Poli (Sigh): Is Pence Laying Groundwork For Presidential Run?
By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews
Could the 2024 GOP presidential primary boil down to Mike Pence versus Donald Trump?
A lot could happen between now and then to change that scenario. But right now, it looks like both men are eyeing a return to power.
Editor’s Note: The thoughts found in this weekly columnare an expression of opinion by the author andnot necessarily the opinion of InkFreeNews.
Pundits are pointing to two moves by Pence this week – the signing of a multi-million two-book deal and the creation of a new advocacy group – as signs that he’s laying the groundwork for a presidential run.
Watching the former president and former vice president duke it out in a campaign would be something to behold, given how Trump threw Pence under the bus and helped escalate the Jan. 6 protests into a full-scale riot.
If the Indiana native would choose to run, his books will likely provide a good hint at how he would approach Trump if they both end up on the campaign trail again.
Pence was incredibly faithful to Trump up until Jan. 6, so the insights into his four years as vice president and how everything went south of Jan. 6 would be interesting.
Meanwhile, this weekend, Trump spoke at a Republican National Committee gathering at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., and was in classic attack mode, ripping lawmakers who voted to convict him in impeachment proceedings and relitigating the supposed “rigged” election.
He then attacked Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, calling him a “dumb” S.O.B (spelled out), according to numerous reports.
Deep down, Republicans must be tired of the name-calling and bomb-throwing.
Nobody knows where these two will be in three years. Trump has a slew of criminal and civil court proceedings to wade through and could be pre-occupied. Pence, on the other hand, might be content to eventually slip away from the limelight and enjoy his newfound wealth from the upcoming books.
If Pence is thinking of running, he’s eventually going to draw a distinction between himself and Trump at some point. Whimsically, he could start by defending McConnell, who is likely one of the most influential Republicans in our lifetime. Or he’ll just let time take a toll on Trump and his antics and see where things stand in a few years.
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DEMS MEETING – Kosciusko County Democrats have announced they will return to having in-person meetings beginning in May at Mad Anthony’s in downtown Warsaw.
The final zooming meeting of the party will be Tuesday, April 20, according to Party Chair Vicki Morton. A return to the in-person meeting is tentatively set for May 18.
The party also announced the annual Lillipad Cruise on Lake Wawasee will be on August 29. The start time is 1 p.m. at the Frog Tavern. To purchase tickets, click the link.
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AND THE KITCHEN SINK! – Don’t look for Rep. Jim Banks to offer any niceties to President Joe Biden – especially after being named chairman of the Republican Study Committee.
In his new role, Banks plays the role of attack dog and unleashed a wide variety of complaints Friday connected to Biden’s $1.5 trillion budget plan.
“Joe Biden must live in an alternate reality where it’s sane to increase annual spending by hundreds of billions of dollars to fund Green New Deal priorities, promote abortions, bow to the China-compromised World Health Organization, infringe on Second Amendment rights and support illegal immigration during a border crisis while cutting funds needed to defend our nation against malign aggressors in the Middle East, the Putin regime and critically an increasingly dangerous Communist China. Let’s not forget that his socialist agenda will ultimately be paid for with tax hikes that will kill jobs, investment and the savings of everyday Americans.”
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Dan Spalding is the editor at InkFreeNews.com.
He covers city government and politics and always welcomes your input.
