A while back, an interview at The Family Leadership Summit in Iowa hosted by Tucker Carlson received a fair amount of attention. Mike Pence has stepped out as one of the many 2024 Republican Presidential candidates. As the former Vice-President, he may think he has an edge over many lesser-known candidates but this does not guarantee his effort will bear fruit.
During the interview, Pence was not given a pass and allowed to simply promote his platform but clashed with Carlson on several issues. At times Carlson appeared to, shall we say, laugh in Pence's face. Carlson was not shy when it came to giving the impression many Americans would not accept Pence's view on topics such as the war in Ukraine and voting machines. Part of Pence's problem stemmed from the fact Carlson didn't focus the "fireside chat interview" on family issues which unite the crowd of evangelical Midwesterners,
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| Pence's Reelection Was Far From Guaranteed |
Other than an unwavering ability to stay on message Pence brings little good to the table. It is possible much of his style flows from his hosting an Indiana radio talk show (1992–99), which he described as “Rush Limbaugh on decaf” and a local Sunday morning TV program (1995–99). Like many in the media, he locks in and drills home a point of view with an air of authority and conviction acting like it is a fact rather than an opinion.
These views tie into a post that appeared here on AdvancingTime in mid-2019 concerning his influence on President Trump. It delves into how many of us familiar with Pence viewed him as one of the most divisive and polarizing politicians in America. I explained that when the announcement was made that Trump had put him on his ticket a cheer rang out in the state of Indiana. That cheer was not signaling approval of the choice but was rather a joyous celebration that Indiana would soon be rid of the unpopular Republican Governor who was running an uphill campaign to be re-elected.
Pence is a putz, even conservative-leaning Indiana did not want him. Many Indiana voters viewed Pence as a shallow stuffed shirt and an opportunist with a history of seeking power. By selecting Pence, these voters felt Trump was selling out to the establishment in an effort to silence the Stop Trump movement at the convention. Taking Pence as his VP legitimized the claims by Trump's detractors that he was a divider that would further polarize the country.
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| Pence May Be Just A Shallow Opportunist |
Apparently, Pence has decided the way to move forward in the polls is by stabbing the man who chose him as the VP in the back. A big part of Pence's message is framing the 2024 election as a fight for the future of conservatism. Pence is calling on fellow Republicans to reject the “siren song of populism” championed by former President Donald Trump and his followers. Pence said, “Should the new populism of the right seize and guide our party, the Republican Party we’ve long known will cease to exist and the fate of American freedom would be in doubt.”
While the Pence campaign has been struggling to build momentum since its launch that does not mean he has no chance. Voters have proven they are capable of making bad choices. Ironically my claim that Pence is a putz almost galvanizes his position as the Republican's Presidential front runner. Sadly but true, My history of being very very wrong or very very right leaves little room in the middle. When Biden entered the Democratic primary I was silly enough to post an article about him having little or no chance of ever becoming President. That article haunts me. It also stands as a monument to how Yogi Berra had it right when he said, "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future."
(Republishing of this article welcomed with reference to Bruce Wilds/AdvancingTime Blog)
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