You can't expect anything good to come from Romney except for the self-damaging gaffes from time to time, like his remarks about the 47% of the public who wouldn't vote for him. His father, George Romney, similarly sabotaged his own run for the presidency in 1964 when he said that the generals in Vietnam had "brainwashed" him.
2
God Bless You, Gail, for bringing Seamus back into our national conversation!
4
Roof!
- Seamus
3
I wondered if Collins would bring up the family dog strapped to the roof of the car.
I wasn't disappointed even though she left it until the last sentence of her column.
4
Why is it that too many people running for office now are just recycled has-beens? We need new people, new blood, fresh ideas. We don't need another Romney or anyone else who has put in their time.
4
Gail -
I was waiting for that punchline, and you didn't disappoint. Thank you!
4
You gotta love Miit!! who in their right mind would drive from Mass. to Grand Bend Ontario Canada to the Romney private compound on the beach of Lake Huron with the poor retriever tied in a crate on top of the family station wagon. How is it that rich American lawyers get to act stupid and become elected to Senate. I do not understand American politics!
3
The man exudes weenieness. His opponent should just run that picture of him having dinner with Trump. The look on Romney's face and Trump's smile says it all.
6
All I can say is that the state of our States is depressing as it is. The last thing we need is that biped of a weathervane named Mitt. His face should appear in a thesaurus with words like, smarmy, phony, two-faced, conceit, smug, liar... etc. I mean, doesn't he have some houses to tend to, horses to buy, hostile takeovers to engineer, corporations to raid, poor people to insult?
Utah, you have a wonderful young man in the person of Evan McMullin - smart, ex- CIA, honorable, decent family man, that you could send to DC. Instead you're going to send this hollow, entitled jerk whose going to look out for himself first and foremost - every time - it's what he does best. Don't you find it a bit galling that he assumes a senate seat is his for the taking?
Also, he makes me gag. And considering who's in our faces daily (hint: face and possibly human hair orange in color) - that's saying something.
9
I don't know about weenie but for sure he is a loser. His self-importance, self-promoting actions, and words hint at narcissism. When he came out against Trump, his words carried a tone that he had spoken and all must follow. But they didn't and Trump is president after vanquishing all of the other Republican candidates in the field of 17. It wasn’t long before Romney faded away. We can hope Utah will send a big message, "Anyone but Romney.” I went back to his statement about the poor. The first part was, “I’m not concerned about the very poor.” He added they had a safety net. But a net is made up of a bunch of strings that has a lot of holes in it. To me that was the worst part of that statement. We should always be concerned about the poor. But the other part “It’s not good to be poor” is just partially wrong. It isn’t just not good being poor, it’s downright miserable.
4
Romney has reinvented himself more times than Madonna but not nearly as well. He can't seem to shake the flip-flopper routine. I'm afraid you're stuck with Seamus.
3
I had to wait until the very end of your column, Gail, but you came through-- mentioning Mitt strapping his dog Seamus on the car roof! Seamus is surely long since dead and probably not buried, but a tradition is a tradition!
4
Thanks for bringing back the story of the dog on top of the car. It is at least distracting from hearing about porn stars and pee tapes.
6
"A New Mitt or the Same Old Weenie"?
Why or how could there possibly be a change in this Dog's tricks? This is a replay and because the stakes are less Romney sees no need to re-brand.
3
Mitt Romney is a waste of time, a spoiled pretty boy, the snot-nose who throws out schoolyard taunts like, "Corporations are people, my friend."
7
We lived outside of Boston when Mitt was Governor and started Romney Care. He seemed to lean pretty liberal back then, and most people liked him or were indifferent. I also remember his ill-fated Senate run in MA. His wife Ann was quoted as saying something about how poor they were when they were young, so they had to sell stock. I think that was when he was running against Ted Kennedy. She seemed a bit out of touch then and has since written a cookbook I guess. No one really talks about her much at all. Except the horse people. She is quite the equestrian and I hear has beautiful horses.
I never really hear much about him here, either. I guess most people think he is a shoo-in to replace Hatch. Like Hatch anointed him or something. His opponent on the Democratic side does not seem to have the money or the suppor,and I do not hear much about her either. But once we get closer, I hope her voice is heard more. As much as I think he may be a good Senator, I am currently at odds with Mitt's take on gun-control. Utah is very lenient on this. He has not spoken much about it, but I think the pressure needs to stay on point on this matter. I am not a republican at all, but he may be good fodder against Trump. But give the Democratic opponent some column space. It may help sort out more of where Mitt actually stands on the issues.
8
Yes, Romney has disappointed in the past with his willingness to pander. And yes, given how unconvincing those attempts were to all sides, let's hope he's stopped trying and sticks to his principles, which should easily win election in Utah. Wherever Senator Romney winds up on the principled/weenie spectrum, he's sure to be an improvement over Hatch. But as much as I normally enjoy Gail's columns, I can't understand her obsessive Romney digs. It seems personal, and counterproductive given where we are right now. What gives?
19
Hey John, you lived through the Romney gubernatorial years here in Massachusetts. Every one of Gail's digs at Romney was totally justified. And he did drive to Canada with Seamus the dog strapped to the roof of the family car.
13
Romney once said she "looked like a dog." Ooops, sorry, that was actually Trump.
Yeah, she needs to get over it. Romney could be the solution to the Trump problem.
3
Oh, Gail, the dog on the roof again? Never gets tired, does it.
6
A very and truly a pathetic person who still has not fulfilled his dreams of glory.
8
Same old weenie.
Next question.
7
Mitt can yet redeem himself, starting with a new car, a new dog and a new excursion.
3
Isn't the excursion a car?
I read the entire article just to see if Gail would refer to the dog no the car roof. Bingo.
5
And here was me thinking you were going to forego the dog on the roof story. Nicely done.
10
Going way out on a limb here, but even the Republicans' low bar might be beyond Mitt's reach.
3
When he didn't run against Donald, it was because he hadn't tailored his taxes for public scrutiny. But now, two years later, and time for an X-form, he'll get his tax rate up to 15% or higher.
We won't hear about the dancing horse -- the one with two left feet. Or the dog on the roof (except in retrospect). But we still have the car elevator to fall back on.
Wanna bet $10,000?
4
Great.... just what we need...more articles about the way people dress and supposed faux paus.
There are likely plenty of policy reasons to not like Mitt. Instead of using the first of your column like an expanded twitter feed could you please try to explain some of those policies.
And BTW - you make it sound like Mitt is flip flopping on DACA, but I don't see any contradiction in anything you quote him on. He sounds like he supports legal immigration, is against citizenship for dreamers, but for letting DACA recipients stay. There is no contradiction. It may be bad policy, but I don't know if it is or not and I certainly didn't learn anything more about it by reading this column.
3
Whew! I feared the Romney family dog would be left out of this column, still strapped to the car roof, still heading toward, was it, Canada? Up on the car roof, it's cold, and it's blowy, and a dog likes to know somebody cares.
4
Answer to the headline on your column:
It’s the latter.
5
Not surprised Mitt didn't know what an embryo was. He's just another stale, pale, GOP male in need of fact-based sex ed.
6
Are we voting? I mark my ballot "same old weenie." Maybe even worse than "same old weenie," what with his new "please all, please none" approach. Of course he probably still has his "binders of women," which will need to be updated, since all the ultra-conservative women are already working in the current president's administration.
4
OK, so Mitt is not the most dynamic or stalwart of persons. But don't call him a "weenie." That's crude and offensive. Use "wimp" instead. Thanks.
3
Same old weenie.
And as a pretty hardcore conservative, voting for Obama was easy when Mitt was his opponent. But Obama was always easy to support even if you didn’t support his policies. When he ran against Clinton? Easy choice. When he ran against McCain and Palin? Easy choice.
And it went beyond the nice guy stuff, which is true. It had to do with his authenticity. Something Trump (not a nice guy) and Sanders also have an abundance of.
And this is why Mitt is the same old weenie. Like Obama and Sanders, he seems to be a genuinely nice guy. But unlike them, he just seems totally devoid of authenticity. And I think this is what makes an otherwise nice person a weenie.
On the other hand, if you’re not a nice person but you lack authenticity, I think it kind of makes you a dork. Clinton (Hillary) was a dork. Her husband, faults and all, was pretty authentic. Warren used to be pretty authentic, but I think she’s starting to dork-out too. It’s sad.
I think in a 24-7 information economy, where a premium is placed on services and experience, authenticity is what matters most. Anyone can do a good enough job, so the differentiators become a bit less tangible and more about it what’s “real” in addition to being good enough. All of the above were good enough. They’re just politicians, and it’s just the government. So authenticity goes to the top.
1
Love the headline. YES, he is the same old weenie. It is time for him and others who keep chasing political power, even after repeatedly being defeated, to throw in the rag instead of throwing their hat in the ring.
Nixon was a good example of what happens when you reach the brass ring....and aside from that, I would elect a student from Parkland (if they were old enough) before I would endorse another aging elephant (or mule, for that matter),
1
He’s undoubtedly the same old weenie, and he’ll surely get the R nomination because he’s got a ton of money in his campaign chest. Then, he’ll get elected because the vast majority of Mormons vote a straight ticket...anything with an R gets their vote. Mittens will be the next senator from Utah...and I wish I were wrong.
Gail, thanks for the dog reference. It's been too long.
3
Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it... there it is, dog on the roof.
4
Mitt is never new. Only recycled!
2
Okay, Ms. Collins, you've stated the problem:
"We need that principled national voice, not just a guy who bounces around on issues. . ."
What's your solution?
Actually, you haven't stated the problem. THE problems is: "We need a president who acts and thinks like a normal person, not like an unhinged, narcissitic, sociopathic Mafia boss."
Romney could be an approach to a solution to THAT problem.
3
Mittens is too week and weaselly, the best thing about him being Seamus who, alas, is no more with us but travelling the highways of heaven with nose out the window.
Mitt needs a new dog, Charley, and a new mission: the search for America. Charley should be a poodle who travels the roads in a camper van as Mitt reaches out to real Americans, trying to find out what impacts their little lives, and why they flip the bird at his earnest entitled self.:
Travels with Charlie Part Deux, Mitt meets America.
1
Thanks Gail: Can always count on you for info and laughs.
1
LOL, got the dog on top of the car in there finally.
3
Just want Romney back so Gail Collins can write about the dog on the roof of the car. It never gets old.
5
Mitt is never new. The mitt just changes color. The only true Mitt is the one who took his dog Seamus on his car roof to Canada.
4
Mitt Romney is Donald Trump in sheep's clothing.
5
Same old waffling Mitt, but not as flaccid as Ted Cruz.
Cruz. Trump humiliated him, insulted his wife and family — going so far as to declare that his father knew Lee Harvey Oswald, then implyed that he played some shadowy behind-the-scenes role in President Kennedy’s assassination. Yet watch Cruz obsequiously grovel, prostrate himself before Trump and his utterly ignorant supporters.
Mitt won’t do that. Problem is, Mitt won’t do anything at all that might somehow put himself at risk for anything. Like being a Mormon missionary in France at the height of the Vietnam War, a conflict that he actually supported.
No spine. Supine.
1
Romney was not the greatest candidate for President, but I would have taken him over the O-Man. Mitt had intelligence and class. His wife was gracious and didn't wear a permanent scowl, like you-know-who.
1
This column is a hoax. Everyone who's anyone knows that Orin Hatch is Utah's Senator for Life. Since there's no flag-draped coffin lying in the Capitol Rotunda and our neighborhood post office's flag isn't flying at half mast, it's likely that Willard is back in France doing missionary work until the Afghanistan War ends.
And furthermore, Seamus escaped during the Romney family's last trip to Canada and was replaced by an armadillo, who couldn't care less about travel accommodations as long as he doesn't have to cross the road.
Really, Gail. You should be embarrassed!
3
Mitt: A device used to soak up a water/soap mixture to wash your car. When done, you throw it in that box in the garage until the next time, when you find it is moldy and dirty. Then you just get another Mitt.
Way to go Utah: Recycling!
2
I am so happy to see the dog strapped to the roof is back! Thank you!
2
Good column overall, but Gail, let go of the dog on the roof thing. We got it.
Thanks, Gail, for including Shamus - we've all missed references to him and his car-top excursions!
2
As always, a Gail Collins column that takes cheap shots and ignores anything of substance.
Mitt Romney is to the right of Donald Trump on the DACA issue, since he does not support a path to citizenship. That's pretty standard among Republicans. Donald Trump leans a little left on this issue, and many others.
1
Romney's views about DACA kids appear to mirror his conservatism and his treatment of the family pet. Not principled. Not philosophically consistent. Not intelligent or forward looking. Not caring.
No, instead of any of those things, he is 'severe.'
How is it that an empty suit can be so malignant?
2
Just like the well turned out vice admiral, Mitt looks good like a senator should. Must not forget Warren G. Harding the distinguished senator who stumbled into the presidency.
1
Why does this guy want to be a senator? To bow down to Trump after all that he said about him. This is a no win for Romney.
2
After he wins as Senator, he will launch bid at fulfilling his destiny (ask his wife Anne and read about the White Horse Mormon story), to run for and become President. This is the only scenario that makes any sense as to why such a wealthy man with a large loving family life would want to get back into politics. He can make a difference in the world or do something for humanity very well from where he sits now, with tons of money and adoration from within his religion.
2
You can criticize Romney's campaign all you want, but had he won in 2012 we wouldn't have the disaster in the White House today that we have.
2
More obtuse, agenda driven, public trashing of Mitt Romney.
Ref: Romney's attitude changes toward Trump.
He has never retracted his former Trump statements. Romney considered serve as SOS, in the interest of the country, not in his own political interests. That's the context, the ignored context. Context is everything.
Ref: DACA Kids.
In his original, ignored statement, Romney proposes to require DACA Kids to be making contributions, to be going to school, serving in the military etc. to stay legally but not be granted citizenship thereby.
Ref: Seamus the Romney Irish Setter. This is the most clueless assertion. The Romney's wanted to take their dog with them on vacation. Seamus traveled, happily, in a kennel on the top of the car with a wind screen. Romneys and Seamus loved being together.
Ref: Living in Utah.
Romney has pretty deep roots in Utah. Romney family history is tightly woven into the fabric of Utah history. He chose to go to school in Utah over Stanford, as a service to the people of Utah he saved the Winter Olympics. Romney has been a resident of Utah since 2012, has many values in common with Utahns and loves Utah. He wants to serve Utah. Romney is enjoying life, going to Jazz games is what Utahns do. How much deeper do his roots have to be to be deep enough?
Ref: Romney's ongoing stance toward Trump.
Romney has stated and has consistently, thru his behavior, verified that he will support Trump when they agree and oppose him when needed.
The Seamus story is about as bogus as it gets.
The Romneys wanted their beloved dog with them on vacation.
Seamus happily traveled with them in a kennel, with wind screen, on the car roof.
Happy memory, fun story, family trip together on vacation.
BTW, why didn't Mitt fly them all in his private jet?
1
I take it that traveling with your dog on the roof of your car is different from traveling with your dog on the roof of your car. Thank you so much for clearing that up.
3
Hmm ... elsewhere we read an account (by Mitt's son, I believe) that the dog was so terrified that he soiled himself, and the crate he was in, which soil then ran down their back window. They had to stop and hose it down. Does that sound like a happy dog to you? They thought it was funny. I do not.
The title alone made my day. A glorious column, thank you!
1
Some things passeth all belief, and one of those was Willard accepting his dinner date with Trump under the aegis of consideration for the Sec'y of State position.
When I saw the story here in the NY Times - highlighted by a photo of Trump grinning maniacally at the other end of the table - I at first thought it was a joke. Of course it *was* a joke, but the joke was on Willard. Honestly, did he actually harbor any hope for the job after he'd buried Trump with a backhoe and flattened the mound with a steam roller? (Not that it wasn't fully deserved!)
Aside from a series of, umm, unfortunate events back in the 19th century, Mormons strike me as very nice people, generally. But surely Willard didn't make the mistake of thinking that because he's a nice person (generally), the orange-coiffed troll insisting on the meat loaf (or did that incident involve some other fellow living under the same bus?) would be a nice person too.
Maybe he... did?
1
Thanks for the last sentence. I was really missing it these last several months.
1
We all assumed Trump dangled Secretary of State in front of Mitt for fun, but there is now credible reporting that Russia worked behind the scenes to veto Trump's choice of Mitt. Gail should have mentioned this rather than repeat the "for fun" hypothesis as certainty.
1
Thanks, Gail, for your parting shot.
As I read through the column, I was afraid you'd forgotten all about that poor pooch!
1
I appreciated the ending. I saw
Mitt on top of car with dog. Going down the road
spinning around 180 degrees--Ahhh that
is what I think.
1
Seamus! You had me hanging on waiting for it, but there he was, in the last line of your column. These are desperate days, when the thought of those innocent times when we laughed about poor Seamus brings a literal tear of nostalgia to my eye, but here we are. Thank you for that, Gail.
