Mike Pence

The State Of The Republican Presidential Race On Independence Day!

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With about 7 weeks to the first Republican Presidential Primary Debate on August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the state of the race is that Donald Trump is running away with the nomination, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis about thirty five points behind him, and everyone else in the dust, although Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie each have at least a few percent of the vote.

DeSantis has become a total flop, and only Chris Christie has been willing to take on Trump in an organized fashion, with all others avoiding criticism.

It now seems as even if Trump is indicted two more times, which seems highly likely, and even if convicted, that the Republican Party is selling its soul to the twice impeached President who incited the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection.

This is very disturbing, and makes one wonder what future the party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and Reagan has, with many, including this author and blogger, with the 170th anniversary of the founding of the party in Ripon, Wisconsin occurring in the summer of 2024, just as the party holds its convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

Wisconsin will be one of the major battlegrounds of the Presidential race, and the Midwest will be a key factor in the Electoral College, as the Democratic Party holds its convention in Chicago, Illinois!

Donald Trump To Be Indicted In South Florida Court On Tuesday June 13

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Donald Trump is about to be the first President to be federally indicted, on 37 counts of violation of the Espionage Act; unauthorized retention of national security documents at his Palm Beach estate Mar a Lago; conspiracy to break the law knowingly; obstruction to conceal records; false statements to law enforcement officers; and likely mishandling of official documents, and other charges not yet made public before next Tuesday in a South Florida federal court.

If Trump had not retained documents he was not allowed to have in his private possession, and then refused to hand them all back to the government in a timely fashion, this situation would never have developed as it has!

This is a sad moment, but unavoidable for upholding the Constitution, rule of law, and American democracy.

This is a crisis time now, as Trump supporters could be liable to conduct themselves as they did on January 6, 2021, and provoke violence and bloodshed anywhere and everywhere.

And the Republican Party, with only a few exceptions, is falling in line behind Trump, accusing the Biden Presidency of having conspired against an opponent, continuing their defense of a man who incited an insurrection against the government, and put former Vice President Mike Pence and all members of Congress into danger of bloodshed and violence on January 6, 2021.

It is the grand jury that is bringing charges based on evidence, not the President or anyone else in the government, as the right wing extremists are claiming.

No one is above the law, and Donald Trump now stands as twice impeached, and twice indicted, with the likelihood of still two more indictments at the minimum, regarding the Insurrection and the interference in Georgia voting!

Mike Pence And Chris Christie Enter The Presidential Race

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Between yesterday and today, two more contenders for the Republican Presidential nomination have announced their candidacies to challenge former President Donald Trump.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have very little opportunity, as the situation stands at the moment, to be successful in their quest for the Presidency.

Pence will be on a CNN Town Hall tonight, and Christie is well known for having ability to speak up and gain interviews without any issues.

Christie will be the most critical of any Republican candidate, but Pence is expected to avoid much criticism of his former boss, wishing not to alienate MAGA supporters.

If anything, Christie might have more credibility than Pence, who comes across as very weak and unwilling to emphasize how his life was in danger on January 6.

But with the Republican Party demanding all participants in the first Republican debate on Fox News Channel on Wednesday August 23 to take an oath to support the party nominee, Christie might not be eligible to participate in party debates.

Mike Pence is trying to use evangelical Christians in Iowa to promote his candidacy, while Chris Christie is appealing to New Hampshire as his location to advance his candidacy.

Mike Pence Needs To Be Blunt About Donald Trump At Upcoming CNN Town Hall!

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Former Vice President Mike Pence is ready to announce his Presidential candidacy on Wednesday, June 7, and that evening there will be a CNN Town Hall in Iowa, hosted by Dana Bash.

This will be an event mostly ignored, as CNN has lost its credibility, and it seems almost unfair to have Dana Bash be put into the position of hosting this event.

The only thing about Mike Pence that is positive, is that, after consultation with former Vice President Dan Quayle and others, that he did the necessary and right thing by refusing to consider any electoral vote changes that Donald Trump and his criminal insurrectionists tried to foist on the country at the time of the January 6 US Capitol attack.

