The Rise Again

Mitt Romney is back. Like Odysseus at the end of the Odyssey, like the Rohirrim returning at Helms Deep, the bow is strung, the prince has come over the horizon, and he is prepared to save what is left of the Republican Party.

Early on in the race, in a twist that now seems almost comical, it is believed that Mitt Romney decided against another try for the presidency due to his fear of being beaten soundly by Jeb Bush. Ah…those were the days. Before the orange dragon had risen, before building walls was a thing, and before we all learned that it doesn’t take sentence structure to make a presidential candidate.

Perhaps some days Mr. Romney regrets that move. Perhaps there are days when he wishes he had climbed into the blood sport ring and traded jabs with those decades his junior. But then there must be days where he knows he is too old for that stuff anymore.

But now he has been called out of retirement. Like the proverbial Roman general who was off in the provinces tending his fields, Mitt Romney has heard the call of battle once more. He didn’t want to go, I would guess. Who in their right mind would want to battle against the monolith that is a man-Donald Trump? But Romney has come.

There are two thoughts on Mr. Romney stepping in and endorsing every candidate and any candidate not named Donald. Some, like myself, are glad that the GOP’s elder statesmen has done what elder statesmen do, speak out. We doubt it will change many minds in Fort Trumptner, (thanks, Politico), but sometimes you have to do the right thing, even if it doesn’t accomplish much.

Others feel that this was the wrong course of action. They feel that Mr. Romney embodies the now-hated “Establishment” of the Republican Party. They fear that “Releasing the Romney” (thanks, Colbert), will actually have a negative effect on the other candidates as Donald Trump is now seen as the ultimate outsider.

Today, across the nation, people are voting. We will see if Donald Trump continues to lose his grip on the GOP, or if we are all firmly in his grasp, and are only waiting now to be eaten.

Mr. Romney’s speech will not swing the pendulum suddenly, it won’t topple the walls around Fort Trumptner, but it is a step in the right direction. Welcome to the team of anti-Trumpers Mitt, thanks for taking to the trenches with us. Keep your head down, its about to get ugly.

Andrew C. Abbott