In 2016 the Republican leadership refused to move forward with President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, because it was an election year. Today, the Republican leadership is adamant to confirm a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg despite the upcoming election and while the party’s power is still guaranteed.
The current hearings to fill the opening on the Supreme Court have been a point of extreme controversy and division amongst and between Democrats and Republicans. Unfortunately, while history is being made, Sen. Mitt Romney, who has openly spoken in disagreement with his own party’s beliefs, has now put principle and conscience behind.
Romney has said he will not be voting for Trump in the November election and, as the sole Republican senator who voted to convict Trump in February, Romney has clearly demonstrated a somewhat bipartisan agenda.
Romney participated in a march in Washington, D.C., supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, stating that “We need to stand up and say that black lives matter.”
Now our Utah senator is actively supporting the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
To openly state the support for civil rights initiatives, and opposition towards the vulgar dialect of President Trump, then continue to forgive the president’s hypocritical and immoral initiatives — such as confirming Barrett to the Supreme Court — is hypocrisy that verges upon deceit.
Despite its Republican pedigree, I have found Utah to be a principled, not a partisan community. The need for compassion despite disparate political beliefs is imperative.
As a politician who holds the belief that “It’s country over party,” it’s crucial for Romney to stand up for the importance of nonpartisanship and vote against the confirmation of Barrett.
Molly Karasick, Salt Lake City