Those supporting Trump wanted Pence hanged, and there was a noose outside the US Capitol that day, and Trump did nothing to discourage possible violence against his own Vice President, a man a heartbeat away from the Presidency!

Now, Pence has been critical of Trump for his support of Kim Jong Un of North Korea and Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, but little else has yet been said by Pence about anything else involving his former boss.

Dana Bash needs to ask, and Mike Pence needs to answer, about the need to repudiate Trump for January 6, and to make clear of the danger of Trump’s potential nomination for President in 2024.

Pence also needs to make clear he would not support the Republican party nominee if it is Trump, and to show guts and courage, realizing his own potential candidacy is a long shot.

Pence needs to think of the future of his country, and show courage and boldness similar to former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney and former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger!

Proud Boys Sedition Convictions Now Point To Donald Trump!

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The conviction of four “Proud Boys” leaders of seditious conspiracy connected to the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection now brings up an issue!

Should the government pursue such charges against former President Donald Trump, who certainly, by his words and actions to interfere with the counting of the Electoral College votes, provoked and encouraged the actions of not just these specific individuals, but the thousands of rioters who invaded and caused damage to the US Capitol, and endangered Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and all of the US House and Senate members?

How could any sane person disagree with pursuit of prosecution of the former President, who even now speaks of suspending and destroying the Constitution, and vows retribution and revenge, and pledges pardons of all January 6 seditionists?

The only way to prevent a future situation with another President is immediate action, and severe punishment, so that never again will we have a person like Donald Trump promoting the destruction of American democracy and establishment of an authoritarian government!

Nikki Haley Goes Low, And It Clinches Her Doom In Presidential Race!

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Former Republican Governor of South Carolina and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley once had great promise and a future in American politics.

But now, that is totally gone, as she has revealed herself to be rude, nasty, and lacking sensitivity on the issue of age and race!

To claim that electing Joe Biden in 2024 insures that Kamala Harris will be President is clearly a disgusting attack on both the age and race fronts!

Why would anyone who was decent claim that Joe Biden almost certainly will not be alive to finish a second term at age 86, when no one can possibly know the age longevity of anyone?

Just because Joe Biden “flubs” every once in awhile is not proof of lack of mental agility, and his half century experience in government is invaluable, and the lack of respect for him is atrocious!

Donald Trump is only three and a half years younger, so who can say, with him being in poor physical shape, and his clear mental and emotional disorders, would live for five years. And he is, of course a threat and danger to American democracy, as he has already proved that to be so in his incitement of the January 6 US Capitol Insurrection, and his assertion that he wants revenge and retribution, which motivates him to run in 2024!

The elderly population over 65 is not going to take kindly to such ageism on Haley’s part!

And it is clear that Haley, herself of South Asian heritage, is using the race card, that the world will collapse if a black mixed race woman, who has superb credentials, possibly might succeed to the White House if Biden were to pass away!

This is the same hysteria that was visited upon Barack Obama, as racism continues to be promoted and encouraged by Republicans!

Kamala Harris is better qualified to be President than any Republican woman who might be in the mix as a Vice Presidential running mate for the Republicans, with or without Donald Trump as the Presidential nominee!

Would Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kari Lake, Kristi Noem, or even Nikki Haley herself come with better credentials than Kamala Harris?

The answer is clearly “NO”, as Harris has proved herself in many years of experience in California state government, as a US Senator, and now Vice President, and is certainly better in “performance” than past Vice Presidents for the Republican Party, including Mike Pence, Dan Quayle, Spiro Agnew, or failed Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin!

Three Likely Republican Contenders For The White House Are Trump Critics!

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There are three potential Republican Presidential contenders who are standing out as major critics of Donald Trump.

None of the three have announced they will run, but it seems likely they will do so.

They are:

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu

And Sununu is an outlier, in that he is saying that the Republicans need to stop trying to outlaw abortion nationally, as former Vice President Mike Pence and many other Republicans are advocating.