Myths can be useful, particularly when they confirm our point of view. But that doesn't guarantee there is any truth in them.
I read almost all the way to the end of this piece with mounting disappointment until I got to the final sentence, enabling me to pronounce this another fine effort by Ms Collins.
A new Mitt? No, this Mitt seems like a tired old catcher's mitt, all scuffed and worn after so much time in the game. And like the catcher's mitt, it can be unpredictable. Of course, the one thing they have in common is that both Mitt and the catcher with the mitt just want to win today's game, at whatever the cost. Just please today's fans. Don't worry about being consistent tomorrow. It's just a game, for crying out loud.
6
Read this whole column just waiting for the dog on roof punchline. Once again, Gail did not disappoint.
11
Was waiting for the same thing although never thought I’d have to get to the last line for it - way to go Gail!
Lovely article, Gail, but no: same old Weenie. He's the GOP's more benign chameleon than our obfuscating, inept, schizoid prez, but that's hardly a compelling plus. Mitt's nothing if not a gentleman, and that's significant, but that's hardly justification for considering another Republican for the Oval Office, until the time-consuming matter of every American washing off the filth of this one is completed.
5
What is really annoying and destructive for this country is that rich idiots cannot stay at home drool into a silver cup and spend their money on futureless ventures like coal mines and typewriter factories. Instead, they actually believe that all that money entitles them to be treated to as brilliant saviors of America. Everyone of these left over monarch wannabes should only be allowed to speak at art museums, polo matches and chuckle head parties. Leave governing, innovation, the law, medicine, education, and science to people who actually can think past their family history. And Mitt, face it, you failed.
7
I see. Romney sacrifices his time talents, money in service of country. For you, Cadburry, such despicable behavior and intent relegates him to felon status. Romney has in fact sacrificed in service to fellow citizens. He deserves better.
2
Thank goodness! You made me wait until the last sentence but you got that essential bit about the dog in. Woof, woof! You go girl.
5
Romney is a Republican. Truth and the Republicans, never the twain shall meet. Care about the "little people" never. Take from the middle class and give to the rich always.
6
Same old Weenie! Let's not forget that during the foreclosure crisis, Mitt said, not an exact quote, "Let the foreclosure crisis play out, let investment firms buy up all the foreclosed properties and then rent them back to those that lost the properties." Oh, yeah, the Trump thing, no love lost there unless there's a job to be had with the Trump disaster. Another rich, white man in Utah, what's new? Even with the dominance of Republicans, the legislature made sure that no Democrats would ever win Federal seats by making sure that the Democratic stronghold, Salt Lake County was broken up into four districts paired with large swaths of rural voters thus assuring continued Republican party for those that have the most and want more!
2
Smart move Gail. Putting the "dog on the roof" blurb in the last sentence, made everyone read the whole article. With Trump as fodder for your column, it seems unfair to add a Romney campaign to your "target-rich" enviroment.
3
Yes , Gail, Mitt is the worst kind of hypocrite but aren’t so many Republicans. Hopefully the people of Utah (I know a dem has little chance but there are left leaning voters in Utah) will reject Mitt, I don’t think his Teflon coating will mind a little more humiliation!
2
Thank you, Gail, for bringing back the memory of Seamus the Wonder Dog!
6
"We need that principled national voice, not just a guy who bounces around on issues..." -Gail Collins
I agree entirely! So let's not vote another Republican into any office for the next 50 years... Their great grandkids should be more evolved. Anyway, I will be dead by then so who cares?
Oh heck. With the way things are going we might all be dead long before then.
7
Oh thank goodness! I was worried you would neglect to mention Seamus.
6
Pretty mean spirited. Unimpressed with the rancor.
Nowhere near as mean as denying people affordable health care, shipping their jobs overseas or poisoning their air and water.
1
Seriously, Gail, don't you get tired of writing about this man of the "flexible" mind? His picture deservedly appears by the definition of "wishy-washy." Of the Republican hopefuls he sits near the bottom although that should not be considered a condemnation. Heck, it might be his strongest recommendation.
1
Remember when some of us were children and mercury in a thermometer was legal? We'd play with the mercury when the glass thermometer broke, separating it, moving the parts to different places on the table, then putting it together and repeating the process. Reminds me of the politicians these days. Mercurial.
2
Just the same Mitt and, let us not forget the 47% of voters he will not legislate for.
7
Does the question really need to be asked? To be a Republican or conservative these days is to be without any principals or integrity whatsoever.
6
Yes! The family dog is back! There is hope after a season of darkness and illusion.
5
The Utah GOP Convention is a cesspool of insanity. Our governor also didn't win the vote at the convention (after supporting a partial Medicaid expansion), and went on to trounce the primary and general election.
Sure Mitt is still Mitt, which means he'll be wishy washy and do everything that made him lose the presidential election. But he will win.
1
Whew! I was feeling a little panicky before I got to that last line. Thank you!
5
I love the dog-on-the-roof line! Every. Single. Time. There are more serious issues to discuss, but the hollowness of candidate Romney is so profound and so absurd that it's hard to discuss properly with a straight face. Please never stop with the dog on the roof.
6
He is what he always was, a eager, ambitious man who will do anything and say anything to succeed. He made his money ruining thousands of peoples lives.
6
Mitt Romney, March 2016:
"Dishonesty is Trump's hallmark: He claimed that he had spoken clearly and boldly against going into Iraq. Wrong, he spoke in favor of invading Iraq. He said he saw thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11. Wrong, he saw no such thing. He imagined it. His is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader. His imagination must not be married to real power.
The President of the United States has long been the leader of the free world. The president and yes the nominees of the country's great parties help define America to billions of people. All of them bear the responsibility of being an example for our children and grandchildren.
Think of Donald Trump's personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics. We have long referred to him as "The Donald." He is the only person in America to whom we have added an article before his name. It wasn't because he had attributes we admired."
Mitt Romney, November 2016:
"“I had a wonderful evening with President-elect Trump. We had another discussion about affairs throughout the world and these discussions I’ve had with him have been enlightening, and interesting, and engaging. I’ve enjoyed them very, very much.”
In short, he's the same old weenie.
10
Mitt Romney had the ... pleasure ... of being strapped on the roof and sent home, tail between his legs, by Donald Trump.
7
The United States (and the world) would be a very different place if Romney had won the 212 election. Civic discourse would be more civil. Race relations would be much better and continually improving. Meaningless gender arguments would be diminished, as all Americans begin to understand that we are all the same humans.
Internationally, the State Department would have moved to the center from its traditional center-left (at best) views. While the military of the U.S. would be maintained, diplomatic initiatives would communicate American values aggressively.
Domestically, U.S. immigration would have been reformed - following the Canadian model that seeks new skills from new contributors. Healthcare would have begun the movement from the unfair employer-based system to a market-based system affordable to all Americans.
In sum, a world of difference from the politics of division practiced by the Obama administration and its Congressional leaders - now followed by the Trump administration. I just wish Mitt was running in Massachusetts against the sitting leftist senator - where he could bring a glass half full attitude to the Senate rather than the current glass is half empty country bashing.
I thought she'd done it. I thought Gail Collins had written a piece about Mitt Romney without talking about the dog. But alas, she couldn't resist the urge. She had to get in a Seamus dig in the very last sentence. I'm not a Romney fan, but I find Gail's inability to not bring up the dog (every single time!) a bit tiresome. We are not the worst thing we have done. Here's a thought experiment for Gail. Imagine the third worst thing you have ever done. Now imagine every time I met, wrote about, or talked about you, I made sure to mention that thing, even when it had nothing to do with what I was talking about otherwise. I'm sure I would be justified in doing it, because I'm sure it was a pretty bad thing you did. But that doesn't make me any less of a jerk.
A month or so ago she wrote a column in which Romney figured and in which the dog was NOT mentioned. A couple of people *commenting* on that column actually noted that omission....
1
I suspect you’re in the minority. I think that most of Gail’s regular readers, like me, were waiting for the Seamus reference and do not think it makes her a jerk. We think it makes her funny!
3
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” ~Maya Angelou
1
Romney. He's just TrumpLite (small font "TM").
No question that TrumpLite would be better than the Great Negotiator himself, but who wouldn't?
Nice column Gail. I needed that.
4
Mitt Romney: The latest proof that the term "principled Republican" is an oxymoron.
13
Gail, have you forgotten that "corporations are people"?
5
A spineless weasel. If Romney had any character he wouldn't have fawned after Trump hoping for a cabinet job. What Romney does have is massive ego, endless ambition, and a mountain of Bain Capital money. And nothing much to do. The US Senate. Consider it a hobby for a rich, old senior.
7
As you know, we up here in Canada are very open to accepting undocumented Dreamers like Mitt's dog. Do you know if it stayed here?Hope it did.
Thanks for taking back the well documented Mitt, though.
5
"Tell truth and shame the devil." William Shakespeare, circa 1598.
"Tell truth and don't get elected." Walter Mondale, 1984.
Jack Nicholson's character in A FEW GOOD MEN had it wrong; it's not that people can't handle the truth--it's that they don't want to hear it. Romney knows this. Trump knows this. They didn't cause this; it's been going on for a very long time. It's just that now, it's more widespread than it had been before...and the implications are much more serious. You can argue that it won't matter who is ultimately elected in Utah...*unless* it's part of a larger trend in the country as a whole. And why do they still vote Republican, you may ask? I hate to say this, but it's apparently true:
There are still a lot of people who hear "Democrat" and immediately think "Communist". Or these days, "ISIS sympathizer". And until *that* changes...
Hurray! Seamus is back! I admit I was a tad worried he wouldn’t be in the article. I shouldn’t have worried, as Gail skillfully pulled us along to the last, final sentence. Ahhh...
3
Will we be seeing the new release of the Mittbot 3.0? Not just an incarnation of the Mittbot 2.0 that bombed electorally last go round but a new enhanced version that features a new Orin Hatch interface. Voters in Utah must be trembling in anticipation.
2
I'm surprised to hear Romney's nonsense about DACA kids. I grew up with LDS in Southern Idaho, and they send young men (and some girls now, I'm told) on missions worldwide, like exchange students. This exposes most of them (if their family and local ward can afford it) some much needed socialization.
Actually, the LDS were among the most open in welcoming foreign people to our little community. I wonder who Romney is really trying to get money from, folks like the Koch's and Rupert Murdoch? Of course, if the elders say to vote Romney, none of the church will ask any questions, they will just do as they have been told.
1
I think Mitt is still a weenie. It’s too bad he’s not willing to take a role of trying to bring sanity to the Republican Party.
1
I remember when politicians were ridiculed for flip flopping on issues, showing that they’re not really principled or have a set core of beliefs. Those where the good ole days. Mr. Trump has eviscerated the expectation that a person’s word is their bond. The president takes one position today on an issue, but shift to a different position on the same issue the next day depending on the audience. So, Mr. Romney is cut from that same cloth, it seems, as much as he purports to be a more principled individual than the president.
Gail, we have become so numb to the lies and flip flopping; videos, interviews, and tweet evidence of a politician’s previously stated position be damned. They are now brazen with their shape shifting, in your face lies, and gaslighting. Sigh.
2
I thought she'd done it. I thought Gail Collins had written a piece about Mitt Romney without talking about the dog. But alas, she couldn't resist the urge. She had to get in a Seamus dig in the very last sentence. I'm not a Romney fan, but I find Gail's inability to not bring up the dog (every f***ing time!) a bit tiresome. We are not the worst thing we have done. Here's a thought experiment for Gail. Imagine the third worst thing you have ever done. Now imagine every time I met, wrote about, or talked about you, I made sure to mention that thing, even when it had nothing to do with what I was talking about otherwise. I'm sure I would be justified in doing it, because I'm sure it was a pretty bad thing you did. But that doesn't make me any less of a jerk.
Once a Weenie, always a weenie. There was a reason- actually many reasons - why he was known in Massachusetts as Slick Mitt.
2
If the Republican Party in Utah doesn't back Romney, I doubt the voters of Utah will. They don't seem to like Carpet baggers there. Unlike Massachusetts. They welcome everybody. That is why Mitt won the Governorship there.
I do hope that Seamus now is taken for a ride inside the wagon. After all, he is getting older.
3
Same. Old. Weenie.
2
''Corporations are people , my friend ''
That is the only statement one need to hear and know beyond any reasonable doubt that if elected, he would turn the United States into one big corporation and its citizens would be subservient to it.
Worse than same old weenie.
6
Same old weenie. No backbone, no convictions, wishy-washy to the nth degree. I can't think of one thing that man stands for, except his cruelty to animals. That is unforgivable.
3
Once a weenie, always a weenie.
1
Gail, not a New Mitt or a Same Old Weenie, But the New Same Old Meanie - I'm guessing.
2
You are funny, but this is a hatchet job, which seems to be your specialty. btw, When did it first occur to you that Hillary Clinton was a New Yorker? About the time she became a US Senator. Romney has far deeper roots in Utah, and we can let the voters there decide. I voted for Clinton, but the best thing that could result from the Trump presidency would be if we never had a Clinton, Obama, Kennedy or Bush in high office again. We don't need dynasties. We should abhor them. Also, abortion is a complicated, even tragic issue. The topic should invite humility not crassness. Everyone doesn't agree with you. Oh, and the dog on the roof of the car is funny, but you should give it a rest. I'd rather enjoy traveling on the roof of a car, fresh air and all. Just strap me down and give me a pillow and SPF 30.
Yippee! Mitt's back! Gail, you're the Al Hirshfeld of Mitt Romney column writers, it's great fun finding the "Nina," or, in your case, Mitt's dog among your musings. It's a small thing, I know, but in our screwed up time, I'll take anything that makes me chuckle. Keep at it!
2
Mitt is the same old Weenie, wishy washy, who will say whatever needs to be said to win. All we need to ask him is about the 'takers', the one's asking for a better life 'undeservedly'. Have we forgotten that Mitt is a rich guy, with a huge social distance, where the poor remain invisible to him?
121
Dear Gail,
just a note of caution for anyone considering going full Seamus. Dogs entering Canada (on a roof or elsewhere) need rabies vaccination. It can have been administered as recently as the day of entry. Returning to the US, however, rabies vaccine has to have been administered at least 30 days prior to entry. A month in Canada sounds pretty good about now, but Irish Setters should be aware.
4
Mitt can no more shed his weenieness than Trump can begin telling the truth.
5
He's a bit like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, except she's more skillful at it.
4
To be fair he's a lot prettier.
Gail you've done it again. Hit the nail right on the head and as always, in a very amusing way. Love your writing!
4
He seems to have Jeb! disease: has no principles, no charisma, just expects to be voted into office because he's paid his dues and deserves it (in his humble opinion).
5
In the late summer of 2012, at a time when I was really worried about whether President Obama would be elected, I happened to be there for one Romney's stump speeches at a Republican fundraiser and I came away from it feeling quite content because I was certain he was going to lose.
For forty-five minutes in Falmouth, Massachusetts I listened to him preach to the whitest of all possible white-robed choirs and he had nothing to say. If this man has a center, I thought, it's made of jello.
5
Should Romney win, he will forever be known as Senator Flip Flop. (Emphasis on that last word)
1
I read with increasing antici ... PATION! to find out if the dog on the roof would be back. YES!!
3
And the swift boat GOP gang said Kerry was a waffler. You just can't make this stuff up.
3
so glad you got the dog on the car in at the end.
wasn't Romney criticized during the last go-round for building a new seaside manse in La Jolla, CA that features a car elevator, while maintaining his primary residence remained in Belmont, MA?
and speaking of those DACA kids, wasn't his father, Gov. George Romney of MI, little Mitt's home state, actually born in Mexico and brought to the USA by his parents as a child?
do they know what a carpetbagger is in Utah?
3
At "the dinner"......Trump ordered NY Strip Steak. Romney said,"I'll have the Crow, well done."
1
"Virtually everybody expects Romney to win the primary in June."
HA!! (Large laugh emoji!)
Have we learned NOTHING from the Trump debacle?!
2
Wait for it, wait for it.....and then yes, there it was at the very end. Seamus the Romney family dog. He is ever emblazoned in my mind by you Gail as a symbol of a man who is uncaring and cruel.
Mitt Romney is still yearning for his place at the GOP top table, and obviously is saying whatever he thinks it takes to sway conservative voters to vote for him. He is as mercurial in his opinions as Trump. If elected, given his groveling for a cabinet position, not counting on Mitt to stand up against Trump, just as most Republicans slither around while Trump embarrasses and appalls.
Gail you always educate and delight.
3
I KNEW this column would end with the dog Seamus on the car roof. Sometimes knowing the ending is a great feeling. Thanks Gail for making this “meme”; a golden oldie!
2
Romney has some virtues. Just as long as there is room enough for him to make a fortune and promote the Mormon religion. He made a fortune as a "private equity" and LBO opportunist. Legal, but hardly bragging rights as a great person dedicated to America. Remember that nasty bit of honesty captured on tape about fenced in "employees" in China? Utah takes many immigrants, mostly prospective converts and/or already Mormon professed. Compare that to Ellis Island. Not so much, huh?
