Pence exits with slap at GOP populism
Former Vice President Mike Pence's announcement in Iowa last week that he is exiting the GOP race for the presidency wasn't surprising. He polled near 4 percent in a contest that had his former boss, Donald Trump, dominating. Pence's campaign suffered many flaws — including difficulty in criticizing a front-runner who routinely mocked him — but ultimately was undone by shifting attitudes within his party.
Pence's brand of conservatism often conflicts with our libertarian approach, but when push came to shove, the former vice president did the right thing. He refused to abet Trump's cynical — and probably illegal — plan to overturn the election. “(M)y oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” he explained.
Yet it's long been obvious that Pence represents a Republican Party that no longer exists. “This is not my time,” he said during his exit speech. He's recently offered pointed warnings to a party that once celebrated the principles of Ronald Reagan, who championed free markets, international trade and a hawkish foreign policy. In Iowa, he urged the GOP to reject “the siren song of populism” — a welcome message even if it's too little, too late.
Pence's “Time for Choosing” speech (and Wall Street Journal column) last month was even modeled on Reagan's famous 1964 speech. In it, Pence warned if the GOP chooses populism it will place America's liberties at risk given the nation will no longer have a major party devoted to advancing freedom.
The GOP's traditional opponent, he argued, was progressive socialism — and its dominance in the Democratic Party. But GOP populists would also “substitute our faith in limited government and traditional values for an agenda stitched together by personal grievances and performative outrage.”
These populists “would abandon American leadership on the world stage, embracing a posture of appeasement in the face of rising threats to freedom.” Although we advocate for a more restrained foreign policy than the one embraced by Pence and Reagan conservatives, we generally agree.
Pence also took a swipe at a “leading candidate” — who could that be? — who once “called for the `termination' of `all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,' while his imitators have demonstrated willingness to brandish government power to silence critics.”
Furthermore, he said populists “would have us trade in our time-honored principles for passing public opinion.” That's spot on. Republican populists echo the Left by wanting to use government to advance their cultural preferences. Populist intellectuals openly challenge traditional conservatives who insist on playing within the rules established by our founders.
Pence is correct the divide between the two groups is unbridgeable: “Like our founders, we know the imperfect nature of men and women and that granting them unlimited power imperils liberty. That is why we have a brilliant system of checks and balances, divisions of authority, coequal branches of government and sovereign state governments.”
After seven years of Trumpian showboating, it was refreshing to hear a Republican speak for the GOP's longheld limited-government principles. Typical of Pence, however, his comments come late in the game. The party already made its choice, but at least he left a forward-looking blueprint for Republicans once the populist fever breaks.
Your editorial board is just so very liberal!
Re “HB goes ahead with library censors” (Nov. 2):
Well it's good to know, not surprising, but still disappointing all the same, that your editorial board is another liberally biased media outlet in this state.
There used to be a fair amount of conservatives in Orange County. I'm not sure of the percentage anymore but I can assure you we are underrepresented in the media.
The column today, “Huntington Beach goes ahead with dystopian library censors,” is a clear attack on conservatives and conservative values. God forbid there are many (if not most) of us who don't want our kids to have liberal garbage ideology forced upon them and gender/sexuality nonsense shoved down their throats. Good for the Huntington Beach City Council and shame on the editorial board.
— Jennifer Ingles, Orange
Hamas-Israel Gaza war: Is the end game annihilation of each other or a peace accord that works for all?
Similar to the Troubles in Northern Ireland (1968-1998), the Israeli-Palestinian wars are between ethnically identical peoples who are native to the region for over 3,000 years.
The sectarian differences, Islam-Judaism, have existed since 600-700 AD. The twostate peace solution is unlikely to bring about true reconciliation. As I see it, the only solution is to merge Gaza into Israel as one state, with Palestinians accepted as fellow countrymen by Israelis and vice versa. Hamas and its terrorism and vitriol has to go. Israeli settlers encroaching on Gaza land have to be labeled as poachers and land stealers, and stop their aggression. The Old Testament “eye for an eye” retaliation from both sides has to go in the 21st century. A one nation is a win-win outcome. The international community, as well as many reasonable Israelis and Palestinians, should broker this deal and end the horrific bloodbath and suffering of war.
— George Chung, Redlands
United Airlines flight attendants' lawsuit
Re “Flight attendants want answers from Dodgers” (Nov. 1):
I read with bemusement the lawsuit that the United Airlines flight attendants filed for racial discrimination because they were not selected to work on L.A. Dodger charter flights due to age and not being White. This is the same airline that has announced that it will preferentially hire pilots based on being nonWhite, with aviation skills being a less important consideration. I'm going to sit back, relax and see how this lawsuit shakes out. It will be settled, I predict, since United will have trouble proving that they don't use race-based hiring.
— Andre Beverly, Torrance
RVs for the homeless right here in Granada Hills
Re “RVs eyed as possible homeless shelters” (Nov. 1):
Been there, done that. During the pandemic, the powers that be decided to move rows of RVs into the Granada Hills parking lot. They put up fencing and had 24-hour security.
Because those living on the street didn't want to abide by any rules, they ignored the free housing and set up tents outside the fencing and further dirtied the surrounding area.
Our leaders keep trying the same solutions to these problems and getting the same poor results. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Start coming up with new and better ideas and stop wasting our tax dollars.
— Susan Mueller, Granada Hills
Immigration crisis across the states of the nation
Re “In Chicago, a neighborhood of immigrants at odds over arrivals” (Nov. 1):
Wow! When the immigration problem is hundreds of miles away, people are all sympathetic for the “plight” of immigrants, and say that people should “do more” for these immigrants.
However, when the immigration issue is right at their doorstep, this do more attitude comes into question.
They are now getting an idea of what people of the bordering states (e.g., California, Texas, Arizona) have been dealing with for years.
And, their idea about “helping” immigrants is now changed. Welcome to the real world!
— Scott Irwin, Fullerton