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Vice President Mike Pence has issued a lengthy letter explaining why he will not reject electoral college votes. The Boss, however, is not happy. He’s been making not-so-veiled hints that he expects total loyalty from his Veep — loyalty which Pence has provided all along.
At Wednesday’s enormous rally in Washington, DC, President Trump once again insinuated that Mike Pence should stand by him, come hell-or-high-water.
“If Mike Pence does the right thing we win the election.”
“All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people.”
“Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn’t, it’s a sad day for our country.”
Trump kept up the squeeze play throughout the 75 minutes he addressed his supporters.
“Nice political career ya got there, Mike! Be a shame if somethin’ was ta happen to it!”
But those requests were a bridge too far for Pence’s conscience. Before Congress met on Wednesday, he issued a lengthy letter, explaining why he could not, and would not, claim “unilateral authority” to determine which electoral votes should be counted.
“Some believe that as Vice President, I should be able to accept or reject votes unilaterally. Others believe that electoral votes should never be challenged in a Joint Session of Congress.
After a careful study of our Constitution, our laws, and our history, I believe neither view is correct. . . . .
It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.”
Mike Pence also quoted John Quincy Adams:
“I also pray that we will do so with humility and faith, remembering the words of John Quincy Adams, who said “Duty is ours; results are God’s.””
(You can find the full text of Pence’s letter here.)
GPA Photo Archive/flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0.
Needless to say, hardcore Trump supporters have not been happy with Pence’s failure to follow the Boss’s orders. Like unhinged attorney Lin Wood, who called for Pence to be arrested and executed “by firing squad.” Plus, TX Rep. Louis Gohmert filed a lawsuit against Mike Pence, insisting that he has sole discretion to determine which electoral votes should be counted. On Friday, a judge threw out that suit.
Then, around 2:15 eastern time on Wednesday afternoon, security had to rush Pence out of Senate chambers for his safety. Angry protesters had breached barricades outside the Capitol building where Congress had been meeting to hash out the electoral votes.
Watching the drama in DC on Wednesday, I heard a Fox reporter say he spoke with a Trump supporter who expressed her anger at Pence. She said the Constitution didn’t matter, he should’ve stood by Trump. On social media, others predicted that Mike Pence’s political career is done.
Well, it probably is. Never mind that Pence has been a stalwart supporter of life, religious liberty, and the Second Amendment. Apparently all that matters for some is how well he followed the Boss’s demands. And then he let them down.
So yeah, Mike Pence is probably toast, politically speaking, that is. Republicans are riding a populist wave, and even though Donald Trump will leave the White House, he has left a huge mark on the party. So president or not, Trump will continue to be its de facto leader. Loyalists, however, will view Pence as the guy who destroyed Trump’s shot at a second term. Never mind that the shot was a Hail Mary pass, anyway.
But a Facebook poster left a comment in support of Mike Pence, and it’s worth considering:
“The thing is, he’s not wrong. It’s the duty of the legislature to contest this, not the VP. In 4 years, do we want Kamala Harris entrusted with the power to throw out electoral votes she doesn’t deem fit? Would we have wanted Al Gore to have that power? The problem is, we were all hoping for the impossible from Pence because too many of our Republican legislators have no backbone. They were given the duty under the Constitution, and they shirked it. That’s not Pence’s fault, and I don’t fault him for declining to set a precedent that could be devastating if someone less ethical were in his shoes.”
Think about it: would you want a VP Harris throwing out electoral votes she doesn’t like? I wouldn’t, and I bet you wouldn’t either.
Mike Pence did the right thing. Yes, I said it. Integrity is on the line in our republic, as well as our Constitution, and Pence stood up for both.
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Featured image: Gage Skidmore/flickr/cropped/CC BY-SA 2.0.
Lloyd says: I have liked Mike Pence from the start. This decision was undoubtedly difficult for him, but it was the right decision! I, too, have been a Trump supporter, but He blew it…plain and simple. If he could have somehow become more likeable during the second half of his tenure…he/we would have one. Now, thanks to him, we are stuck with two anti-America,,, pro-china politicians leading(?) this nation. Sad day, patriots!
RB in GA says: Pence may have killed his career, but it did it for the right reasons. Trump put him in an untenable position, and acribed to him powers he just doesn’t have. Much like Jeff sessions, Pence will be ridiculed by the Trumpists, while ignoring the fact that the majority of the country (population wise) just didn’t want him. Now, I did vote for the man, but not for any of his virtues (for as far as I can see he has none), but because what we;re about to have is far worse. It’s really time we woke up and started a viable 3rd party- I’d love for it to be the Libertarian Party, but they just wont get out of their own way. Let’s bring back the Bull Moose!
