Mike Pence: Almost as bad as Trump but he might not get us killed

[apple1]

As someone who self-identifies as a Christian - I have watched with delight as Pete Buttigieg has become (possibly unintendedly) a spokesperson for Christianity that is decidedly different from the Pence - Falwell Jr - Jeffress - (add names of your choice) version of Christianity that has seemingly been the default form in the public eye for quite a while now.

 Wouldn't it be interesting if that change ended up being large and long lasting? Associated with returning to the actual teachings of Christ?

[Drala]

'Not My Jesus':  Christian students protest Pence, alarming conservatives

WAPO, 4-18-19, Isaac Stanley-Becker

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/04/18/who-has-bewitched-you-conservatives-alarmed-christian-students-protest-pence-speech/?fbclid=IwAR2MSF1zXhigkCnun6VdWHswpzfkZ7Wbq0iewq4D4cXjMr6Xbd1QUEU49dU&utm_term=.110010000e7e

Spoiler

Vice President Pence, an evangelical Christian, has imparted graduation advice to a narrow slice of American students — those gaining degrees from religious colleges and military academies.

Since his inauguration as President Trump’s No. 2 in January 2017, he has addressed graduating seniors at Notre Dame, Hillsdale College in Michigan, Grove City College in Pennsylvania, the Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Carefully screening his audiences has not inoculated Pence from backlash, however. Two years ago in South Bend, Ind., more than 100 students of a few thousand earning degrees from Notre Dame walked out as the vice president began to speak.

The latest sign that even Christian colleges are not safe spaces for Pence came last week, when Taylor University, an evangelical school in rural Indiana, announced that Pence would speak at the commencement ceremony on May 18. As a former governor and congressman of Indiana, the vice president has a home-state advantage at Taylor, a school of about 2,500 located in Upland, about 75 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

“Mr. Pence has been a good friend to the University over many years,” said the school’s president, Paul Lowell Haines, calling the vice president “a Christian brother whose life and values have exemplified what we strive to instill in our graduates.”

[Mike Pence will speak at this evangelical school’s graduation in his home state. Here’s why many are upset.]

But not everyone at the nondenominational school, whose mission is “challenging each generation of students to integrate faith with learning and follow Christ’s calling,” is enthused about Pence’s planned appearance, as became clear this week. A Change.org petition asking the school to rescind the invitation had garnered nearly 5,000 signatures by early Thursday, with copious commentary appended. Appeals to university leadership have been plastered across social media. Some are pledging to withhold donations.

“Not my Taylor. Not my Jesus," one signer wrote.

“Inviting Vice President Pence to Taylor University and giving him a coveted platform for his political views makes our alumni, faculty, staff and current students complicit in the Trump-Pence Administration’s policies, which we believe are not consistent with the Christian ethic of love we hold dear,” wrote the petition’s author, Alex Hoekstra, who graduated from Taylor in 2007 and has since then held roles with the Democratic Party, including in Oregon and at the national level.

The vice president’s planned appearance at the evangelical college has become a lightning rod in the intensifying debate over faith and politics.

The blowback comes as Pence seeks to fend off recent criticism from Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend and upstart presidential contender, over the religious justifications for his hard-line social policies on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. The Democratic candidate, who has labeled the vice president a “cheerleader of the porn star presidency,” is aiming to break the Republican hold on the devout. Pence dismissed what he called the “attacks on my Christian faith.”

Meanwhile, as the commencement controversy deepened this week, Christian leaders and conservative news outlets closed ranks around Pence. The reaction to the dissent from some students, faculty and alumni revealed not only the tight embrace binding the religious right to the Trump administration but also right-wing media’s alacrity in painting protesting students as oversensitive.

On Monday, “Fox & Friends” featured an alumnus who thanked the school for “standing firm” and refusing to bow to student demands. From there, the story tore through the conservative Web — the latest indication, to these outlets, that students weren’t interested in opposing viewpoints. The websites Townhall and PJ Media wrote incredulously of those who said they were “shaking” or “ashamed” over the announcement.

