PROVO, Utah – Take a moment and pinch yourself to see if you’re dreaming, but this GOP/Romney debacle actually got worst. As you read yesterday, Mitt Romney spoke in front of the Utah GOP convention and he was met with resounding boos and hisses. The words “traitor” and “communist” flew through the air “like poison darts” as the local Salt Lake paper put it.
Then it got crazier. A motion to censure Romney for voting to remove Donald Trump from office, twice in fact, went to the floor. The motion was defeated, 798 to 711, but 711 delegates angry enough to vote yes is not something to be taken lightly. This is Romney’s home turf, a place where he was supposedly bulletproof. Salt Lake Tribune:
“If the point of all this is to let Mitt Romney know we’re displeased with him, trust me, he knows,” said Salt Lake County delegate Emily de Azavedo Brown. “Let’s not turn this into a Trump or no Trump thing. Are we a party of principle or a party of a person?”
Others warned supporting the censure risked defining the party around Trump instead of conservative principles most delegates treasure.
“This proposal is not about whether Romney is a good Republican,” echoed Utah County delegate Steve Densley. “This is about sending a message that this party cannot tolerate dissent.
“This is not the cancel culture party. This is the Republican Party,” he said, drawing widespread cheers from the audience.
The party cannot tolerate dissent. Fall in line, little foot soldiers. And follow who? Who knows? Apparently if you display leadership, or original thought, you’re going to get clobbered.
