C-SPAN: Senator Mitt Romney Final Floor Speech

Source:C-SPAN showing U.S. Senator Mitt Romney's (Republican, Utah) farewell to Congress speech.

"Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney delivers farewell remarks on the Senate floor. Romney, who served just one term in the Senate and chose not to seek reelection, reflects on his time in the legislative body and some of his accomplishments, including working across the aisle on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Electoral Count Act, as well as his work on protecting religious freedoms. He says that while he may not miss the Senate, he will miss his colleagues and that he hopes to be a voice of unity after he leaves office." 

From C-SPAN

"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today delivered his farewell address from the floor of the United States Senate. In his remarks, he reflected upon his bipartisan legislative achievements—like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and emergency COVID relief—and encouraged his colleagues to put politics aside to tackle the major challenges facing our country. Yesterday, the Office of Senator Romney released a report detailing the policy and constituent service accomplishments of Romney’s Senate term, which can be found here.

The full text of Senator Romney’s speech is below and video can be found here.

During my life, I have rarely been truly alone—maybe taking tests at school, or running cross country, or on my uncle’s tractor cultivating corn. But I am impressed with people who have achieved great things largely on their own—Washington commanding the continental army, Lincoln guiding the Civil War, Edison in his laboratory.

Not me. I have consistently been surrounded by others, usually smarter, often more experienced, always becoming friends.

In business, I chose partners with skills that exceeded mine, proof of which has been their stunning success after I left. As governor, my team helped craft the health plan that insured nearly every citizen in Massachusetts. My wing man, Bob White, counseled me in business, the Olympics, and politics. My counselor, Beth Myers, advised and managed multiple campaigns and administrations. Spencer Zwick financed and helped guide almost every one of my endeavors. My Senate chiefs of staff, Matt Waldrip and Liz Johnson, built and brilliantly led an exceptional team and with our policy directors, Chris Barkley and Stephen Newton, crafted and negotiated more legislation—that became law—than could possibly have been expected for a freshman senator. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the names of my excellent current and former staff members be included in the record, as submitted... 

From the Senate.GOV

I don't mean to sound partisan here, but I guess in this day and political age that's sometimes is just unavoidable. But Senator Romney's speech is 1 of the most anti-Donald Trump speeches that I've ever heard. Even though it's just a little more than 8 minutes.

The Senator starts off the speech praising people that he believe have achieved great things on their own. That's not the anti-Trump part. But then the Senator goes into talking about what he's done in his life, what he's achieved and talking about all the people who helped him and the people he's relied on and thanking them for their service. Whereas Donald Trump is always talking about how great he believes he is and claiming that he's never made a single mistake in his life. 

If you are familiar with The New Democrat, you know which approach we prefer and that we're completely anti-Donald Trump. So I don't need to endorse or criticize either the Romney or Trump approach here for you to figure out where I am on this. 

As far as Senator Romney's speech, I think it's safe to say that Mr. Romney Goes To Washington wasn't a pleasant experience for him. Safe to say that he's probably 1 of the 9-10 American voters who don't approve of the job that Congress is doing. Even though he's a current member of Congress, until January 3rd, 2025. 

Senator Romney came to Washington to get good things done for Utah and work with his colleagues to do that. And laid out some of his successes. But the U.S. Congress right now, is just another spinoff and part of Donald Trump's political reality show. It's not about serving the people on this show. It's about advancing your own career and serving Donald Trump, if you want a long, successful, career, as a Republican politician. 

The days of Howard Baker, Bob Michael, Tip O'Neal, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, George Mitchell, and Tom Foley... (two former President's and the rest being former Congressional leaders) all these folks getting together and hammering out deals to move the country forward and to serve their country together, are over. 

This is not the 1970s or 80s anymore. This is not even the 1990s when Bill Clinton could cut deals in private with Newt Gingrich, after a lot of partisan bickering (and perhaps alcohol) first. We're now about to enter Season 9 of Donald Trump's Political Reality TV Show in Washington. And this is just not the political show for the Mitt Romney's of the world anymore. 

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