With reports that Donald Trump is picking Indiana Governor and former Ted Cruz endorser Mike Pence as his ticketmate, the 2016 races in the state of Indiana have been upended, as Pence will likely step down from running for re-election as Governor if he is picked.
The pick is meant to shore up evangelical/fundamentalist support, who had concerns of Trump on their key issues, such as opposition to abortion and LGBTQ rights, defunding Planned Parenthood, and religious exemptions (aka “religious liberties”) issues.
Gov. Mike Pence is dropping his re-election bid in Indiana to become Donald Trump’s running mate.
IndyStar has confirmed that Trump plans to announce Pence as his selection for vice president, ending a weeks-long vice presidential casting call during which Trump vetted a handful of high-profile Republicans.
Trump's national campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, said "a decision has not been made." A formal announcement is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday in Manhattan.
The long-awaited decision upends the political landscape in Indiana and at least partially remakes the Trump campaign in Pence’s image.
David Badash at The New Civil Rights Movement:
Pence is best known to America for signing last year a vile anti-gay "religious freedom" bill into law that proves a disaster to the state's tourism industry, and harmed the entire state's international reputation so badly Pence was forced to hire a PR firm at the cost of several million dollars to taxpayers.
Remember the time that Pence tried to create a Pravda-like news service?
Indiana Governor and possible 2016 GOP Presidential contender Mike Pence will be starting a Pravda-esque state-run news agency called Just IN to spin his propaganda (or Penceganda) out to his loyal followers.
He once called the Orange Madman’s plan to ban Muslims entering from the USA as “offensive and unconstitutional:
MMFA has a record of Pence’s right-wing extremist positions:
- Criminal Justice
- Economy
- Education
- Environment
- Gun Violence Prevention
- Health Care
- Immigration
- LGBT Equality
- Press Freedoms
- Reproductive Rights
Pence used to a talk-radio host:
Pence Was Formerly An Indiana Congressman And Self-Described “Rush Limbaugh On Decaf” Conservative Radio Host. Before his election as governor of Indiana, Pence served in the House of Representatives and worked as a conservative radio host. The Legislative Effectiveness Project, an academic research project, examined the legislative record of the six-term congressman and found that in all but one of those terms Pence performed “below expectations” in terms of “bills the lawmaker introduced, how substantive they were and how far they made it through the legislative process.” In a 2014 speech to “a gathering of the Radio Advertising Bureau and the National Association of Broadcasters,” Pence reportedly described his record:
”You see, I’ve served in public office for 14 years: A year and a half as Governor and 12 years in Congress . . . I hosted a talk radio show in the early days of that format. I liked to say, “I’m a conservative, but I’m not [in] a bad mood about it.” I was kind of like Rush Limbaugh on decaf.” [The Washington Post, 9/11/14; The Indianapolis Star, 7/7/16, 10/16/14]
Though the tale of Indiana’s RFRA law is very much a tale of overreach by social conservatives, Pence himself also deserves a large share of the blame for exposing the Christian right’s weakness. Though Hobby Lobby did open the door to laws that allow religious objectors to diminish the rights of others, it is far from clear that the Supreme Court will allow this new regime to permit anti-LGBT discrimination. Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Court’s swing voter on such issues, penned a concurring opinion in Hobby Lobby warning that religious liberty (at least at the federal level) may not “unduly restrict other persons, such as employees, in protecting their own interests, interests the law deems compelling.” And he’s historically been skeptical of many state laws that subject LGBT Americans to inferior treatment.
The vision of “religious liberty” embraced by the original Indiana RFRA bill’s supporters was a sharp departure from past precedent. The backlash against this bill was hardly surprising.
And so, by playing his role in this game of overreach, Pence handed Christian conservatives a defeat that did far more than halt their efforts to protect anti-LGBT business owners in Indiana — it weakened their hand in the battle over “religious liberty” throughout the country.
He is not a fan of LBGT rights: In 2003, Pence, then representing the sixth congressional district of Indiana, co-sponsored an amendment that would have prohibited same-sex marriage. Four years later, he voted against the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, which aimed to prevent job discrimination based on sexual orientation. While in Congress, he opposed a bill aimed at more effectively prosecuting hate crimes based on sexual orientation and voted against the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
He has made life harder for low-income families: Between 2006 and 2009, Pence voted against raising the minimum wage, expanding health coverage for low-income kids, and providing additional funding for Section 8 vouchers, which help low-income families pay rent.
He refused to comply with Obama administration rules aimed at reducing prison rape: In 2014, Gov. Pence wrote to the Department of Justice to argue that the new rules "work only to bind the states, and hinder the evolution of even better and safer practices." He said Indiana would not follow them.
