I remember an eighth grade social studies teacher long ago telling our class that after Stalin finished a speech, the applause would go on and on and on because no one wanted to be the first to stop. I couldn’t believe it. I stayed skeptical for some thirty years, right up until I watched House Republicans take turns giving speeches before the first impeachment vote. McCarthy stood out especially as he enunciated with performative slowness “The President of the United States is Donald John Trump”, as if the mere invocation of the name was itself a defense. Of course the apparatchiks went wild. It went on and on and on...
I appreciate your insider revealations -- they are verifying what I suspected from watching events unfold through media of various flavors during Trump's rise (he has not fallen). The most disturbing aspect of your commentary details the cowardice of other politicians in the face of Trump's power over his supporters, and their willingness to do and say anything to remain powerful themselves. I suspect that Trump has the same kind of gift that Adolf Hitler bragged about in Mein Kampf: The ability to segregate what is critical to him in politics (all things that lead to collecting and exercising power) vs. what is not critical (attempts at implementing policy fairly or implementing any policy at all that doesn't aggregate more power to himself). Trump sees straight into that terrible power grid as clearly as Hitler did; this reality is what his supporters will never see (or else cynically deny). But brave people who oppose him and the political energy he has tapped must act to unravel what he is creating -- they don't appear to be members of the GOP unfortunately. All those were (mostly) expunged. And I think those words, while sounding dire, really are.
Thank you for sharing this, Adam. From day 1, the very first time you spoke out, you earned my deepest respect. Keep doing exactly what you are doing. It is making a difference. You are touching the deep good inside American people's hearts. That good will come out. The nonsense will stop. We know this will happen. Thank you thank you thank you don't stop Bryan
Why did Romney stand by all these years and not come forward with these protestations? For years he remained silent while Congress boiled around him. It’s a little late in my book.
This is a very nice article about a very good man. Although I don't share many of his policy preferences, I admire his courage and commitment to his principles. I hate to see him go, but I suppose you can only bang your head against a brick wall for so long. Farewell Senator Romney, you will be missed.
Great to see you on Substack, Adam, and thank your for sharing your insider perspective that we voters rarely get to see. To me a major question is this: How to get these timid Republicans in Congress who must know the truth about "he who must not be named" or "VoldeTrump" or "DonDemorte" as I refer to him, and be brave enough to put America's interests before those of a narcissistic single person and and their own selfish greed? They worry about fairness to him and then shut down the government by not doing their primary job - pass a budget.
My voting practice has always been to primarily look at the person and then their record and beliefs. That is where you came up high on my radar. You and I would likely disagree on many policy directions but on one thing I believe we are united: First and foremost we are Americans and dedicated to protecting the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and American freedom from tyranny. Maybe it is a result of the oath we both took when in military service? You, Liz Cheney, and Mitt Romney were brave to break from your party and call out January 6th for what it was - a coup attempt. One guy didn't like the election result so he decided to burn the house down, and many in Congress helped him! So sad. The January 6th Hearings made that clear. Thanks for helping to make that public record. Mike Pence showed resolve when he refused to cave to the intense pressures he appeared to have been under and as an American we all owe him a debt of honor and gratitude. Mitt Romney showed conviction of conscience as well. Something that seems to be withering (dead?) within the Republican party.
I wrote a personal letter to former President George W. Bush a while back encouraging him to again defend the Constitution "from all enemies foreign and domestic" by leading the Republican party from the decrepit mess it is in. Nothing but deafening silence. Too bad and very sad ... I actually thought he could (would?) help. Silly me. Keep up the good work. Maybe the others, including former President Bush, will start to develop some courage.
Two takeaways from this post: First, this tribute to Romney reads very much like a eulogy I once gave for a great man. In many ways it is a eulogy to the death of the last senate republican of good character, and it saddens me deeply.
Secondly, this confirms what I have come to suspect has been happening to Congress since Trump took office, though until now I sometimes wondered if this was really going on or whether I was going down the rabbit hole of conspiracy like so many in the GOP. I can picture in my mind snakes like Gaetz and Jordan slithering over to the WH under cover of darkness to rat on fellows colleagues to Trump. It sickens, but does not surprise me. Challenging these stooges in their primaries sounds not only smart at this point, but downright patriotic and I fully support it.
