INDIANAPOLIS – How is the coverage of Mike Pence’s VP ambitions playing back home? Take a look for yourself. Many have found it laughable as this week has made it clear that the governor has only treated his time as Indiana’s governor as a consolation prize.
Muncie Star Press Column: VP Pence would be bad for Indiana
“Running as Donald Trump’s vice president could be the perfect job for Gov. Mike Pence, but not so great for Indiana.”[…] “A Pence candidacy could help bridge the gap between Trump and evangelicals and social conservatives, who are unsure exactly where Trump stands on gay rights and abortion. And that’s where a Pence candidacy as VP candidate could hurt Indiana.
It’s precisely those issues that continue to reinforce the erroneous image of Indiana as a backward looking, unwelcoming state […] It would be like ripping the scab off a healing wound.” […]“If he gets the nod that day, it will be the day Democrats come out swinging against Indiana and our ways — or as we Hoosiers more commonly know them, Pence’s decisions.”
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Anderson Herald-Bulletin Editorial: Trump-Pence risks outweigh potential Hoosier rewards
“Worst-case…Hoosiers, in fact all Americans, would find themselves susceptible to the whims of one man — Pence — whose idea of public service is to impose his social agenda and religious belief system….
Best case… Hoosiers will have scored a historic two-fer, simultaneously shedding a backward-thinking governor and dodging an executive branch duo who would have wreaked social upheaval at home and rampant anti-Americanism abroad.
So, while sequestering Pence in a toothless vice presidential role appeals to Hoosiers who have suffered through his four-year term as governor, the fact that he would be just one step from assuming the world’s most powerful office is ulcer inducing. It’s almost as troubling as the idea that Trump could be president.”
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IndyStar Column: “Tully: Donald Trump’s new apprentice — Mike Pence?”
“The potential political marriage between Donald Trump and Mike Pence actually makes sense. It’s also a reminder that Pence’s focus has never truly fixed on Indiana.” […] “…Either way, his flirtation with the developer turned reality TV star turned politician is just the latest in a long series of actions that have made clear Pence’s inability or unwillingness to focus on and adjust to the role of governor.”
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“… But if Pence is willing to ditch Indiana in the midst of a gubernatorial re-election campaign for a running-mate slot with Trump — well, that shows his level of commitment to the job of being governor.” […] “But the most important aspect of this latest Pence drama is what it means for Indiana. I’d argue that him leaving for the presidential circus would be good for the state.“
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Indianapolis Business Journal Editorial: Pence, Trump an awkward fit
“Is this Pence being baldly ambitious and opportunistic? We know, after all, that he has considered running for president.” […]”We don’t know the answer, but it’s disheartening to watch a politician who’s spent a career as a standard-bearer for the conservative Christian movement align himself with Trump’s reckless and misguided campaign.“
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Terre Haute Tribune-Star Editorial: Indiana under a microscope
“Such scrutiny would involve the good, the bad and the ugly.
This state should be up to the challenge, though. Months of derision and criticism tested Hoosiers following Pence’s handling of the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and its subsequent “fix,” in April 2015. The furor all but scuttled the governor’s own presidential ambitions. Three months earlier, Pence’s ill-fated idea to launch a state-run news agency, JustIN, had drawn ridicule as a “Pravda on the Plains.” His rejection of a possible $80 million in federal funding for pre-kindergarten, seemingly to impress the far right of Pence’s party while still a presidential hopeful, hurt more than the state’s image.”
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