6
Mitt is worse than Trump. At least Trump pretends to care about most Americans and not just numbers to reach a goal. Sure Trump is a disguise, but that's better than Mitt's opaque contemtp for the poor.
I can't imagine an emptier suit/Jazz jersey than Mitt Romney. Who could possibly feel this shell was worth a vote?
2
As I read your article I thought perhaps this is the one where you finally will put the family dog story to rest. And then I read the last sentence. I care about the dog incident about as much as I care about Hillary Clinton's email server.
Gail forgot to mention when Mitt "popped up" to save the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics from financial disaster and fraud.
1
Is that like baptism? It wipes out all other sins?
2
Mitt Romney was never principled--ever! He's "flip-flopped" so many times that he's a political pretzel. From being the originator of Romneycare in Massachusetts which then became Obamacare in the nation, Romney ran as a Repeal" candidate. Then, after all his Trump tirades, he groveled to be his Secretary of State. And so he goes. As for his other principles, they were also exposed as being a vampire corporate takeover leader as the head of Bain (rhymes with "pain") Capital where companies were liquidated and workers' pensions seized. So this fall, Mitt Romney should slither right into The Trump Swamp as just another crookedile with hardly a gurgle, hopefully as a member of a now minority party.
4
He will be like the rest of the “principled conservatives “, Rubio, Cruz, etc. High profile, lots of face time on camera, do not expect anything original from Mitt.
3
I read and I waited, I waited and I read and then, in the end, at the end, it came -- the dog on the car roof.
Welcome back Mitt, just strap the dog to the car roof and head for Washington; though which one of you will show up there is, as Ms. Collins observes, always an open question.
1
I knew that you'd' remember Seamus!! I am only disappointed that you didn't work in "Corporations are People too." Perhaps next time. Looks like there will be lots of next times. Oh good people of Utah, is this really the best you can do? Is there even a democrat running?
3
It’s time for Ms. Collins to tell us again of the time Mitt Romney strapped his dog to the roof of his car, and then drove the car and the dog to Canada. Did it happen the way she makes it sound like it happened? If he’d truly pulled this stunt off, couldn’t Mitt have been accused of cruelty to animals? What did the poor dog do when it had to go potty? Or, needed a drink or a bite to eat. Mitt really doesn’t look like the animal abuser type. Of course, a dog roped to a driver’s car says much about the management skills, the leadership abilities, of said driver. Mitch is a billionaire. Why didn’t he have his dog flown to Canada? Only less-wealthy people would have to rope their pooches to the roofs of their cars. Was it a moment of brilliant improvisation, a manager’s action that will surely show up as a case study taught at Harvard Business School? There’s something amiss with this dog on car’s roof story and Gail Collins needs to fill us in on what is missing. The more I brood on this story, the uglier it gets.
1
Having met Mitt once at a gas station in a wealthy enclave near San Diego, I can attest to the fact that he is a nice man. However, he is so starched white shirt bland that I instantly felt as tho he would say anything to make you like him and then hope you’ll go away. He is as boring as plain white toast, and will dress up in any fashion to make himself more palatable, just like plain white toast. The people of Utah deserve better than this white hole of boredom representing them, and the rest of the country doesn’t deserve the added layer of lies to an already full plate the republicans have presented us with.
1
Nice men don't tell people to go to the ER for health care. Nice men don't sneer at half the country. Nice men don't ruin people's lives by shipping their jobs overseas.
1
Tone deaf does not even begin to say it. Watching this guy work the base, while at the same time dissembling as a national voice, will be a master class in sycophantism.
4
I was getting desperate, even a little sick, lost in space, reading a Gail Collins editorial about Mitt Romney without finding at least one line about the dog caged on top of the car.
Thank God for that last line.
4
But as his spouse purportedly once said about his run for president: "it is our turn". Perhaps that is still the belief.
4
You kept the reader waiting and waiting. It has been a while since you last wrote about Mitt. Did you forget?? Then came the last sentence. Nailed it.
4
Very clever as usual, Gail, but it is inevitable that a Republican will be elected Senator from Utah this fall. Because of that certainty, I'd much prefer Romney - warts and all - over some science denying troglodyte of the type who much too often represents red states in the Senate. There is no such thing as a pure candidate - or human - but in our current political climate I yearn for any candidate who for the most part is simply an intelligent and decent human being.
43
I'm not sure Romney meets even such basic criteria, John J.
12
In politics, what goes around comes around, Gail. There used to be a stigma to a second try, but when Nixon ran a second time and won, it kind of opened the door for everyone to try, try again. And the election of Trump opened the door for any incompetent soul. So why not Romney for Utah?
Utah could do a lot worse. But truth to be told, Mike Lee and Jason Chaffetz are sharp people, Chaffetz no longer in congress, so Romney needs to look good. I dunno. Will he vote for impeachment? I suppose Republicans don't make that a requirement.
But the Senate is serious stuff, Gail. Romney will be able to work on a bill for pet transport between the U.S. and Canada. It's important. I once carried my brother's 120 pound St. Bernard across the border in the back seat of my car. There was no way I'd get that dog on the roof. I'm thinking that Romney sponsors a bill to allow dogs that were brought here illegally from Canada to stay, a so-called, uh, DADA bill.
And why do these incredibly rich people always want to enter politics? Were I Romney, I'd be skiing from my Deer Valley home and spending summers on the Cape. The only bill I'd sponsor would be one at a good restaurant. I guess there'd have to be no wine.
Speaking of which, there's a serviceable wine cellar in the White House. Romney wouldn't use it, but maybe he's headed there anyway. He can have that second chance.
Trump's greatest talent is that he makes almost every one else look, if not good, at least acceptable in comparison. Thanks for reminding us that Mitt really is an empty suit.
4
Love Gail's columns but getting a bit too tired of the dog on the roof myth. The humor is a bit hollow and worn out for me and undermines the seriousness of what is happening in America today.
America is going through a very precarious time in its democracy. Sadly and dangerously, there are to date no credible inspiring leaders, just greedy, power hungry and serious self-deluded candidates for President.
Here is hoping another Obama like leader shows up. Whether people like to hear it or not Obama was handed over a failed economy. By the time his terms were over, he had built it into a strong and viable economy. When Trump became President he took credit for it.
Embroiled in personal scandals Trump is like Bush sinking the economy into ruin, especially for the people who support him.
67
The dog-on-the-roof incident is no myth. It was a heartless act of cruelty to a loving and trusting family pet, but apparently you're okay with that and tired of hearing about it.
38
I love the Return of Seamus! He was away for a while and he completely took me by surprise here. With a laugh!
23
Totally delighted with the return of the much loved Seamus tale.
One of Romney's biggest problems is he doesn't seem to stand for anything. Take Healthcare. The Massachusetts program he implemented during his time at Governor there was the model for ACA. Instead of standing behind it, Romney disavowed it during the 2008 primary. Why? He should have been proud of it. He did something that no other state had done, ensure the majority of its citizens had access to affordable health care. Now he's anti-DACA, pro-DACA, more of a hawk, less of a hawk. The only thing we seem to know about Romney is that if he had won in 2012 (thank goodness he didn't) Paul Ryan's tax cuts for the wealthy would have been implemented then, and he would probably have gone along with Ryan's demonic plans to cut Social Security and Medicare, along with SNAP, Medicaid and other "entitlement" programs. Trying to appeal to the mean-spirited GOP base only makes it clear how baseless his position is.
5
The same old same old Mitt. Indulges in ostentatious materialism, drawn to power, control and need for public acceptance. The people have better choices to represent them.
4
Sorry Gail, when it comes to politicians, it's all relative.
We moved from central NY to northern UT last spring. At that time, one of our UT senators was Orin Hatch. My retired political scientist husband was walking around mumbling "I can't believe Orin Hatch is our senator; I can't believe...."
Note: We moved to gorgeous mountainous northern Utah to be near our youngest daughter and family, since we are aging rapidly, and our grown kids decided we needed to be near one of them. We can help her family, since she has the youngest children.
One of the first things a neighbor said to us after the moving van arrived was "Please don't judge Utah by its politicians; they are way out of step with most of the people here."
So relatively speaking, the Utahans we know have been thrilled that: (a) Hatch finally decided to retire; and (b) would be replaced by UT icon Romney, who is a more moderate Republican. However, nothing is for certain, and far more right-wing senate candidate named Kennedy is challenging Romney in the primary.
Now, why Utahans, who treasure their children and their state with its beautiful parks and scenery, won't vote for a Democrat is a mystery and a challenge.
Being a Democrat here is kind of exciting--like being part of a small very worthwhile and much-needed social movement.
7
Mr.Romney is straight out of central casting.He looks the part of governor,senator or even president.He auditions for each of these roles with a different script.Voters are never sure which Mitt Romney they will get if they vote for him.He is politically agile if not absolutely authentic.He is reliably a good family man and impressive spokesman for his faith.Unfortunately, "Seamus" will "dog" him for the rest of his political life.
4
Mitt is no different from other Republicans and even some democrats. They all have their fingers in the wind before they make policies that don't come from any set of principles but instead come from what they think people want to hear. It is so refreshing to witness the teachers movement and to see Republican teachers wake up to the fact that yes, we do need public funding for basic services like education. I hope others follow the teachers in finally seeing what is really going on. Hopefully the likes of Mitt Romney and his colleagues who express these convoluted notions about government being the problem will fade into history so that all citizens--especially children--can have the services they need. Ironically, it is education that lifts people out of the ignorance and greed of the conservative point of view and it is teachers who are leading the way.
9
The little bit I had heard of Romney when he was governor of Massachusetts, Romney seemed pretty good.
Intelligent as evidenced by his success on Wall St. and quite reasonable for a Republican.
But then we saw him up close in the 2012 primary where he disavowed Romney-care and he just has no character.
And we got a look at what private equity did, closing factories down and shipping jobs overseas or declaring bankruptcy when the numbers didn't work out and letting the government pick up the retirement obligations. But all the time, Bain Capital got their fees.
14
Does Romney have any principles?
He changes his mind with the wind (and the next primary).
10
I was waiting, waiting, waiting for Seamus to show up and, Gail, you never disappoint. As for Mitt's sudden change in pitch, we can only hope that the pitch slopes ever more downward so that Romney falls off the edge forever.
I'm no fortune teller but I I'm almost willing to wager serious money that Romney will fail to win the Utah primary. By comparison, he makes a marshmallow look too hard-edged. Still, although I'm glad that he now knows what an embryo is, I don't think this qualifies him for the US Senate.
12
Ah, the good ol' days of 2012, when we wondered if Mitt Romney had a new dog barking, "Roof! Roof!" Now we have a president whose lawyer is barking, "Fifth! Fifth!" Sad.
8
Same old. Same old. The best thing going for "the weenie" is the fact that he would make a better President than the current weenie. Hell, even George W. was a better weenie than the current one. And that isn't saying much, except "Dump the Current Weenie!"
10
The only reason I read the column was to see if she repeated the dog on the roof story.
6
Remember Seamus!
10
I had almost forgotten about Seamus. The last sentence almost made me spit out my breakfast cereal!
10
Wishy-washy never looked so good. Everything is context.
2
Mitt is the grown-up male equivalent of Tracy Enid Flick.
Come to think of it - so was Hills.
2
Very few principled voices in the GOP. I had hoped that Mitt would be one of them after he began to talk like a never-Trumper during the campaign, but then he shamed himself by rushing to Washington to dine with Trump in hopes of getting a cabinet position. More recently, there was the weird DACA pronouncement. He’s going to get the Republican nomination for the Senate; did he really need to say this?
Gail Collins is right, Mitt, you really are a rubber ball - a rubber ball without a center.
148
Maybe Seamus has been stuffed. I understand they have quite a few taxidermists in Utah and it sounds like a natural constituency for Romney. Touring around Utah with the stuffed dog on the top of one of his (self-driving) Cadillacs might be a pretty good strategy for him, or at least in keeping with all his strategic decisions in the past. Maybe he could include a proposal to enact free health care for dogs? Maybe, in light of the nature of his long career in business he could turn around the phrase “creative destruction” and start talking about “destructive creation.” That might put him back in the good graces of Trump (although I do hesitate to use the words “grace” and “Trump” in the same sentence) and maybe the good graces of the pretend Evangelicals (who think they have grace in their hip pocket, ready for use when needed). All I’m saying is that Romney needs to think outside of the box (a “box,” to Romney, would only have 6 bedrooms and 5 baths).
5
First, Romney's vote is not a mystery. He voted for Evan McMullin, the Mormon ex-CIA officer turned last minute presidential candidate and anti-Trump vote spoiler. Trump didn't actually win a majority in Utah.
Second, Utah ballot access is an issue. The short story is delegates don't like candidates who collect signatures because if they can get on the ballot through petition, the delegates are irrelevant. From their perspective, Romney told the 3,267 Republican delegates he doesn't care about their opinion. He has 200,000 signatures saying they don't matter. Its a power thing.
Finally, we all know Utah is going Republican in a statewide senate race. Only a zombie FDR has a decent chance of turning Orrin Hatch's seat blue. We are therefore mostly wondering who is less worse for the non-conservative thinking mind? Mitt Romney or Mike Kennedy?
Mitt Romney is a wet noodle that will inevitably do whatever he's told until he starts getting angry letters from home telling him to knock it off. He will then immediately change course and awkwardly mis-explain his sudden reversal.
Mike Kennedy on the other hand is your typical pro-tax cut fiscal conservative. He's pro gun, pro states rights, and anti Obamacare. In other words, he's a cookie-cutter Republican yes-man. He'll vote the straight party line no matter what.
Which would you choose? Can we even call this vote a choice? The only silver lining is Mike Lee can't run and Rob Bishop is staying in the House. Small favors.
6
Vote for a Democrat then as a protest vote. If enough people protest, perhaps you can build 2 parties and get better choices going forward.
Note that George McGovern built the Democratic Party in firmly Republican South Dakota, starting from when he and a local store owner had to whisper about it so that the store owner wouldn't lose customers. McGovern was elected and represented South Dakota well during his time in Congress.
3
Yes! Made us wait for the last line for the dog reference.
7
The Romney family was the epitome of entitled until the the Trumps came to town.
15
Lets get some FACTS straight. The GOP is dead. Utterly Destroyed. Trump is not your Daddy's Republican. Thank G-d. The GOP was completely out of sync with the times.....the Bush Family is largely responsible for preventing the GOP from adapting to Modern Times. And Donald J. Trump should be thanked for accomplishing what no one else had the guts to do....tear the GOP apart, limb from limb. Mitt once stood at the threshold of new ideas and leadership....but he allowed the Bush Family to restrain him. Now its over......a new "opposition" party will form.....without Mitt.....the DNC, a corporation little different from the RNC, will wobble but not fall down.........hopefully the independent thinking people currently held hostage inside the illusion of DNC importance, will soon abandon that barnacle encrusted ship and join whatever new party is currently forming. Beware the Bush-Clinton Axis of Evil.
I feared for a moment there, Gail, you'd forgotten Shamus.
Mitt's best quality is that he couldn't be worse than Trump. Problem is, no one else could either (except maybe for Steve Bannon or Steven Miller or Sarah Huckabee Sanders), so it's not really a bullet point you want to lead with. Granted, a little --or even a lot of-- bland would be a relief to the vast majority of Americans right now. But a plate of mashed potatoes without salt and pepper or butter or even white sauce might be filling, but fails miserably at being satisfying.
Even if Romney does win Utah's senate seat, will anyone notice?
7
"Otherwise, we’ll go back to discussing the time he drove to Canada with the family dog strapped to the car roof."
Ah, those were the good old days!
9
Mitt's tragic demise began when he decided to follow instructions from the Bush Family. The Bush's have been steadily running the GOP into the ground since GHW Bush took office in 1988.......he almost single handedly destroyed the GOP in California...possibly by design....intending for a Texas GOP to take over control of the party.
While the Bush Family conspired for eternal control of the Political Process.....Mitt went his own way. He did a fairly good job at Bain Capital(in spite of all the "evil vulture capitalist" criticism....Bain has cultivated some success stories).....the on to Massachusetts, where, to be honest....Mitt helped put the GOP back on its legs there....and did a fairly good job running the state....btw....RomneyCare works. Then....it happened.....Mitt's reach exceeded his grasp......in order to attain National Prominence....Mitt had to "deal with the devil".....the Bush Family.......he made his concessions and followed his Bush handlers instructions on how to run a campaign...........Sadly, by 2012....the Bush Family was no longer in sync with America.....they were caught like Golem, in the Hobbit....."they took our precious....and we wants it back!" ... a no win situation. Had Romney trusted his own instincts and told the Bushies...."you work for ME now." things might have turned out different......Enjoy Retirement Mitt....you earned it.
1
Gail, I was really worried you weren’t going to mention the dog.
5
Another bored, shameless, rich white guy who will say anything, literally, to collect .0000001 percent more votes than his opponent in the general election.
How do we make this stop?