I don’t know what it will take to attract and retain more people of good will and character to serve in our nations capitol. But I truly hope America First figures it out.
This culture of fear sounds right out of Putin’s playbook: “I hope you aren’t surprised to hear that members of the House and Senate change their minds when they must put up or shut up. What you may not know is that in the Trump years this practice became nearly universal as the House was swept by paranoia. With each passing day members of Congress became more worried about who to trust. Many refused to speak-up during conference calls and caucus meetings because they knew, with a high degree of certainty, that someone would record what was said and deliver the audio record to the White House. In this atmosphere a record number of members decided they couldn’t function in a place of such treachery and resigned.”
Adam, bravo! I voted against Mitt Romney for president. I regret doing so not because I have changed views on Obama but because I never foresaw things would come to this which makes me feel he should have been elected on his character, wisdom and foreign policy gravitas alone.
I hope he remains in the arena, and may his voice continue to be heard.
I know how you feel. I didn’t vote for Hillary in 2016 and regret it not because I think her character is significantly better, but because I believe she at least had restraint and understood how to run the country. Now I assess candidates much less on their policies and almost exclusively on their perceived (and demonstrated) character. Perhaps that is how it should always be.
You did a great job of contrasting the character of Mitt Romney with that of so many others in Congress. Although I may not have agreed with him on every issue, I've always respected and admired him.
A found one passage in your piece to be especially insightful: "As politicians, we all feel like we can save the day. Such is the ego required to run for office". I totally understand that. Upon meeting the cardiac surgeon who'd be performing heart surgery on my mother four years ago (she's now 92), I was struck by the fact that he displayed somewhat of a large ego. But he had a reason -- he'd done the procedure over a thousand times, with nearly 99% success. He was that good. Yet... despite the fact that he had a big ego, he was very personable. I was relieved to know that he -- and no one else --would be performing the surgery.
Now, compare that to many of the members of Congress. Sadly, they may have the ego it takes to run for office, but when you strip away the surface layers, there is no foundation or justification for it. It's like an opulent beach house built on flimsy stilts in the sand. It draws everyone's attention at first, but then eventually it crumbles and washes away.
Sometimes there is a reason for a member of Congress to have a "healthy" ego. Sadly, those people are far and few between. To the ones who do not have that foundation.... eventually their showy houses will collapse, leaving nothing more than an empty shell and faded memory. That time can't come soon enough.
As stated, politicians will compromise their ideals to keep their jobs. Term limits will cure them of that fear. Perhaps then they will find the courage to vote their consciences and do what they know is right for the country.
Term limits will make them far more dependent on the person who will employ them after they leave Congress.
Which will not be the average voter.
Why is it that you think an ongoing bunch of amateurs (which is pretty much what the Trump administration was) can run a country of 330 million people.
We have term limits - they're called elections.
But elections only work when the average voter takes their job seriously. When they vote for someone with character and not some character from the favorite tv show.
I didn't vote for Romney. I don't agree with Romney. But I have never doubted that Romney thinks he is pursuing the best interests of the United States when he works to pass laws.
I feel very "meh" about Mitt Romney. I admired him at one time but given everything he knew before and afterward, his silence was pretty deafening. So what do you think of this Stop the Stupid Party? I mean, could you and former Rep Cheney really be able to associate yourselves anymore with the formerly respectable GOP?
Well said ! Both you and Romney have been beacons of courage and character. I pray that more and more Americans realized that our very democracy is at stake and also choose country over party.
I remember an eighth grade social studies teacher long ago telling our class that after Stalin finished a speech, the applause would go on and on and on because no one wanted to be the first to stop. I couldn’t believe it. I stayed skeptical for some thirty years, right up until I watched House Republicans take turns giving speeches before the first impeachment vote. McCarthy stood out especially as he enunciated with performative slowness “The President of the United States is Donald John Trump”, as if the mere invocation of the name was itself a defense. Of course the apparatchiks went wild. It went on and on and on...
