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You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Hail to the Hairpiece / Late Night Open Thread: One Could Almost Feel Sorry for Romney

Late Night Open Thread: One Could Almost Feel Sorry for Romney

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… Except, y’know, the silly bastid is willfully submitting himself to this shiteshow. Per AP:

… Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is heading the transition effort, teased “a number of very important announcements tomorrow” as he exited Trump Tower Monday night.

Pence is said to be among those backing Romney for State. Romney was fiercely critical of Trump throughout the campaign but is interested in the Cabinet position, and they discussed it during a lengthy meeting earlier this month.

Other top Trump allies, notably campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, have launched a highly unusual public campaign to warn the president-elect that nominating Romney would be seen as a betrayal by his supporters. Conway’s comments stirred speculation that she is seeking to either force Trump’s hand or give him cover for ultimately passing over Romney.

Three people close to the transition team said Trump had been aware that Conway planned to voice her opinion, both on Twitter and in television interviews. They disputed reports that Trump was furious at her and suggested his decision to consider additional candidates instead highlighted her influence…

Trump was also considering former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for Homeland Security secretary, according to those close to the transition process. Giuliani was initially the front-runner for State and is still in the mix. But questions about his overseas business dealings, as well as the mayor’s public campaigning for the job, have given Trump pause…

Yeah, among the many things I hold against Trump is that he’s made Willard ‘Mitt’ Romney look like the good, sane alternative for a powerful political office. Mitt’s certainly touched some nerves among the Trump Crime Cartel, though…

I kinda like Josh Barro’s theory…

… Remember the calculus for the C-listers who signed up with Trump early.

They debased themselves by signing up with a candidate who was widely considered ridiculous and unacceptable by Republican insiders. In exchange, they would line up — in the unlikely event Trump won — for administration jobs for which they would otherwise be considered laughably unsuitable.

This calculus seems to have worked out for Michael Flynn and perhaps Ben Carson. But a Romney appointment would be a severe threat to the dynamic the Trump sycophants depend on.

If a consummate party establishmentarian who did not support Trump — indeed, one who said Trump was “playing the American public for suckers” — can be forgiven and given a top job, what role would be left for Rudy Giuliani or Mike Huckabee?…


The NYTimes Kneepad Squad will not be cheated of a ‘scoop’…

On to the next plot twist!!!…

Reader Interactions

58Comments

  1. 1.

    fuckwit

    None of the above. It’s just a dumpster fire.

    I have worked for bosses like Troll. Many, many times. Too many times.

    They’re just abusive assholes. They’re not driven by logic, or strategy, or ideology, but solely by ass-kissing and opportunism.

    The man is a narcissist. It is all about ego. That’s all! Just ego.

    Troll will hire whomever fellates his rectum most lovingly. End of story. That’s who gets the job.

  5. 5.

    Jerzy Russian

    @demz taters: Either that, or it was being propped up and manipulated so that it would appear to be still alive, like what happened in that movie A Weekend at Bernies.

  6. 6.

    Waldo

    Mittens as the good cop to Trump’s bad (insane) cop? That’s probably the best the world can hope for. Sadly.

  8. 8.

    demz taters

    @Waldo: He makes Mittens look like a goddamn statesman. It’s laughable now to think how high I thought the stakes were in 2012.

  9. 9.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    even making allowances for us all being in the Great Trumpian Upside-Down, the thing with Conway and Romney is hard to figure out– makes me wonder if the Mercers have some kind of grudge against Willard

  15. 15.

    jacy

    Bad jacy. Thanks for re-link! I thought it was in interesting idea. I’m at once horrified and fascinated by the dynamic going on in Trump’s inner circle. Everybody from Putin to slimy Kellyanne seems to think he is their useful idiot, but as things unravel, I see him being harder and harder to control…..

  17. 17.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    This is so clearly a con between Trump and Conway.

    Here’s how it goes. Conway puts pressure on Romney. Trump tells Mittens he can’t give him the position unless he ingratiates himself with the base. Trump gets a public apology. Trump then picks Giuliani, humiliating Mitt.

    If Romney falls for this . . . . it will be amusing.

  20. 20.

    Mary G

    I have a feeling that if I’d ever seen an episode of “The Apprentice” that I would have a better handle on this. It’s like SoS is the final round winner and hype is at its highest. There’s going to be some kind of “twist.”

  23. 23.

    TriassicSands

    @fuckwit:

    Troll will hire whomever fellates his rectum most lovingly. End of story. That’s who gets the job.

