Posted on 07/14/2016 7:50:28 PM PDT by bd476
If there's anything resembling a "safe" vice-presidential pick for Donald Trump, Mike Pence is it. He has executive experience as Indiana's governor and a strong legislative resume from his 12 years as a member of the US House of Representatives.
While in Washington, he chaired the Republican Study Group, a coalition of hard-core conservatives, which gives him solid bona fides among the grass-roots Tea Party wing of the party that has occasional doubts about Mr Trump's ideological purity.
Mr Pence also hails from the mid-west, which Mr Trump's team has identified as perhaps the key battleground in his quest for the White House.
In Republican circles Mr Pence's record isn't entirely clean, however.
Some on the right have criticised the governor for backing down when the state's "religious liberty" law was challenged by LGBT activists and local businesses last year.
Mr Pence's decision to expand government health-care coverage for Indiana's poor is also considered ideological heresy by some.
The real question, however, is whether Mr Pence has the rhetorical dexterity to both fulfil the traditional running-mate role of political attack dog on the stump and the nominee's most ardent defender.
Before his current job, Mr Pence, 57, spent 12 years in Washington as a congressman.
His legislative experience and position of governor of a Midwestern state could give Mr Trump advantages in the general election...
End of excerpt. Article contnues at BBC
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Pence is very tight with the Never Trumpers including Jeb Bush and the Koch Brothers. He is said to have loathed Trump. Wait until people start coming forward with how Pence played Trump.
Indiana governor, Mike Pence, might be a long shot candidate for the presidency as of 2014, but with the Koch brothers support he is sure to make a big splash in the 2016 presidential election.
Mike Pence attended a recent off-the-record New York dinner party that was hosted by the conservative magazine “The American Spectator”. Pence was seated with David Koch. Koch’s family foundation is one of the largest donors to The American Spectator, which operates as a 501(c) 3 non-profit. Other people seated at the table included Conservative anti- tax czar, Grover Norquist and Thomas Lehrman, the co-founder of the Gerson Lehrman Group and a former George W. Bush administration appointee.
Pence has been shoring up his Conservative credentials by canning the Common Core in Indiana and giving Reagan-like speeches where he espouses the virtues of Conservatism.
“We must demand that renewed Republican leadership… permanently reduce the size and scope of the federal government by restoring to the states and to the people those resources and responsibilities that are rightfully theirs under the Constitution of the United States,” he stated recently.
Pence stated firmly his feelings on big government, “It’s impossible to read the Constitution of the United States without understanding it as a document of a limited federal government that contemplates that there would be those responsibilities and resources—and those functions of government—many of which would be best administered at the state level.” He specifically cited education, welfare and transportation as the areas to cut federal spending. It seems as the Koch Brothers my have found their man in Pence. Recently, Matt Lloyd, a longtime spokesman for Pence during his time in Congress, was recently hired by Koch Industries as their communications director in Washington. The Kochs gave Pence $200,000 for his 2012 governor’s race, and the Koch-backed Americans For Prosperity fought Indiana House Republicans last year when Pence’s proposed income tax cut ran into opposition.
Being a neighbor governor, Iowans will give Mike Pence a long look, but if he brings the kind of negative, big money advertising from 501’s that come with the Koch Brothers candidates, he will find it hard to win the the hearts of the down-to-earth Iowans or the 2016 Iowa Caucus.
http://2016iowacaucus.com/indiana-governor-mike-pence-to-run-in-2016/
Looks like the Koch Brothers won this round. They got their guy in as number 2 and will expect to get their agenda done through Pence, including Cabinet picks, etd.
Mike Pence is a stud duck!
AFAIK, this has been denied by Trump.
That's one expression I've never heard yet not sure I want to hear the definition. ;)
Interesting, thanks Pic7.
Thanks for the link RC One. :)
Trump wants to keep the media guessing.
But AFAWK, its Pence.
You could say IN is a cinch for Trump. Oh wait - he would still have won it without Pence.
Its a solid GOP state.
After that hell-fire and brimstone interview with Hannity tonight I hope he chooses Mr. Newt as his running mate.....maybe he already has and will surprise the heck out of every pundit in the world.
My earlier post:
...
Local ABC News just gave another Breaking News announcement:
Donald Trump is on a local fund-raising visit today.
Local ABC News confirmed "again" that Mike Pence has "officially been offered the VP slot by Donald Trump" and that Pence has "formally accepted."
Local ABC News said that Trump "also announced" that he had delayed his announcement, which had been scheduled for tomorrow, due to the Nice, France terrorist strike today.
USA Today/ Indianapolis Star Headline and link only:
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is Donald Trump's VP pick
CNN updated and confirmed again the story at 8:31 pm Eastern time.
ABC National News also just confirmed that Pence is the official VP nominee.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3449483/posts?page=104#104
And also here:
If CNN, ABC local and national news outlets lied about Trump's campaign "officially disclosing" that Donald Trump had "officially" asked Mike Pence to be his running mate, and that Mike Pence had "formally accepted;" then BBC News also is lying in their headline story from nearly five hours ago.
If it's all a terrible lie, the media walking back the story might be at least interesting to watch.
BBC: Donald Trump chooses Mike Pence as his running mate
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3449483/posts?page=111#111
Dawgreg, undoubtedly it would surprise a number of them.
Knowing Trump it’s not Pence. It’s a fake out. The announcement is definitely delayed. He announced it on O’Reilly’s show tonight.
Is this the media getting Trump wrong again or is it the media trying to steal his thunder. I don’t think I recall ever seeing a headline in an election year stating who the pick is before the candidate SAYS who it is…any thoughts anyone?
It is a solid republican state but a favorite son, Evan Bayh, is coming home to run for the open Senate seat. A popular former 2 term Demcrat governor, family man. There were rumblings of a difficult race for Republicans and how that would affect the Presidential race.
Mike Pence was, also, squishy with the issue of illegal immigration, but he seems to be much more conservative, now, on the issue of illegal immigration.
Pence is a poor choice, very poor, very very poor choice. Pence as a VP sends a confused message to the BLTGQ crowd, which since PULSE, the general observation was inclusion and not what Pence’s legislature portfolio clearly demonstrates. Very poor decision. Very very poor.
Thanks for that post. It was informative.
Up, until now I was not too familiar with Pence’s record but after reading the posted link, I somehow have a very unsure feeling about him. He seems to be very “flippy-floppy” on a whole lot of issues. His voting record is disturbing and he seems to be in pockets of “big business” very firmly.
I think Trump may regret his choice for there were other’s with vast political experience and proven conservatism available whom he passed up.
I wasn’t thrilled with Pence, but Newt can’t say enough good things about Pence and his conservative credentials. I hope he’s right.
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