Romney gets profile in courage award

[CA Steve]

Quote

"The award was created by the family of the late president to honor public figures who risk their careers by embracing unpopular positions for the greater good, and is named after Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “Profiles in Courage".

"Senator Romney’s commitment to our Constitution makes him a worthy successor to the senators who inspired my father to write ‘Profiles in Courage,’ ” Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, said in a statement from the JFK Library Foundation. “He reminds us that our Democracy depends on the courage, conscience and character of our elected officials.”

Congratulations to Brother Romney, well deserved.

Romney gets Profile in Courage Award

[Kevin Christensen]

I can think of two others who should get it such awards, a Michigan Republican who voted to certify the state election results for Biden, and the Georgia secretary of state who stood up to Trump's pressure to overturn the elections.  As it happens, their state governments have just passed legislation that stripped power to certify elections from them, and given it to more pliable legislators.  Franklin's famous, "A Democracy, if you can keep it," has been getting a lot more iffy.  Unless, of course, you believe that it should be a crime to give a bottle of water to people who are standing in line to vote, the length and inconvenience of the lines, themselves, of course, being the product of targeted and deliberate legislation.  Romney has a chance to stand up on this issue, with the John Lewis Voter Protection bill.  But will he?

100 million vaccinations and counting.

FWIW,

Kevin Christensen

Canonsburg, PA

[CA Steve]

As well as Liz Cheney.

[JLHPROF]

I believe this is well deserved.

Interestingly the question was raised whether this award would ever be given to a Democrat who voted against their party.
Of course those deciding would like a Republican who took a stand against their own party President.  Would they like the opposite?

[Bob Crockett]

WTG Mitt.  Even though I don't necessarily agree with your politics, you did what Utah voters elected you to do and you did it with class. 

[Tacenda]

18 minutes ago, Bob Crockett said:

WTG Mitt.  Even though I don't necessarily agree with your politics, you did what Utah voters elected you to do and you did it with class. 

Yes he did, poor guy (I know people personally that really raked him over the coals for doing that). But he went by his own conscience instead of what he thought others would want him to do. Takes a brave person to do what he did. Not making this political, just saying I give him a lot of credit.

Edited March 26, 2021 by Tacenda

[Kevin Christensen]

14 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

I believe this is well deserved.

Interestingly the question was raised whether this award would ever be given to a Democrat who voted against their party.
Of course those deciding would like a Republican who took a stand against their own party President.  Would they like the opposite?

If a Democratic president was blatantly attempting to undermine or overthrow democracy in an effort to unethically secure power and gain, and was stopped by other Democrats, certainly I would LOVE the opposite!  

We could do with more Profiles in Courage, and fewer Profiles in Spinelessness and Accomodation.

Worth a read and ponder, considering how many steps the US has dropped on the Democracy scale, and why:

https://www.amazon.com/Tyranny-Twenty-Lessons-Twentieth-Century/dp/0804190119/ref=sr_1_2?crid=23WZTFN9V2RVL&dchild=1&keywords=on+tyranny+by+timothy+snyder&qid=1616781316&sprefix=On+Try%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-2

FWIW,

Kevin Christensen

Canonsbrugh, PA

[juliann]

Multimillionaire gets award for doing his job. 

[Calm]

I thought it was interesting that Ford got an award for pardoning Nixon.  I hadn’t realized it was unpopular enough it might have cost him the election.

Edited March 26, 2021 by Calm

[Bob Crockett]

23 minutes ago, juliann said:

Multimillionaire gets award for doing his job. 

He's an elected politician with a salary.   His personal wealth is irrelevant, as is  Diane Feinstein's massive wealth. 

[Bob Crockett]

Just now, Calm said:

I thought it was interesting that Ford got an award for pardoning Nixon.

Does that diminish the value of Romney's award?  Is that what you are saying?

[Calm]

6 minutes ago, Bob Crockett said:

Does that diminish the value of Romney's award?  Is that what you are saying?

No, it was simply something I was not aware of...the unpopularity...I was a high school sophomore in CA at the time, not paying attention to politics.  It was also a bit surprising of a choice given what else they chose to focus on (anti discrimination seems to be a consistent theme).  I think Ford made the right decision even if I dislike Nixon...thus my surprise at the unpopularity.