I seem to recall Stalin actually keeping power.
But hey. You do you.
You two have fun together. I’ve got no time to waste on MAGA A-Holes 😆
The point is stupid. It wholly misunderstands the reality of the situation.
So what?
Our government is on the track to totalitarianism. There’s shit right now that would give Stalin the mother of all boners.
And here we are measuring dicks over Trump.
That’s so awesome!
I appreciate your insider revealations -- they are verifying what I suspected from watching events unfold through media of various flavors during Trump's rise (he has not fallen). The most disturbing aspect of your commentary details the cowardice of other politicians in the face of Trump's power over his supporters, and their willingness to do and say anything to remain powerful themselves. I suspect that Trump has the same kind of gift that Adolf Hitler bragged about in Mein Kampf: The ability to segregate what is critical to him in politics (all things that lead to collecting and exercising power) vs. what is not critical (attempts at implementing policy fairly or implementing any policy at all that doesn't aggregate more power to himself). Trump sees straight into that terrible power grid as clearly as Hitler did; this reality is what his supporters will never see (or else cynically deny). But brave people who oppose him and the political energy he has tapped must act to unravel what he is creating -- they don't appear to be members of the GOP unfortunately. All those were (mostly) expunged. And I think those words, while sounding dire, really are.
Thank you for sharing this, Adam. From day 1, the very first time you spoke out, you earned my deepest respect. Keep doing exactly what you are doing. It is making a difference. You are touching the deep good inside American people's hearts. That good will come out. The nonsense will stop. We know this will happen. Thank you thank you thank you don't stop Bryan
Why did Romney stand by all these years and not come forward with these protestations? For years he remained silent while Congress boiled around him. It’s a little late in my book.
Completely agree.
The fence sitter.
This is a very nice article about a very good man. Although I don't share many of his policy preferences, I admire his courage and commitment to his principles. I hate to see him go, but I suppose you can only bang your head against a brick wall for so long. Farewell Senator Romney, you will be missed.
Thank you Adam. I enjoyed reading this and a bit of insight. I want to also thank you for your service to this great country of ours!
Great to see you on Substack, Adam, and thank your for sharing your insider perspective that we voters rarely get to see. To me a major question is this: How to get these timid Republicans in Congress who must know the truth about "he who must not be named" or "VoldeTrump" or "DonDemorte" as I refer to him, and be brave enough to put America's interests before those of a narcissistic single person and and their own selfish greed? They worry about fairness to him and then shut down the government by not doing their primary job - pass a budget.
My voting practice has always been to primarily look at the person and then their record and beliefs. That is where you came up high on my radar. You and I would likely disagree on many policy directions but on one thing I believe we are united: First and foremost we are Americans and dedicated to protecting the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and American freedom from tyranny. Maybe it is a result of the oath we both took when in military service? You, Liz Cheney, and Mitt Romney were brave to break from your party and call out January 6th for what it was - a coup attempt. One guy didn't like the election result so he decided to burn the house down, and many in Congress helped him! So sad. The January 6th Hearings made that clear. Thanks for helping to make that public record. Mike Pence showed resolve when he refused to cave to the intense pressures he appeared to have been under and as an American we all owe him a debt of honor and gratitude. Mitt Romney showed conviction of conscience as well. Something that seems to be withering (dead?) within the Republican party.
I wrote a personal letter to former President George W. Bush a while back encouraging him to again defend the Constitution "from all enemies foreign and domestic" by leading the Republican party from the decrepit mess it is in. Nothing but deafening silence. Too bad and very sad ... I actually thought he could (would?) help. Silly me. Keep up the good work. Maybe the others, including former President Bush, will start to develop some courage.
Well said! Please keep up the good work!
Two takeaways from this post: First, this tribute to Romney reads very much like a eulogy I once gave for a great man. In many ways it is a eulogy to the death of the last senate republican of good character, and it saddens me deeply.
