General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA question for my fellow DUers, and my personal answer.
If and when and hopefully SOON, Donald Trump is removed from office, are you willing to give Mike Pence the benefit of the doubt as he assumes his new job?
MY answer is, of course, Hell F**k NO!
I see Pence as a religious nut job who signed discrimination and hatred and homophobia into law in Indiana. I see Mike Pence as an irredeemable ass kissing yes man who surrendered any particle of dignity that he might have ever had in exchange for his position hitched to the malignant Donald Trump "star." If I'd have had any respect for Mike Pence before, it would've disappeared the moment I saw the video of a meeting where he saw Trump put his water bottle on the floor and he followed suit immediately. And Republicans had a shit fit when President Obama got mustard on a cheeseburger? Jeezis!
If anything, I believe that Mike Pence may be even worse since he has just enough of a coating of smarm to him that he just might be able to con just enough voters to prolong the Trump/Pence nightmare until 2024.
I remember back in August of 1974 when new President Ford addressed the nation for the first time after Tricky Dickie's resignation, he concluded his remarks by saying "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over." I felt a level of hope then that I'd never be able to feel with a creature of Mike Pence's nature. For all of Ford's faults, he was so much better a person than friggin' Mike Pence.
It was the most that I ever believed in a Republican president. I was born when IKE was in office but JFK is the first president that I remember. As sheerly awful as the other Republicans have been in my lifetime, I NEVER thought that Nixon, Reagan, Bush the first and Bush the worst were loyal to a hostile foreign power. Now we know that when Donald Trump says "America First," he's answering the question "which country should surrender to Russia?"
While saying nothing good about Reagan, whom my father always accurately referred to as Senile Sam, one thing that can't be denied is that he despised the Russians. He'd be furious to see the Republican party, which had been called the party of Reagan for some 35 years, become the party of Putin. I don't really care if some Republicans give lip service to criticizing Trump's treason. They've spent the last two years following him blindly to get any slack from me now.
SO, am I willing to give Mike Pence the benefit of the doubt when he assumes the presidency? Again, Hell f**k NO!
RESIST!

RKP5637
(67,112 posts)MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...Jesus is NOT the answer to everything in spite of what the Pat Robertsons of the world might say.
RESIST!
Raine
(30,674 posts)and he's comes across as sane and smart, to me that makes him scarier.
AlexSFCA
(6,288 posts)so I dont even bother thinking about it. Pence has supported trumps performance yesterday. I beleive trump would be more effective at energizing dem voters and breaking gop than pence would. So Donnie should stay and take gop to hell with him; pence will be out at the end of the term.
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)Yuck!
RESIST!
tblue37
(66,184 posts)him with a fake plane layover to persuade him to choose Pence.
Also, despite a letter from Elijah Cummings telling Pence about Flynn, Pence pretends he had no idea because Flynn lied to him about his Russian entanglement. Pence (and Ryan, McConnell, and other Republicans) are up to their knees in this mess!
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)Thanks.
RESIST!
Docreed2003
(18,045 posts)brooklynite
(96,882 posts)He'll keep the religious right, but House Republicans won't feel the same pressure to stick with him.
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...that the Repubs in Congress liked Pence more.
RESIST!
J_William_Ryan
(2,419 posts)Which is why impeachment and removal from office pursuant to conviction in the Senate is not an option.
Trump must be voted out of office and replaced with a Democratic president.
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)RESIST!
FM123
(10,188 posts)The thing that makes my stomach turn is that in the line of succession there is nothing but more evil:
Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, Orrin Hatch, Mike Pompeo, Steve Mnuchin....
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...we're screwed until 1/20/21...yikes!
RESIST!
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Please note this.
If Trump is impeached it will not happen overnight. While Democrats have very little power, they will do everything humanly possible to drag out the process. The trial will consume DC. Completely.
How much time do you will be left in the term if impeachment proceedings started in August? We will be in stagnation until the next election which isn't all that far off. Primaries are right around the corner and Pence will face some serious challengers, if he decides to run. Impeachment would devastate Republicans. Pence would be a very temporary placeholder.
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...VERY temporary.
RESIST!
FakeNoose
(36,529 posts)He'll never be elected to his own 4-year term, but he may finish out Cheeto's term. That depends on when Cheeto resigns or gets kicked out.
I don't see Pence as anything other than a lame duck because he never had the charisma or political pull with voters that his partner has/had. He may think he could run for re-election but it would totally flop. By then the Democrats will be back in the majority anyway.
Remember that on numbers alone, the GOP loses every time. They cannot win an election unless they cheat. And they know this! It's up to us to Get Out The Vote.
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...VOTE!!!
RESIST!
