The title of my blog last February 17, 2020, was “Where Will Mitt Romney Caucus in 2021?” Now we are almost one year later and the time has come to revisit the question. Please note, I am not suggesting Romney could leave the Republican Party either to be an Independent yet alone a Democrat. I am raising the question strictly for caucus’s purpose. That means how he would vote for Majority Leader in the Senate.

When I wrote the blog last year, I used the following breakdown for the Senate just after the vote not to remove the impeached President from office:

52 Trumpicans
1 Republican
45 Democrats
1 Socialist
1 Independent.

As of now as Georgians are voting to elect two Senators the breakdown is:

51 Trumpicans
1 Republican
46 Democrats
1 Socialist
1 Independent.

However the Trumpican contingent is not quite the unified bloc it once was. The recent override on the military spending bill, the failure to support the $2000 Covid relief, and the paltry 13 or so Senators who support the coup, suggest a weakened hold on the Trumpican Senators. Some of them may have been closet Republicans all along now more willing to be outed for what they are.

Still, Romney may be the critical Senator. In order for him to be in a position to negotiate, his vote needs to be critical.

If the Democrats lose both Senate races today, then Romney’s position is weakened and he has no negotiating strength. The exception would be if he could sway one or more Trumpican Senators to be outed as Republicans. That is only likely if the Senator has no concerns about future elections either for the presidency or the Senate. The available pool that meets this criteria is fairly small.

If the Democrats win only one Senate race today and are one vote short of 50, then Romney would have leverage all by himself.

Even if the Democrats win both Senate races today, Romney would have some leverage. The practically of governing with a split Senate where the Vice President is needed to break the tie is doable but awkward. Life would be simpler given the current Senate rules if one party has the majority.

What are the items which could be negotiated in a settlement to determine majority control?

1. The Senate will vote in one month on all nominees by Joe Biden to the Cabinet, the courts, and all other positions. There will be no “Garlands” or shutdowns, or delays. Senators could vote yea or nay, but it is agreed that they will vote in a timely manner.

2. Establish a commission to examine the 2020 election. The areas of investigation include:

Was the election rigged through day of voting actions such as people voting twice, dead people voting, out-of-state people voting, voting machine tampering, multiple counting of ballots and any other action that would affect the vote totals?

Was the election rigged prior to Election Day through voter suppression, gerrymandering, changed Postal regulations and procedures?

Were any attempts made after the election to rig the votes including the calls by the loser not just to Georgia but to other state officials as well?

The American people deserve to know that a fair election was held. The American people deserve to know if people who wanted to vote were prevented from doing so as part of a conscious effort to rig the vote. The American people deserve to know if people who voted improperly regardless of for which candidate did so as part of a systematic program to rig the results, by innocent mistake, or from personal hostility to one of the candidates. The American people deserve to know if the machines used to tally the votes were accurate. Some of that information may come out in the lawsuits by the election machine vendors against the people in the media and their organizations who accused them of fraud solely because they did not like the results.

Millions of Americans are concerned that the vote was not fair, that they have been disenfranchised because their side did not win. A bipartisan commission will go a long way to alleviating fears about the validity of the election results and the legitimacy of the Joe Biden presidency.

Here is an example of why the commission is needed.

Texas GOP official suggests guillotine for Mitt Romney but calls it bad metaphor, not a call for beheading
SREC member from Seguin was angered by Utahan’s criticism of Ted Cruz plan to object when Congress reviews Joe Biden’s win in the Electoral College.
By Todd J. Gillman, The Dallas Morning News, January 3, 2021

“Romney should be introduced to our friend Mr Guillotine.”

The uproar caught the eye of a major French news outlet, News 24, which reported that a “‘Seditious’ Texas GOP official suggests Mitt Romney should be GUILLOTINED for not supporting voter certification challenge.”

The eyes of the world are still upon us including in France where they know about the guillotine as Gillman wrote about in the article. He went on to write:

Echoing Trump’s unproven claims, Harper asserted that “irrefutable” irregularities occurred in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada. About 60 state and federal courts have rejected such claims..

“We are proud that Senator Ted Cruz is leading the charge, but the Texas GOP expects all those who represent Texas or the rule of law to be standing with him, whether they are in the US House or Senate. This is no time for Sunshine Patriots,” Harper wrote.

Harper is why soul-sellers like Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz should be part of the commission.

3. There should be a straight-up vote on the proposed $2000 relief aid. Undoubtedly, the new President will be proposing his own bill to deal the with coronavirus crisis.

4. There should be a commission to study the management and operation of the Federal response to the coronavirus. Suggestion areas of investigation include

The failed management of testing
The failed management of providing PPE
The failed management of vaccine distribution
The abuse of power in silencing, transferring, or firing the medical and science personnel in the Federal government responsible for handling the response to the coronavirus.

These commissions and actions will go a long way to allying the fears and concerns of Americans about the election, the coronavirus, and the future of the country. It will show that it is possible to make America great again.

Depending on how the vote in Georgia plays out, Mitt Romney may potentially have the opportunity to take a leadership role in healing the country. Of course, even if that opportunity presents itself, he may not rise to the occasion to take such a leadership position. Of course, if he doesn’t, who will?