Mitt Romney’s Lonely Vote

Give Credit to Romney where Credit is due...... Mitt Romney is a "Man of Conscience" (tm-c) Bravo... Senator Romney's motivations are Not important What is important in the End is to do the Right Thing As a public official he is duty bound to Uphold the Law And as a Human Being he "Acted with Conscience" which is an even Greater and Higher Authority.... Keep it up Senator Romney..

Romney is not brave but he wants revenge. But this is a good “come to Jesus” moment for never trumpers and those with stage 4 Trump Derangement Syndrome. Should make a good documentary for the Democrats. Enjoy your convert.

Give Credit to Romney where Credit is due...... Mitt Romney is a "Man of Conscience" (tm-c) Bravo... Senator Romney's motivations are Not important What is important in the End is to do the Right Thing As a public official he is duty bound to Uphold the Law And as a Human Being he "Acted with Conscience" which is an even Greater and Higher Authority.... Keep it up Senator Romney....

Google "Romney + Hinckley Institute 2016". Romney is viciously ad hominum in this speech. Read or watch the speech and reflect: was Romney honest about being impartial? Was it God who prompted his vote or was it the bitter hatred he expressed at Hinckley? Seems Mitt just rationalizes his hatred now.

Would you praise a child for not stealing, lying, or cheating on an exam? Mitt Romney did what should be the ordinary, the expected. He upheld his oath, did his job, behaved ethically and morally. Nothing more. This is should be the minimum of what we expect of our representatives, the norm. It is only when viewed against the deceit and cowardice of his colleagues that it his behavior can be mistaken as something extraordinary. To lionize him completely misses that reality.

Mitt Romney showed an incredible amount of integrity by refusing to "obey" the Mitch McConnell gang. I am a liberal who very much disagrees with Romney's politics, but I know courage when I see it.

Give Credit to Romney where Credit is due...... Mitt Romney is a "Man of Conscience" (tm-c)......... Bravo...!

It was great that Mitt Romney could respond rationally to the clear reality he was faced with. It is amazing that he was the lone Republican. So in that light there was courage and integrity. But his analysis of Joe Biden for removing the Ukrainian prosecutor shows that he has not looked at the facts in that area. And it doesn't bode well for the future that he thought that the president's obstruction of justice and Congress in order to continue his wrongdoing and evade impeachment wasn't equally clear.

I think the NYT may be giving Romney too much credit. He despised Trump from the start, before all of this. I suppose Romney is honorable enough as a person, though deep down I don’t believe he’s that different from other politicians. He’s had a career in private equity, ran on a generic platform, had predictable speeches etc. Did he have great moments of moral courage before this? If so, I haven’t heard of them. My guess is he wants to distance himself from Trump, so that if Trump gets disgraced Romney will be prepared to run again.

Mitt Romney, the last true Republican.

Thank God for patriots and leaders like Mitt Romney. Now we hope and pray for new American Leaders to emerge in the next elections when the cowards in Congress are put to pasture.

Thank you, Senator Romney.

Love and blessings to Romney and his beautiful family. They must be proud to know their patriarch is the only GOP man with intestinal fortitude. He simply could not ethically vote in favor of the mentally-deficient, egotist who currently resides in our White House. It's sad that FEAR is reigning in our Congress ~ fear of Donald the Dictator.

Why not report the whole story in the headline. He only voted guilty on one allegation not the other.

Politician is the dirtiest profession a " team sport" and for Mitt, Egomaniac, who I had voted for president, to hide his true intentions behind his questionable belief in God, is the worst Schein-Heiligkeit I have ever heard from a politician. He has done severe damage to himself and his voting public, he is to represent. When you are in politics you have resigned yourself to the fact that there is separation of church and state.

In today's Republican Party, rife with people in favor of a cover-up, one solitary voice for Integrity was muffled down by partisan hackey and deceit. What a sad state of affairs for this country. I have never seen a President with such a long, laundry list of adultery, prostitution, military dodging, tax dodging, pathological lying, and everything in the Impeachment proceedings, literally ignored by his Congressional constituents. I can only take solace in the fact that these integrity-starved people were not in office during the Nixon years. Can you imagine how this disgusting partisan hackery would have crippled this nation had Nixon be allowed to stay in office?

There is precisely one honest Republican in the Senate.