Edited March 26, 2021 by Calm

[ttribe]

30 minutes ago, juliann said:

Multimillionaire gets award for doing his job. 

When virtually every single other member of his party did NOT do their jobs, yeah, it's notable. 

[HappyJackWagon]

2 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

I believe this is well deserved.

Interestingly the question was raised whether this award would ever be given to a Democrat who voted against their party.
Of course those deciding would like a Republican who took a stand against their own party President.  Would they like the opposite?

Here is a list of past winners of this award. Both Republicans and Democrats have received it. I haven't read about all of the winners but there are some interesting stories here. And check out the brief summary about Charles Weltner, the 1991 recipient. It kind of applies to your question.

Past Winners | Profile in Courage Award

 

[Calm]

7 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

And check out the brief summary about Charles Weltner, the 1991 recipient. It kind of applies to your question.

Quote

1991 – Charles Weltner – Rather than “compromise with hate” and be forced to support the candidacy of Lester Maddox, an advocate of segregation, Congressman Charles Longstreet Weltner (D-Ga) placed principle above ambition and withdrew from his own race for re-election.

While true he went against his party, it was still what most would label a liberal choice.  In 1966, Southern Democrats didn’t match the more recent Democratic Party platform very well. 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Calm

[Derl Sanderson]

5 hours ago, Kevin Christensen said:

I can think of two others who should get it such awards, a Michigan Republican who voted to certify the state election results for Biden, and the Georgia secretary of state who stood up to Trump's pressure to overturn the elections.  As it happens, their state governments have just passed legislation that stripped power to certify elections from them, and given it to more pliable legislators.  Franklin's famous, "A Democracy, if you can keep it," has been getting a lot more iffy.  Unless, of course, you believe that it should be a crime to give a bottle of water to people who are standing in line to vote, the length and inconvenience of the lines, themselves, of course, being the product of targeted and deliberate legislation.  Romney has a chance to stand up on this issue, with the John Lewis Voter Protection bill.  But will he?

100 million vaccinations and counting.

FWIW,

Kevin Christensen

Canonsburg, PA

Can't get a bottle of water while standing in line should be any easy fix. Being somewhat inconvenienced in order to exercise a sacred right for which so many (including members of my own family) have died doesn't really seem like a huge sacrifice in comparison.

Waaaay back in the day, I supported passage of The Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most important and successful pieces of legislation ever crafted by congress. Vigorous enforcement of the existing Section 2 of that act would adequately address what Patrick Leahy is trying to do with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which is superfluous at best and insidious at worst.

But I see The Big Red Bar at the top of the page, so for me to go on will accomplish nothing more than to get us all blown out of the water by Nemesis.

[Calm]

11 minutes ago, Derl Sanderson said:

Can't get a bottle of water while standing in line should be any easy fix.

I am assuming you mean just bring your own. I agree in most cases that makes sense, but in cases where the wait is much longer than expected and hours increased, not minutes, seems like that could be a problem.  There is a distance limit of 150 ft so might be able to adjust by having the food trucks and water stations further away with signs to pick up before getting in line. Also wondering what the rule is on bathroom breaks. 
 

Quote

Kathy spotted the long line of voters as she pulled into the Christian City Welcome Center about 3:30 p.m., ready to cast her ballot in the June 9 primary election.

Hundreds of people were waiting in the heat and rain outside the lush, tree-lined complex in Union City, an Atlanta suburb with 22,400 residents, nearly 88% of them Black. She briefly considered not casting a ballot at all, but decided to stay.

By the time she got inside more than five hours later, the polls had officially closed and the electronic scanners were shut down. Poll workers told her she'd have to cast a provisional ballot, but they promised that her vote would be counted.

"I'm now angry again, I'm frustrated again, and now I have an added emotion, which is anxiety," said Kathy, a human services worker, recalling her emotions at the time. She asked that her full name not be used because she fears repercussions from speaking out. "I'm wondering if my ballot is going to count."

By the time the last voter finally got inside the welcome center to cast a ballot, it was the next day, June 10.

