PENCE PASSES TRUMP VEEP AUDITION
Indiana governor could provide calm balance to fiery personality topping Republican ticket
During his audition for the role of Donald Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence read his five-minute speech flawlessly. He tossed out enough red meat rhetoric about Obamacare and Benghazi to turn what had been a relatively lukewarm initial response into a roar by the end. He heaped praise on Trump in a reverential, vice presidential way.
And he displayed the raw ambition that you’d expect from a politician seeking to move up the political ladder.
“Donald Trump knows that we can make America great again,” Pence said at Tuesday night rally, then fired up the crowd by declaring,“Hillary Clinton must never become the president of the United States of America.” Alluding to a phrase from FBI Director James Comey, Pence even got a laugh by reading a line that said, “It would be extremely careless to elect Hillary Clinton.”
Did Pence perform well enough to push past Newt Gingrich and perhaps others in the Trump running-mate reality show? Well, as Trump himself said, “Who the hell knows?” But Pence certainly didn’t hurt himself. He will be the guy if Trump is looking for a second banana who won’t attempt to upstage him, who will seemingly do and say exactly as told, and whose calm demeanor will provide balance to a fiery ticket. SYRUPY SINCERITY The two Republicans rallied at the massive Grand Park sports park in Westfield, Ind., railing against Democrats, inertia and government spending in a lovely and bold-thinking monument to extravagant government spending. Dozens of horribly dishonest local and national media (well, that was how Trump described us, though I think he was referring to the national folks) were on hand to capture one of the final moments in the GOP veepstakes. Anyone looking for big news was disappointed, but the night did offer a bit of clarity.
Can Pence perform in the role of running mate? It appears he can. Can he play the attack role of so many running mates past? Well, not as well as some for whom that comes naturally, but he can do it. Does he help the ticket? I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem the Trump campaign is lacking for thundering critics of the other side, and if that is what he wants, then Gingrich is the man for the job.
The joint appearance came more than two months after Pence endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz in the heat of the Indiana primary — an endorsement that Pence so muddled it almost sounded like he was backing Trump. The wishy-washy approach paid off handsomely, sparing Pence a war with Trump (and an unflattering nickname) and leading since then to one of the most surprising developments of this strange election year.
That would be the emergence of Pence — a struggling red-state governor who is a key member of the religious and socially conservative political right, a man who has long aimed for syrupy sincerity as opposed to angry or negative politics — as a Trump favorite. ‘GOOD SECOND CHOICE’ A Wall Street Journal article Wednesday quoted Trump as saying he wanted as his running mate a “fighter skilled in hand-tohand combat” on the campaign trail. Despite Pence’s jabs at President Obama and Hillary Clinton Tuesday night, that sure sounded like a nod toward Gingrich. Pence has a lot of skills and a deep record of political success. But hand-to-hand combat is not what you think of when you think of Pence.
Funny thing is, even in the middle of Indiana, where Pence is in a tight reelection race, most of the Trump supporters I spoke with Tuesday night said they hoped Trump would pick not their own governor but rather Gingrich, the former speaker of the U.S. House.
Shelia Puckett of Westfield, for instance, said she was worried that Pence, whom she supports as governor, wouldn’t do much to help Trump attract the votes he needs to win the election. “I’m just very surprised that he is in the running,” she said.
Jim Tritz, also of Westfield, called Pence “a good second choice” but expressed concern that the polished Pence represents politics as usual at a time when many voters desperately want radical change.
Others who said they were OK with a Pence pick said he would provide a bit of calm to a campaign that might need it. “It would be good to have a cool and collected counterbalance to Trump,” said Christina Lewellen of Indianapolis. But she added that her first choice as a running mate would be former secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
In a state where Trump is more popular than Pence, the process has undoubtedly given Pence a boost in many quarters. But it has also added weight to the argument that Pence has long seen the governor’s office as little more than a stepping stone.