Why Romney's Supreme Court decision isn't surprising

There was speculation that Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) would split with his party and reject a confirmation vote for President Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the November election, but several analysts aren't surprised that he ended up supporting moving forward. That's because Romney's preference for a conservative-leaning high court takes precedent over his "disdain" for Trump, The New York Times' Carl Hulse argues.

Politico's Tim Alberta concurred, noting that Romney likely still expects and even hopes Trump will lose to his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, in November. Alberta also suspects Romney senses the Democrats will "dominate" Congress for some time, leaving the Supreme Court as the only branch of government to maintain conservative power.

That said, there was a little more confusion surrounding Romney's explanation for his decision. The senator said Democrats "have gotten used to having a liberal court" — which several observers pointed out was inaccurate, at least in terms of the legal ideologies of the sitting justices — and that a center-right court is appropriate for a "nation that is, if you will, center-right." But Alberta and The Daily Beast's Sam Stein agreed that Romney's interpretation of where the country stands politically is off the mark. Tim O'Donnell

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