OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney is going after Donald Trump.
Romney said Democrats should keep the filibuster as a technical strategy to prevent Trump from passing an agenda in the event that he becomes president again.
“Have Democrats thought through what it would mean for them for Trump to be entirely unrestrained, with the Democratic minority having no power whatsoever? If Democrats eliminate the filibuster now, they — and the country — may soon regret it very much,” Romney said.
Romney added:
For several years, many of us have recoiled as foundational American institutions have repeatedly been demeaned: The judiciary has been accused of racial bias; the media maligned as the enemy of the people; justice and intelligence agencies belittled; public health agencies dismissed; even our election system has been accused of being rigged.
The United States Senate is one of our vital democratic institutions. Since shortly after our nation’s founding, a single senator has been permitted to speak indefinitely, delaying and possibly impairing legislation favored by the majority, even if that senator were in the minority. When rules were eventually developed to cut off debate, the Senate required that decision to be made by a supermajority of senators, first 67 and now 60.
The power given to the minority and the resulting requirement for political consensus are among the Senate’s defining features.
Consider how different the Senate would be without the filibuster. Whenever one party replaced the other as the majority, tax and spending priorities, safety net programs, national security policy, and cultural interests would careen from one extreme to the other, creating uncertainty and unpredictability for families, employers, and our partners around the world.
And not only that, but Romney even predicted that Trump could win again, saying he has a “reasonable chance” in the next election, 2024.
Romney continues to find ways to stoop as low as he possibly can to attack Trump.
A few months ago, Romney argued that Trump is also to blame for the crisis in Afghanistan.
Romney said, “Leaving Americans behind and leaving our Afghan friends behind, who worked with us, would put upon us and will put upon us a moral stain. This is the result of very ineffective decisions by the prior administration and the current administration. This did not have to happen. It was preventable.”
“And let me note that’s very different than the military. Our military came in at the very last moment and has performed admirably as far as I can tell to move people out as quickly as possible,” he added.
Romney then blamed Trump without actually mentioning his name.
“We didn’t have to be in this rush, rush circumstance with terrorists breathing down our neck. It’s the responsibility of the prior administration and this administration that’s caused this crisis to be upon us and has led to what is, without question, a humanitarian and foreign policy tragedy,” he said.