He has supported deporting undocumented children and sick people and favors building a fence on the border (sound familiar?): In 2009, Rep. Pence co-sponsored a bill that would have eliminated automatic citizenship for children born on US soil to undocumented parents. A few years earlier, he voted in favor of bills that would have allowed for the detention of undocumented immigrants seeking hospital treatment. He also voted yes on a bill—foreshadowing Trump's current platform—to build a fence on the Mexico border.
He has decimated access to abortion: In March 2016, Gov. Pence signed a measure prohibiting women from obtaining an abortion because of the race, gender, or disability of the fetus, making Indiana only the second state in the nation to do this. The law also held doctors legally liable for wrongful death if it was found they had performed an abortion motivated by one or more of the prohibited reasons. These sorts of bans are opposed by much of the medical community, out of fear that women will censor themselves when it comes to making difficult decisions with the help of their doctors. Following the Supreme Court's decision in a landmark abortion case in June, a federal judge blocked this Indiana law from going into effect.
He slashed Planned Parenthood funding, spurring clinic closures and an HIV outbreak: In 2011, Pence pushed an amendment through the House to defund Planned Parenthood. This amendment helped kick-start a wave of state actions aimed at removing government support from the women's health provider. Indiana was successful in its efforts, but a federal judge blocked the law from going into effect. When Pence became governor in 2013, Indiana continued to slash resources for the women's health provider. By 2014, state funding for Planned Parenthood had been cut in half from 2005 levels. The organization was forced to close five of its smaller clinics, none of which had ever provided abortions, but they did provide STD testing. Soon, Scott County, Indiana, home to one of the closed clinics, becamethe hub of an enormous HIV outbreak.
He gave protection to businesses in Indiana that discriminate against gay people: In March 2015, Pence signed a bill into law permitting business owners to refuse service to gay and lesbian customers due to their religious beliefs. The bill also allowed religious beliefs to be used as a rationale for other forms of discrimination. As my colleague Molly Redden described it: "An employer who refused to hire Jewish employees could cite his religious beliefs as a defense against discrimination lawsuits. So could a landlord who refused to rent to Muslims, or a business that refused to serve atheists." In response to this bill's passage, athletes, celebrities, corporate leaders, and others criticized the state publicly, and some even pulled out of planned business projects there. The band Wilco canceled an Indianapolis show, referring to "thinly disguised legal discrimination," and Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post slamming the law.
Sarah Kliff at Vox on Pence’s crusade against Planned Parenthood:
It all started with Donald Trump’s reported pick for vice president, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
As a member of Congress, Pence sponsored the first bill to defund Planned Parenthood in 2007 — and did so repeatedly through 2011, when it finally passed the House.
I happened to have interviewed Pence about his criticism of Planned Parenthood that year, and it was clearly an issue he was passionate about. He had been working to defund the organization for years at that point, even while his colleagues focused on other issues.
"If Planned Parenthood wants to be involved in providing counseling services and HIV testing, they ought not be in the business of providing abortions," Pence told me, sitting in his congressional office. "As long as they aspire to do that, I’ll be after them."
Pence’s previous record on Planned Parenthood suggests that defunding it could remain a priority for him if he became vice president.
Andrew Downs at WaPo on Trump and Pence attempting to unify the GOP:
The differences between the two on issues also could result in them being able to reach out to independents, moderates and, perhaps, estranged Democrats as well as to secure the Republican base. Trump enjoys support that many Republican candidates would not be able to obtain: self-identified moderates, independents and even some Democrats. Pence believes what he believes and possesses impeccable credentials among social conservatives and tea party members. He also has credibility among some pro-business voters. The result is that Pence should be able to secure the conservative part of the party if not the Republican base generally.
Given that a Muslim ban is almost certainly unconstitutional, the more important disagreement is on free trade. Trump says that foreign countries are “killing us” and has speculated about a 45% tariff on imports. But Pence, like most economic conservatives, has been a staunch supporter of these deals—in particular, he backs the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade deal negotiated by the Obama administration with twelve nations around the Pacific rim.
Pence also defended the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and continued trade with China during his 14 years in Congress.
Andrew Kaczynski at BuzzFeed News on his record of climate change denial and defense of smoking:
Climate Change:
On climate change, Pence says CO2 from burning fuels can’t be the cause of increased global temperatures because it “is a naturally occurring phenomenon in nature…” not an unnatural one. He also mixes up India and Indonesia.
Smoking:
“Time for a quick reality check. Despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn’t kill.”
Pence on #BlackLivesMatter and police:
In contrast to his ticketmate, who has criticized #BlackLivesMatter, Pence has not said anything conclusive on the movement.
He, however, has supported mass incarceration policies in the past, per Lee Fang:
If he is indeed the VP, hopefully him and Trump get defeated badly at the ballot box on November 8th!