Mike Pence will be best remembered as the man who told Donald Trump “No” at the right time. Without his courage, Trump may be running for a third term in the White House, not a second. For his efforts, Pence became an outcast in the Republican party. His brief run for president has already been forgotten. Until last week, I had not seen Pence in the news for months.
Does Pence deserve a chapter in a modern version of John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage? No.
Last week, Mike Pence announced that he would not endorse Donald Trump. The announcement was a surprise, even though Pence almost lost his life to Trump supporters on January 6, 2021. Dozens of other Republicans who, like Pence, believed that Trump lost the 2020 election and were appalled at the army of thugs carrying Trump banners rampage at the Capitol have endorsed Trump. Among the endorsers are Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio.
The absence of George W. or Jeb Bush from the list makes me feel better about both of them, even though their distaste for Trump may have more to do with how Trump treated “Low energy” Jeb in 2016 than January 6. I also think Ronald Reagan would have spoken out against Trump if he were still with us. But maybe he would not. Reagan was a second-tier actor when he entered politics. He paved the way for Trump’s entry into politics in multiple ways. Remember Reagan telling us, “Government is the problem?”
When I learned that Mike Pence was not endorsing Trump, I felt sympathy for him. The announcement is tantamount to a resignation from today’s Republican party. Pence will never again hold elective office, and Trump will shun him should the ex-president win the election this November.
When I read Pence’s announcement, I noticed something. After writing, “It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence arguably endorsed him by writing: “I am incredibly proud of the record of our administration.”
In his announcement, Pence also noted, “I made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues. And not just our differences on our constitutional duties that I exercised on January 6.” Somehow, those words do not ring true to me. Absent January 6, I think Pence would have found a way, like McConnell, to put party ahead of principle.
And what differences are troubling Pence? The former VP would like to see more abortion restrictions, curiously argues that Trump’s plans to address the national debt are inadequate, and would like to see TikTok banned. (Pence is troubled that Trump now opposes banning TikTok despite its Chinese ownership.)
So Pence is saying he is proud of the first chaotic, racist, and dysfunctional Trump administration–four years that started with Trump lying about the size of his inauguration crowd on January 20, 2017, and ended with the Big Lie, a lie that Trump still repeats.
Pence did not say anything about Trump’s plans to seek retribution against his political enemies; his plans to jail or institutionalize (mental institutions) his prosecutors and various federal and state judges; and to build detention camps to hold undocumented migrants. Pence has also said nothing about Trump’s temperament and declining mental state. Pence also has taken the position that. as a former president, Trump should not have been indicted. Pence commented, “I would just hope there would be a way for them to move forward without the dramatic and drastic and divisive step of indicting a former president of the United States. We have to find a way to move our country forward and restore confidence in equal treatment under the law in this country. We really do.”
So, Pence does not think Trump should have been indicted for the Mar-a-Lago documents or the election interference and argued that not indicting Trump would be a way to restore confidence in equal treatment under the law? Give me a break.
Let us thank Mike Pence for what he did in January 2021 and send him on his way into history. He earned my thanks by thwarting Trump in 2021, but as some said when he was running for President, he is Trump without the baggage.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and all too infrequently, other subjects.
Suzanne Todd says
“Restore confidence in equal treatment under the law.” That means the President is not above the law. Pence seems to be confused.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece. I agree. I was surprised he said that, but he might not know better.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece. I agree with you–Pence appears to be confused. I was surprised he made that comment.
Wilso Dean says
Pence has yet to learn he can’t have it both ways. He fully supported every horrible step made under the Trump administration beginning in 2017 and then expected his move to block Trump’s attempt to overthrow the election results would somehow make amends for all that. He expected support from both parties, but received it from neither.
John Dean says
I could not agree more. Thank you for commenting.
Rick Megahan says
Mr Dean;
Please explain the racist charge against Donald Trump.
And, Mike Penses’ cave on the electoral pause is why he differs from President Trump. He would not allow his boss the same electoral count dispensation that Democrats have taken in every election they’ve lost. I hope he relishes your sympathy.
Deirdre LaMotte says
LOL. Since 2020 Republicans have lost every national race. It’s been years since they won the
popular vote, that’s why they cheat and lie. As I recall, both Hillary Clinton and Al Gore graciously
accepted their defeat.
That is what honorable Americans do.
Rick Megahan says
I’m waiting to read about the Trump racism…as are his newfound African American voters.
Why, Hillary graciously still calls Trump an illegitimate President at every opportunity.
LOL back at ya.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Trump is the last human in this nation who should be anywhere near the Oval. Don’t believe me?
Check out comments on 20 of his OWN cabinet. Being a racist is just part of of his vile
personality
The federal government sued Trump for allegedly discriminating against Black apartment seekers in the 1970s. Black pastors also accused Trump of stirring racial animus during the “Central Park Five” rape case in the 1980s. Native American groups criticized him for making derogatory remarks about tribes seeking to build casinos in the 1990s. Trump was also a leading voice of the “birther” conspiracy that baselessly claimed former President Barack Obama was from Africa and not an American citizen.
Trump has the social intelligence of a middle school bully without the intelligence.
No surprise that his audience has the emotional maturity of 4 year olds
This is a classic example of arrested development.
It’s a plague in the MAGA publicans.
“Deplorable” is too kind.
