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| Vice President Mike Pence vox.com |
Hello Everyone:
The Blogger Candidate Forum is here today with a few words on Night Three of the Republican National Convention. The highlight of the evening was Vice President Mike Pence's acceptance speech. VPOTUS Pence was joined on stage by Second Lady Karen Pence and the Trumps. Honestly, after three nights of Trump infomercial, both Blogger and The Candidate Forum cannot help feeling like they were watching an alternate universe. It is a universe where an unsurvivable hurricand, COVID-19, and racial inequality do not exist. A universe where suburbanites live comfortably in their nice houses with nice neighbors (i.e. no poor people), nice lawns, nice families, shiny happy people all brought to you by the president Mr. Donald Trump. After three days, The Candidate Forum needs to take a step back and take a look the alternate universe that is the Republican National Convention. First a question, are you a registered voter?
If you are a registered voter, good for you. Do you plan to vote by mail? If so, make absolutely sure your secure ballot is postmarked by midnight, October 15th. If you can safely vote in person, pack your provisions, get in line, and stay in line. You cannot be denied your right to vote if you are still in line after the polls close. Not a registered voter? Stop reading, go to usa.gov, register to vote, and come back to read the post. Whatever you do, make a plan. Text VOTE to 30330. Thank you.
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| Amy Ford politico.com |
As a health-care professional, I can tell you without hesitation, Donald Trump's quick action and leadership saved thousands of lives during the COVID-19... (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020)
Really?
Through carefully edited videos and testimonials, this mind-boggling fictional narrative was reinforced. However, the ultimate rewriting of history was left to the good soldier Vice President Mike Pence, who delivered his acceptance speech from historic Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The speech, how can The Candidate Forum put this politely, was complete mockery of the truth.
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| VPOTUS and Second Lady Mike and Karen Pence cnbc.com |
...a Trojan horse for the radical left [a supporter of] of open borders [and] a cheerleader for Communist China... (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020)
Oh? Would someone please explain?
Ever the good soldier, the Gentleman from Indiana staunchly defended his boss' response to the virus, egregiously claiming that the president "has overseen the greatest national mobilization snce World War Two" (Ibid). Never mind the fact that the president refused to invoke the Defense Production Act so that hospitals and clinics could have enough protective gear and ventilators instead of have to make do with what was available. In VPOTUS Pence's version of events,
President Trump marshalled the full resources of our federal government from the outset. He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across American in both political parties (Ibid)
This version gives you the impression that this administration "reinvented testing, coordinated the delivery of personal protective equipment, and enacted an economic rescue package that saved fifty million American jobs (Ibid).
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| The candidates deadline.com |
Perhaps the most mind boggling of all is that the Gentleman from Indiana was tasked as the head of the administration's pandemic response since February and, somehow, willfully blinded himself to the president's actual response to the pandemic: ignoring it, downplaying it, claiming it would disappear, peddling quack remedies (bleach anyone?), arguing with governors from political parties who had the audacity to call out the administration's lethal ineptitude, pushing states to reopen their economies despite not meeting the guidelines set down by the VPOTUS's own task force, petulantly refusing to wear a mask, and eventually getting board with the whole virus thing. In the Trumpian worldview, not of that ever happened.
That Trumpian worldview is the Pence worldview. The Gentleman from Indiana, instead, chose to focus on on a single significant policy decision the president made early--ban travel to and from China (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020). Of course, the Gentleman from Indiana neglected to mention that it was partial ban--"more than forty thousand people subsequently entered the United States on flights from China" (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020). Minor detail. Another minor detail: The first confirmed cases in New York, that killed over 32,000 people (Ibid) arrived from Europe, not Asia (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020). Nevertheless, throughout his speech, the Gentleman from Indiana portrayed the president as a man of action, a doer completely engaged, acting in the best interests of the American people. VPOTUS Pence told America with a completely straight face,
Few Presidents have brought more independence, energy, or determination to that office (Ibid).
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| VPOTUS Pence and some of the featured speakers cnn.com |
As the COVID death continues to spiral upward, it is doubtful that VPOTUS Pence's fictive interpretation of the administration's response will resonate much with the American public. The voters are not blind, they can see and experience the reality of the situation for themselves. One poll published earlier this week, showed that the president's approval rating over the handling of the virus dropped to 31-percent (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020). Yet, the Gentleman from Indiana's acceptance speech will go down in history as a tangible example of "establishment Republicans like Pence have utterly capitulated to Trump, debasing themselves and their party in the process, and ultimately, betraying the country, which, in its hour of crisis, deserved honesty rather than pro-Trump spin" (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020).
The vice president's sad but predictable performance contradicted his behind the scenes action, extensively reported in an article published yesterday by politico.com. The article reported that the Gentleman from Indiana was sometimes a
...force for moderation and fact-based decision (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020) regarding the virus.
For example, in mid-March, the vice president and other members of the task force went to the Oval Office to urge the president to approve nationwide social distancing guidelines. However, the article went to report that "Pence slowed down the Administration's response by allowing officials with no health expertise to play a role in the task force's deliberations, and he felt pressure to appease Trump (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020). An anonymous Administration source describe the Gentleman from Indiana,
Mike is the ultimate good soldier...He's not going to be pounding his fist on the table demanding change...That's not Mike Pence (Ibid)
Pity
Publicly, the Gentleman from Indiana continued to praise the president even when it is obvious to the most oblivious person a public health crisis of epic proportions was taking place. Example, at a White House ceremony in April, he said,
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| The vice president during his acceptance speech abcnews.go.com |
Mr. President, with your leadership, the American people are beginning to step forward (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020)
In June, as cases were surging in California, Florida, and Texas, he claimed on the news program Face the Nation that the nation was
...in a better place to respond [because of] the leadership that President has provided (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020).
Just last week he told Good Morning America
I couldn't be more proud of the leadership President Trump has provided from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020)
Yes, it is true. Vice President Mike Pence spewed all that pablum with a completely straight face.
Thus, Vice President Pence's acceptance speech was a continuation of his bootlicking theme. After singing the president's praises, the Gentleman from Indiana dismissed VPOTUS Biden's statement, last week, that there was no pandemic ending miracle on the horizon. The Gentleman from Indiana boldly declared,
America is a nation of miracles,...We're on track to have the world's first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year. After all the sacrifice in this year like no other--all the hardship--we are finding our way forward again (newyorker.com; Aug. 27, 2020)
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Vice President Mike Pence is that glorifies in toadying to a president who requires constant praise and approval, even when he does not deserve it.. The Gentleman from Indiana is indeed the good soldier and servant. What is next?
Thursday evening is the grand finale of the Republican National Convention. The president will make his acceptance speech from the White House South Lawn and then we have a break until after Labor when the final lap of the race begins. Blogger will be back on Monday and as always, The Candidate Forum is here for you.
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