NASHUA, New Hampshire — Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar stuck mostly to business-related topics when she addressed the Rotary Club here in Nashua. She knew she was addressing a mixed audience, with perhaps more Republicans than Democrats and a lot of independents, too. So, she talked a lot about a small-business agenda, about hiring, and about the links between education and career success. She stayed away from the most partisan matters.
Klobuchar did briefly mention the recent impeachment trial in Washington, at which she voted to remove President Trump from office, but only to say that it gave her time to think about the country. And, from that, she drew a bland, anodyne conclusion sure not to offend anyone: “I truly believe that what unites us is bigger than what divides us.”
Later, however, she returned to impeachment to praise Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who, like Klobuchar, also voted to remove the president. Whenever she mentions Romney at Democratic events, Klobuchar told the group, “everyone would cheer” the only senator in United States history to vote to remove a president of his own party.
“I think we’re living in a moment right now like no other,” Klobuchar said. “Wherever you were on that impeachment hearing, I got to see some brave things happen. I got to see Mitt Romney take a vote that was really hard for him, and, as he said, he couldn’t do it any other way because of his oath, and I got to talk about that in Democratic audiences, and everyone would cheer for Mitt Romney in the last few days, and I think it shows how things are kind of upside-down in our country.”
When he announced his vote, Romney said he expected to face “unimaginable” consequences from Trump and Republicans. So far, there hasn’t been much that was unimaginable, although the president did say to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Monday, “How’s Mitt Romney? You keep him. We don’t want him.”
The flip side of that, for Romney, has been heaps of praise from media commentators and Democrats. He has been called a “profile in courage” many times since last Wednesday, and, now, Klobuchar says just the mention of his name elicits cheers at Democratic gatherings.
