President Donald Trump picked Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate because his "good Christian" values were the perfect offset to Trump's hedonistic lifestyle. That could result in the far-right flop of a governor taking over if President Donald Trump is ever impeached.
Here are the top five things anyone should know about Mike Pence that could make him a liability for the Republican Party if Trump jumps ship.
1. The unbelievable and unprecedented backlash for Pence’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Before there was North Carolina’s bathroom bill, that gave “protections” to religious people who wanted to refuse service to in the state. The problem in Indiana, however, was that Pence missed the cultural shift and underestimated those who would to him and his bill.
Boycotts were called, conventions and speeches were canceled along with concerts, and the dollars were quickly draining from Indiana‘s tourism at a time when the state was already struggling financially. The CEOs of Yelp and Salesforce said they would reduce investment plans in the state and Apple CEO Tim Cook denounced Pence’s law in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
“Our image. Our reputation as a state that embraces people of diverse backgrounds and makes them feel welcome…is at risk because of a new law,” the editorial in the IndyStar read.
This was the person Trump chose to stand beside him after saying, “Ask yourself, who is really the friend of women and the LGBT community: Donald Trump with his actions, or Hillary Clinton with her words?”
2. Pence took more than 2 months to respond when there was an outbreak of HIV in Indiana.
When an outbreak of HIV rocked Scott County, Indiana, Mike Pence was nowhere to be found for 65 days, until he finally declared a public health emergency. It was just another contemptuous act in Pence’s repertoire as the opioid epidemic began to take over the state. Clean needle exchange programs were illegal in Indiana, but the outbreak helped change GOP minds.
A major contribution to the HIV outbreak was the GOP’s defunding of Planned Parenthood, which Pence launched. According to the Huffington Post, the Scott County clinic, along with four other Planned Parenthood facilities in the state, provided critical HIV testing and information. However, those clinics have been closed since 2011 after funding cuts to the state’s public health.
3. He was one Koch’d up governor:
Mike Pence is elected leaders, despite hitching his wagon to one of the Koch brothers' least favorite laders.
Support from the Koch brothers and conservative donors are a major component in a presidential run, so having the money people’s favorite guy leading the way is certainly helpful for campaign cash.
Americans for Prosperity held up Mike Pence’s work in Indiana as a paragon of a good governor. Pence’s former chief of staff even ran the Koch’s political group Freedom Partners. Given the fact that the Koch’s shelled out $1 billion in the 2016 election to support conservative candidates, his ties could be an asset in 2020 as the well of GOP donors dries up.
4. Pence lacks a basic understanding of the economy:
The IndyStar said it perfectly: “When you deal your state a crushing economic blow, when you seem incapable of understanding the role you have played in creating this mess — well, that makes clear that you are not in the right job.”
Pence doesn’t have the best record for the Indiana economy. He’s had anemic economic growth. In fact, Indiana ranked last in economic job growth in the Midwest last year, and wages dropped from $53,500 in 2000 to $46,900 in 2013. When Pence left, Hoosiers were making 86 cents for every one dollar the rest of America earned.
The worst part is he ascribes to the same failed “trickle down economics” theory that has bankrupted states led by other GOP governors, like Kansas and Oklahoma. As Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has proven time and time again: .
5. He was a terrible governor and everyone hates him:
When your own state hates you, chances are you’re not going to bring a lot of value to the ticket. If you can’t even guarantee a win in your home state, it might be time to update your Rolodex with lobbyists who can give you a cushy job.
An April 2016 editorial from the IndyStar cites Pence’s 12 years in Congress — one of the most “partisan and dysfunctional” branches of government — as one of his greatest faults. It doesn’t take a lot to see that the same rules don’t apply when you take over as the executive of an entire state.
“That’s where he belongs — in a place where a person can rise high by talking well and digging in and not really doing much,” the editorial explains. “A place where, for the most part, you are not held accountable for results. Being a governor is different. It’s about being a leader who is forced every day to think pragmatically, who knows that doing no harm is high on the list of requirements, and who understands that the job is at its core about making sure your state’s people have a better chance of earning a decent living or getting a great education tomorrow than they do today.”
Pence is simply not that guy.
If that isn’t enough, his own party hated him. But that can help as Democrats prepare to fight in 2020 against an unpopular administration.
BONUS:
BuzzFeed reported some of the things Pence wrote years ago and sent out as a candidate for Congress. “Time for a quick reality check. Despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn’t kill,” an email read. Technically, he’s correct, it’s the cancer you get from smoking that ultimately kills you.
In the end, when your own party doesn’t want you and your own state was happy to see you go, chances are, you’re not the best option for a party leader.
