More than half of Americans got excited as the impeachment trial in the Senate came up, hoping that President Trump would be removed from office. Others are still hoping he will be put out of a job at the next election. If you are a member of that half of Americans that got excited, consideration of the next man the GOP will likely push for president might give this anticipation a less optimistic edge. If Trump is a threat, the man standing behind America’s orange-flavored disaster at his big speeches, watching from the sidelines- the one who is patient, quiet, coherent, eloquent, is in many ways a far greater threat than Donald Trump, Michael Richard Pence.
Mike Pence is the current vice president, a job that many fresh from Civics associate with little responsibility, except being a Senatorial tiebreaker or ready to take over if the president is assassinated or falls ill. Pence, however, like some past VPs, plays a great many other roles. First, on the ticket Pence was a needed balancing agent to Trump’s wildness; while Trump is currently being sued by a pornstar, Pence has a reputation for never going to any social event without his wife. Trump is angry and loud, but Pence tends toward quieter, slow speech that fills with passive aggression when he wants it to. Outside of the ticket, Pence was directed to guide policy in the Middle East—while Trump ordered the hit that killed ISIS leader Al-Bagdadi, it was under Pence’s directions that the complex was found and the terrorist’s location pinpointed.
Pence, though, has shown absolutely no sign of the social moderation of less Trumpish candidates—promoting conversion therapy for gay people, shamelessly channeling government funding toward Christian organizations and defending homophobia in the guise of religious freedom. Pence is a bastion of extreme right-wing politics, especially anti-LGBTQ beliefs. As president, he would also serve lobbyists heavily, as demonstrated by his actions as VP; he has promoted Space Force (he and Trump were supported by military construction lobbies) and fought hard against gun regulation. In the past he has also cut AIDS/HIV relief efforts in Indiana, enabling an outbreak of the infection there that more than tripled the number of people HIV positive in the state.
Pence’s work behind the scenes has demonstrated, in small ways, his intelligence and comfortability with politics. He knows more than Trump does, is more comfortable on the political stage, and has much of the appeal to Republican voters that more moderate candidates than Trump do (and, if you’re keeping track of his resume, he now has a vice presidency under his belt, which as Biden has shown is no small advantage). The current vice president will be a crucial player to watch in politics to come. He has signs of being a powerful candidate for the GOP nomination soon, especially as a sort of quasi-Trump who still pulls Trump’s base but also attracts conservative-leaning moderates. He also hosts an array of hateful ideas and has no problem with lying as much or more than Trump. The problem is, Pence will be harder to catch.