There are so many really bright people in America with some really good ideas.
How do we make this stop?
14
I'm sure comments here will run at least 10:1 in your favor, Gail, but here's one reader who thinks you're just small and unimpressive for serving up a microwaved helping of snarky old leftovers.
You don't have to agree with Romney or even like him to see that you're playing the role of the school cafeteria bully -- picking on the earnest, decent person in the room for the sin of not being a bully himself.
Anyhow, your Personal Brand survives another day. Later in the week maybe you'll have something to say.
To summarize: Romney was a bully, himself, until it was obvious that Trump would get the nomination. Then, everything changed and he "earnestly" carried Trump's water when he thought he had a shot at The Cabinet. (Sucker). Then he "earnestly" ran to Utah when he suddenly remembered he was a Mormon.
Romney is about as earnest, decent, (read: "pathetic") as Ted Cruz.
4
Kept reading (stupidly) thinking there was no mention of Seamus. Then boom! Last sentence. Wow. Mitt is really a terrible leader. Even without the Seamus story.
4
You forgot his garage elevator. Leave that poor pooch rest in peace, Gail.
4
I was going to ask for my money back, but Gail did slip in Seamus the dog on top of the car. I mean what’s the point of a Mittens column without that?
6
No, Ms. Collins, not a new Mitt but the same old tired and worn baseball glove without a webbing that's committed many errors. He had the courage to stand up and call out the GOP nominee for the fraud he was, then morphed into a lickspittle while grovelling for the coveted SOS post the president dangled out to him, only to set him up for a public humiliation. Now Romney knows how Seamus felt riding the boot on the way to Canada.
Romney's a chameleon, a classic politician who talks out both sides of his mouth. He's hoping that his Mormon religion will help him in deep red Utah. Romney's box score in not impressive. No runs, no hits, but lots of errors.
8
Seamus is back! Yea!
8
He just won't quit. What is it with him?
6
"Weenie"? Ms Collins, you can do better. Please challenge Mitt Romney's policies and conflicting messages but maybe leave out the school yard taunts. You do not need to follow the President's lead on uncivil discourse.
As a former Mass resident when Der Mitt was governor anda 2x loser in attempting to be Senator, I'd go for weenie.
I didn't mind most of his gubernatorial styling, but he could not contain his arrogance in the runs for Senate. Weenie would be the polite term.
I actually am surprised at the bid, only because he will be back bencher for years. Better to go for Utah gov.
4
dog. roof. done.
9
Wow, was waiting for the dog on the car line the whole way through...lol
6
Thank you, Gail! I have missed your dog-on-the-car-roof commentary.
5
oh but we should never forget he did at one time SAVE the olympics. or buy them a venue. heck it was another century ago.
3
"Thank you Mr. President for the support. I hope that over the course of the campaign I also earn the support and endorsement of the people of Utah."
Mitt Romney, 4:56 AM - Feb 20, 2018
"If Trump had said 4 years ago the things he says today about the KKK, Muslims, Mexicans, disabled, I would NOT have accepted his endorsement."
Mitt Romney, 9:13 PM - Mar 3, 2016
His poor father must be so embarrassed about his son.
5
I'd say a New Mitt. Just like Joy Reid is a New Joy, now that she's explained how her blog was hacked and now that the Progressives are going to boycott her sponsors.
Perfect! Gail Collins for President!
2
The only thing I look forward to as Romney mounts his political return is you working Seamus into more columns.
So we will have two guys who truly fit the old line: "born on third base and thought they hit a triple" and think anyone born with less than $100,000,000. already in his diaper is dirt. The only difference is that Romney has tried to play by the rules, while Trump is always somewhere out in left (or right) field,
And Romney is neater. Otherwise they remind me of 18th Century Kings in France and England.
Off with their heads!
1
Beyond your always-delightful writing, Gail, your legacy will
include immortalizing Romney's dog-on-the-station wagon-
roof.
...Children will draw little anniversary pictures of the creature,
let's say, and include that mean ol' weenie-of-a-Republican who
was driving that day and tied that poor ol' hound to that car roof.
Really, Mitt should consider embracing the incident to tout
how much more Senatorial he is today. And he'll have you, Gail,
to thank for the set-up.
2
Hey Gail , how about saying something positive? You do not know of anything positive to say?
Just curious, was it not Barack who ridiculed Mitt, when Mitt suggested we should be very wary of Putin and the Russians? They were a huge threat.
You talk of two miserable presidential campaigns. Perhaps, had you and the NYT not been so jaded, and instead spent just a little time and resources researching his take on Russia, and reporting the "real" facts, we would not be in the current state we are in with Putin. (Just a thought.)
Look where we are now.
Why is it you and the NYT have such a hard time finding the positive spin any non far left agenda?
Has the NYT just gone so far left and become so jaded that even national security issues are less important than the nation's security?
This post borders on satire.
11
This is an OPINION column. It does not represent the views of the NYT. Get a grip.
Same old weenie. Plus, we're all still sick of him. Like most Republicans, he has no regard for most regular income, American citizens. He only just moved to Utah, and expects to just take over that Senate seat. If Utahan are dumb enough to vote for him, they will get what they deserve. He let tRump make a fool of him, but he was willing to be the fool if he could get a cabinet position. He's a liar and a hypocrite. Don't forget the 47%.
7
Romney is a weather vane. But only answers to the idiot winds. (Apologies to Bob Dylan).
2
Mitt the Twit will never change.
3
Seamus, RIP
1
Gail, As soon as I saw you were writing about Mitt I KNEW you could not resist mentioning the dog on the roof. Isn't it way past time since you stopped using that old old old reference!
Mitt seems to be the lapdog strapped to the roof of Trump's car.
5
Could all these good ole white dudes just fade away from the national scene, permanently? Why do we keep getting versions 3.2-5.1? Do they have nothing better to do? Mitt should go horseback riding into the sunset with his wife and leave the country alone. He's only going to make it worse.
4
Suspense. Got it in at the very end. The Mitster is back. He is total Etch a Sketch, but he's a decent guy( we just want someone, anyone , who isn't covered in slime.
1
When I saw that your column, Gail, was about Mitt Romney, I was sure that you would mention the time he drove to Canada with the family dog strapped to the car roof. Yes! You saved it until the end. Hooray!
4
Mittens has elevated looking good while talking out of both sides of his mouth without the puppet on his knee to an art form.
2
Gail, for a scary moment I thought you weren't going to mention the dog on the car roof. Phew!
3
Classy column. Full of fact based analysis. Only a die hard partisan could write like this. Exactly what the country needs. A die hard partisan.
No one is forcing you to read it.
The ultimate corporate sock puppet strikes again.
2
Just like Mr. Trump, Romney would destroy the swamp and change it into a sewer. Birds of a feather comes to mind.
2
What is it about Mitt that drives him to be in the spotlight, running for office? He is 71 years old and rich - please just retire Mitt!
Gail, by the time I was on the last paragraph of the Mittens article I was getting very anxious....then you fulfilled my expectations and mentioned the dog on the roof of the car! Wonderful!
2
Seamus is back!!
2
MLB players use mitts to catch balls: even tough ones!
This Mitt, on matters that count, has dropped the ball so many times, who cares what he does in politics.
He gets press, that's true. So does Trump. So do the Kardashians. So does Roseanne. In his case, as with some of the preceding, it just doesn't matter.
If he had some scruples or principles, one might say "at least he's different from other Republicans." He's not.
3
Thank you Gail! The dog on the roof is back! Woof woof!
2
He would like to kneel and kiss the ring of the King. Or will he stand up like a true man? What was it Trump used to call him, splineless Mitt Romney?
Hey, didn’t you swear not to tell that dog story until... something happened?
1
I could barely defer my gratification by not skipping through Gail's opinion piece to find the inevitable Mitt/dog reference. In the last paragraph though, my eyes jumped right to it. It has that magical pull. Just like Mitt does to the shallow side of politics - adulation for the proverbially insecure.
4
You forgot one thing, Gail. Pretty Hair Mitt supports gun control. He might not be DiFi gun controlling, but, he would be happy getting guns out of the hands of all of those mis-guided NRA voters. The body guards for him and his family are no doubt prohibited from joining the NRA, lest they get the command to go on a killing spree.
.
Everything else you said was correct. Mitt, the billionaire, hungers for a government job. Governor Mitt, (son-of-a-governor Mitt), (not gonna be) President Mitt, (maybe) Senator Mitt. If this next try doesn't make him an employee of America, DJT should offer him Post Master General.
.
Mitt is the full size, painted portrait of a RINO. He is like a prettier Jeb(?). Mitt could stand before any crowd and smile, while weeping, about his White Privilege. I think he could beat DiFi or Chuck Schumer, in a head to head match. Mitt should call Obama and ask him to campaign with him. Mitt likes Obama.
1
Ya gotta love it. A shape-shifting, viscerally snobbish, spineless billionaire with a Hollywood mug and a lapsed membership in the ASPCA is going to run for the Senate. He’ll be just what Mitch McConnell needs to keep turning the American dream into a nightmare.
4
Old politicians never die, they just fade away.
1
Frankly, I admit to some nostalgia for those innocent days when we all could agree it is wanton cruelty to strap a dog to the roof of your car on a cross country family holiday.
2
Gail,
Trump dangled the SoS gig before Mitt only to openly humiliate and have him crawl on his hands and knees kissing up for forgiveness. Then eventually kicked Rex around like an errand boy and fired him by a tweet. When Mitt gets to the Senate, he will be at McConnell's face and will lead the impeachment run.
Thank goodness, Gail. Thought you were going to not include the dog on the roof story (who does that? Imagine that person leading any group...). Could have titled the article "wait for it...".
2
The dog is back!
2
Mitt or Seamus?
1
As I approached the end of the article my anxiety rose. Where was the dog reference??? There were only sentences left!
With 2 lines to go, like a buzzer beater at a Jazz game, Gail threw a soft punch to remind us all that this guy – this guy – was the jerk who used to embody the Republican Party. Not like, W low, but he was down there. How we have grown since then.
3
I love you so much, Gail.
3
Ever notice how much Mitt looks like those Maori statues on Easter Island?
And then there's that dog on the roof of the car thing.
4
Gail. You own the Romney subject. You should write a book on Romney. Romney by Collins. It is your magnus.
Why focus on the idiotic dog story? It's just another example of Mitt's obliviousness, like making money off others' misery.
He's perfect for Utah. Go to church, and it doesn't matter what else you do.
1
Many or most of us instinctually know a phony when we meet or see one. Whether with his Mom Jeans, or “dungarees,” or his Jazz jersey over his button-down oxford, Mitt Romney exudes toxic levels of insincerity.
The public display of his shameless brown-nosing of Trump after the presidential election would have humiliated any normal man and would have put an end to his political aspirations.
So sad that we have the Evil Queen in the White House, beginning each day with “Mirror, mirror, on the wall...” The dopey Trump kids hanging around the White House doing nothing of value. A sorry lot of Prom King Losers (and one Prom Queen Loser) staffing the Cabinet and robbing us blind. And now we have a convicted mass killer running for the Senate in West Va., and a Congressman openly soliciting bribes.
It’s as if every sewage pipe in Washington broke in November 2017 and all of these characters came tumbling out, landing in the White House.
It’s going to take some time to get rid of the smell.
5
Awriight Gail!
Closed it out with the high slider we'd all been waiting for!
4
I don’t think calling Mitt a weenie is helpful.
Btween running for Governor in liberal Massachusetts and running for POTUS in 2012, R-MONEY proved he is just a chameleon. He will say anything to get elected.
But if you want to read a little sleaze about him, try the article that was published about how he ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Here are a couple of links:
Mitt Romney's Pork Barrel Olympics
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mitt-romney-expensive-olympi...
Romney’s ’02 Olympics short on transparency
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/07/24/after_romney_ple...
Salt Lake City – The Myth of Mitt
http://www.saltlakemagazine.com/blog/the-myth-of-mitt-1/
2
Hallelujah ... Ever since good ol' Mitt announced he'd be seeking the Utah Senate seat I've been energized with anticipation for your inevitable mention of poor ol' Shamus strapped to the car roof. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
3
The horrors in Washington are every day so alarming that even the Weenie should be a relief. Except, even with the Supreme Court about to uphold Trump's Muslim Ban (and, yes, it is) and the druggie from Central Casting about to lead the VA--and it seems like 100 years ago, but being from Alabama I can't let go of my utter disbelief that Jeff Sessions could have gotten past the censors--even with all that and the rest, I cannot find one consoling thing about the return of Romney. Not only is he unprincipled, he is dumber than a bag of rocks. I think we'd better get ready with the dog conversation.
1
Romney strapped a dog to his car roof???
Gail, please tell us more.
Ah, the return of Seamus!!! Makes a Barking Doggerel proud.
1
I had to read all the way to the end to see if the "dog on the roof" ended up on the bottom. Sure enough! Once Gail comes up with a few witty words, it gets stuck in her head, like a "dog in her belfry."
Can a female columnist who repeats her darn-self over and over be called the "same old weenie" these days? Far from me to judge, I'll just say she's full of the same old baloney.
1
So happy to be reminded of that emblematic mutt.
2
Seamus lives on! So glad you have old Mitt to kick around again, Gail. Keep up the good work!
2
wow Jack Johnson haven't thought about him since the last time i heard Jamie Brockett"s song "legend of the USS Titanic"(sic)
"They wouldn't let Jack Johnson on board they said this ship don't haul no coal fair thee well titanic fair thee well....."
1
Not a fan of Mitt, but after 460 days of watching a mean-spirited puffed up chicken hawk punch down , it is somewhat refreshing to watch a relatively decent man with no punch trying to pander. I rather cringe in embarrassment than retch in disgust.
Romney 2018: He may make you cringe but he won't make you retch.
5
An hilarious if shameless invocation of Seamus!
2
This is pure Gail Collins. You made my day. Laughed over this with my wife at breakfast.
2
Had to wait until the last sentence. But Gail did not disappoint!
1
Delighted, Gail, to see you skewer "the same old weenie", Mitt Romney! That he is running for Senate from Utah - fuggedabout Michigan, Massachusetts and La Jolla (and the elevator for his 2 Caddies) - and his late November 2016 visit to the elite eatery in Manhattan, as he ate humble pie when he was courting President Trump, praying for the Secretary of State job. Gosh, looks like you're going to have to dust off your old mantra about Mitt and his irish setter Seamus in his cage, chained on top of the Romney station wagon (before SUVs) as the family drove to Canada on vacation oh so long ago! Meanwhile all of America is hoping for a blue revolution against the ethos, values and depredations of Trump's M.A.G.A. red-hatted colossally ignorant "well regulated militias". In Utah and in all the other states that will be holding Mid-Year elections in November. Keep hope alive!
2
The only time I ever had any respect for him was when he elucidated Donald Trump's true character in a scathing take-down.
Then there was the 'Dinner with Satan' photo-op and he went and showed us just where his true values lie.
Haven't we learned ANYTHING from the unmitigated disaster that is Trump?
2
Are there still any Republican politicians who have principles?
Or do they all just blow in the wind?
Or seek the job to fill their own pockets?
None seem concerned with what’s best for our country.
1
Dear Diary,
Is there a place in the Senate for a 5 time draft dodger? Whose 5 sons never served in the Military? That wishes to serve on the Armed Service Committee?
Are Utahns prepared to elect a carpetbagger East Coast “liberal” to represent them?
Is it reasonable for the Beehive State to welcome a Movie Star whose claim to fame is the Willard in “Willard the Rat”?
Utahns understand that hop scotch, jumping ropes and Twister are games that children play. They have low tolerance for Politicians whose positions swirl around like dustdevils in the breeze.
The Salt Lake already has one spiral jetty, no need to drop one on DC.
Let the Romney caravan roll back to their $15 million dollar La Jolla pad. Mr. 14% tax rate whose “Corporations are people, my friend” line has worn out his welcome.
Thank You, Dear Diary.
1
I have been saying this for years, starting when he was running for Governor in the Commonnwealth of Massacusetts - Mitt Romney is a mendacious pandering phony. The man is notthing if not consistent.
4
Romney again? How depressing!
1
Before reading the article I did a page search to see if the word "dog" showed up. Sure enough. Last sentence, but I knew it would be there...
3
When we start looking to Mitt Romney for a ray of hope, we are in dire, dire straits.
2
On August 29, 2012 at 9:29 in the morning, a commenter with the handle "Larry L" posted a reply to another commenter "scott" with regard to an article on Mitt Romney. I enjoyed the image called up by the comment so much that I have kept it on my hard drive ever since:
"You can't pretend Romney is anything but a flip-flopping lap-dog for the Koch brothers!"
'nough said.
1
Is it not the height of hypocrisy and moral lapse that so many Utah voters, a predominantly Mormon state, reject immigrants because they are "outsiders"?
1
Gail, you didn't mention the vacation with the dog on top of the car!
Shall we launch a write-in campaign to Vote for Seamus? He would win.