Jim Francis says: LOL you think Jeff Sessions is some paragon of political virtue? Hilarious. Sessions is a craven coward who willingly gave his position as Attorney General to the Deep State.
Pence is a man of generally good character.
Hey Pence, you really want history to remember you as “THAT GUY?”
mrpulpol says: Pence is already “that guy” no matter what he does because of what he is obligated to do.
4thewin says: Pence was in a tough spot and didn’t take action. He wrote a letter instead. No animosity toward Pence. I’m just not going to vote for him in the future. It’s pretty simple how it works.
Frank J. Derfler says: I am a huge fan of Victory Girls. I promoted your blog in many social media outlets. But, this article is sloppy.
The au says: “. unhinged attorney Lin Wood, who called for Pence to be arrested and executed “by firing squad.”… Yes, but the charge from Wood has nothing to do with the election or vote counting., Your au slides that in, but there is no link.
“Plus, TX Rep. Louis Gohmert filed a lawsuit against Mike Pence, insisting that he has sole discretion to determine which electoral votes should be counted. On Friday, a judge threw out that suit.” — The suit was dismissed for “Lack of Standing” .. not on the arguments within the suit. (Honestly, the arguments were pretty darn good!)_
“… security had to rush Pence out of Senate chambers for his safety. Angry protesters had breached barricades…” Hmmm.. the “Angry Protestors” looked to eye witnesses a lot like Antifa protestors seen at West Coast Antifa riots.. ” Video shows the Capitol Police Removing barriers Other photos show what looks like a pre-planned photo shoot with perfect lighting and police protection.
Your author dragged in things that smelled like pertinent facts, but are not and applied labels “Angry protestors” that are likely not valid
I think this writer slipped a bad part past Rosy the Riveter. Shoddy work. .
Kim Hirsch says: Couple of things here.
First, your comment regarding Lin Wood: Yes, but the charge from Wood has nothing to do with the election or vote counting., Your au slides that in, but there is no link. Yes, because my point was not about the charges. The paragraph began with Needless to say, hardcore Trump supporters have not been happy with Pence’s failure to follow the Boss’s orders. I wrote about how these two Trump supporters were not happy with Pence.
Plus, there was indeed a link. It was on the word called.
Also: The suit was dismissed for “Lack of Standing” .. not on the arguments within the suit. (Honestly, the arguments were pretty darn good!) Once again, that was not my point. See above.
Finally: Hmmm.. the “Angry Protestors” looked to eye witnesses a lot like Antifa protestors seen at West Coast Antifa riots.. ” Video shows the Capitol Police Removing barriers Other photos show what looks like a pre-planned photo shoot with perfect lighting and police protection. Your author dragged in things that smelled like pertinent facts, but are not and applied labels “Angry protestors” that are likely not valid
First of all, at the time of publishing, I had no information about whom the protestors were. They had just broken into the Capitol. Secondly, my post was about Mike Pence and his decision — not the protestors or legal arguments.
It sounds to me like you believed my writing to be “shoddy” because I didn’t write what you wanted to read.
I stand by my post.
Nichevo says: loyalty which Pence has provided all along.
Ehhh…apparently VP Pence forced the firing of NSA Flynn. Not his biggest favor to the Republic.
gnome says: Dunno. On current performance Flynn seems a trifle deranged. He may have been a very weak link in the Trump chain.
Codex says: After 2020, and the most blatant in-your-face-fraud, privileged justice for the connected only, and Kristalsommer with actual freicorps running wild, how can you write:
“…would you want a VP Harris throwing out electoral votes she doesn’t like? I wouldn’t, and I bet you wouldn’t either.
without first being stoned out of your gourd?
Lord love a duck ma’am. KKKamala and the Bidenreich are going to rig the electoral college votes, and every other bit of our system for the next decade no matter what anyone does. Just as they and their assorted cronies have been doing for a generation now.
Mr. Pence is playing thevcoward, and the quisling; betraying not so much President Trump, but America and her people.
So to answer your question, if the RNC had defrauded the entire USA, and Kamala Harris was the only man standing between putting the seal on that fraud, yes. I would want her to stop it. And I’d be ashamed of any decent, loyal America who would not do the same.
Bah.
abprosper says: If the issue weren’t massive fraud I’d agree. This extraordinary level of vote rigging requires extraordinary action by a man with courage which Pence does not apparently have.
Brad Sussman says: A friend of mine – who was part of the 2016 Trump campaign – told me that during the Cleveland RNC, Pence and his family hated Trump, and never expected him to win. (He was doing it to boost his resume.)
