Mike Pence’s Pathetic Quest for Power

Former Vice President Mike Pence 

Recently former Vice President Mike Pence has been making the news, by endorsing candidates in republican primaries, other than the candidates endorsed and backed by his former lord and master President Donald Trump. Notable examples include Pence’s support of former Wisconsin Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and his endorsement of Katrina Taylor Robson in Arizona. Kleefisch is running for Governor in Wisconsin and Robson is running in the Arizona GOP primary for the honor to lose to the Democratic candidate in the fall. These endorsements combined with Pence’s traveling back and forth to several early primary states, indicate that Pence is still delusional enough to think that he is of presidential timber.

This delusion of grandeur from which Pence suffers is no doubt encouraged by the fact that some view Pence as being heroic for refusing to help President Trump steal the 2020 presidential election. The incomparable Mona Charen over at the Bulwark has written a brilliant piece today “Mike Pence Sold his Soul for Nothing”. Mrs. Charen whom the Indy Republican team has had the pleasure of meeting, lays out the case that while Vice President Pence deserves credit for standing up to Trump on January 6th, 2022 that is all he deserves credit for.

We have on many occasions written about Pence’s character flaws, our friend the late great Gary Welsh compared Pence to Rod Blagojevich. Paul Ogden has also written about Pence’s shortcomings. But Mona Charen’s article really nails down the weaknesses of a man whom many of us here think of as the “Judas Of Politics”.

Below are some choice extracts from Mona Charen’s article, with our commentary in bold afterwards. We do highly recommend you all read her entire article here. 

Charen writes:

“You remember Mike Pence—he’s the guy who defeated a roomful of lickspittles to claim the obsequiousness grand prize at a 2017 cabinet meeting, praising the dear leader once every 12.5 seconds.”

“Pray for our opponents,” he told a (small) audience at a South Carolina church, “that their hearts would soften and their minds would open to the unimaginable beauty that is life.”

She goes onto outline Pence’s campaign for the presidency, but as she points out:

“There are a few flies in the ointment.” Referring to flaws in Pence’s plan to sit in the White House chair.

“ First problem. Now? Now is the moment that Pence rolls out the prayer? As Pence is well-situated to know, big chunks of the GOP base have become hungry for a very different tone. Christian charity is out. Vulgar insults, shameless lies, and secessionist hatred are in. It sure is ugly, but Pence is in no position to complain. It’s a revolution that Mike Pence did so much to encourage, and it’s bizarre that he seems to think he can carry on as if nothing has changed.”

“ Pence prostituted his reputation for Christian piety to the most vile figure in the history of American presidential politics, a man who modeled the opposite of every virtue taught in Sunday school. Pence lent his credibility as a religious man to a villain, and gave permission to millions of self-styled Christians to vote for him. Pence’s pious conscience was remarkably quiescent when Trump encouraged his followers to rough up hecklers”

We have pointed out Pence’s play acting as a Christian before also.

“ Second problem: Worse than simply remaining silent, he played the toady with seemingly endless reserves of self-mortification, uttering cringeworthy encomia to Trump’s “broad-shouldered leadership” (a phrase he repeated at least 17 times), and audacious lies about matters big and small.”

Pence’s silence and refusal to stand up to Trump has been a sticking point with us for years. Pence being Vice President couldn’t be fired by Trump but he still enabled everything he did.

“Third problem: It’s impossible to say how large a contingent of Republican primary voters are in the “Pence is a Traitor” camp, but consider that a recent New York Times/Sienna poll found that only 6 percent of Republicans would vote for Pence in a 2024 primary. At their dueling campaign appearances in Arizona, Trump assembled a rally attended by thousands while Pence spoke to a crowd estimated at 300.”

Charen does point out and we agree with her that there is a demand among some republicans for someone other than Trump. But Pence is not that candidate. Trumpets don’t want him because he is considered at best a wimp, and at worst a traitor. Never Trumper’s don’t support him because he has no principles and like Judas sold out for his 30 pieces of silver.

Like Mona Charen we do give Pence credit for his actions on January 6th, but his refusal to outright condemn Trump, his continuing defense of Trump’s conduct as president, and his unwillingness to call Trump out even now. Has forfeited any claim to hold an office of trust of any kind in America. We cannot recommend Charen’s article highly enough, nor can we oppose Pence enough for his humoring of the blasphemous Trump. 

UPDATE: A reader just alerted us to an excellent observation made by Miles Taylor a former Trump administration official made about Mike Pence recently. Another reader alerted us to the fact we accidentally said Robson was running for the Senate in Arizona, she is actually running for Governor. Please watch and listen to Miles Taylor’s take on Pence’s time as Vice President:

“If you want to know what the Mike Pence vice presidency was like, Mike Pence is a guy with an erect posture and flaccid conscience. He stood up tall and he did not stand up to Donald Trump” pic.twitter.com/koEnK0YzFY

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 27, 2022