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/17/924527679/why-do-nonwhite-georgia-voters-have-to-wait-in-line-for-hours-too-few-polling-pl

[Kevin Christensen]

One of the stories Kennedy told in his book Profiles in Courage was about Missourians wanting to execute one Joseph Smith Jr.  And one person refusing to do so and thereby, saving the life of Joseph Smith. 

Regarding past winners of the Profiles in Courage award:

Quote

2001 – John Lewis – Congressman John Lewis was honored with an unprecedented Profile in Courage Award for Lifetime Achievement for his extraordinary courage, leadership and commitment to civil rights. Congressman Lewis’ efforts promoting civil rights started at an early age. As a student he organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, he was also Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a student group for civil rights. Along with fellow activist Hosea Williams, Lewis led a 600-strong demonstration that exploded into a confrontation when Alabama State Troopers attacked marchers. Known as “Bloody Sunday,” that fateful march and the subsequent march between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As a member of the U.S. Congress representing Georgia’s fifth congressional district, John Lewis continues to dedicate his life to protecting human rights.

Regarding current winner Romney and the current voting rights legislation:

Quote

Romney's votes were a notable break with his party, and at times, he has been a lone GOP voice in the Senate to speak out against Trump's behavior while in office. During and after the 2020 election, Romney pushed back on Trump's baseless claims that there was widespread fraud in the election, including mail-in voting, acknowledged Biden as the President-elect, and criticized Trump's attempts to overturn the election results.

But currently, Republicans across the country are pushing restrictive voting laws they claim will secure and strengthen elections following the 2020 election during which Trump repeated disproven claims of widespread voter fraud. In Georgia on Thursday, Republicans sped a sweeping elections bill restricting voting access into law that includes provisions that limit the use of ballot drop boxes and makes it a crime to approach voters in line to give them food and water.

In light of these efforts, Romney has largely fallen in line with his party, including raising concerns about the Democrats' sweeping voting bill, S.1, which would expand access to early and mail-in voting and create an automatic voter registration for all eligible Americans among other provisions. Republicans have objected to the measure as federal overreach and an effort aimed squarely at keeping Congress in Democratic control.

Romney has said it's "very unlikely" he'd support the bill, CNN's Manu Raju reported.

"I don't want to federalize the elections," Romney said Monday. "That's not what the Constitution demands, and I think states should have responsibility for conducting their elections."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/26/politics/mitt-romney-receives-jfk-profile-in-courage-award/index.html

I remember my personal shock on learning what happened to the minority vote in the South within a month of the end of Reconstruction, and what persisted for almost a century,  for states being allowed to do whatever they wanted in a land supposedly based on the proposition that "All men are created equal." Deja vu.  

FWIW,

Kevin Christensen

Canonsburg, PA

Edited March 26, 2021 by Kevin Christensen

[JLHPROF]

5 hours ago, juliann said:

Multimillionaire gets award for doing his job. 

Senators are all multi millionaires.

[JLHPROF]

3 hours ago, Calm said:

While true he went against his party, it was still what most would label a liberal choice.  In 1966, Southern Democrats didn’t match the more recent Democratic Party platform very well. 

Does anyone win this award for sticking to conservative values in the face of a challenge?

Last year's winner was Nancy Pelosi.

[carbon dioxide]

I have never been a big Romney supporter but I don't see how anyone can legitimately criticize him for the conclusions he came to in the impeachment proceedings.  He followed is own conscience based on the evidence presented.  He could have chosen the easy path of simply going with the party line but courage is about making hard decisions, not following the crowd and making the easy ones.  

[bsjkki]

Romney made choices that won him the praise of DC, the media, and Hollywood. How brave. 

[ttribe]

7 minutes ago, bsjkki said:

Romney made choices that won him the praise of DC, the media, and Hollywood. How brave. 

I'm guessing you're a Trump supporter?

[Bob Crockett]

24 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

Does anyone win this award for sticking to conservative values in the face of a challenge?

Last year's winner was Nancy Pelosi.

He doesn't pretend to be conservative

[SeekingUnderstanding]

22 minutes ago, Bob Crockett said:

He doesn't pretend to be conservative

If your talking about Romney he is more conservative than you think

 

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/mitt-romney/