Trump picks Pence

[badrose]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/15/us...president.html

[badrose]

Thanks to whomever moved this thread here.

[UKHistory]

Think Christie would be the better choice in terms of leadership, foreign policy, etc. Christie is tough guy and would have been well positioned to be president.

Pence came across very well in his speeches and is a good choice. But I was rooting for Kasich based on who was running.

[KSRBEvans]

[badrose]

Will Pence's stance on social issues hurt Trump's chances?

[KSRBEvans]

IMHO Pence helps Trump in virtually no way whatsoever. He's about the opposite of Trump's populist base, his conservative views will alienate libertarian and moderate independents, and his Medicaid expansion and waffling on his state's RFRA do not inspire social and movement conservatives. I can think of about 25 choices that would've been better than Pence. Even picking Newt would've given Trump the novelty of a "Two Raving Lunatics" Tour.

[dan_bgblue]

At this time I agree with BE. I do not see the pick as a good one for the ticket. That could change, but I preferred someone else.

Of course this might support the conspiracy theorists that still think Trump is in the race to make sure Hillary gets elected.

[dan_bgblue]

Even picking Newt gives him the novelty the "Two Raving Lunatics Tour" would've inspired.

That would have been fun to watch

[suncat05]

I think Pence is a good, solid choice. Not flashy, but solid. And I think Gingrich is a great choice for a high administration cabinet position. Two solid choices in high positions to advise a novice President.

If Trump were to win. That is yet to be determined.

[Darrell KSR]

ForumRunner_20160714_212209.jpg

[KSRBEvans]

Dana Bash Verified Account
@DanaBashCNN
Scoop: @realDonaldTrump was so unsure about @mike_pence that around midnight last night he asked top aides if he could get out of it
1:40 PM - 15 Jul 2016
https://mobile.twitter.com/DanaBashC...9022480384?p=v

Always a good sign....

[KeithKSR]

Pence was chosen to throw a bone to the far right.

[KSRBEvans]

Should've thrown a different bone.

[Darrell KSR]

Hey, I'd rather have Pence as President. So maybe it's OK.

I feel like this is all a cruel joke.

[CitizenBBN]

Should've thrown a different bone.

If he wanted to shore up the conservative base, pick Gingrich.

Sure he has issues and negatives, but if they are spending time attacking him that's time not spent attacking Trump, and Gingrich can actually articulate a position.

Doubt Kasich would have done it, but I'd have gone after him HARD. If he could deliver Ohio, a key swing state, that's about as much as you can get from a VP candidate in an election, and it could have maybe even helped in Pennsylvania. I like picking VPs based on states they can deliver once you get above a certain minimum bar that they can be competent in the office.

Not sure if we live to be 100 if we'll see a more negative or worse run PResidential race than this year's, on both sides. I had hoped Trumps off the cuff stuff and lowbrow behavior would pivot to become more Presidential, and I think everyone around him is trying to pull him there, but we'll see if he can do it.

[CitizenBBN]

Hey, I'd rather have Pence as President. So maybe it's OK.

I feel like this is all a cruel joke.

Someday, when like in Starship Troopers the military has had to seize control and only those who serve are 100% "Citizens" and only those citizens can vote, they'll point to this election as the reason why they had to make the change.

[KSRBEvans]

If he wanted to shore up the conservative base, pick Gingrich.

Sure he has issues and negatives, but if they are spending time attacking him that's time not spent attacking Trump, and Gingrich can actually articulate a position.

Doubt Kasich would have done it, but I'd have gone after him HARD. If he could deliver Ohio, a key swing state, that's about as much as you can get from a VP candidate in an election, and it could have maybe even helped in Pennsylvania. I like picking VPs based on states they can deliver once you get above a certain minimum bar that they can be competent in the office.

Not sure if we live to be 100 if we'll see a more negative or worse run PResidential race than this year's, on both sides. I had hoped Trumps off the cuff stuff and lowbrow behavior would pivot to become more Presidential, and I think everyone around him is trying to pull him there, but we'll see if he can do it.

I consider myself to be a Reagan conservative, but I think Newt would've been a crazy choice. Like literally crazy, as in "he's nutty as a fruit cake."

I could've got behind Kasich, even though I have problems with his Medicaid expansion. I think he balances the ticket with a grown-up and gives Trump a better chance of winning Ohio. No Republican has ever become President w/o winning Ohio. So he would've been a good tactical choice.

Pence doesn't help from a tactical standpoint (Trump's got big problems if he has trouble winning Indiana), and he's a poor defender of conservative values, so a wasted pick IMHO.

[KeithKSR]

I consider myself to be a Reagan conservative, but I think Newt would've been a crazy choice. Like literally crazy, as in "he's nutty as a fruit cake."

I could've got behind Kasich, even though I have problems with his Medicaid expansion. I think he balances the ticket with a grown-up and gives Trump a better chance of winning Ohio. No Republican has ever become President w/o winning Ohio. So he would've been a good tactical choice.

Pence doesn't help from a tactical standpoint (Trump's got big problems if he has trouble winning Indiana), and he's a poor defender of conservative values, so a wasted pick IMHO.

Many within the party like Pence, so this may be a pick to help unify the politicians within the party.

[dan_bgblue]

Lets see if it influences Kasich to announce his support for the ticket

[Jeeepcat]

I cringed when I heard this. I wasn't going to vote for Trump anyway (and no I'm not voting for Hillary) but this was just a huge step in the wrong direction. Wrong nominee and now wrong running mate. The Republican party is sealing their fate. After 8 years we (yeah I'm one) couldn't do better than Trump and now this.

[CitizenBBN]

Oh come on, we have to get Trump in office.

First we have to keep out Hillary, she really is a felon who has already willingly sold out this nation and is all of what's worst in politics.

Second, sure Trump is brash and an egomaniac and mostly operates like an angry 6th grader on the recess playground, but think of the fun of that as President. it has to be like how people felt when Andrew Jackson took office and the inauguration party at the White house went on so long they had to set the booze outside to get people out and they locked the doors.

Seriously, we need to get behind this vision gang. We'd have a great First Lady, she seems great, the kids seem OK, and a President who would tweet insults at other heads of state would just be so surreal and absurdist it would be worth the price of admission alone.

The cool part would be that he has this amazing way of getting everyone else down to his level, so then we get to see these major heads of state do the same thing. The whole world limited to thoughts that fit in 140 characters.

I'm all but looking forward to it now.

(OK, I"m not, but I'm WAY less looking forward to Hillary picking the next 3 Justices and the subsequent end of the 2nd amendment along with a bunch of concepts like the Constitution. Trump is an asshat but he won't sell this country out to Russia and Iran like Obama and Hillary have done.)

[Doc]

Lots of countries have had leaders on the fringe. Plus our governmental system is such that checks and balances will prevent much of the absurd things he has suggested, much like it did with Obama. Sure, Barrach got some of his stuff implemented, some of it by hook and crook back door dealings (see Obamacare) but for the most part the "checks" of Congress and those damn republican obstructionist as well as the supreme court did their jobs. Obama et al didn't like it but then this country isn't a monarchy.