Romney: A Reckoning

“Do we weigh our own political fortunes more heavily than we weigh the strength of our republic, the strength of our democracy, and the cause of freedom? What is the weight of personal acclaim compared to the weight of conscience?—Mitt Romney, January 6, 2021”

The epigraph introduces a central theme of the text, a question that Romney has struggled with during his entire political career. As he asks his fellow senators to consider how they will proceed with handling the insurrectionists, he realizes that decades of politicians choosing personal acclaim over conscience has led to this moment.

“‘A man gets some people around him and begins to oppress and dominate others,’ he said the first time he showed me the map. ‘It’s a testosterone-related phenomenon, perhaps. I don’t know. But in the history of the world, that’s what happens.’ America’s experiment in self-rule ‘is fighting against human nature.’ ‘This is a very fragile thing,’ he told me. ‘Authoritarianism is like a gargoyle lurking over the cathedral, ready to pounce.’”

The histomap of the rise and fall of civilizations is a source of fascination and concern for Romney. As he considers the origins of tyranny, he recognizes in contemporary America the same disregard for human life that has led to the downfall of so many other once-great civilizations. He views the acceptance of such tyranny as the gargoyle lurking over the cathedral, a menacing reminder that all institutions will fall.

“Only after studying him closely do the signs of age start to show. He shuffles a little when he walks now, hunches a little when he sits. At various points in recent years, he’s gotten so thin that his staff has worried about him. Mostly, he looks tired.”

Throughout the text, Coppins examines the role of surfaces and appearances in maintaining the illusion of power. By offering an introductory image of Romney that describes him looking old and vulnerable, Coppins establishes that this text will prize veracity over vanity; he is not here to glamorize Romney, but to critique him.