Jimmy Francis says: Mike Pence, as President of the Senate, could have ruled AS PRESIDING OFFICER that PA, AZ, NV, and WI elector selection processes violated the Constitution. Any senator could have appealed the ruling of the chair to the Senate, which would have voted to overrule the chair. Pence would have done what Trump wanted without sacrificing his political career.
Pence chose not to do that. The only rational conclusion is that he is a traitor. If he’s the nominee in 2024 I’ll vote for Biden just to spite Pence.
archie says: Never trust a Christian to do the right thing.
Manuel says: Pence lied to the President. The President who picked him from obscurity to be VP. And he stabbed him in the back. He should have said weeks ago he wouldn’t do this but he left 75 million voters twisting in the wind.
Whodathunkit says: What on earth is wrong with conservatives now….? Does watching civil unrest on TV somehow lobotomize otherwise good people…? The fraud has been blatant and in our faces, not once but twice. The latest perpetrated on us just this past Tuesday. Wake up, lady! This is a *coup attempt*!!! An attempt to steal our way of government and undermine all the election processes that hold it up. That no shots have been fired except in civil protests means not a whit. The Left does not GAFF about the niceties and nuances of gentleman’s politics, and if they get away with this now, anyone who thinks this is not what we’re in for every election for the rest of our lives is still living in that beautiful, mythical, pre-2020 La La Land. Unless they are stopped now, the Left is going to do its level best to roll us up like a rug in 2022 and every election thereafter. Pence is NOT doing the right thing by enabling the steal, and he’s not setting any precedent they will not set themselves if they need to do it in the future. They do not care about living up to their own set of rules…they only care about exploiting the weaknesses of making us live up to ours. The only precedent Pence will set by doing this is showing other squishy pols exactly how to line up to be boot-licking, trough-feeding globalist tools just like Cocaine Mitch and Lindsay Grahmsay and John Roberts and apparently the rest of the SCOTUS, et al.. Kicking it back to the states is procedural. The states can do with it what they like if that happens. Anyone who thinks Pence is doing the right thing just hasn’t thought this through. Plus, I’m sick of Christians excusing their own squishiness with references to God.. Humility is NOWHERE a *Commandment* in the the Old or New Testaments. Jesus instructs us be humble in order to properly follow in his footsteps, but His only two COMMANDMENTS reinforce His Father’s: “Worship the Lord our God with all our hearts”, and to “Love our neighbors as ourselves” (Matthew 22:37-40. The devil got into Christianity by pharisaically elevating pious humility above every other consideration. According to all visible evidence, and according to Scripture, Trump is the side Christians need to be on. Trump supports the things that engender God’s BLESSINGS upon a nation: the right to life (6th Commandment); support for Israel (Genesis 12:2-3; God’s blessing to Abraham making his descendants a nation and cursing anyone who curses that nation); orderly civic life (multiple verses); and the freedom for all people to rise and better their material circumstances in the world and use their resources in the way that seems best to them (2 Corinthians 9:7, etc.). However, Trump’s opponents (and presumably Pence’s) support all things than engender God’s CURSES upon a nation: murder of babies in the womb; death to Israel by supporting her most vicious and militant enemies; riots, looting, and defunding the police; and the forced redistribution of wealth (i.e., theft) through the hands of secular government agents who are not worthy of such a monumental task. Whether or not to support Trump in this SHOULD BE a no-brainer for Christians on either side of the aisle. And also for secular conservatives. That it hasn’t been is an abdication of principles and wits that has made 2016 – 2020 a breathtaking term to behold.
“would you want a VP Harris throwing out electoral votes she doesn’t like?”
Well, if they were fraudulent, yes.
But Harris would have no problem tossing them because they were Republican, so no.
Render says: The idea that leftists are constrained by what non-leftists choose NOT to do is … what’s the superlative of “laughable”?
Hominem Humilem says: If we are to plausibly claim that we live in a Constitutional republic, we must follow its rules and institutional processes. VP Pence presides over the Senate and casts tie-breaking votes; the assertion that the VP has the authority to unilaterally override the state legislatures is silly. Transforming the VP into the Grand Elector is entirely inconsistent with the values underlying our system and the clear intent of our founding generation; the state legislatures determine which electors form the Electoral College, period.
The Facebook poster Kim cited is correct; once the state legislatures have determined the electors, Congress is simply the stenographer. Any state whose legislature notifies Congress that it needs to update its initial declaration should do so and the VP should accept the updated certified list–just as Nixon did in 1961 when the Hawaii election took extra time and the slim lead (Nixon’s, as it turns out) changed hands.
