My long-time friend from high school and college, and board member of Elisberg Insustries, Rabbi Jack Moline is president of the Interfaith Alliance in Washington, D.C. The other day, he wrote a thoughtful op-ed article that's basically about "Be careful what you wish for" to those who understandably want to see Trump impeached and convicted, because Jack describes all the ways that Mike Pence as president may well be worse in his policies.
It's a very good article, which you can read here, and I agree with everything about it -- except one thing, his conclusion.
All the things Jack says in the article are spot on. The details, the facts, the analysis about Mike Pence and how awful he is. But I don't think he's a worse option for Trump.
What makes Trump so horrific is not just what he presents as his supposed "policies" (Trump really doesn't have "policies" just talking points to attract a base), but that he has a cult of personality. Mike Pence does not have that. In fact, I sense that many people find Pence boring at best and creepy robotic at worst. When Trump says that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York City and his followers would be fine with it, he might be exaggerating, but not much. I'm sure at least some of his followers would be fine with it. Trump's base is a cult which will follow him anywhere. To them, he is not wrong, and cannot be wrong. Just this week his press secretary even tried to convince people that Trump was president because it was God's will. And that just feeds the cult, which is what makes him not just horrific, but dangerous.
The Republican base will not follow Mike Pence anywhere. In fact, the only reason he was available to be Trump's vice presidential running mate is because he had become SO unpopular in Indiana that even the GOP officials there didn't want him to run for re-election as governor. So, if and when things start to fall apart in a Pence administration, the Republican base will not stand behind him no matter what. Pence also may be disingenuous, and let's even say he's willing to lie much too often when it's convenient to him. But he's not a pathological liar who lies about what your staring at, just because he has to lie about it. Further, I don't think the Republican senators and congressman would enable Mike Pence remotely like they do with Trump. There's a certain fear of GOP elected officials that if they go against Trump he'll go on Twitter and tear them apart and give them bad nicknames, and that would provoke primary challenges. I'm quite sure they don't believe that Mike Pence would do that at all. Not just because it's not in Pence's nature, but pretty much no sane politician does that sort of thing. And so there would likely be more push back by Congress. Further, if Pence was president because Trump had been impeached and convicted, Republican elected officials would know that it was a drastically damaged and weakened administration, and not something to stand behind, and most would likely distance themselves as far as possible from it.
So, all the points that Jack wrote about Mike Pence and how truly awful he is are spot-on correct. And that no one should think a Pence administration would be a blessed-relief from Trump, since it would be as terrible as Jack notes and people should continue to be on their guard. But I don't think Pence is anywhere near as horrific and dangerous as Trump. Mike Pence is horrific. Trump is a fascist crazed white supremacist pathological liar demagogue.
It's a very good article, which you can read here, and I agree with everything about it -- except one thing, his conclusion.
All the things Jack says in the article are spot on. The details, the facts, the analysis about Mike Pence and how awful he is. But I don't think he's a worse option for Trump.
What makes Trump so horrific is not just what he presents as his supposed "policies" (Trump really doesn't have "policies" just talking points to attract a base), but that he has a cult of personality. Mike Pence does not have that. In fact, I sense that many people find Pence boring at best and creepy robotic at worst. When Trump says that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York City and his followers would be fine with it, he might be exaggerating, but not much. I'm sure at least some of his followers would be fine with it. Trump's base is a cult which will follow him anywhere. To them, he is not wrong, and cannot be wrong. Just this week his press secretary even tried to convince people that Trump was president because it was God's will. And that just feeds the cult, which is what makes him not just horrific, but dangerous.
The Republican base will not follow Mike Pence anywhere. In fact, the only reason he was available to be Trump's vice presidential running mate is because he had become SO unpopular in Indiana that even the GOP officials there didn't want him to run for re-election as governor. So, if and when things start to fall apart in a Pence administration, the Republican base will not stand behind him no matter what. Pence also may be disingenuous, and let's even say he's willing to lie much too often when it's convenient to him. But he's not a pathological liar who lies about what your staring at, just because he has to lie about it. Further, I don't think the Republican senators and congressman would enable Mike Pence remotely like they do with Trump. There's a certain fear of GOP elected officials that if they go against Trump he'll go on Twitter and tear them apart and give them bad nicknames, and that would provoke primary challenges. I'm quite sure they don't believe that Mike Pence would do that at all. Not just because it's not in Pence's nature, but pretty much no sane politician does that sort of thing. And so there would likely be more push back by Congress. Further, if Pence was president because Trump had been impeached and convicted, Republican elected officials would know that it was a drastically damaged and weakened administration, and not something to stand behind, and most would likely distance themselves as far as possible from it.
So, all the points that Jack wrote about Mike Pence and how truly awful he is are spot-on correct. And that no one should think a Pence administration would be a blessed-relief from Trump, since it would be as terrible as Jack notes and people should continue to be on their guard. But I don't think Pence is anywhere near as horrific and dangerous as Trump. Mike Pence is horrific. Trump is a fascist crazed white supremacist pathological liar demagogue.
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