In the second conversation of the Institute of Politics series The Consent of the Governed: America at 250 and Beyond, Harvard historian Jill Lepore welcomed former Massachusetts governor and senator Mitt Romney to the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum stage.
Former IOP director Setti Warren envisioned the series as a yearlong celebration of the nation’s 250 birthday with conversations exploring the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The first event, in March, covered unity, disunion, and the future of democracy.
The second event, on April 13, focused on the state of democracy and governance in the United States. Lepore was interested in changes over time to political parties, in general, and the Republican party specifically.
Romney, who was a 2012 Republican nominee for president, began by describing party continuity. Since1964, he noted, Republicans evolved through the eras of Goldwater, Reagan, and the Bushes while maintaining a recognizable core.
The real rupture, in Romney’s view, is recent. The rise of Donald Trump marks a sharp departure from the Reagan-era coalition and from the party core in general. “It’s quite a different party today,” said Romney.
At that core, he argued, is not just what the parties believe but who they represent. Over the past few decades, he feels the constituents have flipped. “When I was running in 2012, about 40% of Republicans and Democrats were high school educated,” Romney said. “The Democrats were UAW and AFL-CIO members. The Republican side was more rural, ranchers.” The result is two parties, he noted, that are not just politically opposed but socially distinct. He argued that the change came about due to Democrats solidifying stances on policing, immigration, and LGBTQ+ issues. It is that shift, he feels, that feeds polarization. Romney also blames the machinery of American politics itself—especially the primary system. He sees fewer people participating in primaries, and those who do tend to be on either extreme of the party. Candidates seeking nominations must appeal to these more radical voters, he said. “If you want to become the nominee of either party, you’re going to have to have the support of those wings of your party.”
When Romney ran for president, he said he was advised to appeal to the three legs of the Republican stool: social conservatives, economic conservatives, foreign policy conservatives. “Where are those legs now?” he asked. “They are gone.”
“We don’t need more performers in Washington. If you want to do something, come on in.”
Too often, he said, the first question lawmakers ask is not what will help the country, but what will help them get reelected. “The reason we are not able to address the challenges we have is that many people have gone to Washington to keep their job, not get something good done,” said Romney.
To underscore the point, Romney recalled his time as governor of Massachusetts. “We came together, Republicans and Democrats, and got health insurance for the entire state,” he said. “It is one of the things I am proud of.”
Lepore asked, “Is that kind of bipartisan democracy is even possible anymore?” She played a video of President Gerald Ford—in the aftermath of Watergate scandal—assuring the nation that its “long national nightmare” was over. She wondered if a speech like that could ever be given today and who would be the one to give it.
Rather than offer names, Romney described three paths forward.
The first, he said, is the emergence of a transformational leader, someone capable not just of speaking well, but of redirecting the moral energy of a nation. He pointed to Abraham Lincoln, whose words after the American Civil War—“with malice toward none, with charity for all”—helped bind a war-shattered country.
The second path, and less hopeful, Romney said, is a crisis. Sometimes, he said, societies only change when circumstances force them to—when a shock is severe enough to compel people to reconsider their divisions, but not so severe that it destroys them entirely.
The third path is what he described as a rising generation that refuses to inherit the conflict. Most turbulent times, Romney said, didn’t end with a single speech or event, but gradually faded as the younger generation said “enough.”
And while Romney sees real challenges in America today which are not being addressed effectively, he still believes in the American Dream. “There is an extraordinary elixir that America enjoys,” he said, “the elixir of freedom. We are going to push back on the challenges because we have freedom.”
The full discussion covered topics including economic disparity; Romney’s thoughts on social media and AI influencers, and America’s standing on the world stage.
Ultimately, Romney argued, clear, truthful conversation will win the day. “The reason I come and speak at a place like this is because you guys have the capacity to make a difference and to tell people the truth,” he said. “If you want to be a performer, go into pro wrestling. We don’t need more performers in Washington. If you want to do something, come on in.”
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Photographs by Martha Stewart
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