Mike Pence
November 29, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
In the run-up to this year’s election, when I thought Hillary Clinton would win, I speculated about what a post-Trump GOP would look like. It seemed to me that the Party might settle on a synthesis that mixed two doses of traditional conservatism with one dose of Trumpianism. Based on Trump’s early moves, especially his appointments, it looks like this might be the formula. Except I’m not sure about the
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November 22, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Of course not. But that’s the theory of a liberal Washington Post writer called Catherine Rampell. She writes: I. . .wouldn’t be surprised if Pence attended Friday’s performance specifically hoping, or at least expecting, to stoke boos and a brouhaha that would ultimately rouse the Republican base — and distract from much more embarrassing Trump-related news. What embarrassing Trump-related news? The Trump University settlement, foreign diplomats booking stays at Trump’s
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November 21, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Conservatives critics have written favorably about the musical “Hamilton.” Alexander Hamilton is, after all, a hero to some conservatives. And conservatives are inclined to be pleased any time large audiences are exposed to American history in a manner that doesn’t abuse or demean men like Hamilton. In the case of “Hamilton,” conservative critics found the history presented to be serious and reasonably accurate. Even so, I couldn’t help suspecting that,
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November 20, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
John has written about what happened when Mike Pence attended the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” yesterday. First, members of the audience booed Pence when he and his family took their seats. Then, when the performance was over and the Pences were exiting, a member of the cast read a harangue against Donald Trump, on behalf of the cast, that was addressed to the vice president-elect. In response, Trump went on
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October 5, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Assuming that Donald Trump loses this year’s presidential race, who is likely to be the GOP nominee in 2020? The FiveThirtyEight crew takes a stab at this question (as well as the Democrats’ side of the equation). The discussion is too snarky and anti-Republican for my taste, but worthwhile nonetheless. Here (in no special order) are the six Republicans I consider most likely to be the nominee in four year:
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October 5, 2016 — Scott Johnson
The GOP has compiled the video below of Tim Kaine making his presence felt in the vice-presidential debate event last night. The video keeps a running tabulation of Kaine interruptions that reaches 72. It seems to me that Kaine must have set some kind of a record for obnoxious behavior in such events. To surpass Joe Biden’s performance against Paul Ryan in 2012 on that score, Kaine had to go
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October 5, 2016 — Scott Johnson
The vice-presidential debate between Senator Tim Kaine and Governor Mike Pence last night gave us two sides of Kaine: Kaine can’t and Kaine cant. Kaine can’t say he’ll be Clinton’s right-hand man. No, he’ll be her “right-hand person.” When it comes to men, Democrats are riding the culture wave and would prefer not to distinguish between men and women for certain purposes. Announcing himself Hillary Clinton’s right-hand man wouldn’t be
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October 4, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
There were really two debates tonight during the Kaine-Pence encounter. The first was a policy debate in which the key questions were whether, on a range of issues, Obama administration is a success and whether there’s a need for major change. The second was a debate over the merits of Donald Trump and, more particularly, whether a wide range of statements by Trump can be defended. Mike Pence won the
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October 4, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
I don’t believe a vice presidential debate has ever influenced the outcome of an election. The most consequential ones have, however, stopped the bleeding afterthe presidential candidate flopped in his first debate. Vice President Cheney’s performance against John Edwards in 2004 is the best example. But one could also cite George H.W. Bush in 1984 (against Geraldine Ferraro) and perhaps Joe Biden in 2012 (against Paul Ryan). Donald Trump flopped
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August 9, 2016 — Scott Johnson
Nebraska attorney Dave Begley has filed another of his reports from Council Bluffs, this one on the appearance of GOP vice presidential candidate Mike Pence. Close readers may observe that Pence’s positive case for Trump is a little thin. Dave reports: Governor Mike Pence appeared in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Monday night. He has the personality of a likable guy. He should be effective in raising money and getting votes
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July 16, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Donald Trump introduced Mike Pence today as his running mate. Pence showed a fair amount of prowess as a candidate in his speech accepting the nod. Rich Lowry says that Trump seemed to be “doing everything he could to signal his lack of enthusiasm about his own pick–he rambled on during the introduction, only occasionally coming back to Pence and his record in Indiana.” That’s not how I saw it.
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July 14, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
It’s widely being reported that Donald Trump has decided to name Mike Pence as his running mate. According to Patricia Murphy at Roll Call, Trump “was reportedly impressed with Pence’s calm demeanor, his experience on Capitol Hill and as a governor, and Pence’s potential to assist Trump in governing, should the ticket win in November.” If Trump has picked Pence for these reasons, then I’m impressed. In my view, Pence
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July 11, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Rich Lowry believes that Mike Pence might well “fizzle” if he becomes Donald Trump’s running mate. He writes: I understand the impulse for Trump to pick Pence — an experienced pol, in good standing with conservatives, and not much of a lightning rod, at least not yet. . . .But Trump’s running mate will have to be extremely deft at explaining away and deflecting Trump controversies. There is no reason
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July 11, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
I wrote here about the possibility of a Trump-Pence GOP ticket. It’s far from clear that Mike Pence is Donald Trump’s first choice, but it seemed to me that Pence probably would accept the nod if Trump offered it. Eliana Johnson reports that Pence would, indeed, likely agree to be Trump’s running mate. Why? Because Pence, who is embroiled in a tough reelection campaign in Indiana, “may have more to
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July 6, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
Ever since Trump won the Indiana primary, thus becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, folks have been speculating about his choice for vice president. Talk has centered mainly around Newt Gingrich and Chris Christie. The tier just behind Gingrich and Christie has been occupied by Bob Corker and Joni Ernst. However, both now say they don’t want to tapped. Neither Gingrich nor Christie holds much appeal for many conservatives. Speaking for
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April 29, 2016 — Paul Mirengoff
With only a few days remaining before the Indiana primary, Gov. Mike Pence has endorsed Ted Cruz. He did so during a radio interview this morning. Pence began by praising Donald Trump. He stated: I like and respect all three of the Republican candidates in the field. I particularly want to commend Donald Trump who I think has given voice to the frustration of millions of working Americans with a
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