Ah Mitt, too bad Barbara Bush didn’t add you to the list of too many Bushs. She should have made it a statement of one and done. Remember John McCain. He did get to run after failed attempts and still lost. Give it up.
The dog is back! And if Mr Mitt goes to Washington he can take his own fleas with him rather than rely on the ones that the POTUS provides so generously.
I cannot consider Mitt Romney for even the position of dogcatcher in light of his "47%" comment. His story of putting the elderly family dog on top of the car makes even that an impossible proposal.
The ancient Romans had a cute euphemism for someone: "everyone's friend." It was used to label someone a prostitute. It fits here.
2
Oh, how I've missed "the time he drove to Canada with the family dog strapped to the car roof".
Remember the good old days, when all we had to be cynical about was a dog strapped to a car? Simpler times.
Gail Collins, an ever more important presence.
1
Poor Mitt, he just won't take no for an answer. He thinks so highly of himself that he just can't accept that there is no national role for his wonderfulness. He knows the people of Utah, a state he has avoided his entire life, will swoon over his old white Mormon maleness, and ultimately hand him Orrin's seat on a silver platter. He will then use that platform to intrude -- yet again, despite Ann's pleading -- on the electorate's notice in 2020. Imagine spending $500,000, only to lose to the guy who spent $30,000, and still thinking you have the smarts and strategy to win a national election. Arrogant, delusional, wasteful, and dangerous.
2
Would Seamus vote for him? I think not!
What is the old expression? Something about Mitt in one hand and fish in the other?
I so needed hear about that dog on the roof to remind me of better times.
The thing I like most about Ms. Collins is that she never ceases to point out when the emperors are somewhat lacking in clothing. And that she has never written a column about Mitt Romney without pointing out that he drove to Canada with his dog strapped to the roof.
It must be incredibly irritating for Mr. Romney to know that Ms. Collins will never, ever stop taunting him.
As for me, I am simply grateful.
3
Romney has never had any overarching philosophy, and there's no reason to think he has one now. He campaigns and governs with a wet finger in the wind.
But as I read this column, I began to fear that Gail wouldn't mention the dog.
That dog has become like a brand for any Collins piece about Romney. I'm very happy that the tradition continues.
Mitt is the same old flip-flopper he always was. And thanks for working his departed dog in there, Gail!
as i started reading this i was wondering if and how Gail would work the dog on the roof into the piece . Alas, she found a way !!! I would like to know how many times the poor dog has been mentioned. Nicely played
....burbling about his "message of inclusion". Now that was funny. After reading the word burbling, I spontaneously laughed out loud (burbled) several times while reading the rest of this article.
Seamus is back ! Thanks, Gail
It's almost always a bad move do a 180 degree turn, especially by adults. Romney's 180 on Trump--from chastising Trump during the campaign to groveling for a job as Secretary of State--was particularly troubling. Romney should just retire and go away, instead of showing up at basketball games and making a fool of himself.
1
"character is destiny"
Yes! A Seamus reference again. Please go back to them!
But does he have a station wagon and a dog?
What, where is it? Oh, she slipped in at the last sentence. It's good to see this reference to the dog on the roof is as dependable as the sun rising in the morning.
Would she? Wouldn't she? SHE DID!
You did it! You brought the drive to Canada with the dog on the car roof back. I knew it wasn't gone forever. Thank you, Gail Collins.
Was increasingly worried reading the column that Seamus wouldn't get a mention. But the last sentence saved the day!
Read the article to see if she mentioned the dog. Thanks Gail!
Yaaaayyy, the dog-on-car-roof story returns!
Too bad Seamus isn't available to run instead. At least dogs are honest.
Of course I had planned to read the entire Gail Collins column anyway, as I look forward to each week. But I was really, really, REALLY hoping to hear about the dog, for old time’s sake. Thanks for not disappointing!!
Romney III: The Return of Seamus!
If you like someone who looks at people through the lens of a spreadsheet and sees numbers instead of people Romney is your man.
2
He is still Mitt and the dog. He is really a dog himself. Trump doesn't like dogs and Democrats who like dogs won't like Mitt for the way he treats them. Good riddance, Mitt.
1
Sure. Go ahead and pile on, Gail. Mitt surely deserves the contempt. By the way, have you checked out the quality of leadership in America today?
Compared to your cronies, Mitt is a breath of fresh air.
Hey, what about "Corporations are people too" Mitt. And may we please have follow up on post-roof-woof riding Seamus. Any more pets in the Romney mansions? No Mittens the kitten?
"well-coiffed rubber ball" has to be the best description of Romney I've ever read or heard. Well done, Gail!
How embarrassing. Trump said in one of his obscene rallies that Mitt got on his knees before Trump, implying a sexual subservience. Then he allows himself to be humiliated with the Secretary of State position. And now he's back.
The powerful always want to remain powerful no matter the humiliations. But a real man would have stood up to Trump always and never, metaphorically, gotten on his knees. That he did says it all.
Why can't he and Queen Ann ("It's our turn now") just enjoy their family and leave politics alone? These people that crave non-stop power......they are ruining our country. If he wants a legacy, he should stand up to Trump no matter if he's in office or out. Use that religion of his to stand up for what's good, not to get down on his knees to Trump. Because I thought only God could demand such fealty. Do these people think Trump is a god?
It's sick. All of it. Trump has made our country sick with constant humiliations and degradations and Mitt is a prime example.
2
Romney is like all the adelsons and Koch’s and zuckerbergs of the world: rich, privileged men who can’t figure out that all of their wealth can’t hide their snide, classist condescension or their arrogance in thinking they can buy people liking them. It’s why he was a phoney in 2008, in 2012, in 2016, in Michigan, in Massachusetts, and in Utah. He’s got all the characteristics of his big coifed hair: looks massive, but it’s all hairspray and shine covering a lot of air that actually weighs in at nothing.
On the strength of Romney's "brain washed" father having been a governor in one state and he, in another; and two failed candidacies for president, Gail has bludgened us with a loser Romney update.
Most certainly Romney is not "that principled national voice" our nation quietly yearns for. On the other hand, Mitt's wife is known to griddle a fabulous pancake.
Ah to stand on a roadside waving a big R banner as Romney's limo speeds bye.
1
Mitt will say whatever it takes to get elected. If he needs to become a Trumper to get all those Senate benefits, he certainly will. He bobs with the tide.
2
Gail you never disappoint. I knew with all my heart Shamus the family dog would still be on the roof of the car.
I think Mitt Romney is a nice guy. I’d have a beer with him. Oh wait....
Anyway, Romney is like the weather in Buffalo NY (or insert any fickle weather city you want here). If you don’t like it now, don’t worry, it’ll change in five minutes.
2
Remember Seamus!
Everything you need to know about Mitt Romney is summed up in that one thoughtless act of cruelty to the family dog. I'd be OK with it if it, um, dogs him to the end of time. Thanks Gail.
175
Maybe you've never driven across country and noted how many dogs are riding in the open on the back of a pickup truck? Please....dont pretend to be holier-than-thou.
While not suggesting acceptable occupancy in either case, as the back of an open vehicle is no place for any living creature, there's an added cruelty present in placing an animal in a carrier on the roof of a car.
"Maybe you've never driven across country and noted how many dogs are riding in the open..."
Oh! So lots of people do it?!
Well then, I guess it's OK . Wouldn't wanna hold a potential leader to higher standards or anything.
Reading this column, I was worried that this time Gail would forego the Seamus-the-dog reference. I should have known better, and trusted her! Not only that, but she obviously knows the value of suspense.
On the other hand, I have to say I've always understood and sympathized with the much-mocked "trees are the right height" reference, also mentioned by some commenters here. Anyone who's lived in a wide variety of places with very different natural surroundings will tend to perceive the type of environment they grew up in as the "natural" or "right" one. The same applies to urban surroundings: for me, buildings of four to five stories are "the right height". As Jane Jacobs memorably put it, an apartment building should be just so tall that a mother can lean out the window to call her kids home for supper. (This was back in the fifties, when kids in New York still played in the streets, and mommies stayed home and made supper.)
Not that Mitt Romney, or anyone in his family, would ever do anything so plebeian as lean out of a window to call a kid.
Romney will win Utah, no doubt. But can he win the vote of the Trump (sort of) Republicans -- the voters who elected our current president by a resounding minority? He does display the same "flexible" reasoning process as Trump. Like we love the DACA kids, but they're out unless we build the Wall to keep out people like them. Romney has the same kind of business experience as Trump: highly leveraged investments using other people's money and a variety of clever tax gimmicks. But that's not the kind of red meat Trump supporters like. Romney has had only one wife and a bunch of seemingly normal kids, none of whom he has showered with political office or designer clothing. Where's the fun in that? No record of womanizing to read about. That weird Mormon thing -- Jesus or Joseph Smith? Plus Mitt looks like a normal guy who keeps in shape by exercising, not twittering.
Mitt is still a weenie for the 47% remark. There is no outrunning his disdain for most of America. We are all dispensable cogs for him to use to get what he wants and then he will outsource and privatize like every other republican and like he did in his hedge fund.
Everyone once in a while Mitt does or says the right thing but then we see how empty he is like with the DACA comments. He is for or against or whatever it is you want to hear.
I am done with all republicans. I don’t think I can ever get passed the complicity of the past two years. They are all terrible.
228
Most Republican leaders and donors seem to share the 47% point of view, holding us in contempt for helping them get rich, for contining to work without raises, and re-electing them despite their support of shipping our jobs overseas and flipping our companies for personal gain.
In many many ways Romney is the perfect Republican candidate. I thought he represented the Establishment that Trump was out to overthrow. Turns out that, at base, Trump is Tweedledee to Mitt's Tweedledum, just cruder and more obviously self-aggrandizing.
10
How is it possible that a man who was elected governor of Massachusetts can be considered electable in Utah? Think about the polarity of that.
Hint: Chameleon with no core set of beliefs or values driving him.
1
l just do not understand, why all this very rich men, and they are rich because their father was, why they are in politic, Trump is our president and he can not be a door man to one of his buildings, Romney just want to be somebody, and he has no idea why , and also he can not be a doorman any of his buildings, it is a very sad time for our country, we need new faces , new ideas, new fresh air to our life
Thank you, Ms Collins for reminding us about the vacation trip of that unfortunate Romney family dog..... One was beginning to fear that the voters of whatever state he is running in might be allowed to forget this chapter in his [that is, Mitt's] life.
Unacceptable.
Came here for the dog-on-the-roof reference, wasn't disappointed.
It really doesn't matter what Romney says. He has the personal money to buy his way to a Senate seat and that is the GOP way.
All pretense is now gone from the GOP. From Trump and his Cabinet members to Romney, the GOP has made it clear that money controls.
Romney can say anything because as long as he is not the evil incarnate - A Democrat - he will be blessed by the GOP who always rally behind their man. It's easier with Romney whose dog on the car roof is a nothing burger compared to lusting after 14 year olds. In fact, Romney looks like a saint compared to other GOP hopefuls.
Boring, conventional and GOP sycophant looks good on Romney.
3
Gosh I hope it's the same old Mitt....
...from when he took Bain and Company and took it from nothing to off the charts profit and gains for stockholders,
...from when he took charge of the Salt Lake City Olympics and turned it from a financial disaster into a profit-making,
...from when he was Governor of Massachusetts and put in place a first of its kind health care system that took care of both the poor and the rich in that state, and
...from when he had freewheeling wit, biting sense of humor, and engaging and inclusive demeanor and methods.
That Mitt has a real chance at success, and good for us all if that Mitt shows up at the plate.
America is seriously working off a karma deficit. Bushes, a weak-kneed Obama, Clintons, Trump for God's sake...now Mitt Romney's back like a bent coin?! We've got to be able to do better than this dreary track we're on. There's too much important stuff needs doing. Can we import Macron? He seems halfway bright and serious about the job needs doing. How refreshing would that be?!
4
You might want to take a closer look at what 's going on in France at the moment and if you can speak the language, read what they actually think of him....It's not as rosy as you think.
1
Ya just hadda do it, Gail.
Didn’t cha?
Bring up the dog on top of the car.
(I’m surprised there isn’t a
dog-on-top-of-car emoji.)
Great article: informative between the lines ‘cause you tie the facts into a compelling argument, and then spice and flavor it with superb humor.
I learned more about Romney from this article than from any other source, ever.
You go, Gail!
14
Gail, Gail, Even if he doesn't win the primary, please lets discuss Seamus on the roof. It reminds me of a more innocent time in our national discourse. Stormy v Seamus. No contest.
8
Funny how Hillary Clinton was decried as a carpetbagger when she ran for Senate from New York.
Funny how, having lost a presidential election, Hillary Clinton was expected to just shut up and go away.
Funny how Romneycare, originally a conservative idea, was exactly the same in Massachusetts as Obamacare, except that--when enacted nationally, it suddenly became different.
Funny how Trump looked like a bad person to Romney when Trump was running for president, but when Trump the elect dangled the Secretary of State bangle, Romney came groveling.
Funny how Bain Capital can be said to have created jobs by raiding and downsizing companies, tossing the little people onto the cold hard sidewalk.
Funny how a man of alleged great faith can have so few fixed principles.
489
Point well taken except nothing funny about it...all very SAD!
18
As has been my observation that within religions that have an answer for everything (Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Evangelicalism, etc) there does appear to be limited opportunities for true moral development or preparation for ethical reasoning. Rote learning of the "rules" obviates the spiritual growth one would have hoped or expected to see.
Here in CT it has been my professional experience that managers who grew up RC found it easy to lie and difficult to understand their own motivations. I'm retired now but the pattern was so persistent that I had to accept that it was no coincidence.
25
She meant "funny peculiar" not "funny ha-ha"
If Mitt wins the Senate seat in Utah it's, what, another empty suit Republican who is willing to throw all family values under the bus for a few tax cuts?
What's new?
Could be worse.
I haven't heard about Mitt molesting children or adopting a "wide stance" in bathrooms. So maybe he can set the Republican bar just a little higher for sexual behavior. Unless there is a shoe that's ready to drop somewhere... at this point, nothing surprises me.
4
Thanks, Gail, you did not disappoint. I knew Seamus would get a mention!
7
Well, at least he knows how many houses he owns, a personal fact that McCain messed up on in 2008.
And, I wish the MSM would stop making such a big thing about this primary since Orin Hatch also faced a primary challenge in 2012.
1
Thank you, thank you, Ms. Collins, for the column-ending dog reference. God bless Seamus!
6
Very clever, Gail. You kept us all in suspense if/when you were going to bring up the dog on the car roof reference. Only to save it for the last sentence. Brilliant!
Your columns are the best antidote we have for the poisonous political environment that is Trump and the GOP.
24
You don't fool me. If they're so poisonous, why can't you quit calling them a Grand Old Party? Because that's those 3 letters stand for. Enjoy your "GOP"!
I don't know how widespread the toxic drinking water is in Michigan at large, but the response above makes one wonder. Why, here in MN, we knew Gail would include the Mitt-bomb dog-roof story before we even started to read this diatribe. She has what's know as the "elevated canine" fixation, a rare disease found only among columnists who lack creativity beyond step one and repeat the same thing over and over and over and, well you know....The saddest part is that her so-called weenie tonic today is poisonous.
1
If President Trump believes Governor Romney has come of age to serve the Country, as a US senator in this Administrations time, e.g., got all that choking out of his system, then that'll be good enough for me. We have a New Mitt!
I cannot see Mitt Romney now without thinking of him groveling before president-elect Trump, revealing that the things he had called candidate Trump out on no longer mattered as much as a shot at a position in the new administration. He can never make that image disappear.
Romney's principles are as negotiable and phony as the man himself. Mitt needs to find something else to occupy his time.
249
Maybe he could build more garage elevators?
19
I can't stand this guy and his wife, who referred to us as "you people".
When he ran for president and released his income tax returns, after admitting on Schedule B that he had foreign accounts, it appears that he removed his forms 8938 and 114 which would disclosed where his foreign accounts were and in what sums. Sneaky?
Not to mention why does a guy who wants to be president of the US&A need to park his money and assets overseas. Our financial institutions aren't good enough for him?
14
What is it with guys like Mitt ? Don't they ever just go away and spend their ill-gotten gains on more houses and cars and planes? Apparently, not. They all need 24/7 attention and to be "liked."
No one anywhere has missed the sound of your voice, Mitt. Go buy something, Mitt, you'll feel better for a while.
15
Let’s not forget the sheer entertainment value of Mitt Romney. Some of us are curious about how Mitt feels about his “binders of women” in the age of #MeToo.
Mitt Romney is every bit as needy as Donald Trump, but there are differences. Mitt is normally not as gratuitously cruel, and his flip-flops on issues are in slow-motion compared to Trump’s.
Romney may be running for office for no more serious reason than he is bored on the sidelines, but he does seem to crave the spotlight almost as much as Trump.
If Mitt becomes too intrusive in the Trump melodrama, some immigration specialist in the White House can dash off an Executive Order for Trump to deport Romney -- strapped to a car roof.
