Mitt Romney gave his farewell speech to the US Senate in early December. It is no exaggeration to say that it marked the end of an era.
Romney's time in public service, spanning more than two decades, will be considered historic: He is the only American to have been governor of one state and senator of another, as well as a presidential candidate for a major political party. But perhaps most importantly, Romney's departure, along with those of others recently, represents the end of a period in which bipartisanship and negotiation have been valued, or even aspired to, in Washington.
What we are left with is a Senate – and politics in general – that looks too much like the House of Representatives: fundamentally partisan and majoritarian, less interested in closing deals or passing important laws, and much more inclined to spectacle than to the hand of construction site.
Consider other departures from the Senate, including those of Democrats-turned-independents Joe Manchin III and Kyrsten Sinema, who conclude their service this year. And in the Republican Party, Rob Portman of Ohio, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Roy Blunt of Missouri, who left the chamber when their terms ended in 2023. Republicans stood firm on their conservative principles but welcomed the opportunities to work. with legislators on the other side of the aisle. Numerous examples of similar recent departures from the House of Representatives can also be found.
Romney's speech, typically polite, acknowledged that his significant successes were based on partnerships with others and that “his life's work has been a group affair.” In the Senate, it has been a linchpin of bipartisan legislation on issues as eclectic as election reform, pandemic-era economic relief, marriage rights and infrastructure development. As governor of Massachusetts, he had a record of conservatism and tax reform. And as a presidential candidate, he sounded the first warnings about the dangers of Vladimir Putin and a resurgent Russia and foreshadowed the increasingly strained relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
But of all his many accomplishments, it's clear that there is none he is prouder of than his effort to provide affordable health insurance to all Massachusetts residents. In fact, elements of “Romneycare” made their way into Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, and the Massachusetts law was the first major stroke of bipartisanship in Romney's career in public service. He attracted overwhelming support from state legislators of both parties, with the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, against whom Romney ran (and lost) for the US Senate in 1994, standing at his side when he signed the state legislation into law. health reform in April 2006.
The irony is that Romney's bold bipartisan health deal may have signaled the beginning of the end of an era when working together advanced political careers. The Tea Party movement burst onto the political scene in 2009 and predicted a moment just a few years later when Romney's signature governmental achievement would become a liability in his presidential campaign as Washington fought over Obamacare. The Affordable Care Act had apparent structural similarities to Romney's reforms, most notably the inclusion of an individual mandate for health insurance. (The provision was so unpopular that Congress and then-President Trump effectively eliminated the Obamacare requirement in 2017.)
I was Romney's policy director in that 2012 campaign, and we worked constantly to emphasize the benefits of Massachusetts' health reforms without at the same time appearing to praise the ACA. Never mind that Romney's plan was a state plan and, as he argued, state policies might not be appropriate for the federal government. More than a badge of honor, Romney's latest act of bipartisanship was seen by some Republican primary voters as a scarlet letter.
In the years since that 2012 campaign, we have witnessed the breakdown of the political center. The rhetoric surrounding the 2024 election showed that common ground among Americans is shrinking by the minute. And voices from both the far left and the far right have gained notoriety and influence.
Closing his farewell speech, Romney warned of the challenge created by those “who would tear apart our unity.” It is a real challenge, and unfortunately we are less able to meet it now that Romney and others like him have left the Senate and public service.
Opinion contributor Lanhee J. Chen is a fellow at the Hoover Institution and director of domestic policy studies in the public policy program at Stanford University. He was a candidate for California state comptroller in 2022.
