McConnell Honors Retiring Senator Mitt Romney
‘The past six years will not be remembered as the Senate’s quietest. Observers might’ve wondered what more a distinguished public servant like Mitt Romney had to prove in coming to Washington and putting up with the demands of this body. But that would be to misunderstand the way our friend has ordered his life. It wasn’t about what he had left to prove, but what he had left to give.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT):
“At the end of the year, the Senate will bid farewell to a number of distinguished colleagues who are starting well-deserved next chapters. In the coming weeks, I’ll single out a few of them for particular praise.
“It seems fitting to begin with someone whose retirement is a departure not just from the Senate, but from a long and honorable career on the national political stage.
“On the bingo cards of American politics, the Governor-of-Massachusetts-Senator-from-Utah combination isn’t known to hit very often. But Mitt Romney’s repeated success in public office is a testament to the transcendent appeal of his character.
“As it turns out, uncompromising honesty, earnest humility, and evident devotion to faith and family are as compelling in Cedar City as they are in Concord.
“Of course, a certain telegenic quality – dare I say a presidential aura – doesn’t hurt, either.
“By the time our friend assumed the title of junior Senator from Utah, his approach to life in the public eye combined the polished instincts of a professional who had played to win at the highest level… and the independence and self-assurance that come only from unshakeable convictions.
“For Mitt, the Senate was not a waiting room or a stepping stone. It was the capstone to a life in public service.
“And with the wisdom to discern where to devote his attention, he’s managed to cram more into six years than many colleagues fit in twelve or eighteen.
“He’s made himself a lynchpin for bipartisan negotiations, and wound up at the center of the effort that delivered major infrastructure legislation.
“He’s poured himself into worthy fights on behalf of his constituents, navigating everything from tribal politics to State Department bureaucracy with characteristic diplomacy.
“He’s called the Senate’s attention more closely to the state of America’s competition with China… and the worthy demands of American global leadership.
“And he’s met moments of enormous gravity with careful contemplation and the utmost grace.
“The past six years will not be remembered as the Senate’s quietest. Observers might’ve wondered what more a distinguished public servant like Mitt Romney had to prove in coming to Washington and putting up with the demands of this body.
“But that would be to misunderstand the way our friend has ordered his life.
“It wasn’t about what he had left to prove, but what he had left to give.
“With that outlook, Mitt’s been able to put even the most consequential business of public life in perspective.
“He reminds young visitors to the Capitol that the true currency of life is the people you love and spend your time with.
“He’s quick to explain that his life isn’t defined by the outcome of elections, and that his deepest meaning comes from his faith and his relationship with his family.
“It doesn’t take much to recognize how earnestly he means that.
“For one thing, we know that joining the Senate was – at best – a distant second on the list of Mitt’s most significant events of the year 2019, behind celebrating fifty years of marriage to his sweetheart, Ann.
“And when you factor in the birthdays of twenty-five grandchildren and counting, even the most significant career milestone is bound to fall off the list.
“Frankly, if I were on Mitt’s Senate staff, I wouldn’t worry too much about lining up my next job. A full-time grandpa to a brood as big as the Romneys is bound to need some extra hands for scheduling and advance work!
“Mitt and Ann’s partnership is one for the history books. It’s a reminder that when you spend your life with the right people, success in business or politics is just icing on the cake.
“And when you ground yourself in firm beliefs, the winds of politics are easier to weather.
“As a particularly moving hymn in Mitt’s church instructs:
“’Do what is right; let the consequence follow.
Battle for freedom in spirit and might;
And with stout hearts look ye forth till tomorrow.
God will protect you; then do what is right!’
“Mitt, I want to thank you for devoting yourself to service and letting the consequence follow.
“May God protect you and your family as you write the next chapter.”
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