As a gay, liberal, ex-Mormon, I may seem like an unlikely person to advocate for a renegade campaign for U.S. President by Mitt Romney. However, Romney is the only one nationally with the name recognition and political clout to rally voters and bridge the country’s divide. And he could win the presidency with only five states.
Why Romney? On our path to hyper-partisanship, we are now in a Cold Civil War. Trump thrives on divisiveness. The Democrat will never sway conservatives. Romney is the only candidate with the conservative credentials and liberal credibility to build a consensus across party lines.
When Romney stood before the Senate and declared that a presidential abuse of power is wrong and un-American, he tapped into the source for our American exceptionalism. Namely, that we are all Independent Americans and it is our nature to risk everything for what is right.
As an independent president, Romney wields the power to forge a new kind of administration with a bipartisan cabinet. He will lean right, but Democrats will have seats at the table. Romney can persuade the Democratic House and the Republican Senate that he can be non-partisan and unite them for legislative reforms we haven’t seen in decades.
Romney believes in climate change and knows we need to address it. As a business leader, he can balance business interests and environmental concerns. As a believer in God, he protects religious liberties. He treats all people with dignity and respect. He projects values like integrity and fidelity.
If Trump loses on Election Day, will he say the election was rigged? And how will Democrats accept another Electoral Vote defeat if they win the popular vote? Will protests ensue and turn violent? Will states secede? What could spark an actual civil war?
Romney is an insurance policy for Democrats and a way out for Republicans.
Incidentally, in Mormon folklore there’s a prediction called The White Horse Prophecy. It says that in a national crisis, the Constitution will hang by a thread. And a Mormon will rise to save the nation from disaster. The LDS Church “officially repudiated” the prophesy in 1918. And yet—a nation divided, a leader not partisan, a path to victory, and a plan for unity. Isn’t destiny just a prediction of the future?
Winning without winning. Romney will galvanize the Mormon Belt -- Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and Nevada. He can inspire independent votes in swing states and gather throwaway votes in one-party dominated states. He is the best hope for Democrats who worry they’ll lose. He’s a refuge for conservatives who would rather have a leader with the wisdom of King Solomon than a leader like the deceiver King Herod.
Returning to the 2016 Trump victory. Had Romney won just Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and one swing state like Ohio, he would have denied victory to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The president needs 270 electoral votes to win. Results: Trump 267, Clinton 226, Romney 45.
Unlike other independent candidates, Romney doesn’t need to win the Electoral College. He just needs to block his rivals from winning. And if the Democrats are more competitive, that helps Romney too.
The Grand Bargain. If no presidential candidate receives 270 Electoral Votes, then the process moves to the Congress. The House of Representatives elects the president from the three presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes. Each state delegation gets one vote.
With a few states on his side, Romney can deny the Democrat and the Republican from the 26-state majority they need to win. At this point, Romney gives the Democrats a choice. Either he will give his votes to the Republicans, and Democrats get four more years of Trump — unrepentant and unrestrained -- or the Democrats give Romney their votes, and they get real power in his bipartisan cabinet. Reluctantly, pragmatism will prevail. The Democrats choose the president, but the Republicans still get a Republican. Now, independent Mitt Romney becomes the next president of the United States.
Conservatives won’t like this outcome, but they’ll fall in line. They did it for Trump. And liberals won’t like it either, but they won’t have Trump. And just maybe, some will fall in love.
Benjamin Dieterle
Benjamin Dieterle is an award-winning, freelance writer living in Salt Lake City, where he works in health care.
