Mike Pence???

Looks like Trump is going to pick Mike Pence as his VP. Link.

This pick doesn't make a lot of sense to me. First, he's not from a swing state, so he doesn't help tip the scales in the electoral college. Second, he's not a bad guy, but he's not an inspiring or charismatic figure likely to draw in voters who aren't already on the "Trump Train.". Finally, his one major entrance into national politics (RFRA) was a bit of dumpster fire that ended up pleasing nobody and made him look "intolerant" to moderates and like a sellout to social conservatives.

The one benefit of the pick that I can see is that he's pretty boring and bland and therefore is unlikely to upstage Trump. He's sorta like a decorative couch pillow - takes up space but doesn't serve much of a purpose.

 

My ultra liberal friends are ecstatic over this pick, if it pans out.
They say they were worried it would be Newt. However, they are so partisan I wonder if they would have said the same if the situation were reversed.

Personally, I think Newt would take up too much of the spotlight, and own more of a pedigree and reputation than Trump and would be, as Mr. Deez claimed, too much of a threat to Trump. We shall see.
I do wonder if Trump really canceled his presser because of the tragedy in Nice.
Friday always seemed a bit suspect. You don't ever want to make a positive political announcement on a Friday. That day is the dead zone of media.
I think Trump would have drawn this out no matter what for the dramatic suspense.

 

I think your liberal friends are full of it and are looking for silver linings. They'd much rather see Newt. He has some advantages. He's very sharp, has appeal to ideological conservatives, and is good at defending Trump.

However, his weaknesses are much bigger. First, there's an extensive "file" on him. He has been politically active for over 40 years, and it wouldn't be hard to find things he has said over the years that would be considered nutty today. Second, as a master of controversy, he could pull attention away from Trump. Third, he does have some pretty ugly skeletons (can't really say they're in the closet because they're well known). He served his cancer ridden first wife (whom he was cheating on) with divorce papers. He was cheating on his second wife with a Capitol Hill staffer (his current wife) while the Clinton impeachment proceedings were going on. And course don't forget that he has lesbian sister who is politically hostile to him. In some ways, his personal life is messier than Trump's. Fourth, he has taken on the Clintons before in the '90s, and though he was largely successful from a policy standpoint, he was politically pretty inept and didn't sell his position very well.

Let's face it. Not many are willing to be Trump's running mate. That's why he's having to decide between a retread like Gingrich and an unremarkable and mediocre governor from a state of limited relevance. If Rubio or Kasich had won the nomination, they could have picked anybody they wanted.

 

What my liberal friends are posting on Facebook about Pence is that he carried water for the tobacco industry, as late as 2000 denying that smoking's causation of cancer was still unproven. Its probably twisting facts a little, but there will be some oppo research come out ... maybe Trump is letting the media help him with the vetting process.

I wonder if that's why we have a leaked announcement ... then a big delay? Maybe something else is in play here.

 

Quite simply, it was a safe pick. No major issues with the conservative wing and apparently someone the liberal media will have a hard time attacking that will offend republicans or independents.

Yesterday, I heard someone (do not remember who) state he was neither a huge positive, or a huge negative. Push.

 

Newt will be Trump's Chief of Staff....much more powerful than Pence would ever be.

 

Actually that would be a good slot for Newt - a place where he can do what he does best, which is break balls.

 

He's going to have to learn how to handle the RFRA issue better this time, because it's going to make a comeback.

 

All those criticisms about these two, or any of the other GOP candidates, look so dumb in retrospect now that Trump is the nominee. The election would have been won already with anybody else.

 

I am not a big Pence guy

 

FWIW, I was always pretty favorable to them. I did start to criticize Rubio when he decided to jump into the gutter with Trump with the small hands nonsense.

 

In my opinion, not that big of a deal for a VP selection.

 

What an underwhelming pick. Sadly, this confirms one of my fears about Trump which is that his ego prohibits him from utilizing strong people who may tell him he is wrong sometimes.

