Trump v. Romney

I've seen Romney attacked as a traitor for voting to convict Trump on one count. I think there are two sides to this argument, although I come down more heavily on one side than the other. To begin with the lighter side of the argument:

1. For several reasons, I don't think Romney's vote make him a traitor. For one thing, I don't take him that seriously. When he was running for the nomination, the first time around, and when he was running in the general election, the second time around, it was unfortunately necessary to take him seriously. But now it's only Utah voters who need to take him seriously. 

2. A US Senator doesn't work for the President. It's a separate, independent branch of gov't. He works for his constituents. He has no duty to be loyal to a President of the same party. Rather, he has a duty to act in the best interests of his constituents, and the country he represents in that capacity. 

3. I do think Trump was guilty of abuse of power, but in this situation I don't think it warrants removal from office (see below). 

4. Romney's vote was a throwaway vote, not a swing vote. It made no difference to the outcome. 

Now for the heavier side of the argument:

5. I actually think there is a loyalty issue, but it operates at a different level. Trump is protecting our civil liberties from Democrats who are striving to abrogate the Bill of Rights. Someone who's protecting your Constitutional rights is entitled to a measure of loyalty in return, although that's not a blank check. Insofar as Trump is defending my rights, I defend Trump. 

6. Romney has never been a man of principle. So I don't assume this was a vote of conscience. He's not a conviction politician.

It's possible that he's sincere in this case. He took a stand that's unpopular with his constituents back home.

But from what I can tell, Romney has a personal vendetta against Trump. So I doubt the purity of his motives. It doesn't look like a disinterested vote, but payback.

7. The Biden situation presents an intriguing dilemma. On the one hand, it's a classic abuse of authority for a president to use his official clout to try to take a political rival out of action.

On the other hand, the combined fact that Biden is corrupt as well as a contender for the presidency is a reason to investigate him. Imagine if he did become the next president. 

So the real issue is not in the first instance that he's a threat to Trump's political prospects, but that he's a potential threat to the civil liberties of Americans. Paradoxically, the very fact that he's a corrupt political rival makes him a legitimate target for investigation, even if the personal motivation is disreputable. Politicians like Biden are dangerous.

8. In a war for national survival, you don't fire your best general, even if he does some questionable things. Even if you might fire him in peacetime, the stakes are too high in wartime. Look at what we're up against. Look at the agenda of the Democrats. 

Trump's action against Biden must be counterbalanced by all his good actions as well as the uniformly disastrous actions and intentions of the Democrats. And even in his action against Biden, there are extenuating circumstances that mitigate the abuse of power (#7). His action was morally complicated. 

The question isn't whether Romney betrayed Trump but whether he betrayed Americans. Does his action betray the larger cause?

In sum, while I don't think Romney is a traitor, he is a clueless fool.