In Donald Trump‘s world, he’s top dog and everyone else is a fire hydrant. So it’s no surprise that Trump apparently settled on Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate, only to delay the formal announcement. For his willingness to join forces with Trump, Pence, who had flown to New York for the announcement, gets to be publicly humiliated and to listen to Trump say on television that he hadn’t made a final decision.
Welcome to the Trump campaign.
From a political perspective, Pence is a safe choice, particularly compared to professional loose cannons former Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Pence has the kind of credentials that calm the Republican establishment: a former U.S. Representative with traditional party views on taxes, trade and the military.
He’s also an antigay buffoon. Pence has a long history of opposing LGBTQ equality. He was a vocal opponent of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tel, complaining that it would “mainstream homosexuality.” He voted against the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes law because it advanced “a radical social agenda.” He supported a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and wanted to divert HIV funding to conversion therapy programs. Needless to say, in this year’s presidential race, he endorsed Ted Cruz.
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The pinnacle of Pence’s homophobia was signing a religious liberty bill last year. The bill was designed to target the LGBT community and to please the antigay right. What followed was an uproar that clearly caught Pence, living in a homophobic bubble, off guard.
Pence’s inability to defend his actions will go down in the annals of political history as a model of incompetency. Again and again, Pence failed to articulate any reasonable explanation for his decision or to answer simple questions about his position on LGBT rights. (Let’s face it, what could he really say?) He bumbled his way through a huge backlash, blaming the media. Ultimately, he concocted a “fix” for the bill that had the dubious distinction of pleasing nobody.
His rating in the polls cratered and have never fully recovered. If anyone is happy to see Pence join Trump’s ticket, it’s the Indiana Republican party. Pence will have to withdraw from his re-election campaign for governor, and Republicans in the state will not be weeping at his departure.
Pence is so incredibly bland and ineffectual that he really is the perfect choice for someone with a huge ego. Trump need never worry about Pence overshadowing him. If anything, Trump will have to remind himself periodically that there is someone else on the ticket.
All political punditry to the contrary, vice presidential picks rarely have an impact on the overall race. The exception is in the case of truly awful choices, like Sarah Palin, who cost John McCain 2 million votes in 2008. Unless he proves to be spectacularly inept on the campaign trail, Pence will probably be nothing more than a footnote in the campaign.
And even if he does prove to be a really dreadful candidate, Pence will always come in second to the man at the top of the ticket.
KiwiJello
It matters if Trump is trying to tank his chances of winning. Pence is poison.
DCguy
Quick Quick Log cabiners, get in here and talk about some “Scary Foreigners” and how much Pence hates them and that all lgbts should vote for the party that has as it’s platform plank the removal of all of our civil rights!
Mo Bro
I doubt it will either hurt or help him. Same with Hillary, her veep pick won’t make any real difference—from this point on, it’s all about getting the vote out in November.
@DCguy: Your comment is proof you have no desire to discuss anything rationally, only to attack those who don’t attend the Church of Progressive Activism. Which, I presume, is why I and other commenters rarely respond to your angry ravings.
DCguy
@Mo Bro:
And by discuss anything rationally, would you be referring to the fact that not once have you acknowledged the anti-lgbt GOP platform but instead keep deflecting onto other topics?
Again, your troll games of avoiding topics, and posting commentary that doesn’t accurately respond to postings is a waste of time on here. The Mormons did it much better than you during their Prop 8 debacle.
Kangol
Here’s a basic question for the conservatives: can you name one single right or legal equality relating to homosexuality, bisexuality or transgenderism that the GOP Party and non-gay conservatives have fought for and ensured that you have as a gay person in the US?
About as close as you’ll come is semi-conservative SCOTUS justice Anthony Kennedy’s support of Lawrence v. Texas, for which the GOP and conservatives attacked him harshly. It was passed only with the support of the SCOTUS liberals.
Why does the GOP continually attack gay people and why is now trying to strip away our rights and deny us equality under the law? And why is that OK with you?
1EqualityUSA
Pence was likely more acceptable than that “John Barron” guy Trump dreamed up. At least he is real.
DCguy
@Kangol:
And their response to your post will be one of three things.
1. They will pretend you posted something you didn’t, then respond to the made up post. Example, “Kangol, your ravings and attacks show that you can’t have a normal…blah blah blah…
2. They will pretend you never posted because they don’t have a reason as to why they are rabidly defending the most virulently anti-lgbt party platform ever, and defending a party that has no difference in it’s treatment of gays than some of the most repressive countries in the world.