I think Mit Romney was just jealous that he never became President

When I was kid, reading about the holocaust led me to decide that I would always question what was happening in the world around me and always try to figure out and do what was right. The religious education I received in catholic school and church reinforced my conviction that it is important to say something when you notice things that are wrong. I also believe the ability to do this is critical to maintaining democratic, tyranny-free societies. Mitt Romney said in his interviews that he agonized over his decision and really didn't want to disagree with the President or his colleagues. He also stressed that he agreed with the President's policies. Because it was apparent from the time of the whistle-blowers' complaint becoming public that something improper had happened, there was no need for hand-wringing. Why would you not be proud to speak out against a person who wants to intimidate?  The more he bullies, the more we should want to stand up to him and say "this is not okay."  Why would you give him a pass on all of the erratic decisions he's made to show dominance, just because you like his tax cuts? I am glad that Mitt Romney voted yes on the first article of impeachment, but he still seems like a coward. How is it possible to have faith in the message of Jesus or to study history and come to the conclusion that it is okay to look the other way on all but Ukraine when he is obviously pursuing his objectives via such obviously objectionable and destructive methods?

Michael mentioned in a previous podcast that the Ny times or the podcast daily would be dedicating a section or a review of exactly what the red states citizens complaints / needs are that The Democrats paid no attention to I am a subscriber to the times are these articles in some specific section of the paper? None of the Democratic Presidential candidates mention in any detail what they would try and do or at least propose to those states I would be most interested in reading or hearing in great detail exactly why these people in the red states really Need and what is really possible to make those changes.

Voting with the "team" seems to be the norm now, what about voting with you conscience? You might as well forget about voting and let McConnell do the honors. I am glad there is 1 person in the party with the courage to break from the pack.

It's problematic that Romney presents the case as if the Zelensky phone call was the one thing Trump did wrong. Otherwise he would have stayed "on the team". The Zelensky call was just the tip of the iceberg.

Trump has put in place a very Chinese style Cult of Trump. His decisions are correct by definition, his people carry out his pronouncements with no independent thought of their own, no bad news is ever his fault, anyone who dares to oppose him or say the forbidden words "I think you are wrong," is instantly and harshly dealt with. This entire CoT is being brought to bear on Mitt Romney. Many years ago I worked for a company that was very much like the CoT we are seeing here. They hid the bad news from the boss and blamed everyone except him. One day the bad new could not longer be hid and they could not deal with it. That company no longer exists. China is going through the beginnings of that now, the CoT is setting itself up for it's version. This will end badly.

Very interesting from the view of Rmoney. Much discussion as to his personal belief. He talks of the consequence of his vote but only addresses his own. Never really discusseses the consequence of the Nation as a whole or to Utah which he represents. No one does because it is so divisive. How to you evict a sitting President ? If he refuses to leave do you call out the Military ? Does the VP immediately assume Power ? How ? Do you anticipate just voluntary compliance ? A fifty fifty division would be disruptive to the country. A view emerges of a self righteous individual calling for a priest on his death bed. There are cosequences but to far more than himself. Impeachment and conviction are really ultra important steps not on to be decided without considering what it would do to the country. We dodged a bullet. No thanks to the self interest of Romney or the lock step Democrats. Hope he makes it to Heaven. He would have created much havoc if his views prevailed.

Mitt Romney did the right thing. The Republican Party has found its new "John McCain" - a relatively sane and moral human being in the Republican Party. Romney has carved out a respectable place in history for himself by his action.

Great deeds are rare gems indeed which if more commonplace we'd never need.

It would be great if you all could investigate who (really) was pressuring Republican senators during this trial. My guess is that a lot of Republicans felt the way Romney did, but were bullied or intimidated. There is a story out there somewhere about deep greed and fear and control. A great piece for The Daily.

Mitt Romney was a decent governor way back but then he turned all “weather vane “when he ran for president. I regained respect for him when he spoke out against Trump but then he became all sycophantic when he thought there was a job for him in the Trump administration. Again, my respect was gone. But with his vote yesterday, my respect for him is renewed tenfold. If only the rest of the Republicans had a fraction of his courage.

I appreciate the deeper dive into Romney's thought process, it is revealing. But I have to disagree that there is some significant act of courage represented here. Romney did what was right. I would think this is what we all aim for every day in our own little worlds. I think if we treat this like a wonder to behold and rarify this act of integrity, we compromise too much. Maybe a deeper dive into all the Senators who did not vote to convict could balance this presentation. I look forward to it.

With my hero list being rather short, so glad I could add Senator Romney to it. Every once in awhile a ray of sunshine.

whether you agree with Romney or not, his selfless principled decision shines in comparison to the rigid tribalism on display by both sides of Congress.

Thanks for getting this scoop with Romney. One comment. The ending seems to suggest that Romney was courageous because he voted his conscience despite painful consequences, such as.... his niece insulted him. People won't sit next to him in the cafeteria, etc. Please don't suggest that the bar for courage is that low! People today are imprisoned for life and tortured for their beliefs. You were right - Romney can take this pain - I hope we call can. If it's true that no other Republican voted their conscience because they can't survive the criticism of their colleagues, sad state.