    Not necessarily. I think that is only half of the deal. Getting even seems to be just as important to Trump as being worshiped. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s setting Romney up.

    Mitt Romney, not someone I hold in high regard, is a fool to have allowed himself to be considered for Secretary of State (or any other Trump administration position). If Trump is playing Romney for a sucker and intends, ultimately, to humiliate him by choosing someone else, Romney will have brought it on himself. People who play with Trump invariably end up screwed.

  24. 24.

    TriassicSands

    The ideal scenario for Trump would be if he can figure out how to humiliate Romney (through a public statement of some sort, say) and then get him to join the team (which in a sense is just more humiliation for Mitt).

  25. 25.

    Raven Onthill

    Meantime, I have seen the early reports of the pick for Health and Human Services: Dr. Tom Price who is an anti-abortion homophobic ammosexual who wants to repeal the ACA and privatize Medicare (and those are his good points.) [snark]I am beginning to think we need a constitutional amendment to prevent Southern MD’s from holding cabinet-level positions.[/snark]

    It also seems likely that Pence is making the decisions here; Trump doesn’t care about such things.

  26. 26.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Raven Onthill: Trump wants to be an ol’ tyme British monarch; have Prime Minister Dense, I mean Pence, do the grunt work and Trump give the general direction and acts as Head of State. Oh and fires people, probably on a TV special.

  27. 27.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    I can’t see Trumpy hiring Romney for anything because he is too thin skinned so for me its a humiliation thing on That Romney and I am surprised Romney fell for it. Still though, all they’ve got is Petraeus and Giuliani? I am embarrassed for the GOP. What about Jon Huntsman or John McCain?

  29. 29.

    James Powell

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    That’s the puzzle for me. Romney knows that every day he works for Trump could be his last. At any time for good reason, bad reason, or no reason at all, Trump could fire him and replace him with a chimpanzee. And what I don’t get is how & why Romney could ever put himself in a position like that.

  31. 31.

    Taylor

    It is just possible that Willard wants to protect US foreign policy from the Trumpian shitstorm that is coming.

    Chaos in foreign policy is bad for business. Just ask the Brits.

    I know, I’m being very naive this morning….

  32. 32.

    Amir Khalid

    It seems to me that this is what a presidential transition looks like when there’s nobody in charge of the whole deal. All this manoeuvering and public bickering is happening because Donald can’t/won’t give the order to make it stop. Donald is busy demonstrating that he’s not leading his team. It’s going to be four years of total anarchy at the White House. Four years of cold satisfaction for Hillary, who would never have let this happen in a million years.

  33. 33.

    Juice Box

    @Amir Khalid: Trump can”t/won’t make it stop because he’s incapable of successfully running a construction business much less something as complex as a country. It’ll be four years of random reactions driven only by DJT’s spleen.

  34. 34.

    Princess

    Yeah, Trump is doing whatever is best for ratings, and whatever brings him the most attention. It is possible (likely?) that completing his cabinet won’t end this — that his whole four years will be pitting his cabinet against each other and lots of “You’re fired” so he can have the fun of making a bunch of new people dance as he chooses the next one. This is probably the only part of the job he is going to like, and I bet he won’t give it up.

  35. 35.

    satby

    Ugh, news about Tom Price is no way to start a morning. He’s execrable.

    I have good news though, my manager and doctor at work asked me if I worked shorter days would that be easier with the dog issues. Heck yeah it would be easier, so as of yesterday I only work 10-3 on the days that were my two longest ones. I’m losing 8 hours a week, but considering the vet bills from the dogs being stir crazy, I will come out ahead in the long run, and the critters get more me time. Happy ending!

  36. 36.

    Hal

    Giuliani was initially the front-runner for State and is still in the mix.

    It’s like Trump wants an entire administration full of Michael Browns.

  38. 38.

    satby

    @Iowa Old Lady: I’m thrilled. I haven’t really admitted how depressed and overwhelmed I was getting by the situation. And sleep deprived, because I was staying up way late and getting up 5 hours later so that I could rotate the dogs out of their isolation spots more often and keep that negative energy down. I got home just before 4 yesterday, let them all out, and promptly fell asleep in the living room chair.

  39. 39.

    JosieJ (not Josie)

    @TriassicSands:

    Exactly. I feel not one whit sorry for Romney. He wouldn’t be in this position if he weren’t a stuffed shirt whose ambition always overrules whatever passes for convictions he owns. He’s the human equivalent of an unfluffed pillow: he always bears the imprint of whoever sat on him last.

  40. 40.

    satby

    @Raven Onthill:

    Pence is making the decisions here; Trump doesn’t care about such things.