And Black voters? LOL, maybe some do, so? President Barak Obama was the first Black President
trump was the first orange president
unfortunately, in this case, orange is NOT the new Black
Mickey Terrone says
Mr. Megahan, are you still waiting to see more evidence of Trump’s racism? Are you not available to explain how all this evidence provided is unfounded? Isn’t he a horrendous racist? We are all aware that it isn’t a crime to be a racist or a bigot or white supremacist, unless you act out your racism on others.
But we know from the FBI that homegrown terrorists are the leading cause of concern to our law enforcement people across America. A demagogue like Trump knows he can survive politically only by rousing his fearful followers into action. That is what he tried to do when he planned and unleashed his followers in the January 6th attack on the US Capitol.
Do you disagree? How so? What a great opportunity this would be to express yourself in writing…….
John Dean says
Thank you for the question. Let me give you one example. Trump calls undocumented migrants “vermin” and indicates they are “poisoning the blood of America.” As you may have read, Hitler used similar language to describe Jews. Also, do you remember Trump referencing “Shit-hole”? He wasn’t referencing France or England.
I don’t know what you mean by “the same electoral count dispensation that Democrats have taken in every election they’ve lost.”
Mickey Terrone says
For starters, I’d say that Trump’s refusal to separate himself from the KKK leader David Duke and even deny that he knew who David Duke is, was his early but unmistakable signal to that segment of America’s poor, “bypassed” whites that he’s is their man. His comments about “the good people on both sides” in Charlottesville reflected his support of their white supremcist views in a country constitutionally dedicated to equal rights for all. His constant references to immigrants as criminals, drug dealers, etc demonstrate his racism as he panders to the unfounded fears of poor whites. He even refers to them as “rapists” despite himself being convicted of physically assaulting E. Jean Carroll and announcing to Billy Bush how he grabs women by their genitals as a thug, even as white evangelical pastors lay hands on him as a Christian man of faith.
Trump fully supports all the rollbacks of equal rights in the southern states since the repeal of the Voting Rights Act. His comments about all people of color who are immigrants, not just blacks, attest to his staunch support of white supremacy.
I hope this helps too:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-race-record/2020/09/23/332b0b68-f10f-11ea-b796-2dd09962649c_story.html
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-racism-election-obama-018824651613
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/23484314/trump-fuentes-ye-dinner-white-nationalism-supremacy
Jerry McConnell says
Trump’s maybe not the most (worst) racist President in American history, but he’s certainly top 2 or 3.
Anyone who doesn’t recognize and acknowledge that clearly chooses to ignore what they’re seeing and hearing because they’re happy with the racist and offensive language —and feel the same way.
These fools believe the lies and disinformation that Trump spouts….they have been indoctrinated and are incapable of understanding or believing the truth. In other words, an army of right wing extremists, devoted to a criminal leader with the character and intellect of a documented felon. And, they’re all on board.
Mickey Terrone says
From the days of Strom Thurmond and the Dixiecrats, I don’t think its a stretch to say that the Republican Party has been the mostly white males who generally have subtly opposed equal rights, public education, voting rights, gay rights and consumerism, as recently as the Bush administrations.
With the onset of the Trump Plague on America, the impact of Mitch McConnell’s court loading strategy and southern states’ outright war on minority voting rights, the Republicans are out of the closet and are going for the authoritarian takeover that they have quietly sought since Thurmond’s days.
Its now or never for them. Trump is their demagogue. If he sells it, they buy it, regardless of how adversely it impacts them. Tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% would have the right wing Tea Party fanatics having crap hemhorrhages in the streets if Biden had accumulated the $7.8 Trillion in new national debt as Trump did. They’re now happy to pass the hat to pay his bond and legal bills for conning businesses in NY state, having sex with a porn star and trying to overturn the 2020 election, among numerous other wholly unamerican, unpatriotic, heinous acts like endangering national security.
Those poor bypassed whites are almost artistic in the roles of playing dumb and dumber in their apparent obliviousness to Trump’s despicable irresponsibility as an American citizen, much less as POTUS.
Trump’s rattling of the poor white supporters’ cages is not too dissimilar to the panic instilled into poor white southerners prior to the Civil War after Lincoln’s election. Those po folks in the deep South were terrified of Lincoln and abolition, regardless of the fact that slavery was actually safer within the protections of the US Constitution. Today, the poor white working class seems to fear all people of color, immigrants or native Americans.
The Republican Party elders have chosen to take the Low Road by adopting a platform of buying the financial support of the wealthiest elite and maintaining the support of the poor whites via fear mongering racism, bigotry and white supremacy. This is how Trump has gained the passionate devotion of a considerable portion of white working class voters.
In 2024, however, we will see if enough Republican women get the wakeup call regarding the loss of their reproductive rights by Trump, the potential loss of their medicinal birth control and the threat of criminal charges for resisting government control of their bodies. I guess the good news is that they don’t have to announce their final voting decision to their male spouse or parent. Hopefully, enough poor white males and females will find the common sense to vote in their own best interests. I wish I could be more confident.
Carol A. Voyles says
Thank you, Mr. Dean. Your title alone is a sorely needed breath of fresh air!
John Dean says
Thank you for your kind words.
Charles Barranco says
Pense is a weasel, spineless human being who was selected for those attributes. When Trump chose him, he knew Pense would be the faithful solider and never offer opposition, but could be dissuaded if he did. There was only one miscalculation, Pense’s Counselor, who saved the day for America.
I have no doubt, he would have caved into Trump. It’s just not in his DNA to say no to the boss.