8
There's no honor among thieves. No principled person would have gone to Trump Tower to "interview" for the secretary of state job without first receiving a sincere apology from Trump for the insults dished out during the campaign. When are politicians going to learn that moral fiber and backbone are what the country is yearning for?
10
Before reading this article, I wondered if Gail could make it through the column without mentioning the time Mitt strapped the family dog to the roof of the car. It’s satisfying to see that some campaigners keep bumbling, and thank you for forcing me to read to the end for what I knew was coming.
4
Another draft-dodging man-boy who inherited his place in life, but is bored with his surroundings, lacks meaningful accomplishments and craves the limelight. He's an awful lot like Trump.
13
No. he's just awful.
2
I'm not in Utah, so I have to think, Good luck to those folks. But my basic thought, whether we're talking Romney or Roseanne, is: Enough with the retreads. They've had their moment, and it's brought us here. There are people coming up in politics in every state, earning their way and gaining experience. Surely, Utah could do better than Mitt.
11
Romney will not change. He will always test which way the wind is blowing at any given time. He simply does not have a core set of beliefs and that makes him empty as a politician and as a human being. The sight of him dining and groveling with Trump after the election was pitiful.
14
I knew you eventually had to get to the family dog on the roof thing.... it never gets old.
Romney just wants the job (Senate or President) too much and he does so without, as you pointed out, any clear and consistent guiding message - other than he looks classy and presidential.
I don't really care about our politicians' ideologies as long as they are truly smart, humble, analytical thinkers with a focus on helping others. I could vote for and trust a Republican,Democrat or an Independent if they convinced me they had those qualities. There are just too many, and Romney is one, wanting the power and prestige of office for their own glory. We need more Obamas.
9
Gail,
I'm sorry, my memory is weakening with age. Could you remind me of that dog's name?
Every week, please.
7
The same Mitt Romney who declared that corporations are people would undoubtedly bring that conflation to the Senate.
9
Ms. Collins, Thank you for verifying your identity by referencing the dog on the roof. But next time, please insert your trademark higher up, reserving your column's end for what should have been a final aphorism, not a threadbare, shop-worn, tried-and-true (We too could go on and on.) cliche.
2
Don't care for what he has to say, but at least he can talk coherently enough and has normal human relationships. Even if with his record of hypocrisy, that would be a big improvement. It would be a hard sell, but there are both democrats and principled conservatives in Utah— as in other states. If he still can still manage to be perceived as someone who speaks out about the example of moral degeneracy Trump sets, his illegal activity, and his catastrophic incompetence, that might find a large moderate following. He may be able to do well for himself by it. Remember the republican reevaluation after 2012? 47% thing was disgusting, but I hope he finds god.
1
Since Reagan, too many Americans have been unable to recognize a cipher when they see one.
Mitt is an empty suit, spouting nonsense whenever and whatever the moment requires. Since most Americans don't remember past last weekend, it probably won't matter.
7
Just to refresh my memory about the REAL Mitt Romney I went back and read Matt Taibbi's 29 Aug. 2012 RollingStone article.
Actually, compared to the current POTUS, Mitt looks pretty good which is the same as saying I'd rather have yellow fever than dengue fever.
7
Great column but we’ll NEVER stop talking about the dog incident! It defines him.
4
There's no reason to hope, or think that the 'new' Mit Romney is going to be any different (or better) than the old Mit Romney, simply because anyone who steps into the Trumpicized Republican arena these days is basically doomed to become like the rest of them.
But thanks again, Gail Collins for reminding us all of the reasons why.
5
I think I speak for all of us Gail Collins readers when I say, we look forward to the return of Seamus.
3
I am a direct witness to Mitt's wishy-washyness and lack of real convictions. When he first ran for public office, for Senate against Teddy, I was a prominent public leader in my profession. Though I was a registered I, I was asked to co-chair one of his campaign committees. Though I had no plans to actually join his campaign, I was curious, and so met privately with the other co-chair and Mitt twice and attended half-a-dozen high level meetings.
I was in the room and heard Mitt promise women's issue leaders that he would oppose any restrictions of their abortion rights. I was in the room and heard with my own ears Mitt promise gay leaders that he would be "a stronger advocate on their behalf than Teddy." And I was in several rooms when he promised environmental leaders that he was "one of the them" and would support their agendas.
Of course two years into office, Mitt set his sights on the White House. To win his R primary, he tossed out and completely reversed his stated positions on abortion rights, gay rights and the environment. He FLIPPED and he FLOPPED 180 degrees. So what were those earlier promises? Lies. Mitt will lie to anyone and tell any lie if he believes it will get him votes.
Though he may not be as vile as Trump, self promotion means so much more to Mitt than decency, promises, truth, or the damage his vacillation causes to those affected. Romney has the sort of spine you can pass your hand through.
367
Thanks you confirmed my suspicion that Mitt is just another gop power seeker and is not interested in doing best for the country like the rest of the gop'ers.
19
That's the Mitt us folks in MA know and (don't) love!
7
Right now, Mitt is dusting off his Etch-a-Sketch from his 2012 presidential campaign, ready for his expected general election campaign and tenure in the Senate.
2
I would say that Mitt Romney has taught us all a lesson in relativity, but event that honour goes elsewhere -- to George W Bush.
3
At last! Thank you, Ms. Collins. Romney's abuse of his dog (and his clueless statements defending his misconduct) is finally in play again. And many thanks to the convention delegates in Utah who weren't going to be bullied or bought into giving their endorsement to a politician trying to use them. Unfortunately the Republican primary voters seem to be more easily won over by Romney's diminishing star power as a former GOP presidential nominee and buckets of money.
Just what US voters have been missing during the Trump era, is another "well-coiffed (Republican) rubber ball" with serious baggage. Thanks to Romney's shamelessness and the voters of Utah, this need is likely to met in Nov.
4
I can’t help feeling that the incident you describe of Romney enthusiastically grovelling at the side of Trump when he thought be might get to be Secretary of State is the most important insight into the character of the man. Having said that, look at John McCain. I thought the same thing about him as he, in order to get elected, hugged the pillow with Trump, notwithstanding the latter’s depiction of him as a coward. And we’ve completely forgiven McCain/forgotten that fact in our rush to lionize him. So I guess there’s hope for the Mittster yet.
Let's be honest here. Mitt will continue to flip-flop and change positions like the wind. He's just another old, white, republican who, when elected as senator to Utah, will toe the trumpism line of governing. To expect anything different is to live in that alternative reality we hear so much about. Bring on the "dog on top of car" stories, Gail!
4
I did not vote for Mr. Romney.
I would NOT have been upset if he had been elected.
2
Etch-a-sketch Mitt, Say Anything, Say Anything Else, but get elected. How can he call out Trump for being a liar?
Romney has the pragmatic idea that you say whatever it takes to get elected, then do whatever it is that you said which was the actual belief or policy. So Pro-DACA or anti? Depends on when you ask.
We just don't need any more liars. It used to be that we had to live with "spin," the set of weasel words politicians used to try to make bad look good, or explain how black is white. Now they skip right over spin and just lie.
We don't need Mitt. We don't need any of these Trumpistas. We need people who believe they ought to represent everyone, and who have plans about how to do so. Dancing unicorns are more likely to appear.
4
Glad to see Seamus is back. Trump doesn't seem to have any pets. Too bad since a pet story once in a while might take our mind off of this strange, crazy Presidency or not.
1
Ever since he ran for president, I've viewed Mitt as a spoiled brat who got everything he wanted with little or no effort. Similar to, but not as bad as Trump. Now it seems that, without real positions, he'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
When he gets what he wants will he really know what to do with it? I think that the "Etch a sketch" may no longer work and he'll be lost.
1
I think Mitt Romney could have been a real human being — and an effective politician — if he'd spent a couple of years in a trailer park and seen the hopelessness of some people's lives before he started wearing hand-made suits.
But in reality, he inhabits an isolated and very wealthy world. As far as most of the USA is concerned, Romney is more alien than any Mexican gardener or Haitian childcare worker. He just doesn’t get it. It’s a shame because I think he means well, but Romney is nothing more than Trump with a touch of heart.
4
Romney also tried pulling the home boy deal in Michigan. Of course he got nowhere.
The flip flop, vagabond, labeled the auto bailouts "crony capitalism"! But, he somehow managed to praise GM's decision to file for bankruptcy, which takes place in federal courts. Without doubt this is a blueprint of debt relief aided by government intervention.
Don't know if this is true, but I think Romney's homes in Utah only have the roofs built out?????
4
As Romney has proven throughout his political career, his views are flexible depending on the political situation. As governor of Massachusetts, he became a moderate Republican a la Bill Weld and put in place a version of ObamaCare.
But then as a presidential candidate, he ran against his own Massachusetts health care law (though he claimed it was different than the ACA) and tacked right, righter, rightest in order to attempt to capture the party's base. He didn't inspire them like Trump did, possibly because the evangelicals aren't wild about Mormons (as we have learned, they are also not wild about just about anybody other than white southern Christians and unborn fetuses).
So its time for Mitt to strap the family dog to the top of the car and start driving round Utah, in an effort to garner votes and some sort of political strategy that won't make him look like too much of a hypocrite.
109
Bill Weld's "failure to fund" was ruinous to mental health care in Massachusetts and shut down many most-needed teen residential facilities. Romneycare brought many more under the umbrella of healthcare. whatever else he's said or done, that was a good thing. Too bad he had to run from his signature achievement to appeal to the Red voters. Who knew that all along what they really wanted was authoritarianism?
9
Mitt seems to be just as willing to say anything as Trump.
But doesn't have the advantage Trump has.
Mitt is bland and doesn't have the carnival barker, agitator, personality Trump has.
12
I think Mitt's main handicap, vis-a-vis Trump, is that Mitt speaks in complete sentences. It's harder to hide the oligarchic tendencies of the Republican party using complete sentences.
Thank you, Gail, for your column, which reminded me how much of a political nothing Romney is. After living through Trump and the current crop of Republicans for the last few years, I was actually thinking of Romney in a relatively positive way.
More importantly (you have to have something good to hang onto these days): in the same way that one doesn't notice when hiccups go away, I had forgotten how much I looked forward to your dog - car roof references; satisfaction of my need for them my be the one positive in Romney's re-appearance.
15
Thanks, BDB and Gail, but Romney still looks great to me when compared to Trump.
And Trump did tell one truth during his campaign; that is "the system is rigged": proof of which is that Bernie would now be our prez if it were not.
@Jussmartenuf: bernie "I am not a Democrat! I am a socialist" sanders had no right to expect Democrats to choose him over a life-long Democrat. Since only his constituents had ever heard of him, it is unbelievable to expect Democrats to choose him. He and Romney share the same delusion that they deserve a loyalty they have not earned.
Romney is just a less brash, slightly more circumspect version of Trump (of course, my neighbor's Yorkshire terrier is more circumspect than Trump). Romney's Bain Capital exploits, his 47% quote delivered to his campaign's investors, his record of flip-flops, his phony duck-hunting photo ops to chase a vote--all indicate to me he's just a Gordon Gekko with a Utah mailing address.
10
Poor Mitt. Too bad he can't find something else to do. In the old days, rich people funded libraries, schools, museums, etc. Now they inflict themselves on the public. Sad. The burning question to me is, does Mitt have a new pet, and does it get to sleep on a comfy soft pet bed? The nation needs to know !
9
Congratulations, Gail! You not only exposed (again) Mitt Romney for the Janus he is on just about every issue (immigration, economic inequality, where he stands on Trump, even what state he claims residency), but you also reminded us that he strapped the family dog to the roof of his car on a vacation trip. Thanks for showing us all that his word can't be trusted (just like the guy in the White House). Here's hoping at least the dog has figured that out next time he says "Come, Spot, come to daddy!"
11
"We need that principled national voice, not just a guy who bounces around on issues like a well-coiffed rubber ball"
Gail, I'm not sure whom this refers to, i.e., Rand, Mitt, the Don?
I can think of quite a few legislators both Republican and Democrat to whom this might refer.
4
I am so glad you brought up the dog on a car. I miss those days.
11
Me too! Although I do assume his dog doesn't...
3
One thing has certainly changed since Mitt was running for the presidency in 2012. The people he described then as “takers and moochers” - presumably from the lower orders- are now from the upper echelons and make up most of Trump’s billionaire Cabinet and associates.
8
We need decent and competent and experienced people running in both parties. Even if you disagree with his politics, this is a scandal-free, decent and competent man who would be a vast improvement to Trump. He lost narrowly to Pres. Obama in 2012, mainly because people didn't want a rich business person in the White House. And look who was elected 4 years later...we traded way down.
5
Just how old was that dog? Was it still a puppy? If so, it's entirely possible that, had the Romneys overstayed their their visit, the puppy would be able to remain legally in Canada under DAPA. Alternatively, if the dog was an adult, it would have an excellent case for requesting asylum in Canada because its return to the US would clearly subject the dog to persecution (in the form of involuntary and cruel bondage on the roof of a vehicle traveling at high speed and great distance) specifically because of its race (canine) and its membership in a social group (dog culture). These are questions that inexplicably remain unaddressed and unanswered. I hope Gail will pursue them and gets some answers.
21
Gail, you might also mention the role that Bain Capital had in Toys-R-Us and possible severances to employees.
8
Mitt showed his colors when he had that dinner with Trump, smiling and acting as if they were BFF.
Prior to this, he had been negative about Trump. But Trump, being a person who knows first hand that integrity can be bought and sold like cereal, dangled the SOS bait and watched Mitt sell his integrity for the chance at what Trump would never have allotted him to have.
219
You have to ask: Why does Romney want this? He’s already rich. There are many useful things he could be doing?
Guess a lack of imagination isn’t atypical.
7
Why? Because he’s “like, not smart “
1
"Maybe he’d be a primary challenger in 2020."
If he challenges Trump in 2020-hopefully Trump will be out before-I will donate and volunteer for him, even though I am a die-hard progressive.
1
My husband was co-bishop w Mitt in Provo before the Romneys moved to Boston. My husband (who is no longer a Mormon, rather simply a Christian) really liked Mitt (and Ann) when they worked together and the Romneys lived in a basement apartment as newlyweds.
However, as time passed and Mitt kept running for president, my husband became more and more shocked and saddened at how the former "reasonable" man kept compromising his integrity, particularly over issues like stem cell research (btw, the Romneys have a grandchild conceived from surrogacy which is a direct result of stem cell transplantation).
It wd be nice to think Mitt wd be elected and stand up to Trump, but I'm not holding my breath on this happening given Romney's history of compromising his integrity.
15
C'mon Mitt, if you really want to speak truth to power forget the pandering words political campaign advisers may urge you to say in order to advance your political future with the current Republican base. Where is the courage to state the obvious truths that you spoke of two years ago? That Trump is a fraud and a phony and unfit to hold the office of the Presidency? That the Republican Party today is a hollow shell masquerading as a rational and responsible voice for conservative voices?We need strong, honest and fact-based debate about the issues and challenges facing our nation. We need citizens of every political persuasion to be able to debate without rancor in a spirit of respect and civility. And most of all we need to acknowledge that, like it or not, we are all in this together.
9
Thank you, Gail, for reminding us, once again, how utterly hollowed-out the GOP is when it comes to principled devotion to serving the common good.
17
Obviously, inauthenticity isn't selling nearly as well as it used to. Seems like what's needed is yet another Romney image makeover.
Exactly how many would that be now? Anyone keeping track?
OK, industrial-strength warm and fuzzy this time -- sure, that'll work. Compassionate, too, of course. Let's go with the Big CCC: Compassionate Conservative Chameleon. And don't forget some tough love. What a great mix.
Maybe he should even adopt a rescue dog ... but who would let him? A credible character witness would certainly be required.
Gail?
10
Gail, I was waiting for that last sentence the entire time I was reading your work today and you did not disappoint me (and undoubtedly thousands of other fans). The rest of your essay once again reveals Mitt for what he is; an opportunistic politician who will say anything at the moment that will ingratiate him and curry favor with his current audience. Any hope that he might just be the Republican voice that stands up for right, justice and sanity in national Republican politics is gone!
12
Funny. When I began reading Gail's article, I knew that last sentence was coming.
“Romney has to do better.”
Hardly Gail.
Just like Trump, Romney hardly manages to dodge his real persona which just keep on going like the battery bunny.
As for getting better, that responsibility belongs to the voters who need to be more discerning than the last contrived sound bite.
11
I know I'm speaking as a Trump-weary citizen to whom everyone looks better than Trump, but as a Massachusetts resident I can say Romney wasn't a terrible governor. For one thing, he brought us health care, which our fair state loves as it makes us more like Denmark--and, of course, gave many people who were uninsured decent coverage. That's not nothing. Because he was in Massachusetts, he had to reach across the aisle, so he knows Democrats exist as more than cardboard effigies of demons.
Yes, he's waffled, but appealing to red state voters is very different than governing Massachusetts, and, pragmatic as he is, he'd hopefully be president for the whole country, not just his half. At least some of the time I think his conscience gets it right, though he could definitely wake up to income disparity. All this to say, is there a Republican on the national stage you'd rather have?