On Tuesday, Franklin Graham, the Christian evangelist and son of Billy Graham, weighed in on Facebook.

“What are these people smoking?” he asked, turning for insight to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, which forms the ninth book of the New Testament. “This reminds me of Paul’s words, ‘You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?’ ”

Graham, who argues that Trump “defends the faith” even if he is not the “best example of the Christian faith,” concluded of Pence: “There couldn’t be a better, more qualified, more inspirational speaker for graduates to hear from or a better example for them to follow in life.”

Students and alumni who added their names to the online petition expressed varied objections, from Pence’s support for the president’s conduct to his role in the 2015 implementation of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which critics said gave license to service providers to refuse to do business with gay and lesbian patrons. Many of those who commented cited Buttigieg as a notable counterexample from the Hoosier State.

Benjamin Krapohl, who said he was a graduating senior, claimed the invitation was a sign of disrespect to “all the non-white, non-straight students who are already pushed to the fringes of Taylor’s community.” An alumnus, Graham Hauser, argued, “'Republican' isn’t ‘Christian’ anymore and this administration has made it easier than ever to see that.”

Not everyone was supportive of the petition’s aim. “I think you are a bunch of pansies,” one man wrote. “I am signing this to mock you.”

And a competing petition, supporting Pence as Taylor’s commencement speaker, had drawn nearly 2,500 signatures by early Thursday.

Faculty members were divided over the issue, though a majority, 61 to 49, voted to condemn the university’s decision at a meeting last week.

Trump’s commencement appearances have followed a similar pattern as Pence’s. Since becoming president, he has spoken at the U.S. Naval Academy and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where Pence is also slated to speak next month, shortly before his remarks at Taylor University. In 2004, Trump delivered advice that now resonates with new meaning, telling graduating seniors at Wagner College in Staten Island, “If there’s a concrete wall in front of you, go through it.”

George W. Bush was also a regular at the commencements of Christian colleges, appearing at Calvin College in Michigan and Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania, among others.

His father, George H.W. Bush, spoke before more diverse audiences, including graduating seniors at Texas A&M University and the University of Michigan. In Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1991, the elder Bush delivered a message that could just as well come from the lips of his successors in today’s Republican Party, denouncing “political correctness” as an assault on free speech.

This is the first time in Taylor’s history that a member of the executive branch will deliver a commencement address, the school newspaper reported.

Its sudden identification with Pence is not the first time that the campus has been the terrain of charged political battles.

Last year, the community was roiled by the appearance of an anonymous newsletter, called “Excalibur,” which featured jeremiads about the college’s “permissive views of human sexuality, hostility toward creationist perspectives, rejection of the rule of law (especially on the immigration issue) and uncritical endorsement of liberal-progressive ideas."

Its aim, the handout stated, was to foster a “conservative underground” that could oppose “leftist trends” more vehemently than official outlets allowed, according to Inside Higher Ed.

The university president said the anonymity of the project, even if it had the best of intentions, “sowed discord and distrust, hurting members of our community.”

Four members of the faculty and staff eventually came forward to claim responsibility for the publication. They were a professor of philosophy and religion, a professor of biblical studies, a men’s soccer coach and a marketing director.

In a column in the campus newspaper, a student, Halie Owens, strained to find a righteous response to that flare-up.  Because we’re a Christian collective, we’re expected to extend grace to them, yet grace is given by too many of us on a daily basis,” she wrote.

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

[fraurosena]

12 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Clap like you're at a strip club for the veep. 

Now why do I get an image of Pence in drag?

 

[AnywhereButHere]

@fraurosena There’s a time difference here! I haven’t even had coffee yet, and now any idea of breakfast is out! ?

The thought of Pence stripping is great for my diet. I’ll keep this picture in mind when they refill the candy bowl at work... 

[Cartmann99]

6 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Clap like you're at a strip club for the veep. 

Now why do I get an image of Pence in drag?

 

You started this, so I'm not suffering alone. I've got the damn bastard in my head shaking his hips and leering while customers shove money in his g-string.

