As the US election draws ever closer, and the world awaits with baited breath to see if the unthinkable can come true, it’s worth taking a closer look at Donald Trump’s would-be vice-President, Mike Pence.
Pence is the Governor of the State of Indiana, a position he’s held since 2013, and his involvement in US politics goes back further. Trump has been clever to get Pence on-side, so to speak – his right-hand man has political experience.
Pence is in many ways the insidious side of Trump’s campaign. Whilst Trump (rightly) receives condemnation from various quarters for the things he’s been saying, Pence is arguably worse. No, that isn’t a typo. Mike Pence is a man who is decidedly dangerous in his views, across a range of subjects.
Abortion: Like Trump, Pence is anti-abortion and his state requires women to mourn and grieve the foetus, putting them through a traumatic experience during what will already be a difficult time. One of his constituents was actually jailed, though this sentence was overruled.
Sex Education: Pence seriously believes that abstinence education is better than using protection. I hope I don’t have to explain to anyone how stupid this is.
LBGT Rights: It’s probably not a surprise to learn that Pence doesn’t believe same-sex couples should have the right to marry and he wants to strip this right from them. More than that, Pence wants to remove any legal protections the LGBT community has.
There’s yet more. Pence is on record as saying that smoking doesn’t kill and he compared a ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It should speak volumes that Trump regards this man as the person he wants to serve alongside him.
D*** straight!! I heard a comment or read a meme that said: “Trump says awful s***, but Pence gets awful s*** done.”
He has passed some 8 anti-choice laws, including mandated ultrasounds &, yes, funerals for abortions (even though most early abortions resemble a very heavy menstrual cycle).
He also might be credited, rightfully so, with starting the anti-Planned Parenthood furor. He started trying to get it defunded in 2001, long before the fake videos came out.
He’s an awful man & he deserves to be relegated to the political has-been pile. Unfortunately, if Trump wins, Pence will, essentially, be in charge. Trump’s staff has said he wants to be more of a “figurehead” president & leave all the foreign & domestic policy to Pence.
It’s. Terrifying. :'(
The prospect of Trump alone should scare most Americans in voting for Clinton, regardless of her flaws. The thought of him AND Pence should scare the complete shit out of the entire free world.
A lot of people don’t realize their hatred of Clinton – in addition to her flaws, which wouldn’t be a big deal if she had a penis – flows from the fear of having a woman in charge. I hope a lot of it is latent misogyny, but I know a lot of it is active misogyny. The popular anti-Clinton schwag makes it pretty clear. 🙁
It’s frustrating how close the race is right now. It’s a perfect example of how a woman has to be perfect to be in competition with the mediocre white man. 🙁