And okay, the dog lover in me condemns the crate on the roof of the car thing, but for the good of the country we need decent candidates on both sides. Mitt's proved he can govern from the middle. Maybe we should all vote in the Republican primary for the candidate we'd least detest, that way if he (or, haha, she) wins in the end it won't be an occasion for grieving and a constitutional crisis.
14
Mitt Romney told Scott Pelley that people could always go to the ER for health care. Pelley had to point out that this is the most expensive option.
I wish Pelley had also pointed out that you can't treat things like cancer or MS in the ER.
26
This is a rhetorical question. A tiger cannot change its stripes.
6
lSo for a moment there I said to myself Glory Be! Here's one case where the rich guy was unable to buy himself a Senate seat! Then in the next sentence it turned out it wasn't so. In US politics money conquers all. Reliably.
13
The ever embarrassing Mr. Romney makes politicians look principled.
8
When I hear scions of wealth like Romney and Trump talk of being "self-made men", I am reminded of what Ann Richards, the former governor of Texas, said about Bush 43: "He was born on third base and thought he hit a triple."
27
Thanks Gail for another early morning smile. We "takers" loudly condemned in Mitt's 49% harangue to his donors, have since been taken to the cleaners for over a trillion and a half bucks by Mitt's corporate "people". I welcome Mitt to the deck chair of his choice. He and his fellow corporate raiders should be advised to ignore that pesky iceberg on the horizon.
23
Being Rich has its privileges ! One of them is to become a senator. Maybe we should put a top worth for candidates to that office?
I'll bet Mitt's challenger is also rich.
Come to think of it, It is only a republican problem. There are a few Dems that don't qualify of being rich, just well to do.
5
Does it matter which Republican is elected in Utah? Except for McCain, Collins, and Murkowski when it came to ACA, what Republican Senator has voted against the Administration/GOP party line when it counted?
16
I remember when he ran against Ted Kennedy and lost, and pretended that being a venture capitalist was a good thing raiding companies and destroying jobs for Americans. I remember when he was the governor of Massachusetts and spent most of his time out of the state which was good because he could do no damage. Mitt should listen to the tapes of his father's speeches and might be able to understand what a leader is and stop being privileged and rich. However in comparison to the GOP party he appears to be somewhat normal, he hasn't behaved in the manner that Trump behaves everyday. I don't think he would be on a quest to destroy the country as the GOP is currently on
25
The big question for Mitt: Will you show your tax returns so everyone can see how you benefited from the Rs tax cuts for the rich?
35
Don’t worry about Don Blankenship, referenced in your piece today. He’s a likely replacement for Scott Pruitt at the EPA. His record may not be right for Congress, but it seems perfect to continue the effort to destroy the environment.
33
"the worst slams his little entrepreneurial heart could think of. (“He inherited his business. He didn’t create it"
Just what did Mitt "create?" He ran a vulture capital operation, and the money had "made" was by things like taking away the pension plan money of former employees he wiped out when he broke up and sold the parts of companies. "Little heart" indeed. What he did should have been illegal.
77
I remember Queen Ann saying that when they were 'poor' college students, if things go tough, they'd cash in another bond. Yep, that's really making it on your own, Mittster! We should all be so lucky in life to be born to rich parents. It does make things much easier.
9
“He inherited his business. He didn’t create it.”
Has Mitt forgotten that he owes much of his own wealth and success to being the son of a Governor and CEO of a Fortune-50 company?
If Mitt had been able to say during his campaign that he was fortunate to have been born into wealth, instead of pretending to be a self-made man, he might have been elected President.
35
"they’ll ignore his role in a fatal mine explosion, the poisoning of local drinking water and the fact that he actually seems to live near Las Vegas"
And that he spent a year in prison after conviction for his role in those deaths. He was spared being a "felon," but spent the maximum time possible for a "misdemeanor." Such are the benefits of being rich enough for great criminal lawyers and lots of top notch appeals.
67
Ah, for the good old days when Seamus strapped to the roof was just about the worst thing we could say about a would-be President. I hope Romney wins, so I can look forward to seeing where Gail manages to work Seamus into her columns. We all need a bit of comic relief these days.
61
With Trump around we need comic relief? Say what? Where have you been since the dog got untied from the car's roof?
Mitt is the guy who built an elevator into his house - for his car.
He is so smooth, he managed to insult the U.K. by questioning their security for the 2012 Olympics. Prime Minister David Cameron responded by slapping him down for suggesting that providing security in London was somehow comparable to doing so "in the middle of nowhere," i.e., Utah.
Yessir, Mitt is Secretary of State material.
So far, Romney has only one advantage over retiring Utah senator Orrin Hatch: no one has called him Borin' Orrin. But it is no improvement that instead, he has earned the quintessentially British sobriquet Mitt the Twit.
5
Invert the phrase: "the roof of the dog" means you are in the dog house. This hidden context of Republican reality is all the rage this season; Trump has said everything but "don't tread on me." He is so slithery, shredding skins, "thinking" about pardoning Jack Johnson, convicted under the Mann Act for transporting a young white girl across state lines for lascivious behavior, Trump's consideration of a pardon is a new moral low--and part of his continuing series of insults and cruelty toward women, a pattern that includes groping, forced kissing, coerced sex, lies and cheating on his wives, one of whom was pregnant during an affair.
Trump apparently approves of men, black or white, who pursue teenagers; he disapproves of, and pardons, legal convictions that involve constitutional violations or plain lying. Romney, if he wants Trump support, may need to take a second wife or commit a constitutional crime. At least pay off an affair he denies, or exhibit abuse of some cherished principle. Surprisingly, Romney didn't move to Janesville, WI, to Ryan's district, to launch a campaign for Speaker of the House. He is driven by his desire for national office.
With Romney, voters are witnessing an example of the clash of egos, fights for power without policies for progress. North Korea, the Philippines, Russia, Brasil are undergoing political revolutions by tightening a party or leader's grip on power and wealth. Romney has wealth. Now he wants power. He lost his first dog fight.
38
Romney's idea of decency does not include figuring out his beliefs and occasionally being honest about some of them (which is the best one can expect from a politician). To be a man of firm personal principles and jellylike principles in business and politics is strange, although many men of faith seem to manage it.
36
To be guided by principles differs fundamentally from waving principles as a flag to garner votes. Guided, positions change through thought and debate. Waving and wavering, positions change to maximize votes, money and hardline resolution. Mitt has shown time and time again he waves, wavers and spins.
30
I don't remember Mitt much when he was governor here in Mass. That might have been his best quality. Being flexible is the only way to be a Republican governor in a very blue state.
Alas, while I prefer pragmatism to rigidity, there is flexibility and there is flexibility. When you are flexible for the sake of your constituents - as in let's us all get something good out of a deal without hogging all the goodies - it is pragmatism. But when you are flexible because you will benefit - despite all the rhetoric and high horse principles you once professed - that is selfish opportunism.
President Clinton may be known as Slick Willie but many have benefitted in his tenure. His slick personal life is no one else business. Governor Romney has always made his public service benefit himself. Everyone here somehow knew his governorship is a stepping stone for his White House ambition. Alas, having dinner with Trump only shows neither has any clothes.
55
Massachusetts has only recently begun to paint highway bridge spans again after they were left to rust during Romney's governorship.
16
What I remember about the Mittster's term as governor (I lived in Massachusetts long before and after) was that he spent a great deal of his term in other states running for president - and bashing Massachusetts to do so.
19
As the article elucidates, Romney and Trump share commonalities.
Point-scoring is one.
When they speak, they're telling the audience what they want to hear.
This leads to taking multiple positions as audiences change.
74
Ah, that old Romneycare ... oops, Obamacare.
The severe conservative is still on about the 47%, no doubt. He joins the legions like Trump and, it appears, most Republicans in Congress, who have never gotten to know a person living from paycheck to paycheck, even, no doubt, their own employees (also like Trump).
I don't care about his dog. I care about the ways he's different from a dog. Dogs care about us from morning to night. I doubt Romney cares much about other people, just about "winning". Another likeness to Trump.
I will be forever grateful for Romneycare. But, again like Trump, he disowns his own creation (Ivana this time).
The two are not so different after all, are they? The party of privilege caring for its own. His dad was worth three (or more) of him.
67
I'll probably get hammered for this, but Romney is a Mormon. They are known for donating a 1th of their income to the church for helping the less fortunate, but also for their honestyy.
For many of us it is a non traditional religion, but is no more so than many others. Howard Hughes hired them for higher potions because of their honesty. He said he did not have to worry about them taking advantage of their positions for personal gain.
Now look sat Romney's Bain Capital, the money he has managed to put into a 401K account, the companies like Delco that was put into bankruptcy for personal profit then moved to China, is this how a good honest Mormon behaves, shipping jobs from the country instead of working to see that his fellow countrymen and women get a good job?
Worse yet, he betrays his fathers legacy which was that of a very good Liberal Governor who did create American jobs. Now this man from what has been considered an honest culture, supports the most dishonest politician in our history.
I do not understand dhow any honest decent person can even talk to DJT without vomiting. How anyone can even be in his presence without getting sick to the stomach. The stench of his persoanlity shold be enough to drive and self respecting person to immediateely escape his presence. I do not trust anyone who has any friendly relations with tRump.
291
Romney's religion, no matter how ridiculous in some respects, is of course irrelevant, unless he wants to make it mandatory. That's why this quote from a 2007 speech is a bit disturbing: "Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone." Freedom to do what, dodge the draft? Oh, I forgot, he also said "there were surely times on my mission when ... I (Mitt) would have longed for the chance to be serving in the military." More bone spurs, maybe?
20
Bain figured in the bankruptcies of both Toys 'R' Us and iHeart Media: loading them up with unsustainable debt in order to give the owners a big payday. Doesn't got more Trumpian than that.
17
"...his father legacy..."...in an article in the NYT last September it mentions that his father believed no CEO should make more than $225,000 ($2 million today)...shouldn't make more than 20 times the average worker...today those people make 271 times on average, and some 500 (or more) times...I think Mitt has no concept of "income inequality"...
20
Bless you, Gail, but you didn't mention poor Seamus, may he rest in peace, until the last line.
As for his owner, nothing has changed, nothing. There's not one position this man is not willing to change his mind on. He's the chameleon of the political world, except the actual lizard is more interesting and truer to its own nature.
139
I was fascinated, when it was announced he might run for the Senate, that quite a few people in the media wanted to see him as a welcome deterrent to the president. He'd already shown the firmness of resolve of a leftover piece of over-boiled spaghetti.
13
Shame Obama isn’t running. It was okay for his opinions on such issues as gay marriage to “evolve” and be praised by the left.
Every time I hear stories about Republicans and their desire to take us on a journey into a conservative utopia, I know how Romney’s dog must have felt.
If any candidate in recent history was less coherent than our current president, it was Romney. He’d tell communities he liked the heights of their trees. He’d bond with working-class people by mentioning his two Cadillacs. He characterized 47 percent of the American people as moochers and takers. He once bragged that he liked “being able to fire people who provide services to me.”
We’re trying to rid ourselves of a moneyed doofus with an improbable coif. Why would we risk putting one back into public office? Have we learned nothing?
He’s just another clueless kid who got a multi-million dollar gift and a slew of business connections from his father to give him a little boost when he was starting out in the cold, cruel world, so his complaints about people who don’t take “personal responsibility” ring pretty hollow.
He may have been born with a silver foot in his mouth, but despite all his unearned wealth, it wasn’t enough to buy a personality. As a public figure, whenever he entered a room you got the feeling that someone interesting just left.
Please, the normal curve has a lot of reasonable people in the middle. Do we have to keep finding candidates who dwell in its foothills?
623
He also asked why people who don't have jobs don't approach their parents for a million dollar loan to start a business.
63
Well you know, to be fair to old mittens he at least didn't squander it all on gold toilets and bad investments.
12
Gemli,
I will take Mitt-with all his flows- in a NYC minute over the detested, life-long careerist, war-monger, and sycophant Hatch who shamelessly called Trump " best president ever". I predict he will be a thorn in McConnell back and will vote to impeach Trump.
Not out of principles, but for vendetta.
14
I think Mitt Romney cast a write-in vote in the most recent presidential election. For Mitt Romney. He probably used Willard, though. That way no one would suspect him when the votes were counted.
43
I anxiously scanned for the dog-on-the-roof mention, and there it was, in the last line! You have eked out the only true suspense to be found in any discussion of Mitt Romney.
268
So glad the dog is back. It was a simpler time...
12
Shall we expect to see old classics like "Corporations are people, my friend" and "We had binders of women"?
12
Or humor.
7
I keep thinking guys like Mick Mulvaney, Mitt Romney
And Ryan Zinky are calculating and sinister in the sense that they are willing to attack the environment and deny protection to young immigrants who have grown up here.
The experience I have echoes what Hannah Arendt noted in explaining to herself and the rest rest of us just exactly who authoritarian personalities are. She explained that they were really concrete people with no pro-social internal voice to guide them through life.
Such people, generally men, lack any empathy for religious and racial groups. Mitt’s personal theology
keeps him from understanding poverty to be anything other than sloth. Assume that Mitt makes it to the Whitehouse—who would be His Secretary of the Treasury. Bingo: Mick Mulvaney. Mick never met a poor person he could not rip off and demean, or a component of a regional economy without any consideration of what his “saving” would do to other dimensions of that same local economy.
These guys really are mean and petty but more importantly they are limited in their spirit and intellect.
I hate them but experience them like one would experience the meat seeking character of a crocodile- - they are who they are.
130
The thing that has always bugged me about Romney is that he doesn't stand for anything. He's like Jell-O in that he tailors his message to please whoever he's talking to.
136
The man changes colors more often than a chameleon, Ms Collins. Honestly, Mitt the Family Man is nothing more than an opportunist. If he doesn't win the primary, his fellow Mormons in Utah will announce that even they have grown just as weary of his ploys as we outsiders. But as you say, if he does become a candidate for the Senate, he will probably win in this Very Red, Very Conservative state.
But there will be two kinda' advantages of having a Senator Romney, albeit that is a bit of a stretch. We get to enjoy the continuing tale of The Dog On the Roof. (We need a few laughs, actually a lot of them.) And...our kids will get a first-hand science education in the life cycles of two reptiles, Mitt the Lizard and Donald the Snake. Don't they both shed their skins periodically? How hopeful...
96
I really look forward to more comments about Seamus. For instance, how did he get from Massachusetts to Utah?
52
No wonder few qualified people want to run for office. Any personal family anecdotes will be dredged up and served ad nauseum as proof of, um I’m not sure....
Seamus died a few years after his excursion,
1
Hitchhiked? Anyway, I thought Seamus ran away.
2
Face facts. Utah will elect Romney and he will just rubber stamp anything proposed by Trump for as long as Trump is president. He has no convictions was whatsoever.
p
213
He probably should have a few convictions, or at least several indictments.
16
That sums up Mitt Romney perfectly, no multiple paragraphs needed.
7
Romney is a hopeless flip-flopper.
He brought "RomneyCare" to MA but couldn't say enough bad things about its national equivalent, Obama Care.
Romney told MA citizens that abortion rights were safe with him, but then made clear that he would revoke them countrywide.
He used to ask immigrants to self deport, but now wants to seem more humane than Trump.
Romney resisted Trump's race baiting since Trump's campaign, but had accepted Trump's race baiting, and support, during his own campaign.
Romney gave a speech asserting that his Mormon views wouldn't affect his presidential policies, but he uses his religion as grounds for his homophobic, anti-choice policy positions.
Romney looks the part of a Senator, but someone so unprincipled is never going to grow into the role.
85
I was getting so worried, Gail, that you weren't going to get to Romney's ill-fated dog. Thanks to your previous columns, I even remember his name.
I say, Seamus for senate!
113
Let me assist you. NY has one of the most corrupt legislatures and government in the US, so perhaps turn your venom there. Mr. Romney is a decent fellow and will be an excellent senator. I'd take him over Cuomo and the rest of the NY delegation in a hot second.
4
What are those wonderful characteristics. Saying he is better than Cuomo isn't a reason to vote for him.
3
LTJ, Romney IS better than the New York State legislature.
I'll give you that one, but you have to admit it's a pretty low bar.
I'd suggest letting Romney come here and take over as dictator, but I have no idea what he would do.
Would he sell off New York City at a profit and take a cut for himself, putting the rest of the state into bankruptcy, like he did as a businessman?
Or will he institute Obama, excuse me, RomneyCare 2?
Will he be pro-life or pro-choice?
Will he outlaw putting dogs on the top of cars, or will people with rooftop pet carriers get a tax credit.
He's a mystery man.
Of course, even knowing his flip flopping and utter lack of spine, he's still being compared to the NYS legislature.
I'll take him. Or Kim Jong Un. Whoever is available.
3
Not setting a very high bar, are we?
