this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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[–] Cruxifux 164 points 1 year ago (8 children)

We are entering dark fucking times when Mitt Fucking Romney is becoming the voice of reason in the American political landscape.

[–] Zippy 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is the problem. The moderate Republicans that didn't support Trump are looking at retirement. They are marginalized in their party. The replacements likely will be further right.

The country did far better when you have moderate and capable leadership on both sides.

[–] Cruxifux 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When was that exactly? I don’t see anybody from Reagan on that I would consider a “moderate” on the Republican side.

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[–] CharlesDarwin 7 points 1 year ago

What we've had for over 40 years is a moderately right wing party (the Democratic Party) and then the Republican Party, which even under the guise of "moderates" like Romney want some pretty extreme things.

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[–] HRDS_654 112 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Jesus Christ. When Mitt Romney starts looking progressive you fucked up.

[–] madcaesar 29 points 1 year ago

This is the Republican game for the last 3 decades. Field shitter and shitter candidates so people can reminisce how inclusive W was... How upstanding Romney was... Meanwhile if you actually lived through these people's tenure you'd know how vile and disgusting all of them are/were.

I'm waiting for people to reminisce about how smart Trump was compared to insert next nutjob Republican

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The ACA was an adaptation of Romney's healthcare plan for Massachusetts.

The Overton window is so fucked it should start an OnlyFans.

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[–] echoplex21 84 points 1 year ago (3 children)

What in the fuck, I would have never guessed Mitt was 76 years old. He looks a generation younger than Trump/Biden/McConnell, not their peer.

Overall I disagreed with Mitt a ton but he was someone with a bit of backbone compared to other Republicans.

[–] _cerpin_taxt_ 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Damn, yeah he looks 60 at most. I guess magical underpants or whatever will do that for you.

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[–] PetDinosaurs 7 points 1 year ago (9 children)

I mean, except for the grey hair, Romney looks similar enough to Biden. I don't know if Mormons forbid hair dye in the same way they forbid hot drinks, but the hair color is the only difference I see.

In any case, I'm not yet 40 and my cohort are dealing with grey hair. Romney's would be unusual but not impossible. I also have very few greys, but it gets comments since I'm not the type of person who would dye his hair.

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[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Arguably one of the least disliked of Republicans, John McCain not withstanding, for me personally.

At least tried to maintain some sort of civility. Too bad that doesn't mean much when he goes along with the rest of colleagues and their craziness.

Not sad he's gone, but not particularly happy either. Might open up Utah for the Dems in the future.

[–] 18_24_61_b_17_17_4 39 points 1 year ago

Same way I feel. In the grand scheme of things he's a piece of shit and votes as such. But as far as Republicans go he's semi-palatable.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

It’s not opening anything up to the dems. As a Utahn myself, I’m 99% certain Romney is retiring because he can’t win reelection here, as the majority of the state thinks he’s a RINO. I mean, he replaced Orrin Hatch, who could have won another term if he wanted, despite being in the senate since before microwave popcorn was a thing.

Utah had 1 dem representative and he only won because people came out to vote for medical marijuana. The state house then butchered that law until it was almost unrecognizable disenfranchising everyone who was finally getting involved. The state is run by car dealerships and residential developers. The money won’t let a non-republican take that seat.

[–] PetDinosaurs 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's amazing how far the R has fallen.

Small government? Privacy? Staying out of people's life? Individual rights and responsibility? Freedom?

Yeah.

Im not registered with a party. I'm not sure about how that would benefit anything, but I'm not sure I'll be able to vote R until that's fixed.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Same.

Although it's becoming close I register for Democrats cause of how bad things have gotten with Republicans.
They only got culture wars and conspiracy theories and downright malice now.

Helps me? NO. Tax cuts for the rich, taxes for me, and forcing their religion down my throat.

Helps others? NO. Targeting social security, restricted voting, and a whole lot of pulling up bootstraps

Helps kids? NO. Child labor laws weakened, free school lunched targeted, and don't say gay.

Helps nature? NO. Climate change "isn't real!!!", drill baby drill no matter what, and hostility to any "alternative/clean" solutions.

What future is there in that? Just a regressive and bastardization of the past. For what?!?! Just to try to bring back the "Good old days?"

With Dems there is at least a future, as troubled and imperfect as it might be. With Reps there isn't

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If those are your concerns I’m curious how you were ever comfortable voting for a republican? These have always been their stances, they’ve just doubled down on them lately.

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[–] IchNichtenLichten 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Romney's almost worse. At least with the current crop of republicans there's no doubting they're batshit and evil because they don't even bother hiding it.

Mittens gives a veneer of civility to a party that has lost its way and isn't fit for purpose.