Dear Rufus, it's not even noon, and I want to go back to bed already. *sobs*

[thoughtful]

Pence on the pole. What a mental image.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Mike Pence’s advice to Christian college grads: Prepare to be ‘shunned or ridiculed for defending the teachings of the Bible’"

Spoiler

Vice President Pence had a message for Liberty University’s graduating class of 2019: “Be ready.”

But as Pence looked out over the sea of people dressed in navy graduation caps and matching gowns on the breezy, overcast Saturday, the focus of his commencement address wasn’t on preparing graduates for the difficulties they may face landing jobs or paying off student loans.

Those with degrees from the private evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Va., may likely face a unique obstacle in their post-grad lives, Pence said — being “shunned or ridiculed for defending the teachings of the Bible.”

“Some of the loudest voices for tolerance today have little tolerance for traditional Christian beliefs,” Pence, who is an evangelical Christian, told the roughly 8,000 graduates at the ceremony. “As you go about your daily life, just be ready because you’re going to be asked not just to tolerate things that violate your faith, you’re going to be asked to endorse them. You’re going to be asked to bow down to the idols of the popular culture.”

Pence appeared to be speaking from personal experience as he and his wife, Karen, who was in attendance Saturday, have recently faced considerable backlash for their conservative Christian views. Just last month, Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, the gay mayor from Pence’s home state of Indiana, drew widespread attention when he criticized the vice president for using religion to support his stances on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In January, Karen Pence came under fire for her decision to teach art at a Christian school that seeks to bar gay and transgender students and staff.

The vice president’s religious views are also at the center of a controversy that has cast a shadow over his next graduation appearance later this week when he is scheduled to speak at Taylor University, an evangelical Christian school in rural Indiana. In April, an online petition was created calling for Pence’s invitation to be rescinded on the grounds that having him be a commencement speaker would make the university “complicit in the Trump-Pence Administration’s policies, which we believe are not consistent with the Christian ethic of love we hold dear.”

[‘Not my Jesus’: Christian students protest Pence, alarming conservatives]

“Throughout most of American history, it’s been pretty easy to call yourself Christian,” Pence said Saturday. “But things are different now.”

At Liberty University’s graduation, however, Pence seemed to find himself among tens of thousands of like-minded people. The vice president took the stage at Arthur L. Williams Stadium to a standing ovation and chants of “U-S-A” after a glowing introduction from the university’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr., a staunch supporter of President Trump. In 2017, Trump delivered his first commencement speech as president at Liberty.

The roughly 30-minute speech started off sounding more like a political rally, with Pence touting the Trump administration’s achievements, before seguing to religion.

“We live in a time when the freedom of religion is under assault,” he said, pointing to the spate of deadly attacks that have been recently carried out at places of worship in the U.S. and around the world.

People with religious beliefs now must deal with those who feel it is “acceptable and even fashionable to ridicule and even discriminate” against them, Pence said, specifically calling out “Hollywood liberals,” the media and the “secular left.”

Pence recalled the “harsh attacks” he and his wife were subjected to following the news of her teaching position earlier this year, describing the criticisms of a Christian education as “un-American.”

“I’m proud to report our administration has already taken decisive action to protect religious liberty,” he said. “We will always stand up for the right of Americans to live, to learn and to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.”

But still, Pence cautioned graduates to “be prepared to meet opposition” as they go out into the world. On Saturday, nearly 21,000 people earned degrees, marking Liberty’s largest graduating class, the News & Advance reported.

“Decide here and now that you’re going to stand firm,” Pence said. “You’ll always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have, and you’ll do so with gentleness and respect.”

On social media, reactions to Pence’s remarks reflected the stark division that has emerged in the ongoing debate over politics and religion. Conservatives rallied behind the vice president’s guidance, clashing with critics who felt that Pence and people who share his views face ridicule not for their faith but rather “for being hypocrites.”

In a tweet, Franklin Graham, the son of the prominent evangelist Billy Graham and a vocal Trump supporter, shared the speech with his more than 1.92 million followers.

