this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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[–] [email protected] 112 points 11 months ago (13 children)

Every once in a while, Romney will stand up and do the bare minimum.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

swoons in Mormon

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago

True but it’s almost always too late to matter though..

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[–] [email protected] 97 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I don't think people get that this difference makes a difference. As a millennial going through college during the GW Bush years, there was at least a Republican party that cared about America, cared about non political government institutions and the service those members participate in, etc. Since the tea party that shit changed. And I don't think it's hard to believe Mitt Romney actually cares about this country and means what he says on this thing. I feel disgusted defending Romney, but I kind of miss it when it was guys like Romney were the political opponents in power and not these MAGA folks hellbent on destroying democracy and politicizing the institutions critical to America.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 11 months ago (3 children)

I mean, I was going through college when GW Bush was elected, and here's what I remember:

  1. Everyone lying about GW Bush being the "first Spanish-speaking President" (he spoke no Spanish at all), the first of many lies meant to cover up his manifest incompetence and intellectual incapability

  2. Republicans shutting the government down for weeks at a time

  3. A maniac, entirely fictitious scandal invented solely to hamper Al Gore's election prospects (the White House phones scandal)

What was different about that day's Republican Party than today's? We knew less about it, was all.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

The thing that I dont think a lot of people like to recognize is that GW Bush had both some of the highest and lowest approval ratings. For months immediately after his approval rating was like 90 percent. Dems are also responsible for going to war then, even if they weren't the party in control.

But the thing is republicans did hold institutions, agencies, and administrative government orgs in higher esteem and weren't trying to destroy and purge. That's very different than trump. There's a difference between Mitt Romneys of the. GOP and the Jim Jordans who have never passed their own legislation and instead only focus on dismantling government and going on witch hunts.

I think the other thing you need to look at is how other elected officials speak about working with him. There's what you say in the public light, and then there's the work that actually gets done.

Also, didn't Romney kind of quietly champion universal healthcare in MA? And despite his own views, accept state Supreme Court rulings to provide gay marriage licenses? This guy actually cared about governing.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Also 2 unnecessary wars. Iraq causing the US to lose focus in Afghanistan. Republicans steered the Medicare part D BS and Bush signed it. The economy melting down then they blamed Obama. Then they questioned Obama’s citizenship. Before that was Reagan racking up debt, and raising taxes all while “states rights” was used as cover for institutional racism.

Republicans have always been dog shit.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Yes, but they never would have sold us out completely to China or Russia. Their goals were power and grift, but they weren't willing to destroy the country to do so.

As bad as they were, Trump is likely worse.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (3 children)

It's a progression, though. They turned up the heat slowly so people wouldn't notice how they're being boiled alive. Romney isn't a Tea Party/MAGAt like the rest, but he had no problem catering to them during his 2012 bid for the Presidency and he was part of the establishment that paved the way for the extremists. He can afford to distance himself now that he's retiring, but he didn't listen when we warned about the rise of extremism in his party. It's too late to earn our respect for acknowledging it now.

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[–] [email protected] 74 points 11 months ago (1 children)

"But not Biden so probably Trump but I will have my fingers crossed when I be a hypocrite and Jebus will forgive me." - Rich white guy

[–] [email protected] 54 points 11 months ago (1 children)

But… he voted for Biden.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago (2 children)

This thread is the epitome of low information D voters parroting the R=bad line. Romney was one of that last reasonable republicans left.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

Biden is one of the last reasonable Republicans.

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah…. His usual ethical-adjacent stance. He won’t support the awful but the moderately better are just fine. The pinnacle of GOP integrity is still pathetic.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I don't know. Is DeSantis moderately better?

[–] [email protected] 22 points 11 months ago (24 children)

If you’re fine with whitewashing and gay bashing, sure.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

Lol moderately? He's basically the villian in It Can't Happen Here

[–] [email protected] 36 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It's genuinely surprising how low the bar is for a Republican to be considered ethical - refusing to vote in the guy who literally tried to pull a coup on your country shouldn't even be an ethical stance, it should be the stance of literally everyone

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Sounds vaguely like an ethical stance, except DeSantis is still ok for him.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (6 children)

It's implied. Sounds tacky to list 3 people in that statement

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The arc of Mitt Romney's universe is long and flexes back and forth, but it bends towards sanity

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 26 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

Sen. Mitt Romney Says He Would Vote For 'Virtually' Anybody Other Than Trump or Ramaswamy

Remember, politicians are often masters at parsing their words; there's a big difference between "would" and "will".

Edit: Also remember Romney was a chronic flip-flopper; don't expect that to change.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago

Romney will not vote for Trump under any circumstances and isn’t shy about it*

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Romney isn't a politician anymore. That's why I think this carries more weight. He can say what he wants and doesn't have to worry about job security of appealing to the base.

Also, read the article. This is about the Republican primary. He can vote for folks near term still R. But he alluded to that in a general if it's trump, he'd probably vote Biden.

But "the others that are running are acceptable to me and I'd be happy to vote for them," Romney told "Person to Person's" Norah O'Donnell when asked which candidates he "liked" in the GOP field.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago (2 children)

$100 he still votes trump in the end.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago

What odds are you giving? Because honestly I'd take that bet. Mitt fucking despises Trump.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Id bet against you. You think a retired politician would publicly go against his old party but privately do the opposite? Also, this article is mostly about the GOP primary. Read the article, not just the headline.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago (1 children)

He is an anything goes martial artist that, due to the curse of the drowned maiden, transforms into a teenage girl when exposed to cold water.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Never seen the show, but is this a Ranma reference?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

Not who you replied to, but im just gonna say yes.

“Yes.”

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago (2 children)

The most annoying guy at the Republican debates that no one is watching. He’s 5% in the GOP polls and is basically the adult version of the insufferable kid that got way too into high school debate team.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Fucking asshole helped create this problem. Fuck Romney. Fuck every traitor republican.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 11 months ago (1 children)

True, but I still think it's good to see a little bit of reason coming back here and there. I welcome it.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago (2 children)

is there a virtual person he would vote for

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

that spanish AI model maybe?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Mitt looks like the villain in an 80s comedy movie and feels like a guy who says what people tell him to say.

IMHO this is just telling people the Mormon church doesn't support those guys.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 11 months ago (11 children)

Idk Romney was joining BLM marches in 2020, hate to say it but he might not be a complete piece of shit.

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