The bar of acceptable behavior in politics plummeted during the Trump years. That’s a no brainer. But now we learn — and not surprisingly so — that there are people in Washington who regard Mike Pence as a hero…for doing the freaking job he swore an oath to do. Yes. That’s where we are in this country, that if an elected official actually has the integrity to do the job that s/he swore an oath to do, under the constitution, then, by God they’re a hero if they do what they’re supposed to do.
What mitigates my joy with Mike Pence and why I don’t see him as a hero, is that he researched the topic of what his powers as vice president were. That indicates, to me at least, that if he could have found a way to plausibly go along with Trump’s mad scheme, he would have.
Mike Pence is no moral giant. Rather, he made a decision that it would be less risky, all things considered, to not overthrow the government than to go ahead and overthrow it. And I’m sure he agonized over the decision, because I have no doubt he would have just loved to stay in power and institute his dream, a theocratic government.
I can’t find a cut of this on Twitter, but when I do I’ll come back and post it here. It is pretty unbelievable.
But then again, considering the way we live nowadays, when nobody in the GOP can be expected to do anything other than follow the orange madman, maybe Pence is indeed a hero. Everything is relative. If I know one thing about life, it is that everything is relative.
On that basis it’s not totally insane that the former White House counsel would want to give the highest honor in the land to the former vice president for merely doing the job that he swore an oath to do.
Never thought I would see the day, but then again think it through: 1) The GOP has no moral compass, it got smashed long ago; 2) Ergo anybody who even behaves as if s/he has a moral compass left and who does the right thing, is a hero. Welcome to the new subnormal.
One gets the Medal of Freedom for doing something extraordinary, NOT for just doing their job. F.F.S. Cipollone.
Except if you’re DT and you give it to scumbags like Rush Limbaugh and Gym Jordan.
That’s the gag. In this day and age, in the Trump administration, just doing your job IS something extraordinary and deserving of a medal. This is how far we’ve gone.
The fact Pence consulted so many outsiders, including Dan Quayle FFS, says he was looking for a way to do what TFG wanted. He did the bare minimum – he is definitely no profile in courage.
Absolutely. There is no question in my mind that if Pence had found some method of plausible deniability he would have gone for it.
You’re right about Pence. He knew damned well what his Constitutional job was as Jan. 6 approached. Yet he had the subject “researched” to see just what he might be able to do/refuse to do – basically whether he could get away with trying to do what Trump wanted AND have his ass covered legally if it didn’t hold up. (I guess he didn’t trust Trump to pardon him!) Pence had enough political savvy at least to recognize the crazies as being “out there” and who were actual elder statesmen in the Party who actually knew shit and had gravitas/credibility. He went looking in that second group for someone, anyone who would tell him “Yeah – you should go for it.” Instead he got WTF? reactions along with lectures about how awful it would be for the country. That I’m convinced is the only reason he refused to go along with Trump’s plan – that it might not work (because he foresaw that FINALLY the old guard would take over and clean house) and that Trump wouldn’t pardon him.
Cipollone hasn’t told all yet – he’s still trying to protect the former guy, forgetting that his job was working for us, not for him.
When you have to consult the stupidity of Dan Quayle to confirm your responsibilities, well…