[‘Not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized’: Franklin Graham blasts Buttigieg for being gay]

Todd Starnes, a Fox News Radio host, called Pence’s words a “powerful message.”

Other responses were less kind.

Pence’s claim that the graduates would be ridiculed simply for being Christians also drew backlash.

 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I didn't watch the interview because listening to Pence makes me just as sick as listening to the mango moron. I do agree with Clay Jones:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Ted Lieu smacked down Pence:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

A good op-ed: "Mike Pence is just helpless"

Spoiler

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) drew ire from some quarters this past week when she said the Trump administration was operating “concentration camps” along the country’s southern border. Each day brings more reports of horrifying conditions in migrant detention facilities. One visitor described the camp he visited as “a human dog pound.” Another described lice outbreaks, a lack of proper bathing facilities and “a whole cell full of kids . . . who were forced to sleep on the cement.”

Faced with this suffering, Vice President Pence wants Americans to know he is troubled. But the vice president of the United States also wants us to know he is simply powerless to do anything besides blame somebody else.

On CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, host Margaret Brennan confronted Pence about the conditions in the detention centers. Brennan quoted summaries from lawyers who have recently visited the facilities — “'Children sleeping on cold floors,' ‘filthy,' ‘lice outbreaks,’ ‘flu outbreaks,’ ‘not in any way safe and sanitary conditions’” — and asked, “What are you going to do?”

For four words, Pence showed sympathy: “Margaret, it’s totally unacceptable.” But he then immediately pivoted back to border crossings and “overwhelmed” Customs and Border Protection agents. Brennan pressed again: “So how is the executive totally powerless to do anything about these unsafe, unsanitary conditions?”

“Well,” stammered Pence, “we’re doing a lot with what the Congress has given us. But again, Congress refused to increase the bed space in the last appropriations bill.” So we’re stuck with these horrors, then? “No, absolutely not,” said the vice president, before pivoting again: “It’s one of the reasons why the president’s taken the strong stand that he’s taken on the crisis on our southern border. . . . We’re going to continue to demand that Democrats in Congress step up.”

But the Trump administration is not powerless, and Pence knows it. On CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, host Jake Tapper pointed out to Pence: “This is the wealthiest nation in the world. We have money to give toothpaste and soap and blankets to these kids.”

“Of course we do,” Pence agreed, but “Congress needs to provide additional support.” Fine, but what about the support now? The government could find the money to alleviate these conditions today. And in the longer term, as Ocasio-Cortez put it, “You know what saves money? Not putting masses of people in internment in the first place.”

Of course, the administration is facing a massive spike in illegal border crossings and asylum claims as migrants flee a crisis in Central America. But Trump, Pence and the rest of the administration have made increased detention of migrants a centerpiece of their record both policy-wise and politically. Why? Well, it may not be polite to speculate that the current administration is affected by xenophobia and prejudice. Yet if these victims were white, I suspect the vice president and the entire Trump administration would find the problem a whole lot more urgent.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I wonder if Mother told him not to go: "Mike Pence abruptly cancels New Hampshire event to remain in Washington"

Spoiler

Vice President Pence abruptly canceled an event in New Hampshire because “something came up” at the White House, according to Pence’s spokeswoman.

“Something came up that required the @VP to remain in Washington, DC. It’s no cause for alarm. He looks forward to rescheduling the trip to New Hampshire very soon,” Pence’s press secretary, Alyssa Farah, confirmed on Twitter.

The White House provided no other details.

The vice president was scheduled to be in New Hampshire to speak about the opioid crisis with patients at the Granite Recovery Center and then to deliver remarks.

Randy Gentry, a representative from Pence’s office, came to the podium in New Hampshire to alert the audience that the event was canceled, according to video posted by Sean Colahan of NBC10 Boston.

Pence was scheduled to leave Washington at 10:15 a.m., according to his daily schedule.

Gentry told the crowd that, “Air Force 2 was headed this way, but there’s been an emergency and the president was asked to return to Washington.”

