Why the "Draft Romney" Movement Persists

"I wanted my grandkids to see that I simply couldn't ignore what Mr. Trump was saying and doing, which revealed a character and temperament unfit for the leader of the free world" - Mitt Romney to the Wall Street Journal. 

To say that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney does not like Donald Trump would be a severe understatement. The GOP's 2012 presidential contender has spent the better part of this year fighting the real estate mogul's ascendancy in the Republican Party, which has included both personal appeals in nationally televised speeches and multiple endorsements in the now concluded primaries. 

With Trump officially claiming the nomination just this past week, it would seem that the two-time presidential candidate has been bested by the bombastic Trump. However, many speculate, that there might be a third national bid in store for Romney, who has the enthusiastic support of many bigwigs and grassroots conservatives to launch an independent candidacy for the White House.

Speculation that has been driven in just this past weekend by Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol, who tweeted on Sunday afternoon: "Just a heads up over this holiday weekend: There will be an independent candidate -- an impressive one, with a strong team and a strong chance." This follows calls by National Review writer David French and Resurgent publisher Erick Erickson for Romney to jump into the fray. 

Although there have been few, if any, indicators that Romney is planning an independent bid, he is likely the last chance that members of the dwindling #NeverTrump movement have to support a conservative Republican in the fall campaign. 

Support that has drawn backlash from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Hot Air, and even Trump himself. Taking breaks from campaigning, Trump has tweeted on multiple occasions that a Romney bid would result in conservatives losing control of the Supreme Court, which the Manhattan businessman's campaign manager said would result in the death of the Second Amendment. 

However, with Romney telling the Wall Street Journal, "others, including myself, believe our first priority should be to stand by our principles and if those are in conflict with the nominee, the principles come first," one has to believe that Romney views the temporary loss of power for conservatism as worth the price for preventing its complete destruction by Trump. 

This is why, despite the likelihood for failure if Romney were to enter the race, that a strong Draft Romney movement has taken heart with many conservatives, because in a time dominated by corrupt politicians and bankrupt businessmen, there stands a single individual who has survived both of those fields with his principles intact, and, newsflash: it isn't Donald Trump. 

Libertarians Nominate Johnson-Weld Ticket for President

Johnson received 1.3 million votes in 2012.

Four years after receiving more votes on the Libertarian Party line than any other presidential candidate before, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson was re-nominated as the party's 2016 nominee on Sunday afternoon.  

With large swathes of Democrats and Republicans unhappy with their nominees (presumed in the Democrats case), Johnson's third party bid has received substantial media coverage as his campaign has polled in the double digits in a three-way race against Clinton and Trump. 

Claiming the nomination on the second ballot with 55% of delegates in support, Johnson told the party faithful, "I will work as hard as I can to represent everybody in this room." He would later add, "I tell the truth. I'm not a liar." 

Johnson's biggest headache on Sunday might have been overcoming the formidable challenge from the assembled delegates in attendance to his preferred running-mate: former Massachusetts Governor William Weld.

Opposed for some of his more non-Libertarian policies while serving as the chief executive of Massachusetts in the nineties, Weld faced a barrage of criticism throughout the weekend from party members. Johnson opponent Austin Peterson would go so far as to call Weld a "horrible statist" at one point. 

Johnson and Weld address a press conference after
their ticket was nominated by national Libertarians

Still, despite a strong anti-Weld push at the end, Johnson got his man through with only 50.57% of delegates in support. This marks the first time that the Libertarian Party's national ticket has consisted of only governors. 

Thanks to the party's growing membership nationwide, the Libertarians Johnson-Weld ticket will be on the ballot in all fifty states. Shortly after Weld was narrowly nominated as his running-mate, Johnson tweeted out, "Time to get to work."

For national Libertarians seeking to exploit the negatives of the two major party's candidates, the first task has to be overcoming the draconian Commission on Presidential Debates 15% polling threshold for this fall's nationally televised debates.