Written by President John F. Kennedy in 1956, Profiles in Courage details the careers of several United States senators who acted courageously and did what they felt was right despite the significant criticism and losses in popularity they faced because of their actions. In the book, President Kennedy describes courage as “that most admirable of human virtues” or “Grace under pressure, as Ernest Hemingway defined it.”
One senator who is highlighted in the book is Senator Edmund G. Ross (R-KS). During the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson, it was clear that the Radical Republicans who controlled both the House of Representatives and the Senate had no intention of giving President Johnson a fair trial. When it came time to vote, Ross joined six other Republican senators who broke from their party and voted to acquit President Johnson. However, being the last of the seven Republicans to vote, it was Ross’s decision that eventually acquitted the president.
Despite claims of bribery, it was Ross’s genuine belief that “if a president could be forced out of office by insufficient evidence that was based on partisan disagreement, the presidency would then be under the control of whatever congressional faction held sway.” As a result of his decision, Ross, like the other six Republican senators, lost his bid for reelection, eventually returning to Kansas where his family dealt with poverty and ostracism from the community.
Over 152 years later and in the midst of another impeachment vote, it was another senator who displayed a similar act of courage. This senator was Mitt Romney (R-UT). When President Donald Trump was impeached as a result of allegations that he sought help from Ukrainian officials to influence the 2020 election, Senator Romney was put in a tough position. Being the Republican Party’s nominee for president in 2012 and with President Trump’s acquittal all but certain, many people assumed that Romney would naturally go with the flow of his party and vote to acquit the president. However, when it came time to vote on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power, Senator Romney shocked everyone by voting in favor of conviction, arguing that “corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.” With that vote, Senator Romney’s place in history was forever sealed, as he became the only senator ever to vote for the impeachment of a president from his own party.
As a result of his vote, Romney was immediately hit with criticism. Right after his speech defending his vote, ‘#RecallRomney’ was trending on Twitter. At an airport, a stranger yelled at him and told him that he “ought to be ashamed!” The president, not one to shy away from attacking those who disagree with him, called Romney “a pompous ass.” Romney even faced disagreement from his own family, as Ronna McDaniel, who is chair of the Republican National Committee and Romney’s niece, said that “this is not the first time I have disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last.”
Despite all the criticism he has faced, Senator Romney deserves to be recognized and applauded for his political courage. Senator Romney could have easily taken the easy path, avoided criticism and simply voted in line with his party. However, Senator Romney made the difficult but right decision to vote based on his own conscience and belief, not merely because he is of the same party as the president.
You can not expect an elected official to vote like a robot and have blind obedience to authority. The reason why voters vote to send a person to Congress is that they trust that one person’s judgment to make difficult decisions. This was especially stressed by President Kennedy in Profiles in Courage, as he wrote that a true democracy puts its faith in people who “will not simply elect men who will represent their views ably and faithfully, but also elect men who will exercise their conscientious judgment” and that the people “will not condemn those whose devotion to principle leads them to unpopular courses, but will reward courage, respect honor and ultimately recognize right.”
This idea of having a conscientious judgment was also touched upon by Edmund Burke, who believed that elected representatives must act as they believe is right, regardless of the preferences of their constituents and that “Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”
While many are also quick to accuse Senator Romney of voting against President Trump out of pure hatred, it is important to examine his rationale for voting the way he did. And when one does this, they will see that this is merely an irrelevant claim. From the outset of the trial, Senator Romney took an impartial look at the evidence, and in the end, felt that the evidence pointed to the president’s guilt of abusing his power. As a matter of fact, if Senator Romney’s motive for voting against the president was indeed pure hatred, he would have voted to convict on the second count as well. After reviewing the evidence on count two, he felt that it was not sufficient enough to convict the president.
It’s also important to note that not only does Senator Romney vote with President Trump 78 percent of the time according to FiveThirtyEight, but also that Senator Romney and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have agreed on 93 percent of the votes in the 116th Congress. Based on this, labeling Senator Romney a RINO (Republican In Name Only) clearly ignores the senator’s voting history.
In today’s society that is filled with extreme partisanship, it is very hard to be politically courageous. However, Senator Mitt Romney shows us that we can be courageous if we want. Indeed, Senator Romney’s courageous decision is a refreshing moment in the Halls of Congress. It provides inspiration to those who want to be courageous but fear the outcomes of their decisions. More importantly, it teaches us that the most important thing one can do is to follow through with what one believes is right. I think we can appreciate Senator Romney’s commitment to his decision when he said that, “with my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability.”