To see Mike Pence as ‘normal’ is to grade on a generous curve

[DonViejo]

10/04/16 01:07 PM—UPDATED 10/04/16 03:01 PM
By Steve Benen

Last week, ahead of the first presidential debate, Donald Trump seemed to have certain structural advantages: expectations were so low, many pundits said he’d win simply by showing up and pretending to be normal for 90 minutes. It was a bar the Republican nominee failed to clear.

Ahead of tonight’s vice presidential debate, Mike Pence is in a tougher spot. His ticket is struggling and his GOP partner is at the center of a variety of damaging controversies, each of which are difficult to defend, suggesting the Indiana governor will have to play some defense during his showdown with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

Complicating matters, NBC News noted this morning that Pence “has the toughest job in politics tonight,” not only because of Trump’s troubles, but also because the far-right governor “has to defend Trump on issues where the two men are at odds.” It’s not a short list: Pence supported NAFTA, voted for the Iraq war, backed the TPP, and opposed Trump’s Muslim ban. Pence also endorsed congressional Republican leaders when Trump would not, praised the Khan family when Trump criticized them, blasted Saddam Hussein when Trump praised him, and condemned Russia’s computer hack when Trump was urging Russia to do even more. In a debate, it’s a recipe for some awkwardness.

But in one important area, Pence has the advantage of being perceived as a mainstream pol. Politico published a piece yesterday that characterized tonight’s vice presidential debate as “Battle of the Normals,” and a “sane moment” in a campaign cycle that’s often seemed insane.

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http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/see-mike-pence-normal-grade-generous-curve?cid=eml_mra_20161004

[Hortensis]

1. Sounds frivolous, I know, but the lighting could make a difference.

Pence's eyes are so deep set that they often appear to be black holes in his face.

I normally try to not be subjective, often feel people should wear bags on their heads when watching these things, but I dislike religious zealots in politics so much that I'm practically a reactionary in viewing him. The thought of this God-and-Koch puppet in the White House, where he could well end up in a worst case, gives me the creeps.

Btw, on a more down-to-earth note, Pence is rather famous for being stupid for a man in his position. Kaine is famous for being very intelligent and finely educated.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. His head is the size and color of a baseball.

He has that bullshit politican southern drawl. He has extreme rw views on everything. I hope he gets asked about Social Security "overhaul".

[Hortensis]

3. Lol. Didn't notice. I've been too fixated on his Satan's

minion eyes, but I'll check it out. I have Pence pegged as a classic social/religious authoritarian follower. His views are whatever his leaders (God and the Kochs) tell him they are.

As for a southern drawl, we live in the deep south these days. Took me 2 years to learn to pronounce our town's name properly by swallowing it progressively down the back of my throat (Californians mostly enunciate in the front of the mouth), but I guess I've acculturated more than that because I haven't noticed. (It has been a long while since I pretended to understand what a neighbor was saying when I couldn't make it out.) I'll look for that too.