First and foremost I hope the citizens of our nation will recognize, despite our party affiliations, that our democracy is threatened by the actions of President Trump. How many of our senators voted to acquit from fear of reprisal? I commend Senator Romney for voting yes to convict on the first article of impeachment.

I am a whistleblower. It is hard to listen to someone describe "harsh words from Don jr" as serious consequences. If someone is so frail that harsh words deters then from their duty, they are in the wrong job. The truth is that the only serious consequences come from living as a coward and knowing you have become complicit in the abuse of others or other unambiguous wrongdoing. The rest is just noise and minor inconvenience. Our time on Earth is not for maximizing personal convenience until our health fails. If you have a stressful decision to make, meditate or exercise or play with your pets for a bit then get on with living a positive and just life.

Right. And will Mr. Romney initiate a Senate investigation into a more obvious abuse of power by VP Biden with his son's salaried appointment to a prestigious energy board in the Ukraine, without any expertise, while his father was VP? Will the Senator also investigate "the fraud upon the Court" of a FISA warrant obtained for political gain by the Democrats? These are the exact nature of the "crimes" they are accusing President Trump of committing. This is a big step past hypocrisy. Mr. Romney is displaying "sour grapes" from a different vineyard. He is another person who believes himself to be more worthy and entitled for that Office. Amazingly, while both Democrats and some Republicans decry " tyrant" they are continuing to project their own inability to accept the will of the people. We had an election, you know.

Thank you, Senator Romney, for being a man of principle and dignity.

Sometimes in life, for those who are ethical and possess a moral compass, it is required to stand up and take a position that is contrary to "herd" mentality. That is exactly what Mitt Romney did yesterday - he voted to impeach when no one else in the Republican party had the courage to stand up to Trump. Mitt Romney is a patriot by any standard and for those in his party who were too "afraid" to cast a vote to impeach - when your conscience told you otherwise...- there will be consequences aligning yourself with a masterful lying and bullying con-artist who is "Putin's puppet."

I would have had respect for Romney if he didn't try and inject his own sanctimony to it. His holier than thou attitude spoke to his own arrogance and self importance than anything else. I suppose that he thinks is the only person in the US who serves God. If he had any grace he would have apologized for that 47% of Americans won't vote for me, remark he made years ago.

Well at least there is one GOP Senator with the courage of his convictions. History will judge him well.

We should all call Senator Romney's office in Salt Lake City or Washington DC to commend his vote. We should let him know we respect and admire his courage, faith, and moral compass. I mean, if we don't encourage him at this time when he is going to be kicked left, right, and center from his own party who are we???

Looks like Mitt, who I met and questioned at Geno's in Portsmouth during his campaign, may well now have exceeded my then expectations. When I suggested that our government was heading toward being an Empire under a dual-party Vichy-facade of faux-democracy, he was curious --- but mostly to look at the beautiful Portsmouth Harbor. But now, Mitt has shown real courage and a very dangerous, if courageous, open-mindedness. While we may not have a full Vichy regime off-leash yet, I have no small level of confidence that Senator Mitt Romney is deeply answering the call of duty to our country's "disease of Republics" -- which of course is Empire (and Emperors). In "Common Sense" and splitting the rallying cry of Tom and Pat, Mitt might well be said to have bravely cried-out: "Give Us Liberty (from Empire) or Give Us Death".

Mitt Romney has the distinction of being the only honourable person among all of the Republican congress members. He will be remembered for his courage when the rest of the Republicans, if they are remembered at all, it will be only for their cowardice.

What Romney did was to highlight the spineless Republican ninnies in Senate and shame them for their cowardice. I don't like Romney but I admire him for what he did. No honest and dedicated patriot could have done or said anything less.

I 'm a more or less liberal Democrat, who just sent Mitt Romney some money. Bravery like his is inspiring, and way too rare.

Leibovich conducts a thoughtful interview in which he examines Senator Romney’s thoughtful--and personally difficult--decision to vote “guilty.” Clearly, he had no other choice. His position requires no further explanation than “logic” applied to facts and the law.

Romney’s vote did display conscience and a spine. The Democrats should consider running him on their ticket, because none of their current crop are capable of beating Trump.

Thanks Mitt, a light in the darkness makes all the difference. We appreciate you letting your integrity shine

Now I have nothing but respect for Mr. Romney.

I am from Utah, and I applaud Mitt Romney. Reporter Mark Leibovich and Michael Barbaro question Romney's sincerity at times and accuse him of waffling on issues throughout his career. This is tone deaf reporting sounds like the citizen comments in the Deseret News (the LDS Church owned newspaper). My question for all is, why are you finding fault with the one person who is not playing partisan politics -- the single thing that is tearing out country apart and everyone is constantly complaining about.