CAL THOMAS COMMENTARY OCTOBER 31, 2023
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE HAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE. HE NEVER HAD A CHANCE BECAUSE HE HAD MADE ENEMIES ON TWO SIDES.
AS A WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL NOTED: “BY TEMPERMENT AND EXPERIENCE, MR. PENCE WOULD MAKE A GOOD PRESIDENT. BUT HIS CAMPAIGN OF TRADITIONAL CONSERVATIVE POLICIES AND CIVILITY NEVER CAUGHT ON. MAGA VOTERS WOULDN’T FORGIVE HIM FOR STANDING UP TO MR. TRUMP’S ATTEMPT TO OVERTURN THE 2020 ELECTION, WHILE ANTI-TRUMP VOTERS WOULDN’T FORGIVE HIS FOUR YEARS AS MR. TRUMP’S NUMBER TWO.”
WHAT BOTH SIDES DON’T KNOW IS HOW MIKE PENCE KEPT TRUMP FROM MOSTLY GOING OFF THE RAILS. MANY OF TRUMP’S POLICIES WERE THE RESULT OF ADVICE GIVEN BY PENCE. PENCE IS AN EXPERIENCED POLITICIAN, HAVING ALSO SERVED AS A CONGRESSMAN AND GOVERNOR OF INDIANA.
TOO MANY REPUBLICAN VOTERS HAVE CAST MORAL INTEGRITY AND CIVILITY ASIDE. EVANGELICALS WHO SAID INTEGRITY MATTERED WHEN IT CAME TO BILL CLINTON FORGOT ABOUT INTEGRITY WHEN IT CAME TO TRUMP.
PENCE WILL CAMPAIGN FOR OTHER GOP CANDIDATES, BUT IT WOULD APPEAR HIS POLITICAL CAREER IS OVER. IT’S A CLICHÉ TO SAY HE WILL BE MISSED, BUT HE WILL. I’M CAL THOMAS.
Good article. Under normal circumstances Pence could have done a very good job. You correctly pointed out the importance of character regarding both Clinton and Trump, a theme over which you should forcefully maintain your resolve. Unfortunately it speaks to the state of things whereby nobody can buy or sell in the Republican party without the mark of the orange beast in his forehead or hand. Pence obviously was never going to win over any MAGA cultists, and by waiting too long to come out against the insurrectionist element destroyed his credibility with the other side. The only hope is to persuade those who claim the name of our Savior Jesus Christ that casting their lot with someone lacking a sense of accountability to any authority outside himself (2 Thessalonians 2 man of lawlessness) is like seeking help from Egypt (Isaiah, Jeremiah) and as you have said more than once is a Faustian bargain. As you once quoted JFK, we Christians can do better.
Cal Thomas nailed it! I’ve long believed the good policies from the Trump administration are to Pence’s credit. Trump trashed Pence and lost my vote.
To say Trump trashed Pence is an understatement, allowing his demon-possessed partisans to indulge the infamous chant of wanting to hang the vice president. It had puzzled me why Trump governed as a conservative given his apparent lack of core beliefs (I wanted to say conviction although Trump may get some well-deserved convictions in a different realm). Now Thomas ha⁸s finally clarified that riddle, although it would have been helpful had he done so more forcefully when it could have made more of a difference.