Secondly, this confirms what I have come to suspect has been happening to Congress since Trump took office, though until now I sometimes wondered if this was really going on or whether I was going down the rabbit hole of conspiracy like so many in the GOP. I can picture in my mind snakes like Gaetz and Jordan slithering over to the WH under cover of darkness to rat on fellows colleagues to Trump. It sickens, but does not surprise me. Challenging these stooges in their primaries sounds not only smart at this point, but downright patriotic and I fully support it.
I don’t know what it will take to attract and retain more people of good will and character to serve in our nations capitol. But I truly hope America First figures it out.
This culture of fear sounds right out of Putin’s playbook: “I hope you aren’t surprised to hear that members of the House and Senate change their minds when they must put up or shut up. What you may not know is that in the Trump years this practice became nearly universal as the House was swept by paranoia. With each passing day members of Congress became more worried about who to trust. Many refused to speak-up during conference calls and caucus meetings because they knew, with a high degree of certainty, that someone would record what was said and deliver the audio record to the White House. In this atmosphere a record number of members decided they couldn’t function in a place of such treachery and resigned.”
Adam, bravo! I voted against Mitt Romney for president. I regret doing so not because I have changed views on Obama but because I never foresaw things would come to this which makes me feel he should have been elected on his character, wisdom and foreign policy gravitas alone.
I hope he remains in the arena, and may his voice continue to be heard.
In the meantime, thanks for all you do.
I know how you feel. I didn’t vote for Hillary in 2016 and regret it not because I think her character is significantly better, but because I believe she at least had restraint and understood how to run the country. Now I assess candidates much less on their policies and almost exclusively on their perceived (and demonstrated) character. Perhaps that is how it should always be.
You did a great job of contrasting the character of Mitt Romney with that of so many others in Congress. Although I may not have agreed with him on every issue, I've always respected and admired him.
A found one passage in your piece to be especially insightful: "As politicians, we all feel like we can save the day. Such is the ego required to run for office". I totally understand that. Upon meeting the cardiac surgeon who'd be performing heart surgery on my mother four years ago (she's now 92), I was struck by the fact that he displayed somewhat of a large ego. But he had a reason -- he'd done the procedure over a thousand times, with nearly 99% success. He was that good. Yet... despite the fact that he had a big ego, he was very personable. I was relieved to know that he -- and no one else --would be performing the surgery.
Now, compare that to many of the members of Congress. Sadly, they may have the ego it takes to run for office, but when you strip away the surface layers, there is no foundation or justification for it. It's like an opulent beach house built on flimsy stilts in the sand. It draws everyone's attention at first, but then eventually it crumbles and washes away.
Sometimes there is a reason for a member of Congress to have a "healthy" ego. Sadly, those people are far and few between. To the ones who do not have that foundation.... eventually their showy houses will collapse, leaving nothing more than an empty shell and faded memory. That time can't come soon enough.
Bravo!
Excellent column, Adam! Many thanks for your insights & your candor.
I admire your selfless work for our country. You're a true patriot. I've been contributing to Country First since 2/28/21. Keep up the good work.
Ray Brown, Sonoma, CA
As stated, politicians will compromise their ideals to keep their jobs. Term limits will cure them of that fear. Perhaps then they will find the courage to vote their consciences and do what they know is right for the country.
Oh please.
Term limits will make them far more dependent on the person who will employ them after they leave Congress.
Which will not be the average voter.
Why is it that you think an ongoing bunch of amateurs (which is pretty much what the Trump administration was) can run a country of 330 million people.
We have term limits - they're called elections.
But elections only work when the average voter takes their job seriously. When they vote for someone with character and not some character from the favorite tv show.
I didn't vote for Romney. I don't agree with Romney. But I have never doubted that Romney thinks he is pursuing the best interests of the United States when he works to pass laws.
I feel very "meh" about Mitt Romney. I admired him at one time but given everything he knew before and afterward, his silence was pretty deafening. So what do you think of this Stop the Stupid Party? I mean, could you and former Rep Cheney really be able to associate yourselves anymore with the formerly respectable GOP?
Well said ! Both you and Romney have been beacons of courage and character. I pray that more and more Americans realized that our very democracy is at stake and also choose country over party.