Why Mitt Romney's courageous vote to convict Trump matters

Until Wednesday afternoon, the divide in American politics seemed to be set in high-performance concrete reinforced by tungsten steel rods. That changed when Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) became the first senator in American history to vote to convict a president of his own party.

The word commonly used to describe the virulent partisanship in our politics is “tribal.” But that unfairly disparages indigenous tribes around the world. The divisions have torn apart families and friends. In 2018, when Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) campaigned for reelection, six brothers and sisters attacked him in a Democratic commercial as a racist. After winning reelection, Gosar said that Stalin would have been proud of his siblings.