3. They will scream about “SCARY FOREIGNERS!!!!” and claim that since the GOP apparently hates them, everybody should support them, so of course, then the GOP can attack us and kill all of our rights.
It will be one of those.
He BGB
Vice P choices rarely make a difference in the election outcome but adding Pence WILL. The people who want a big mouth wild man reality TV personality have their man and the conservative homophobic religious zealots have their man whether he has any real power is irrelevant when it comes to hate). It’s like having Trump and Ted Cruz as our leaders. And there are alot of Americans who like Trump and there are alot who think like Cruz and Pence (in my own family are people on both sides, no liberals but me). They just want someone that adores guns and hates queers. The kind who still think gay men are child molesters….Pretty scary if Trump wins for Lgbt. He was on the 700 Club yest talking to crazy Pat Robertson.
He BGB
The moderate Republican is getting pretty scarce these days. Every election now is all about social issues and that’s what gets people out to vote. I remember when gay marriage was debated on CNN years ago and I almost fell over when a moderate senator from Connecticut who was Republican was defending our right to marry. Bet he’s gone now. It was soon after that the Tea Party took over the Republican Party and tried to look like they just cared about the “economy” but were sneaky and got all or most of their candidates elected. And people like Kim Davis reared their ugly heads.
DCguy
@He BGB:
The moderate republicans have all left. If you look at the Libertarian ticket, BOTH the presidential nominee, Gary Johnson, and the VP William Weld were republican governors in the 1990’s who were pushed out of the party for being too moderate.
Bob LaBlah
Internally the situation within todays GOP has become so intolerant that even Rush Limbaugh is now considered a liberal since it was he who told the GOP to “move on” (as in shut up) about gay marriage and other things related to gays. You know if ol’ Rush finally got tired of their b/s rantings things HAD to be getting pretty bad. Has anyone noticed that he, Limbaugh, has been all but declared dead as far as preachers of their (GOP) rhetoric goes?
Bob LaBlah
Many of you guys don’t watch Fox News (and personally I don’t blame you) but if you have been tuning in you would have taken note of not only how little they and their commentators/guests are bad mouthing Hillary. I was FLOORED at the amount of time they gave the Libertarian candidates as well, all the way down to coverage of their debate. What does this tell you in regards to their “normal” coverage? Fox has stopped dead short of saying the same thing I have said since February, “we all lose this time around regardless of who wins”.
Hussain-TheCanadian
@DCguy: Not any “scary foreigners” DC……THE MUSLIMS!!!!
dean089
So were people thinking that Donald Trump was going to pick, like, Bernie Sanders for his running mate? What part of REPUBLICAN is difficult to understand? Trump, who isn’t historically conservative, picked someone who fits the Republican Party platform to a T. Duh!
NateOcean
So selecting Pence means that Trump shores up support with the far right. Trouble is, who the hell would they have voted for otherwise? Hillary?
So in effect, Trump is guaranteed to get the votes of people that would have voted for him anyway.
Way to go, Donald.
Kangol
@DCguy: I should be clear that I was being serious and respectful of the conservatives.
It’s a basic question too. Conservative benefit from all the things liberals and progressives fight hard for–repeal of anti-sodomy and anti-gay laws, equal rights and protections under civil and criminal law, legal recognition of same-sex partnerships and marriages, ending conversion therapy and all other destructive quasi-medical treatment, prosecution for anti-gay violence and murder, etc.–but what do they fight for in terms of LGBTIQ people?
Why does the GOP constantly attack gay people and target us as a threat, and why do gay conservatives remain silent given what their party keeps doing over and over?
Brian
Look, Pence is a buffoon but he’s irrelevant. VP’s are irrelevant. I mean, look at Joe Biden.
Trump himself is very liberal on gay rights issues. In fact, he’s a social liberal on other issues as well.
1EqualityUSA
The Supreme Court holds true power.
Sansacro
@Brian: Who cares how “liberal” he is over drinks at the Trump Plaza or while spouting off-the-cuff comments in front of news folk. Bully for him for unavoidable act of hiring gay people in the service industry (duh!). What matters is what legislation he pushes, what supreme court judges he nominates, in the unlikely but unpleasant possibility he becomes Prez. All indications are they won’t be gay friendly. Wake up peeps!
