Romney: A Reckoning

Romney distinguishes between “Conservative” and “conservative”—the latter denoting traditional conservative values of limited government and fiscal responsibility, the former denoting loyalty to the Republican Party in its current form. As the Republican Party gives way to extremism, the difference between these labels becomes more pronounced. Romney’s primary political role model is his father, who ran as an economically conservative Republican who was committed to civil rights and social advocacy. Newt Gingrich noted that Romney was more of an Eisenhower than a Reagan, as he was more determined to ensure economic stability without massively idealistic visions of change. As Coppins notes, “Romney was not an ideologue. He prided himself on this fact. Though he was a Republican, he had no patience for Rush Limbaugh and never read the National Review. If he adhered to any kind of conservatism at all, it was of the small-c variety” (68). Coppins depicts Romney’s struggle to find a foothold within his rapidly changing party. The Republicans of his father’s era, those that Romney admired and aspired to follow, were replaced by extremists who viewed Trump as a messiah. However, Trump’s presidency and the insurrection forced Romney to consider how the “conservatives” had enabled the “Conservatives.