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Every now and again, the world needs a reminder that Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is no different from his radical, conservative colleagues.
Romney has received favorable media coverage since being soundly defeated by then-President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, depicting him as a rational, genteel, lovable loser. But when it comes to his relentless thirst for power, Romney is like the rest of the GOP.
His speech Tuesday denouncing President Joe Biden’s push for voting rights legislation is a prime example. It bore all the markings of conservatives’ anti-democratic stance against laws that ensure that all eligible Americans can access the ballot.
Let’s take a look at a couple of his most absurd claims from the speech, shall we?
Here’s one:
[President Biden] said that the goal of some Republicans is to ‘turn the will of the voters into a mere suggestion. And so President Biden goes down the same tragic road taken by President Trump, casting doubt on the reliability of American elections. This is a sad, sad day. I expected more of President Biden, who came into office with the stated goal of bringing the country together.
Romney’s comparison is nonsense. Republicans are literally trying to turn the will of the voters into a suggestion. Republican lawmakers have several ideas on how to do this, including proposed measures that would give state legislatures the ability to install GOP stooges as electors, who could give a state’s electoral votes to the Republican presidential candidate even if it defies voters’ wishes.
Here’s another claim from Romney, denouncing filibuster reform:
There is also a reasonable chance Republicans will win both houses in Congress and that Donald Trump himself could once again be elected president in 2024. Have Democrats thought what it would mean for them, for the Democrat minority to have no power whatsoever?
That’s just conservative fearmongering. The world Romney is imagining — in which Democrats bypass the filibuster to enact voting rights protections, more voters gain access to the ballot, and Republicans sweep the 2024 elections — wouldn’t occur. There’s no reason to think a more enfranchised public would lead to greater GOP control. In fact, the prospect of more people voting is such a danger to Republican presidential hopes that former President Donald Trump admitted it aloud.
I insist, it’s past time to do away with any belief that Romney is a moderate Republican concerned about the future of civility in America. He’s concerned about power for himself and his party — nothing else. And his parade of right-wing talking points against voting rights protections is proof.
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Head over to The ReidOut Blog for more.