Earlier in September, U.S Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), considered by most conservatives to be solidly and dependably on their side, noted on Twitter how he had received public support for his reelection from every Republican Senator … well, almost every Republican Senator.
Now, who’s missing from this list? Let’s see. Conservative stalwarts like Ted Cruz? No! Switchy squishes like Lisa Murkowski? No? High roller game players like Mitch McConnell? No! Read it again …
… that’s correct. No Mitt Romney. Instead, the Grandfather of Overly Gelled Hair has, by not endorsing Lee, de facto endorsed legendary 2016 independent Presidential candidate and even more legendary TDS-blinded blithering idiot Egg McMuffin … er, Evan McMullin. He managed to stop prattling about his unshakable belief that Trump is Putin’s puppet long enough to notice this fact.
It’s so cute how McMullin pretends to be a Man For The People Of My State, when he’s spent most of his adult life skulking around Washington D.C., sponging off taxpayers for a paycheck. But I digress.
Why Romney would refuse to endorse Lee is somewhat of a mystery. As pointed out in a Salt Lake City newspaper:
“In this case, Romney’s choice not to endorse an incumbent Republican likely reflects the fact that he and Mike Lee have different bases of support among voters and different visions for the future of the Republican Party,” he (Chris Karopwitz, co-director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University) said.
Romney and Lee have been on the opposite sides of several major votes, including the Donald Trump impeachment trials, infrastructure bill and confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
But the two senators have been together on other issues such as voting against the Inflation Reduction Act and condemning President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.
One suspects something more than Lee most likely getting more cheers when introduced at a BYU game than Romney is at play behind Romney’s failure to endorse. A possible explanation:
Romney is a Charlie Brown Republican who forever believes that no matter how many times Lucy (i.e., Democrats and their media lapdogs) has pulled the football away, they’ll play fair this time. They won’t. They never will.
Next, add in the factor that in order to keep the money flowing from their liberal bankroll buddies, the professional NeverTrumpers (Lincoln Project et al) have to run someone in 2024 against either Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, or both. McMullin again? Not likely, even if he does beat Lee in November, which he most likely won’t. Liz Cheney? Also not likely; this is from Romney himself:
“I’m not going to encourage anyone to run for president. I’ve done that myself, and that’s something I’m not doing again. I don’t know if she really wants to do that. She would not become the nominee if she were to run. I can’t imagine that would occur,” Romney told the Deseret News on Thursday.
Cheney, he said, might run for other purposes but “I’m not in collaboration with that effort.”
Granted, Romney said he wouldn’t run again. But if enough insiders with enough cash, and enough media, placated and paved the way for him to run with the battle cry “only you can stop Don or Ron,” think there would be no temptation? Of course it’d rear its ugly head.
Romney has made it clear he is an outlier, an individual not of the Republican Party but rather “muh PRINCIPLES.” This is ironic, given that by endorsing a grifter without actually endorsing a grifter proves he is far more adept at sleight of hand than standing his ground.