Daniel Darling: The right call

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, October 11th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Up next: WORLD Opinions Commentator Daniel Darling on a politician who wisely decided not to run for office again.

DANIEL DARLING, COMMENTATOR: Recently, Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah announced his intention not to seek a second term. It had been speculated that the longtime politician would be vulnerable to a primary defeat due to his opposition to former President Trump, including voting twice for impeachment. Recent polls, however, suggest his approval ratings in the Beehive State are still fairly strong.

What does Mitt Romney’s retirement mean for American politics? The son of a Michigan governor and one-time presidential candidate championed civil rights and was an early critic of the Vietnam War. As America’s most prominent Mormon politician, Romney began his public service with an unsuccessful run for the Senate from Massachusetts against Senator Ted Kennedy.

Then, in the late ’90s, Romney helped save the scandal-plagued Olympic games before becoming Massachusetts governor in 2003. Over the next four years, he enacted many conservative reforms. He also pioneered state-funded healthcare which became, much to conservatives’ chagrin, a template for Obamacare. In 2012, Romney won the GOP nomination for president, but he fell short against the incumbent President Barack Obama.

In one sense, the departure of Mitt Romney from elected office is a loss for decency. He is undoubtedly an admirable family man, a devoted husband, and a beloved father.

At the same time, we must acknowledge that, like most successful politicians, Senator Romney’s career has taken some ideological twists and turns. Early on, Romney ran as unapologetically pro-choice. Midway through his gubernatorial term, he had a change of heart and became pro-life. In 2012, he was the establishment candidate, routinely attacked by primary rivals such as former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. In a clumsy attempt to shore up his bona fides with the primary electorate, he declared himself “severely conservative.” And also as a mark against him, Romney would later come to support the “Respect for Marriage Act,” the law which redefined marriage for federal purposes.

In the campaign against President Obama, Romney ran along with former Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. The Obama campaign, along with a compliant media, conducted a shameful campaign, painting the family man as a greedy monster, ready to fire people, hurt women, and empower Wall Street. It worked, and Romney was gracious in defeat. Yet many of the themes Romney raised in 2012, such as the danger of pulling troops from Iraq too soon, the rise of Russia, and entitlement reform turned out to be prescient.

As governor, presidential candidate, and senator, Mitt Romney had a distinguished career and lived a distinguished life. Some of his more recent critique of Senate colleagues has certainly irritated conservatives. And yet, we can commend the 76-year-old statesman for hanging up his jersey and stepping aside for a new generation of leaders. If only the leading candidates for president in both parties would follow suit.

I’m Daniel Darling.

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