But Farah tweeted a further clarification that Pence had never left Washington and that it was not an “emergency callback.”

She repeated, something came up.”

Maybe he was a bad boy and has been grounded.

[PreciousPantsofDoom]

Have we heard anything further on this?  (Best case scenario would obviously be he is needed in DC due to  the demise of the Orange Asshole, but I'm not holding my breath on that one)

[GreyhoundFan]

20 minutes ago, PreciousPantsofDoom said:

Have we heard anything further on this?  (Best case scenario would obviously be he is needed in DC due to  the demise of the Orange Asshole, but I'm not holding my breath on that one)

No, I can't find anything other than Pence's spokespeople saying it was no big deal. Since everyone in this sham administration is a professional liar, I assume it it something important.

[Howl]

4 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

No, I can't find anything other than Pence's spokespeople saying it was no big deal. Since everyone in this sham administration is a professional liar, I assume it it something important.

Must agree on your assessment!  I'm getting a little quiver of satisfaction knowing that anything of import kicks the low grade chaos into an epic maelstrom of chaos.  

[PreciousPantsofDoom]

All I saw about it was a bunch of White House releases denying that it was anything related to either a health emergency or a matter of National security.   Which made me think of the First Rule of Politics...

[fraurosena]

Something pretty big was up, if all this is true:

Pence returning to DC is one hell of an important fact in this context*. Because it looks like he's running more of the show than anyone has surmised up till now. We all know Trump is completely incapable, and most certainly of handling the important stuff. So when something big happens on the world stage, and Pence is called back, then you can bet that he's the one running things backstage. Why else would he be summoned?

As an aside, it wouldn't surprise me if Pence is the one with the nuclear codes and they gave Trump some fake ones because everybody knows the presidunce cannot be trusted with the real ones. 

*The 'If true' caveat applies heavily on this theory. 

[formergothardite]

My thought it that Trump was getting ready to replace him for 2020 and Pence was rushed back to make sure that didn't happen. 

[WiseGirl]

36 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

My thought it that Trump was getting ready to replace him for 2020 

Who with?  Treason Barbie?  (Sorry Barbie, no disrespect intended).

[fraurosena]

1 hour ago, WiseGirl said:

Who with?  Treason Barbie?  (Sorry Barbie, no disrespect intended).

Putting Papa's Princess in Pence's place? 

You know what, you might be onto something there.

[Howl]

My thought was that Trump was having a sufficiently epic meltdown that he appeared to be stroking out or having a heart attack, in which case Pence would need to be on scene STAT. 

Who the fluck knows what really goes on, but you can bet that anything pointing to Trump being less than 100% and not the virile stud whose seed all women desire will be covered up to the absolute n-th degree. 

We'll know if it's health related if he doesn't appear at his July 4th narcissism replenishment ceremony. 

 

[apple1]

16 hours ago, Howl said:

My thought was that Trump was having a sufficiently epic meltdown that he appeared to be stroking out or having a heart attack, in which case Pence would need to be on scene STAT. 

Who the fluck knows what really goes on, but you can bet that anything pointing to Trump being less than 100% and not the virile stud whose seed all women desire will be covered up to the absolute n-th degree. 

We'll know if it's health related if he doesn't appear at his July 4th narcissism replenishment ceremony. 

 

My speculation was that POTUS was (I agree) having a meltdown - and that WH staff could not pull him back to a small semblance of reality, so called Pence to have a try at calming him down. I wonder how often that actually happens.

[Howl]

2 hours ago, apple1 said:

My speculation was that POTUS was (I agree) having a meltdown - and that WH staff could not pull him back to a small semblance of reality, so called Pence to have a try at calming him down. I wonder how often that actually happens.

My speculation --  in that scenario a helicopter would be dispatched to bring in Treason Barbie Daughter-Wife  STAT.  If that doesn't work, they'll find Dr. Ronny to come with the tranquilizer gun. 

Although Pence has powerful soporific qualities, he's no match for an enraged Trump. 

Whatever it was, some serious shit was going down and I want to know what it was.