The dog on the roof reminds me of better times when the GOP nowhere men were just fools on the hill obstructing every Obama initiative and we still had a regulation or two to protect our children. Nowadays the swamp is alive and well and oozing its toxic sludge beyond the twittersphere where language went to die, and into the earth itself. We graduate about 15 million students from American colleges each year- we have elaborate restaurant choices, 500 cable channels, thousands of craft beers and scores of favorite athletes from which to choose- why then, do all the candidates seem to have the same suits and the same twelve last names?
92
Conservative republicans don’t change their tune, Mitt Romney is no different. Out of tune, out of step and out of ideas.
48
Romney appears to be sliding down the spiral that all other republicans have done since Trump became the nominee and then president. Principles and decency go out the window. Complicity with Trump is in fashion. Republicans seem to conveniently forget that Hillary received 2.8 million more votes than the disgrace now occupying the White House. But there is no denying that every federal special election since then has resulted in significant gains for the democrats.
Go on Romney and others - position yourselves as heartless anti-immigrants; favor policies that benefit only the wealthy and entitled; make your veiled references to embracing racist policies; and chip away at environmental protections. You may prevail in red Utah, but come November, let’s see how quickly you backtrack and twist yet again to reflect the new state of politics, when voters come out in even wider margins than the 2.8 million in 2016.
20
Gail, I was afraid you'd forgotten about Seamus! Your columns commemorating his international ride gave us all the measure of Mitt the Man. Remember when he told Nascar fans that "some of my friends own Nascar teams"? A true man of the people. He's so inept (remember the mom jeans?) one wants to feel sorry for him. But the incredible good fortune life has bestowed upon him, and the many sketchy things he did to help himself to an even bigger slice of the American dream, make that impossible, I guess. Loved the Jazz shirt over dress shirt when I saw the photo, though. He's still got it!
28
Bless your heart, Gail. It is so good to have some things stay the same. I was a little nervous until the last line.
33
We can start counting dog-on-car-roof references, again! Truly. I hope you enjoy doing them as much as I enjoy hearing how you're going to work it in. A smile is worth a lot these days.
32
Gail, of course Mitt is back. What else does he have to do ??? And, life at his houses must be very busy and noisy, with hundreds of grandchildren. So, the new political mission is a break from retirement, a chance to recharge his batteries, and ego. I am very eager to see just how long it takes for Mitt to acquire the coveted Trumpian Royal Nod. What will it take? Untraceable cash? Several episodes of public, televised groveling ? A player yet to be named ? This will be most excellent, and there aren't even any Dogs involved. YET. Doesn't Ann have Horses ??? Uh-Oh.
35
Is it testosterone that drives a man of nearly unlimited wealth (and cars and houses) to run for yet another office? What more does he need? Another tax cut? Another car? What is it with these guys who never seem to have enough? Imagine if he put his talents to rebuilding a respectable, responsible, and respectful Republican party.
53
I remember years ago reading about the Junk Bond King, Michael Milken, who ended up in prison for ignoring some stock trading laws. He told a reporter that it wasn't so much the money itself that pleased him, as the idea that a billion dollars gave you a very high score and showed you were a "winner." Later he did some good with money, funding research on prostate cancer.
2
I suspect both Mitt and Donald could pass a lie detector test following their statements to either side of the many issues they've flipped on. They simply don't pay much attention to what they are saying, so it is easy to reverse their position when convenient.
In Mitt's case that total lack of reflection was brutally demonstrated when he dined with Trump--in hope of becoming Secretary of State--after publicly elucidating Trump's many shortcomings.
Does the man have no pride? (Mitt...we know Trump has no pride, just ego)
44
Right. Dined on frog legs, no less.
You know that they throw the live frogs back, when they've ripped off the legs.
1
He might have done better at the Republican convention if he'd referred to himself as skilled migratory labor.
30
Lord save us.
If there is a god, save what little sanity remains in theUS. And let there be an honest hard working politician who genuine cares about his fellow citizens instead of enriching himself at the public trough.
Like I said , lord save us.
19
Actually god made it pretty clear that if we rebuke his commandments ,ya know things like putting an obstacle in front of the blind or false testimony ,false weights etc he will curse us to the seventh generation. Don't look to god for salvation on this stuff.
1
I was so excited to see you are writing about Mitt again, but as kept reading, I was almost despondent. But you came through at the end: Seamus on the roof of the car.
30
Mitt Romney is exhausting--he gyrates on every issue so that it is impossible to keep up with his positions. No, he's definitely not the principled Republican everyone keeps hoping for, there are none left of that breed.
18
It's beyond obvious Gail, that America's favorite "pop-up candidate" envisions being a Utah Senator solely as an entree to another chance at running for the White House, after Trump's impeachment and removal from office. He'll never get over his loss to Obama unless it is redeemed by a future presidential victory. That humiliating defeat cut too deeply into an outsized, unforgiving ego. It's the top job or nothing, full steam ahead with the grand plan.
About that "principled voice"? The one that at the infamous private fundraiser, attended by his wealthy pals, contemptuously berated the 47% citizen-takers? I think you better start researching anew for some additional Seamus stories.
22
I'm so glad your last sentence was about his strapping the family dog to the car roof! Please continue this tradition you established when he ran for president. I laugh out loud every time.
25
I'm going to guess it's the latter.
4
That's the way to go, Ms. Collins. The mutt on the roof. Thanks for regerence. The Mittster will never live it down.
18
Much like Scott Brown, Mittens just wants to be at the helm, in the scrum, or whatever sports metaphor you throw around. He likes power. I don’t for one minute think he cares about the public part of being a public servant. Remember those of us moochers?Maybe he’s sick of making money by destroying companies, laying off thousands. The life of a corporate raider must have some drawbacks.
25
Romney /Ryan in 2012 ran on a program of tax cuts for the rich to be paid for by slashing Social Security and Medicare benefits.
That is for me anyway sufficient to rule out Romney as a future presidential candidate.
136
It's the same Mitt. The one who will say whatever he thinks will get him elected.
86
Mitt Romney has held as many contradictory positions as Donald Trump. just not as offensively. If he were to become President we would end up with a mild mannered version of Trump. As senator he will fall in line with the GOP position du jour. In spite of all his never Trump rhetoric he will follow the fabulous leader.
49
So he would allow Dreamers to remain here- but not legally? How very decent of him. Kind of like opposing women's reproductive rights but not incarcerating those women who've resorted to coat-hangers in order to terminate their pregnancies. The essence of conservative compassionatism (or whatever they choose to call it).
110
I think t'was the Dog on the Roof,
Regretfully I have no proof,
Dog owners recall
What still does appall
That plaintive wan woof from the Roof.
225
Anytime Americana have the opportunity to hear another mixed-up, misguided, clueless Republican hit the campaign trial with Mitt's stupendous common touch, they should jump at the chance:
"I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was." —Mitt 2012
"I'm not sure about these cookies. They don't look like you made them. No, no. They came from the local 7/11 bakery, or whatever." —Mitt, visiting a local bakery while campaigning in Pittsburgh in 2012 (The owner of the baker later told MSNBC he was offended by Romney's remarks.)
"I have some friends who are NASCAR team owners." —Mitt after being asked whether he follows NASCAR racing in 2012
"Ann drives a couple of Cadillacs." –Mitt 2012
"I should tell my story. I'm also unemployed." —Mitt speaking in 2011 to unemployed people in Florida; Romney's net worth is over $200 million.
"Is $100,000 middle income?" asks George Stephanopoulos.
"No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less." - Mitt on ABC's "Good Morning America" in 2012
"I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America that's the America millions of Americans believe in.
That's the America I love." –Mitt in 2012
"I love this state....all the trees are the right height." – Mitt in 2012
"There are 47%of the people who will vote for the president no matter what...my job is not to worry about those people.” - Mitt in 2012
"Corporations are people, my friend..." - Mitt in 2011
Enjoy, Utah !
722
Mitt's even wrong about the trees in Michigan.
I retired to a farm in Michigan and spend weeks pruning the darn trees.
How can someone running for President not notice that!
21
Socrates, I'm a bit surprised you left off one of his very best: "Binders full of women". You have to give him credit, however, for the one about Americans believing in America, it's worthy of Donald Rumsfeld, Kellyanne Conway and Sarah Palin. A few more you might appreciate:
“I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.”
“PETA is not happy that my dog likes fresh air.”
“I love this state. The trees are the right height.”
"Let Detroit go bankrupt".
Like most politicians, Mitt can stick his foot in his mouth and still lie out of both sides of it at the same time.
61
I'm going to have to go with Mitt on the tree size thing.
Let's face it: the redwoods in California are freakishly large. And in what they call the biggest oak forest in the world (in west Texas), well, the trees are so, so small. Vanishingly small. Almost microscopic. I've been there. There is no "there" there. Don't make a special trip.
Can't remember if Mitt was in Michigan when he commented on the height of the trees. Of course, he's from there, so he's going to be biased. I don't blame him.
Some day I hope to get up to that part of the country, just to check out the tree height situation. Perhaps in autumn.
12
Oh dear!!! More of the Mitt. As one of his eventual constituents the best I can state is that he won't be in the Senate as long as Orrin Hatch. I expect he will give that presidential thing another try in 2024, if not in 2020. Remember, the man believes God has called him to lead the nation.
BTW, Jenny Wilson is the Democratic candidate and she and the Dems are going to make Mitt pay a lot for every vote he gets.
252
My bet would be the same old weenie; but, then, I kinda-sorta liked the old weenie.
Now, I’ll admit that his background as a Bain partner, counseling takeovers and engaging in them as part of a venture firm made me suspicious, to say the least – I have a decided prejudice against investors who toss ten strands of spaghetti against the wall hoping that one will stick. But as a general matter, he gave every appearance (and still does) of being an honorable man with a good analytical cast who would make a very good president. He should make a good senator from Utah, if Mitch gives him enough to do to keep him out of mischief.
Just watch what he straps to the roof of his car on a family vaca to Canada, and make absolutely sure that Stormy Daniels isn’t his second or third wife.
As to his backflips, Romney acts like just about any candidate for elective office. He decides on a “base”, then crafts his messages to appeal to that base. Remember that he’s not running for president again (yet), and needs to appeal to a Utah audience, who may have less sympathy for Seamus than most Americans while perhaps retaining SOME sympathy for second and third simultaneous wives.
3
No one who opposes a woman's right to reproductive choice would make a good President. Not Romney nor Trump nor anyone else. Not in the U.S. nor in Afghanistan nor anywhere else. Not in the 21st Century nor in the 18th nor at any other time. That's only square one but it's where it all starts.
227
Thomas:
Moderation takes 50 points from Slytherin for presuming to re-open Comments on the mere authority of a member once they were closed officially by Snape.
Romney on reproductive choice:
2002: 'I Will Preserve and Protect a Woman's Right to Choose'
2005: ‘I am pro life.’
2007: ‘We should overturn Roe v. Wade.’
2011: 'I Will Support Efforts to Prohibit Federal Funding for Any Organization Like Planned Parenthood'
2012: 'There's No Legislation With Regards to Abortion That I'm Familiar With That Would Become Part of My Agenda'
Pinning a policy position on Romney based on the stance he took more than a decade ago is like ...well, doing the same with Donald Trump.
That’s pretty much the point of this column.
39
A life-long Democrat, I lived in MA when Mitt Romney was governor. Granted, he made mistakes, but he was smart, curious, informed, committed, and as compassionate as a Republican can be.
In fact, he was pretty good. And his character, integrity, and moral standards were never in question.
He is not Donald Trump.
For that alone, he deserves more respect than this piece gives.
17
Oh, Mary Ann, NO candidate for political office deserves more respect than this piece gives. I like Mitt, too, but you really need to genuflect before the creator of Seamus.
14
Oh give me a break. I'M a lifelong Democrat and I live and have lived in Massachusetts for close to half a century. Mitt Romney never gave a hoot about Massachusetts. Being Governor was nothing more than a stepping stone to what was and is his personal golden grail - the presidency. He spent his entire term of office traveling around the country speaking to right wing groups and reduced Massachusetts to nothing more than the punch line in his sorry excuse for a joke. As Governor he should have been the #1 salesman for the state, but who would ever want to move to that crazy, not to be taken seriously state that Romney was joking about? On top of that he was liar. I remember when he said he would not run against an incumbent Republican. He promptly forced sitting Governor Jane Swift out of the race. I remember when it turned out that although he was running for Governor from Massachusetts it turned out he was claiming Utah as his primary residence on his taxes.
Bottom line is that his character, integrity and moral standards were always in question and still are.
419
I would agree that he isn't Donald Trump. The problem is that he is also not Mitt Romney.
51
his ability to hold two entirely contradictory
positions on almost every issue is the best
political sleight of hand I have ever seen.
if he were a performer, and aren't they all,
he'd be billed as "Mitt The Magician."
77
That's exactly the point, Frank. These people are, by and large, actors, as in thespians, embodying the persona required for the role, making use of the props, projecting an image. Trump played a competent business executive and decision maker for years. Romney has played liberal, conservative, benevolent despot, ruthless tycoon, alien priest, and then some. He never quite got how to play "hip", though. He's stiffer than the tree I played in my 3rd grade school play. He does have some serious chops in the business world, and I'd wager is much more honorable and far less corrupt than Trump, though that's not a very high bar now is it. The problem with the entire lot of them is they have no sense of humor. I suggest we change the rules to allow a co-presidency, then vote in Lewis Black/Al Franken, on the condition that Liz Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Tammy Duckworth be given slots with immutable portfolios. We'd need to insure that Feinstein accepts her gold watch and goes home.
4
If Mitt needs any hints on carpetbagging, he should ask Hillary Clinton, though in these days of instant communication, why don't we eliminate the residency requirement entirely. Our reps don't represent us and the bidding of the 1%, can be managed from anywhere, anytime - even from the Cayman islands.
85
Hillary learned New York pretty quickly though. She brought a lot of development and industry to New York’s southern tier (Corning, et al), and was elected twice by large margins in a state that is rather red, except for New York City.
New Yorkers liked her, and she still has her primary residence here.
79
Are you kidding? Look at the results, by county, from the 2016 primary. Sanders beat "revered" Senator Clinton in virtually every upstate county, save those few that were near large urban centers. I guess the folks up there have short memories. BTW, the results of Teachout v. Cuomo were almost identical.
Can you think of two people who are different yet so much alike than Romney and Trump?
Seriously, can anyone name someone in politics who has flip-flopped on so many issues than those two?
But we certainly know one thing, Trump certainly doesn't share the ex-governor of Massachusetts' passion for universal health care!
100
@MattNg wrote: "But we certainly know one thing, Trump certainly doesn't share the ex-governor of Massachusetts' passion for universal health care!"
Perhaps it's the time of night I am responding here, but had Trump embraced and implemented Medicare for all, I would at least be resting at night, something that has been a rarity since he took office.
16
Only difference between Romney and Trump is one has had “only” one wife and no prostitutes that we know of, while the other has had multiple of both.
8
Trump is the flip, as in flipped out. Romney is the flop. So, yeah.
4
In the same way that I'm always skeptical when people speak of Paul Ryan as a financial wonk even though he just regurgitates trickle down economic policies no matter what nuance might be called for, I feel the same way about Mitt Romney when the "principled voice" description is applied. He stood up to Trump, only to bow down later. He instituted Romneycare for Mass. only to abandon it when it became Obamacare for the country. He thinks "corporations are people, my friend" and then fires the people when he buys the corporation. He thinks one way as the Governor of a liberal state, another way when running for president, and now, another way when running for Senator of a conservative state. He is a chameleon who never looks comfortable in any of his skins. His principled voice is only raised when there's nothing on the line. Those aren't principles, those are student essays. Lastly, if we have learned nothing from the last two years, it's that you should never trust a "man of the people" if he has elevators in his houses just for his cars.
837
Rick, everything you have said about Romney just indicates he is a typical US politician. Say and do whatever will get him elected.
15
"Those aren't principles, those are student essays".
But does he have binders full of essays?
Romney has homes in Newport Beach, California and on Lake Winnepesaukie in New Hampshire where the Marriott family of Hotel fame are his neighbors. Wonder if his new homes in Utah have become legal residences for tax purposes which I suppose they might have to if he is running for office there. Anyone who can afford mansions in three states will never understand the interests of the average citizen in this country and we know from his 47% comment we know he doesn't. And then there all the jobs he and Bain corporation exported to China while he pocket big bucks. If we don't want to talk about the dog on the roof we can mention the multi hundred thousand dollar horse he supposedly bought for his wife's MS rehab which lives at a fancy stable in California, was provided for a German immigrant trainer to ride in the London Olympics and came in last in the dressage competition, but probably provided a big tax deduction.
378
My favorite Romney cartoon showed that very horse traveling back from the London Olympics on the top side of a jumbo jet.
30
Julie:
You forgot the mansion in La Jolla, California.
Revisiting the Romneys' La Jolla beach house -- and its car elevator
http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-0116-abcarian-mitt-romney-20...
And then there is this about the 2002 winter Olympics:
Snow Job
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1024516/index...
6