ErikO
@Brian: Are you going to vote for Donald or something? I’m voting for Jill Stein!
mw11
No one in our community has convincingly articulated why the gay community is so bizarrely pro-Democrat when those same politicians have not supported you much at all (despite you so fervently thinking so), especially when it was politically disadvantageous for them. In our community, Trump is bizarrely always painted as a villain. The first comment approved on this article called his VP candidate “poison” within 12 hours of his nomination. Classy.
Please also do your research on both the shrewd and cunning Hill@ry and Bernie, whose unsupportive stances on the LGBT community over the years are far worse—changing, inconsistent, opportunistic, creeping and sinister.
Hill@ry has a very, very dubious record on gay rights, despite her cute “H” logos using our rainbows, political opportunism and her shrewd social media teams. So too has Ob@ma used your community for your votes. He too has a shifty and disgraceful record against gay rights before he changed his mind and bizarrely convinced you to vote for him nationally and make you think he’s supportive.
Keep an open mind yourselves, people, just as you suggest that other people do.
jag4313
My boyfriend is a Log Cabin Republican and not only was he disappointed in Trump winning the nomination, he’s even more disappointed about Pence. This is the first time in he will ever be voting Democrat. We can only hope these other L.C.R. will feel the same way.
Mo Bro
@mw11: Well said.
Bob LaBlah
@mw11: “Hill@ry”.
The fact that you have to be creative to speak your mind about certain people tells you what as far as censoring across the board on the internet has become this election cycle? This is disturbing and its not just this site that is doing this. Numerous websites that support candidates across the aisle are doing it as well. The NYPost and NYDailynews no longer have comment sections because they refuse to support the GOP nominee (I can’t mention his name half the time either). I tried to say the name of our president during the 1980’s numerous times as well as a certain political commentator who ran for president in 1992 in comments here over the past three months or so and was denied (or should I say put in “moderation” so many times I just gave up). Its really laughable because only a fool believes they can force a “one voice” panel and no once notices it.
Sluggo2007
Not only is Pence an idiot, he’s from Indiana. That should speak volumes. Pass the corn, please.
GayEGO
Mike Pence is against LGBT equal rights and I cannot imagine any LGBT would support Pence or Trump. Hopefully the LGBTs will add to Hillary’s votes.
Kangol
@mw11: What on earth are you blathering about? Barack Obama supported LGBTQ rights as an Illinois state senator. It’s on the record. He’s pushed and enacted the most far-reaching pro-gay, pro-LGBTQ legislation AND policies in the history of the United States of America. There is not a SINGLE Republican or conservative official, not one, who has even come close. If there is, as I respectfully asked before, NAME HER OR HIM. You can’t. And your party–and conservatives in general–are STILL attack gay people. Say what you will about Hillary Clinton but nothing she’s done comes close to the likes of the anti-gay GOP!
scotshot
@Mo Bro: You should check out progressive christianity which supports all human rights and doesn’t spread hate as so many christian sects which are leftover from the Iron Age.
Your smug attitude is a fail.
scotshot
@Brian: Biden is the one who pushed President Obama into dealing with LGBTQs right to marry, if he didn’t we wouldn’t have it today.
Trump is as far right as you are and he backs abolishing gay marriage and gay rights, this information is all over, do keep up.
Isn’t it time for you and the other 85 year old spinsters to go pray for Pence?
Mo Bro
@scotshot: Well, Scotty . . .
a) I’m not a Christian, so I’m not sure what your point is, and
b) I bet you’re a Muslim apologist like 98% of the gobsmackingly blind liberals out there, so your smug attitude toward religion is a fail.
DCguy
@mw11: stated: “No one in our community has convincingly articulated why the gay community is so bizarrely pro-Democrat when those same politicians have not supported you much at all (despite you so fervently thinking so), especially when it was politically disadvantageous for them. In our community, Trump is bizarrely always painted as a villain. ”
————-
Oh, now THIS is an oldie but a goodie. For YEARS, the GOP keeps saying that they are better on all the issues, but their excuse for not winning the White House was “People just haven’t heard our message”.
When multiple people in each article outline specifics, about the anti-lgbt policies of the GOP, and the GOP supporters NEVER outline WHY lgbts should vote republic, I love the nerve of anybody claiming that nobody has articulated it.
Well gee, here’s one. The fact that the GOP platform states clearly that they want t o strip away rights. Oooops, forget that one?
Mo Bro, if you’re going to fake a screename, at least try to have them sound a LITTLE different from you, and don’t make it so obvious that they are a sock-puppet by ALWAYS replying to them enthusiastically.