4 Reasons Mike Pence Is the Absolute Worst

[Liberal_in_LA]

4 Reasons Mike Pence Is the Absolute Worst

Here's why Mike Pence is a threat to progressives everywhere.

1. He signed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.
In April, Gov. Pence signed into law a bill that forbids abortion on the basis of fetal chromosomal abnormalities, including Down syndrome, among other factors. The law further bans fetal-tissue donation — requiring any aborted or miscarried fetus to be cremated or buried. And it placed onerous restrictions on abortion providers nearly identical to those that the Supreme Court recently found unconstitutional in Texas.

2. He signed a bill that made it OK for Indiana businesses to discriminate against LGBT customers.
In 2015, Pence signed a "religious freedom" law, whose sweeping language permitted Indiana businesses to refuse to serve LGBT Americans, much like Southern businesses used to discriminate against African-Americans during the days of segregation.
Backlash against the law was swift and intense. Pence was forced to quickly sign a bill amending the legislation, which the governor claimed had been subject to "mischaracterizations."

3. He blocked the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana — and illegally tried to cut off federal aid to existing refugees.
In the wake of the massacre in Paris last fall, Pence issued an executive order to block the resettlement of Syrian war refugees in Indiana. Not content to keep new war widows and orphans out of the state, Pence upped the xenophobic ante by also trying to cut off federal aid to those already in the state. A federal judge blocked Pence's action, writing that the governor's order "clearly constitutes national origin discrimination" and "in no way directly, or even indirectly, promotes the safety of Indiana citizens."

4. He's an unreconstructed drug warrior.
At a time when lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are tackling the nation's drug problems with less focus on incarceration, Pence signed a bill to reinstating a mandatory minimum drug sentence. Many drug users sell drugs on the side to support their addictions. Thanks to Pence, any Indiana resident convicted twice for selling meth or heroin is now sentence to a full decade in prison. Expressing his pleasure at signing a law stripping judges of discretion in drug sentencing, Pence declared, "We need to make it clear that Indiana will not tolerate the actions of criminals."

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/4-reasons-mike-pence-is-the-absolute-worst-20160714

[AntiBank]

1. In 2016's climate, No. 3 is going to gain a lot more votes than it costs him

[SheilaT]

2. On a philosophical note,

do you think it's better that Trump select a VP who is actually a good choice for the slot, or just another right-wing nutcase?

Think carefully, because the answer reflects how you think of Clinton's choice. Meaning, should she select a VP who is simply a relatively innocuous reflection of who she is, or someone who embodies the progressive aspect of the party and will fiercely defend that?

There is no right answer, by the way. And your take on this may very well be different from mine.

[Warpy]

3. Well, part of this might be Trump taking party advice so he won't have to spend his own money

running a campaign after the good puppy press starts expecting to get paid for all that airtime. Pence was probably on a long list of right wing fruitcakes but appealed to Trump because he's too dull to upstage the star. He'll have the advantage of fading into the background while he rounds up the fundies and tries to talk the non white, non male ones into supporting a rabid, sexist bigot.

I know a few people in Indiana who are going to be jubilant because the cretin will be out of state until at least November.

As for Clinton, choosing someone with solid military credentials was likely prudent, allaying the fears that she'll be soft on terror or whatever they're accusing female leaders of these days.

Those are my stories and I'll stick to them unitl proven wrong.

I do note that Sarah the Grifter is so miffed at not being chosen that she's staying away from the convention, denying the faithful a big bowl of word salad seasoned with catch phrases and buzz words to clap at.

[SheilaT]

5. "good puppy press"

somehow started me thinking about puppy training. Such an image!

I like your assessment of Trump and his possible VP pick.

I thought that most recently Hillary had a short list of boring, conventional guys. Military credentials not so much.

It's my opinion (not that anyone actually cares) that what she needs in a VP pick are these qualities:

1. Someone who will not upstage her. That means someone who will fade into the background, which pretty much eliminates Elizabeth Warren, who is vastly more charismatic that Hillary Rodham Clinton.
2. Someone who has not already established a record of being in favor of things she opposes or vice versa. I honestly have not paid enough attention to name names here. Other than Bernie Sanders, of course.
3. Someone whose long term ambitions are muted.
4. Someone who will cheerfully and enthusiastically embrace her stands on all things. This is why Bernie Sanders was never a potential VP candidate for her. Nor she for him. Despite the recent kiss and make up, they are seriously far apart on lots of things. Not to worry.
5. Someone who has some name recognition, has qualities she doesn't have, appeals to demographics she does not, is a geographical balance to the ticket. Lots of possibilities here.

Do keep in mind that a Vice President is a powerless person. He or she does not set any policy. He or she does not introduce any legislation. He or she makes occasional speeches, attends funerals, represents our government at events the President doesn't have time for. It's probably not a bad job, all things considered. But it's not a good place for someone who's better off in the Senate (for instance) where that person can influence a lot. It's not a good place for someone with strong personal intentions of running for President.

Sometimes a VP goes on to win the presidency on his own. Usually not. I suppose it can feel like a bitter defeat, after the initial rush of the convention and the campaign, to realize you're completely out of the limelight, have no portfolio of your own, and must wait very patiently for your turn.

With regards to Bernie Sanders (and I must state that I was a very strong Bernie supporter) anyone with half a brain knew by the time he declared his candidacy that there was no way on god's green earth that he'd be her VP, or she his. Each one is far too strong, far too opinionated is probably the word, certainly too far apart on certain basic issues for either of them to be subservient to the other.

I won't even begin to speculate who his hypothetical VP selection would have been, because it simply doesn't matter now. All that matters is that she's the presumptive nominee, and we can only hope that her VP choice is one that gains her additional votes, rather than alienating those she might have had.

For what my opinion is worth, the only time a VP choice has made me think twice about the top of the ticket was in 2000 when Al Gore went with Joe Lieberman. I thought that was as terrible a pick as he could have made. I suppose Gore was thinking about history, and how cool it would be to have a Jewish VP. Except that Lieberman was terrible completely outside his religion. I still did vote for Gore. It's hard to know if votes were lost because of that VP choice.

In 1988, when George HW Bush went with Dan Quayle, a friend who was a Republican expressed disdain that Quayle was chosen to gain votes. This was a relatively young woman, who might be assumed to be partial to Quayle's youth and charms, but the friend was completely not taken with them. She was simply a Republican who was going to vote for the Republican, and was offended by the attempt to manipulate people like her.

Similarly, Hillary should be looking for the best possible person to help her campaign, to do those few things a VP does, and who will be ready and capable to assume the highest office should it be necessary. Alas, she'll probably factor in other things that don't really matter. Sigh.

[calimary]

4. But he's right in vogue, right now!

He's a full-on religious fanatic, the God-Bless-America version!

That ought to end well.

[King_Klonopin]

6. I still think Caligula would have been the best choice

followed by Sheriff Arpaio and Herman Goering.

[surrealAmerican]

7. ... so, basically a typical Republican governor ...

... who has the "advantage" of a Republican controlled state house.

Yes, he's bad - they all are.

[Exilednight]

8. He's perfect for Trump politically and electrically. He

Shores up support where Trump needs it worst, the Republican establishment. It puts the RNC estate lodgment at ease knowing they have one of their own and Trump supporters remain in the fold.

We will know by noon local Indiana time, since that is the deadline to get his name off the ballot as Governor.