    I thought that pretty early on with the DeVoss and other picks. That’s Pence and the fundie nutbags not Trump, though he’ll go along with them on positions he doesn’t care about. Which would be most of them.

  41. 41.

    cynthia ackerman

    That pic of Drumph amd Willard. You could land a 747 on Willard’s hands, compared to D’s Piper Cubs.

  42. 42.

    Gindy51

    @BillinGlendaleCA: That’s what the thing said it was going to do on the campaign trail. Let Pence pull the weight (hard ti imagine Gov Dense being any where near capable of doing it since he failed miserably in Indiana) while the thing jaunts around the country holding rallies and getting cheered at.

  44. 44.

    low-tech cyclist

    No sympathy for Romney, but I’d at least have a smidgen of respect for him if he told the whole Trump crew to go fuck themselves.

    I’d be OK if he used Mormon-acceptable words, so long as the idea was clearly there.

  45. 45.

    gratutious

    It’s been a long time off for Kremlinologists, those analysts who would try to divine who was up and who was down in Moscow based on such minutiae as who was standing closer to or farther away from the Premier during Red Square public events.

    But yeah, there are going to be a lot of people jockeying for position at the pay window now that everything has come up Milhouse.

  46. 46.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    I would think the fact that Trump would have to stand next to an actual successful businessman would alone disqualify Romney. For all his faults no one ever accused Romney of screwing his own investors.

  47. 47.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @James Powell:

    And what I don’t get is how & why Romney could ever put himself in a position like that.

    Pence’s promis to back Romney. Remember Pence can just screw Trump by going back to being a normal VP, Trump can’t fire Pence.

  48. 48.

    cleek

    Trump has told you this already: he is running a game show. he already knows who he wants, but he’s keeping the audience in suspense until it’s time for the big reveal. because he wants you to talk about him.

    how many times does he have to play this game before people to catch on?

  49. 49.

    Barbara

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Nothing good can come of it for Romney, of that I am certain, but I suspect that Romney would do it as a favor to Pence or if asked by someone else who supported him four years ago — like Reince Priebus. I further suspect that Pence loathes the Conway/Bannon wing and will do everything he can to undermine it. And to finish the thought, Conway went on tv as a way of talking to Trump (like she said she did before the election), either because she isn’t being given an audience or is not being consulted for these kinds of things. So try to imagine a really important decision — like sending troops to Pakistan to capture Osama bin Laden — being conducted in this way. We don’t need David Petraeus to spill the beans to his mistress, there aren’t going to be any real state secrets in the Trump administration. Someone, somewhere, is going to benefit from making things public and will have zero compunction about doing exactly that.

  50. 50.

    low-tech cyclist

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Remember Pence can just screw Trump by going back to being a normal VP, Trump can’t fire Pence.

    The veep can’t be fired, but aside from presiding over the Senate, he only has those powers and responsibilities that the President chooses to delegate to him. So if he pisses Trump off, it can be “Whatever Became of Hubert?” redux. Pence can be reduced to the most inconsequential man in Washington in the blink of an eye.

  51. 51.

    Barbara

    @cleek: If that’s the case then coal miners in West Virginia are going to lose patience pretty soon because they don’t give two shits about who serves as SOS.

  52. 52.

    Chris

    Count me in with the “no sympathy for Romney” crowd. As with Colin Powell iin the last admin, his inevitable end (whether it comes now, for Trump’s amusement, or years from now, when Trump needs a fall guy) will be richly deserved after the career he’s had.

  53. 53.

    Lurking Canadian

    @Mary G: Something to that. I watched part of a season of the Apprentice many years ago. Don’t remember why I started.

    What I remember is that the “You’re fired” scenes always came after this appalling “meeting” during which the apprentice-lets did their best to throw each other under a bus. The people nominally “in charge” of whatever ridiculous activity they were assigned that week would blame the failure on their underlings. The underlings would blame the supervisor. Trump would decide who had done the best job of running his colleagues down, and that person would survive. It was like nothing so much as the “tryouts” scene from The Dark Knight.

    That seems to be the way he wants to run the whole damned country.

  55. 55.

    brettvk

    @Gindy51: I’m willing to believe that Mitt, by his own lights, is living up to his religious convictions by even considering working with Trump. He’s probably motivated by his (and others’) belief that he could be the [sane] adult in the room in the inevitable international crisis. I’ve never been a fan of his but at least he’s actually risking something to serve the country, in contrast to the kneedeep self-dealing and appetite for destruction that all the other Cabinet candidates/appointees are exhibiting.

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