SamKnause
(13,994 posts)They are known liars.
If they are not the ones telling the lies, they agree with those who are.
They are the enemy.
I don't want bipartisanship.
I want them destroyed !!!!!!!!!!
They are the greatest threat this country has ever faced.
Cold War Spook
(1,279 posts)but I would rather it be him instead of Trump. We will probably hate anything that he wants done, but we will know in advance how he stands on issues since he is a very religious person and would try to settle issues using the Bible. We need the Senate in 2018 to bring almost everything to a halt and fight like hell to get a decent Democrat president in 2020.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)trump, IMO. I'd love him to go too, but can't have everything I suppose.
One problem is that removal of trump might reduce some of pressure for a blue wave in November. Not for DUers, but those few critical percentage of people who haven't voted regularly or are not committed to GOPer ideology strongly.
el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)I agree that Pence is pretty lousy - but he's not as actively criminal as Trump. And in order for Trump to lose power we will have to hold the house at least, and possibly the Senate as well. So while I wouldn't trust him, his ability to inflict harm on the country will likely be somewhat curtailed by the process of getting Trump out of power, diminishing confidence in far right solutions to problems and the like.
But possibly I'm being naive. I should make it clear that I don't believe that Pence will be a good president; I just think he might be a non-entity president who will lose after the humiliation his party suffers.
Bryant
Ohiogal
(35,820 posts)I'm about the same age .... born in mid 50s during Ike administration. I still remember having civil defense drills in 1st grade. Our generation learned a thing or two about cozying up to the Russians. I don't know what Traitorous Don was doing during that time. Going around with his father evicting AA's from their apartments? He sure didn't learn anything about current events.
And, yes, Pence IS a religious nut job who signed hatred into law in Indiana. He is just as bad as Bone Spurs but in a different way. I absolutely cannot respect anything about him.
WhiteTara
(30,354 posts)Niagara
(10,113 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Bayard
(24,216 posts)Before we hit someone that's sane? And not beholden to Putin?
Totally Tunsie
(10,885 posts)
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)If Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, then he should be impeached.
Who replaces him is not a factor in that determination.
We deal with the problem at hand in the order they are at hand.
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)I've been shouting for the son of a bitch to be impeached since he was sworn in. If you'd actually read bmy post, at NO point do I advocate for Trump to remain in office. My preference would be to stake his treasonous ass to a fire ant hill.
Thank you for adding ZERO value to the discussion. Reading is fundamental.
RESIST!
Response to MarianJack (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
HeiressofBickworth
(2,682 posts)indicted, wouldn't the logical conclusion be that both Trump AND Pence would have to leave office -- both were responsible for the campaign and certainly both benefited from the conspiracy. Yes, that would leave us with a president Paul Ryan, but the actual outcome we all would like (and 3 million MORE voted for), a President Hillary Clinton, just isn't in the cards. There is no constitutional remedy for this situation other than impeachment of the responsible parties. And, if the current nominee is confirmed, we don't have the Supreme Court to take a reasoned position. The majority will be Trumpbots also.
Afromania
(2,799 posts)stevil
(1,538 posts)Another Gerald Ford
Doreen
(11,686 posts)He is a very very extreme right religious asshole who hates everything trump does but more. The danger to America will become more fatal. The problem with pence is that he is smart unlike trump and smart people can take things further.
Generic Brad
(14,374 posts)His deference to Trump is the same Trump exhibits towards Putin. He was hand picked by Manafort. The law of averages sure makes it appear as though he is also compromised too.
I don't trust him and have no doubt that he is in this up to his eyeballs.
jmowreader
(51,825 posts)If they remove Trump for treason, the GOP will somehow prolong the agony until next February, which will let Pence run for two terms of his own.
kacekwl
(7,857 posts)along with Traitor trump and the rest.
suprcali
(108 posts)His response after the Helsinki disaster is like a stepford wife. Then news comes out that he was involved in the bizarre walk back. He appears more calculating than trump. Does America want a president who pretends everything is fine when it is not?
tavernier
(13,400 posts)Theyre both nuts but Rump has a violent temper and there is that football.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Visit from the Grim Reaper.
Lose in 2020.
Termed out in 2024.
We will never have 67 votes in the Senate. Even if we got 62, the remaining 38 would be tea party nuts from the most hard-core red states. He is not being convicted by the Senate.
Which is why I think talk of impeachment is self-defeating. Never promise but you cannot deliver.
But if we take the house in 18 all legislation stops. If we get really lucky and take the Senate the judiciary is saved or at least not totally wrecked.
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)Hopefully he'll be making a lot of McDonalds runs and it catches up to Donald Trump's "239" pound ass.
RESIST!