race. He didn’t run against his Democratic opponent. He ran against Washington, DC, which is code for Don Trump.
Note how Romney frames Utah as the moral high ground, which is a smart move amidst today’s cacophony of dismay and disgust. Also, he says Utah welcomes immigrants which is another way to say that the LDS faith relies on immigrants to grow the religion.
Given how far the GOP has fallen, it’s a wonder that the political party isn’t out of business. But that’s now American politics works. Romney sees his opening and he’s playing his redeemer card. Can you blame him?
Ah yes, the good people of Utah. Also known as the devout people of people of Utah who seemingly live in a time capsule. Romney’s version of America pulls from the aw shucks, “Leave it to Beaver” camp, which is something of a relief given the perverted red scare McCarthyism we’re living in today.
Whatever version of himself he puts forward, Mitt Romney, a graduate of BYU, and former Governor of Massachusetts, now has a permanent seat in the U.S. Senate for as long as he wants it. His constituents in Utah will back him no matter what, particularly when they perceive the sitting President as a menace and a threat to all things good.
This frees Rmoney to be his own man in a way that other politicians can’t afford and do not enjoy.
Romney has the money needed to run for POTUS, the experience from his run against Obama and a comfy fallback position should he fail again. Timing is also on his side. Trump traumatizes people. This creates a vacuum for more sensible leadership to emerge.
Can We Get Back To Respecting Our Neighbors?
At this point, it’s hard to see which potential Democratic candidate for President will be broadly appealing and capable of winning not just the popular vote but the Electoral College.
I have no idea if Beto O’Rourke intends to run for POTUS in 2020, but I do know this. Even with a steady stream of Beto’s “f-bombs”, Mitt v. Beto would be the most civilized race in modern times.
A lot of people are interested to see what Beto does next. It would be totally unprecedented for a former Congressman from El Paso to land a spot atop the ticket. Beto is also outside the mainstream of the party and therefore he would need to make friends with at least some of the lever pullers.
The high side of a Beto run in 2020 is he would clearly help to motivate great numbers of people to care about voting and to care about each other again.