The question is whether any one of these three individuals can overcome the tremendous edge of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, and even others, including Mike Pence, Tim Scott, and Nikki Haley.

The South Dominates In Potential Republican Presidential Contenders!

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The American South was the area that revolted against the federal government, and seceded from the Union in 1860-1861, culminating in the American Civil War (1861-1865), with the Republican Party representing the Union cause, and the Democratic Party being dominant in the South.

The South remained strongly Democratic until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed under Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Since then, most of the South has become strongly Republican, and promoters of white supremacy and Christian Nationalism, to the point that most of the potential Republican Presidential contenders in 2024 derive from the South!

These include the following:

Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Marco Rubio, and Rick Scott of Florida
Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott of Texas
Asa Hutchinson and Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Nikki Haley and Tim Scott of South Carolina
Glenn Youngkin of Virginia

These eleven Republicans are not all sure bets to run, but all have been rumored, although some seem to be backing away from doing so.

Other potential contenders come from the Northeast area of the US, including

Chris Sununu of New Hampshire
Chris Christie of New Jersey
Larry Hogan of Maryland

And finally, from the Midwest area of the US, we have such potential contenders as

Mike Pence of Indiana
Mike Pompeo of Kansas
Josh Hawley of Missouri
Kristi Noem of South Dakota
Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

And finally, we have Liz Cheney of Wyoming

Mike Pence’s Decision To Fight The Subpoena For Testimony On January 6 Insurrection Is A Sign Of Weakness,NOT Principle!

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Former Vice President Mike Pence has decided to fight the subpoena for testimony on the January 6, 2021 Insurrection at the US Capitol, pursued by Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith.

This is stunning, for Pence to believe that in his role as President of the Senate (as Vice President) that he is fighting this subpoena on constitutional grounds.

Pence was threatened with death by the mob on January 6, and Trump had no concern about his life or welfare, so for Pence to be unwilling to testify is mind boggling!

Pence’s ambition to run for President is, seemingly, more important than the fact that his life and that of his wife, other family members, and Secret Service agents, were in great danger.

Pence has to be delusional to believe that the “Trumpsters” who hate him for refusing to allow an alternative counting of the electoral vote, would somehow, magically, decide that they are willing to support his Presidential candidacy over Trump!

Pence has zero chance to be the nominee, and he is degrading himself meanwhile, and destroying the one moment of courage and commitment that he displayed on January 6.

This is a truly pitiful display of misjudgement that will undermine his historical legacy as a man who was a toady daily to Donald Trump, except for one fateful moment that saved American democracy!

At the end, Pence will be forced to testify, after causing unnecessary delays, and he will NOT be President of the United States!

The Presidential Election Campaign Of 2024 Has Begun!

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With the new year 2023 upon us, the Presidential Election campaign of 2024 has begun!

It actually began when former President Donald Trump declared his candidacy on November 15, 2022, but with the last seven weeks having been a total disaster for any Presidential plans.

This is not just what the January 6 House Committee investigating the US Capitol Insurrection has recommended, criminal charge against Donald Trump.

It is much more than that, including even that his own daughter, Ivanka Trump, has made clear that she has no interest in being engaged in his campaign, as she was in 2016 and 2020!

The public support for Donald Trump has been deteriorating dramatically, and the odds are good that a multitude of Republican potential Presidential candidates will start announcing their campaigns soon.

Among them are likely the following:

Former Vice President Mike Pence
Former Secretary of State and CIA head Mike Pompeo
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Texas Governor Greg Abbott
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
Texas Senator Ted Cruz
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan

And the two Republicans on the January 6 House Committee might also announce their candidacies:

Former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney
Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger

In the mind of this author and blogger, while he would not vote for any of these in November 2024, the following would be seen at this point as “tolerable”, including if they actually won the White House, no special order:

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu
Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan
Former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney
Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger

The most intriguing of this list of five would be, in the mind of this author and blogger, if either Larry Hogan or Adam Kinzinger ended up as the nominee!