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[–] Buffaloaf 57 points 1 year ago (4 children)

There are 54 senators over 65. Only 16.8% of Americans are over 65. So how the fuck is this proper representation?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago

Because that's who people showed up to vote for as their representatives, that's how.

[–] Zippy 9 points 1 year ago

That is democracy. You vote them in. Of course leadership positions will always be above the mean age. Same as senior positions in companies will also be older than the new hires. It takes years to become proficient in your trade and new people to politics usually start at the local level first before entering upper offices.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

To be fair, infants aren't allowed to (and probably shouldn't be allowed to) run for senate, even if they don't cry about things as much as some of the representatives do. The number probably shouldn't be perfectly 1-to-1. It's still way too high though.

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[–] [email protected] 49 points 1 year ago

Wow, imagine a Senator retiring before you're so old that you can hardly walk or remember your own name. Good for him.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

He strongly suggested that Mr. Trump, 77, and President Biden, 80, should follow his lead and bow out to pave the way for younger candidates

Hey, what do you know, I agree with Mitt Romney on something. Maybe people who would be roundly considered unemployable in any other profession shouldn’t be leading the country. This goes for Fenstien and McConnell too. Let’s just make sure the “younger people” aren’t all Boeberts.

[–] 18_24_61_b_17_17_4 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Let’s just make sure the “younger people” are all Boeberts.

Really hope you meant "aren't".

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Lol. Oops. Maybe I’m just a fan of seeing elected officials thrown out of Beetlejuice? Edited.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
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[–] rockSlayer 12 points 1 year ago

Let's avoid political dynasties too, please and thanks

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago (6 children)

You can say whatever you want about him, but one thing I'm fairly certain is that at the end of the day Mitt Romney cared about the average American. I'm not saying I agree with even half of his beliefs. But I believe his beliefs were focused on what he thought was best for the country and it's people. I'm also not saying he didn't attempt to make himself and those around him stupid rich, but that he wasn't going to do so by throwing everyone and everything out the window to obtain it. It's really a stark contrast to Trump. And you might think that's sad, but what's really sad is that it's not just Trump but nearly the entirety of that party now.

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

You're falling for the bullshit then. No man who cared about people would have helped found Bain Capital.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Seriosuly. Bain single handedly killed Toy R Us and 35,000 jobs. The chain was actually profitable, but then bain loaded it up with hundreds of millions of debt it used to buy it, parted the profitable bits out, then bankrupted it.

It's a pure vulture capital company, wrecking havoc and destroying lives to make Romney and men like him rich at the expense of millions.

Turbo fuck that guy.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago

Only reason he's leaving is he's not going to get reelected. He did shit that pissed off the trumpies and there's too many of them in his state for him to win the primary; he's probably already got a really credible (for certain definitions of credible) primary opponent who he knows he can't beat.

Also he might have something resembling principles, but those principles are themselves still monstrous and harmful.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

President Biden offers feel-good solutions that will make no difference to the global climate.

A lot more could be done but the Inflation Reduction Act is a major policy that is driving a lot of renewable energy investment, and probably the best that could be done under the current political circumstances. Hardly a "feel-good" solution, and I somehow doubt Romney, the lifelong conservative, has anything more substantial on climate in his back pocket.

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[–] CharlesDarwin 20 points 1 year ago

Yeah, because "both sides".

If he's retiring, the time for something more bold than some "both sides" milquetoast is NOW.

[–] vitriolix 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Before anyone lionizes him for his "principles" remember he helped promote the rediculous birther / birth certificate bullshit:

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-campaign-romney/romney-birth-certificate-remark-rekindles-obama-controversy-idINDEE87N0F020120825

[–] samus12345 10 points 1 year ago

Yes, he's a piece of shit. But the fact that he's less of a piece of shit than most of the Republican Party says a lot.

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[–] Daft_ish 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Damn, the last republican with a string of spine left is retiring. Good luck with your party..

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

I never thought I would unsarcastically say “Oh no! Mitt Romney is retiring!” But here I am, saying just that. Even though he is Mormon and has some shitty politics he is one of the few remaining Republicans left that understands the importance of Bipartisan legislation and voting to help the people instead of voting against everything to “own the libs.” It probably helps that he while he is a Republican, a lot of his policies while he was governor of Ma, and even now are more Center right, and almost Center left, making it seem like he is largely GOP because he’s LDS and would really fit better as an Independent.*

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Yes, there are binders of younger people to take up the mantle.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

“Both men refuse to address entitlements even though they represent two-thirds of federal spending,” he said.

Fuck this austerity loving dirtbag. Good riddance.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Every once in a while, Romney tips forward, and does the bare minimum

[–] ViewSonik 7 points 1 year ago

One of the last reasonable men associated with the republican GQP.

[–] Crackhappy 6 points 1 year ago

Dude looks just like Matthew Fox in about 30 years.

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