If you believe the legislature of your state erred in changing the rules for the 2020 election (or allowed the rules to be changed without taking action to stop the Secretary of State, et al.), remember that at the next election. They made their choice, now you make yours. VP Pence did the right thing–the only thing our system allows him to do.
DEEBEE says: Kim, you and that pussy footer you quoted can go pound sand., if you think Kamala is going to be moved by this. The sheer lack of doing the dirty with just the right amount of dissembling is left to Dems. Who IMO are unstoppable.
Curly_Bill says: Let’s hope so.
bbob says: Will never vote for Pence. Period. Democrats didn’t win the republicans suirrendered. All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. As far as I am concerned Pence isn’t even a good man considering he is ballless.
Azzie Nolan says: Amazing how many “conservatives” are now showing their true colors. The election was blatantly stolen and this author and many “true conservatives” talk only about “doing the right thing” with no basis for saying it is the “right thing”. Mike Pence –supposedly a man of strength and a man of God– ducked when it mattered most. The right thing–under any standard–is to stand up for what is right and what is honest–not to succumb to thuggery because they got away with it. I hope you like living under the tyranny your are submitting to. At least you have “eloquent” authors who can justify anything with the right words!
Craig says: Pence has sold his soul to the Fascist Cheating Democrats. He will get some cushy 7 figure job somewhere on the taxpayers dime, without paying for his crimes/sins. I hope he rots in obsecurity.
Elmer Stoup says: Kim, your post is 100% correct. Under the Constitution, Pence had to do what he did. He had no authority to challenge the electors.
Rick Caird says: Kim, I would argue the Constitution would not have assigned the VP to count the electoral votes if all they expected was arithmetic A guy with an abacus could have done that. If he had sent the Florida votes back to the Florida legislator, he would have gotten the same vote back as nothing was contested. But sending the ballot back to contested states would have allowed the legislature to correct fraud or errors, It is no different than judicial review.
Douglas Robert Loss says: I know some of you will consider me to be hopelessly naive, but I just sent this to my Tennessee state representative and senator:
“I want to address you both on an issue I consider urgent and possibly concerning the continued existence of our country.
“We have now witnessed two elections in which the left in this country has blatantly stolen the election, hardly even pretending they weren’t doing so (the November presidential election and the Georgia senatorial election just past). Yesterday’s protest in Washington (which was notably not a riot in the form of the Antifa/BLM riots we witnessed over most of 2020) is already being used as justification for further abrogation of the US Constitution against anyone in our country who isn’t either part of the leftist cabal that is clearly controlling the federal government or a nominally conservative politician who is trying to appease the cabal in the hope of retaining whatever power they allow him to have. It pains me to say it, but it really has become the US federal government against the American people.
“I urge you to open discussions in the General Assembly about making Tennesee an overt 10th Amendment Sanctuary state, analogous to the leftist pro-illegal-immigration sanctuary states. Make it clear that in Tennessee, all federal government activity will be examined according to what the federal government is given authority to do by the US Constitution, and any federal activity with no Constitutional justification will not be allowed in Tennessee. Not only will state authorities not assist in such activities, they will actively oppose said activities. This would not be secession from the US, just insisting on the proper division of authority between the federal government and the Tennessee state government.
“I further urge you to open discussions with the General Assemblies of other like-minded states (Texas comes to mind) to persuade them to pass similar resolutions, and to regularize the language of all such resolutions so that a de facto 10th Amendment Sanctuary coalition would be formed. I ask that you do this in the hope of fending off the incipient civil war that I fear we may be coming very close to. I hope this can work, and that it isn’t a forlorn hope action. But if we don’t make the attempt, we might as well start arming up, I’m afraid.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
I can’t insist, but if any of you feel like sending a similar message to your state representatives, feel free to use the wording I wrote here.
Loki says: Hate to tell you this…. but even with Pence setting a precedent… any future Democractic VP wouldn’t hesitate, in the least, to toss out electoral votes left and right.
But, we also know that it wouldn’t get this far anyway… Democractic states will have investigations…. Left leaning jurists on SCOTUS will find a reason to have ‘standing’, etc.
They play by different rules. The media acts as their marketing team and the public eats it up.
[…] And, yeah: I’m looking at you, Glenn Reynolds. I’m looking at you, John Hinderaker. I’m looking at you, Ed Driscoll. I’m looking at you, Bob McManus. I’m looking at you, Tyler O’Neil. I’m looking at you, Kim Hirsch. […]
Ron Jones says: Pence can go to hell. He is on the side of the cheaters.
Erika says: Agreed. Pence was not put in an easy position here but I’m glad to see he chose the path he did.
Craig says: Headline – Mike Pence May Have Killed His Political Career
Me – Mike Pence Killed His Political Career – 100%.
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