Mike Pence: A paradigm Republican hypocrite
Don’t let Pence’s choice on January 6 blind you to his self-serving dissimulation
Democrats have been giving far too much credit to Mike Pence for standing with democracy on January 6.
Anyone who followed Pence’s career in Indiana before becoming Vice President knows that he was a skilled practitioner of hypocritical, mean-spirited Republicanism.
Pence perfected the role of 1990’s über-religious Republican Pharisee. He could hold unmelted butter on his tongue for decades while he championed the most regressive and harmful “conservative” policies imaginable.
But in 2016, he had come to the end of his rope. Republicans no longer wanted their politicians to wear the fake-Christian mask. They wanted the agressive and nasty hatefulness of Trump. Indianans were on the cusp of outing Pence from his governorship.
Trump saved Pence from that ignominy. The very fact that Pence accepted Trump’s offer to run with him demonstrates the corruptness of Pence’s real character. But so does his four years as principal toady to the worst President in history.
Pence cheerleaded or went along with every unconstitutional and illegal act of Trump’s administration. He was fine with trying to ban Muslims. Fine with ripping babies away from their parents at the southern border. Fine with obstructing justice in the Mueller investigation. Fine with trying to kneecap Ukraine. Fine with using the Justice Department to punish political enemies and protect Trump from being charged with crimes. Fine with everyone who refused to testify to Congress during Trump’s two impeachments. Fine with stripping women of rights they have had for half a century. In short, he was the same Republican hypocrite as Vice President that he was during his entire career.
Still, somewhat unexpectedly, he did his duty on January 6.
But given his utterly hypocritical character, should we not ask why he stood up to Trump on that one day? After all, he never did before, even though Trump got increasingly more tyrannical as his years in office passed. For many decent Americans, this seems to be a real conundrum.
Yet there is no mystery here. In light of the execrable character that Pence has abundantly demonstrated, the answer is quite clear. Pence did his duty on January 6 because he could not find any way to shirk it that would not backfire on him if the coup were to fail.
It is part of the record now that Pence assiduously “studied” the question of whether he could unilaterally overthrow the Constitution. He looked into every legal nook and cranny. He even called Dan Quayle—a famously dimwitted 90’s Republican—to see if that loser could provide an excuse for a blatantly unconstitutional action.
All this “studying” over an action that any decent person would reject out of hand is perfectly in line with Pence’s lifetime history of hypocrisy. Pence was looking for a way to do what Trump wanted without getting himself in trouble.
It’s not admirable to stand with democracy only because you can’t find a reason for standing against it.
It’s not admirable to save yourself first and save the nation as an afterthought.
Why am I dragging all this up now? Because yesterday Pence demonstrated once again what a paradigmatic example he is of old-school Republican hypocrisy.
On the very same day that it became official that Republicans will control House for the next two years—on the very same day, in other words, that it became certain Pence would never have to suffer any consequences for defying the January 6 committee because Republicans in control of Congress will not stand up for justice—Pence declared that he will not cooperate with the committe.
This is classic Republican-hypocrite posturing. Only when he knows he’s safe does Pence “stand up to partisan abuse by government.” Only when he knows he’s safe does Pence declare that the committe “has no right to his testimony”—the kind of agressive denial of the truth that Republicans think makes them look “tough.”
This is old-school Republican hypocrisy at the Newt Gingrich level.
And no decent American should ever again praise Pence for doing his duty on January 6. He only did it because he couldn’t figure out how to save himself if he didn’t.
Great news, Frederick! I’m so happy that you’ll be getting out of the red hellhole that is now Florida.
Honestly, I don’t know how decent people can live in these benighted areas of the country. At this moment, I am watching a discussion on TV about how the red states are trying to legally bowdlerize their education systems so that children only hear Republican propaganda about American history. The red hordes are not only ignorant themselves, but they are determined to make everyone as stupid as themselves.
I suppose they really think that they can achieve 1984 levels of Newspeak, that if they just control the language, people will never have thoughts that Republicans don’t like. More stupidity. People won’t be controlled that way unless they are already controlled that way.
Sooner or later, we’ve got to extinguish these people, at least as a force in a our politics. I can’t stand to be around them—and I don’t have to get closer to them then sever hundred miles. I really fell sorrry for those who have to live surrounded by them.
Good luck in Massachusetts, Frederick!
Yes, Michael. The type of the hypocritical super-religious Republican has been with us since the "moral majority" rose up in the 1980s. But Pence honed the type to a Uriah-Heep-like unctuousness and pompous self-righteousness that makes decent Americans puke. Fortunately, he has no chance of remaining in politics, since everybody hates him now.
Thanks for reading and responding!