To the dustbin of obscurity

by | Feb 6, 2020 | Editor's Blog | 6 comments

Mitt Romney told the truth on the Republicans yesterday. If they had any sense of honor, they would all be ashamed. Romney stood on the Senate floor and clearly and concisely debunked the president’s defense of the charges against him. He also laid out his responsibility to the country to do what’s right. That can’t be said of most of the other Republican Senators. 

In North Carolina, Thom Tillis continued his clown show, doing his best Donald Trump reality show imitation. He tore up the articles of impeachment in a video, mocking Nancy Pelosi’s reaction to Trump’s State of the Union address. Tillis has made plain that his re-election comes first and he’ll put Trump ahead of country every time. He’s become a parody of a sycophant. 

As for Richard Burr, he released a self-righteous statement declaring, “The Founding Fathers who crafted our modern impeachment mechanism predicted this moment, and warned against a solely partisan and politically-motivated process.” This is the same Richard Burr who voted to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about an affair. Back then he said, “The United States is a nation of laws, not men and I do not believe we can ignore the facts or disregard the constitution so that the president can be placed above the law.” My, how things change. 

Burr also claimed that House didn’t prove his case, but Mitt Romney pretty clearly debunked that argument. So did Senator Lamar Alexander. Alexander said that what Trump did was clearly wrong and the evidence is so overwhelming, we didn’t even need to hear witnesses. Senator Lisa Murkowski echoed similar sentiments. Senator Ben Sasse says what the president did was clearly wrong but he shouldn’t have any consequences for bad behavior. And poor Susan Collins knows what Trump did is wrong but thinks President Trump has learned his lesson. Bless her heart.

The rest of the Republicans know what Trump did was wrong, too. They know that he should face some sort of consequences. They just don’t have the moral fiber to do anything.

Mitt Romney put his political career on the line because his oath of office and commitment to the country and Constitution is greater than his commitment to the GOP. He’ll be attacked and vilified by members of his own party. He’ll likely receive death threats from unhinged Trumpists. And he’ll almost certainly suffer the wrath of the man-child in the White House. But he’ll have his integrity intact and history will likely remember him for his vote. 

Thom Tillis has no apparent convictions whatsoever and poor Richard Burr lacks the gray matter to make intelligent or consistent decisions. History won’t remember either of them. They’ll be confined to the dustbin of mediocrity that holds so many of our former elected officials. They could have made a difference and been remembered for their integrity but instead chose to follow the herd into obscurity. 

6 Comments

  1. cocodog

    The taxpayers give these two a 172,000, plus benefits each year to accomplish something. Burr is retiring this year, but Tom wants to ride the gravy train a little further. He wants the people of NC to put him back in office. Can anybody list a few accomplishments which would justify putting Old Tom back? In short, what has he accomplished?

  2. J

    I credit Senator Romney with doing the right thing. And I wish I had more faith in the reasons he gave for doing it, but I cannot ignore the things he has done or tried to do (and likely still hopes to do) simply because of the fact that in this one instance he became the enemy of my enemy. He is still the same candidate who ran on a platform that would destroy a Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security at a time when those earned benefits are all that remain between millions of Americans and abject suffering. One vote does not rehabilitate his legacy.

    The blind squirrel found an acorn, nothing more.

  3. Joanne Purnell

    I totally agree with the comments of Rick Gunther. He is spot on. I now so admire Mitt Romney. As someone said above he was the only Rep. adult in the room. Most of them act like spoiled two year olds. I just hope Trump can be voted out this year but I fear bigly (as he would say) that he might win again. Dems. Have a harder time getting their voters to go to the polls.

  4. Rick Gunter

    Allow me one more comment.

    It is crucial Democrats keep the House and take the Senate in November.

    Forget the Iowa debacle. That may prove beneficial going forward, for this may end the hold those awful caucus have on the Democratic nomination in the future. Iowa simply is not reflective of the nation’s demographics. Results from Iowa this year never will be accepted by this lifelong Democrat. They are tainted forever.

    But the Senate races are crucial this year. I want both Mitch McConnell and Trump gone.

    • Debra Redfern

      Yes you are correct. Democrats must take the Senate and maintain control of the house.

  5. Rick Gunter

    Thank you for your post, Mr. Hill. I do believe history will remember Tillis and Burr. It will remember them for their complicity. They forever are stained in history.

    As to Mitt Romney, I never voted for him in 2012. But even then I believed he was an honorable man despite all the noise his comment about the 47 percent or whatever drew. But yesterday, he proved to be the one adult in the Senate GOP room. That chamber was created by the Founders to have adults in the room. There is only one adult on the GOP side. Senator Romney became a giant with his moving speech and vote on impeachment. It could not have been better stated.

    I also was impressed by some Democrats in red states, particularly Doug Jones, of Alabama, and Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, who voted to convict. Perhaps Republican Romney made it a bit easier for them to do so.

    I still contend that the Trump emergency is far from over. Revelations will continue to flow from all directions. Those GOP senators who caved in will look more and more foolish. This will not end well for them or Trump. If the public re-elects him in November, our country will have chosen dictatorship over a representative democracy. The only issue in this election is Trump. Call it an obsession of mine. I want my country back and fear it will never be as good as it was before this con man was placed in office with the help of the Russians.

Related Posts

GET UPDATES

Get the latest posts from PoliticsNC delivered right to your inbox!

You have Successfully Subscribed!