 

I actually think Newt would be able to clean up Trump's speeches when he missteps. There is nobody better at doing that. But Trump can get Newt in that role without being the VP. What I worry about with Pence is that I'm not sure he is proven that he can handle the mainstream media. Newt can and will if picked.

 

Newt is too "establishment" and I agree with Mr. Deez that he has too much history to combat. Trump needs someone who is little-known and so can be considered an outsider.

 

I think that would have applied in years past. We have a corrupt convict running for office this year. The "baggage" Newt has is not really baggage when you look at Hillary. She makes him look like a saint. Yes the left stream media will try to run with it though. Newt can handle them.

 

Mike Pence did oppose --
-- Medicare prescription drug plan
-- No Child Left Behind
-- Wall Street Bailout

 

He was good in Congress.

 

That may be true, but Rs and Ds are not judged by the same standards in this country.

 

Phil,

If liberals didn't have double standards, they would have no standards at all.

 

Somebody's been reading Glenn Reynolds.

 

I'd say that's probably why Trump picked him.

 

You know, Pence is the least controversial pick Trump could have made.

Seriously...Trump not doing/saying anything controversial in all things related to his candidacy going forward is probably the dominant strategy to victory.

The major attack Hillary and the democrats make against Trump is that he is unpredictable, has poor judgement, and is a "loose cannon." Well, in one of the most "Presidential" things a nominee can do, select the VP running mate, Trump made the safest most boring decision he could have made. Shouldn't that be a very positive data point for Trump to undecided voters??? Right???

 

http://bluenationreview.com/donald-humiliates-vice-presidential-pick-mike-pence/

I don't know if this is true or not, but several links on Facebook claim that Trump is pondering his Pence pick, and perhaps changing his Pence pick post haste, per potential people who proclaim prior (out of Ps) knowledge.
Hmmmmm.

 

Well, Politico thought Pence was an excellent choice.

 

Just saw him give an interview on Fox for about an hour. Very impressed. The Anti-Trump in almost every sense in presentability and maturity. Professional, sincere, knowledgable, excellent foreign affairs experience. Communicates the virtue of patriotism and American culture and ties it to our long history of immigration, but emphasizes the common sense of protecting ourselves in the few ways we can during this time of very dangerous external threats.

Talked about being a democrat when he started his career, said JFK and MLK were his heroes in his youth and still are in spirit.

Here's another description...he has almost no superficial dork factor that every GOP candidate had (living in Virginia, I can't say the same for Tim Kaine). Kind of reminds me a high-school baseball coach/history teacher. He is a professional politician of course though.

It's Hannity...I know.

 

Great pick, IMHO. Brings much needed balance to the ticket with a moralistic conservative.

Everybody has a few head-scratcher missteps during long, very active tenures in gov. The ones who don't are mostly those that just vote with the heard in the shadows.

Pence is known and beloved by most of the party for sticking to his guns and being an active leader. He spent 12 years in the House (serving in important roles) and brings a lot of foreign policy experience to the table.

He also has an excellent track record in 4 years as Gov. The few hiccups he made are far outweighed by his accomplishments on both levels.

The biggest challenge Trump faced was bringing the conservative wing into the fold. Pence, Walker, and Cruz (speaking at convention) will do wonders in unifying the party behind this ticket.

Old establishment types (Bushes, Romney, McCain) turning away is even better.

Dems happy thinking Pence is a soft pick don't understand how much more formidable Trump will become with the big block of abstaining conservatives now falling in line.

 

The Liberals are trying their best to discredit him, but their criticisms seem weak. Based on that, he must be a good pick.

There is another issue that raises some concern for me, and that is Eric Trump's involvement in what seems like every decision. He actually said "we are going to make a decision soon on the V.P." the other day. Who the hell is "we" boy? He seems like a bright kid, but it looks like he has a total of 10 years of experience, all of which was with daddy's company. He's not exactly a self-made man that experienced any struggles growing up, or starting and growing a company. Of course, there is no way to tell if the old man actually relies on him for anything, or if the kid is just tagging along.