A snake may shed its skin, but that’s only to allow it to grow a new one, not for it to morph into some other kind of a being. If Mike Pence seemed to molt Donald Trump’s lies and the disingenuity of the RNC for a brief moment, it was only to allow himself time to figure out a way to whitewash everything so that it would sound like genuine Republican dogma. This is surprising only insofar as when Pence did declare “Trump is wrong,” in Florida recently, they cheered. It seemed a hopeful moment that the Republican party had not lost its bearings altogether and that Mike Pence had finally grown a pair of balls. Wrong. Washington Post:
Former vice president Mike Pence on Thursday defended the Republican National Committee’s resolution to censure two of the party’s members of Congress, saying that the declaration’s reference to “citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse” during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection has been misinterpreted.
Pence — who repeated his assertion that “January 6th was a tragic day” — said he does not think the RNC’s resolution, which has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats, was “talking about people that engaged in violence against persons or property that day.” Instead, he said, it was referring to “a whole range of people that have been set upon” by the House committee investigating the riot. […]
“I just don’t know too many people around the country, including my friends at the RNC, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, who have any different view than it was tragic day, that the people that ransacked the Capitol were wrong and should be held to account in the law,” Pence said. “And I think they made a very clear statement, after the fact, that said, ‘We were talking about what’s happening in Washington today, with the January 6th committee’ … and I believe them. They’re good people, and I believe that’s what they meant.” […]
“The Constitution was quite clear on that tragic day in January,” Pence said in response to a student’s question. “I knew what my duty was. And I kept my oath even though it hurt. And we moved the nation forward. And I don’t know if the president and I will ever see eye to eye on that. I really don’t.”
Pence also declined the opportunity to defend Cheney, Kinzinger and former senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, all Republicans who have lost standing in their party after angering Trump, instead answering a question about the trio by inveighing against “cancel culture” on college campuses.
This is the same Mike Pence that we’ve come to know and loathe, lo these many years. Deflect, obfuscate, whenever possible whitewash and anything that can be ignored, hallelujah. Make sure it stays unaddressed. If it’s the size of an elephant, don’t worry. Just pretend it’s not in the room or say that God will take care of it.
The kindest thing that can be said about Mike Pence is that he’s not the right man to lead in this era. Although I am hard pressed to think of an era where weakness, cowardice and capitulation were viable qualities in a leader, but emphatically, this is not that time.
Per usual, Pence is trying to have his cake and eat it too. He doesn’t have the guts of a Cheney or a Kinzinger, when all is said and done.
Well ya knew it wouldn’t last…. https://t.co/vTuOWszcao
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) February 18, 2022
Yes, we did, but hope springs eternal. Sigh.
He can grow a new set of balls but the SECOND Trump says “hand em over” he’ll cut them off, hand them over and beg forgiveness for having grown them in the first place.
They should have let the MAGAt filth hang the son of a bitch.
I’ll be interested the next time something happens to a Black man at the hands of a group of mostly white cops and Blacks take to the streets in protest. I wonder if the right-wing media who’ve embraced this “legitimate political discourse” nonsense will be as quick to describe the Black protestors as being engaged in “legitimate political discourse” or if they’ll just describe the whole group as rioters?
Oh, who am I kidding? We already know what the right-wing viewpoint will be.
Pence never left the dark side. He’s just figuring out how to be viable after Trump’s now-inevitable downfall. Given that he was a failed governor of Indiana before becoming Trump’s Veep, I’d say he’s being optimistic to the point of delusion.
OK Q-tip. U’ve had ur brief punch in the air. Time to get back in the box b4 ur fearless leader decides to use u to clean something in a dark nasty place. Go back to killing gay people in God’s name.