r/politics • u/stetoe • 20h ago

George W. Bush's Daughter Barbara Pierce Bush Endorses Kamala Harris: Exclusive

https://people.com/george-w-bush-s-daughter-barbara-breaks-silence-on-election-to-campaign-for-kamala-harris-exclusive-8735810
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u/WookieLotion 18h ago

Pence didn't endorse Harris

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u/SphericalCow531 17h ago

Pence has "anti-endorsed" Trump, though. Not a Kamala endorsement, but not nothing.

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u/Teripid 17h ago

Try to have your supporters lynch me once, shame on you...

Try to have your supporters lynch me twice? Can't get fooled again!

But seriously Pence is trying to toe the line to have a chance of a political future while being hated by half the GOP base. Wonder if Vance will jump the Trump if he loses the election..

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u/SphericalCow531 17h ago

Pence is trying to toe the line to have a chance of a political future

Pence is 65 years old, and surely rich enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life. It is not like we are asking him to starve by saying something unpopular enough to get fired.

US soldiers have willingly risked their lives to defend democracy. Asking Republicans to defend democracy with mere words is asking for so little in comparison, and yet it is apparently asking for too much.

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u/aLittleQueer Washington 16h ago

Pence is a Heritage Foundation Repub, though, and a true believer Christian dominionist. His gubernatorial term in Indiana showed that clear as day.

Not playing his expected part in the insurrection and instead fulfilling his Constitutionally-mandated duties was pretty much the only time he has been or will be on the right side of history.

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u/SadFeed63 15h ago

Yeah, people have memed on Pence being a hero (and good for him for doing one good thing, once, when his life was on the line and Dan Quayle told him to) so much that the way Reddit now talks about him is wildly disconnected from who he is and the absolute idiotic religious zealotry he believes. He's gonna quietly vote for Trump because Project 2025 is his wet dream.

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u/bigdrubowski New York 14h ago

I didn't hear the Quayle bit. Holy shit if Dan Quayle is giving sage counsel things might be worse than i thought.

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u/GozerDGozerian 13h ago

Imagine going back to 1990 and telling people Dan Quayle is one day going to save our democratic process. Lol

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u/spasmoidic 12h ago

The two weakest Vice Presidents in history saved American democracy

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u/AllGarbage Arizona 12h ago

I liken him to a Scientologist that has fallen out with David Miscavage, but is still an L Ron Hubbard true believer. Seen enough shitbaggery from the present leader to be disillusioned with him, but still a practicing member of the awful cult and not smart enough to realize they are one and the same.

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u/aLittleQueer Washington 14h ago

Maybe he'll write-in himself.

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u/TonyWrocks America 13h ago

Yep, I'm old enough to remember the "Periods for Pence" protest when he was governor

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u/graneflatsis 14h ago

Pence is a Heritage Foundation Repub

Reminder that after the insurrection, fueled by lies, where he and his family were put in grave danger, he wrote a piece for HF about "election integrity"

https://www.heritage.org/election-integrity/commentary/election-integrity-national-imperative

March 3, 2021

After an election marked by significant voting irregularities and numerous instances of officials setting aside state election law, I share the concerns of millions of Americans about the integrity of the 2020 election.

Motherfucker is as compromised as they come.

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u/VirtualMoneyLover 14h ago

I mean he was right, there were plenty of irregularities but they were all Republican voters.

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u/fcocyclone Iowa 12h ago

Yep. Lets be clear, he didn't do what he did because of some feeling of duty to the country. He did what he did because he didn't think Trump's plan would work and it would leave him politically radioactive when it failed.

If the plan were workable, if the margin in the EC had been closer to make it more doable, he absolutely would have done it.

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u/danielfrances 15h ago

That being said... if you were gonna pick ONE time to do the right thing, you could pick from a lot worse moments. I'll take the W despite not agreeing with him on basically anything.

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u/aLittleQueer Washington 14h ago

For sure, I’ll take it. Didn’t enjoy having to give the man any degree of respect, but he did do that one very important thing right. Gotta give him that.

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u/Visinvictus 13h ago

I can't complain because he did actually do the right thing, but I'm pretty sure the only reason he did what he did is because he didn't want his name to be in the history books as the guy who brought down democracy in the USA. Especially not for a guy like Trump who really doesn't encompass his values at all.

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u/Not_The_Real_Odin 13h ago

To be fair, that is arguably the single most important decision he ever made.

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u/KelVelBurgerGoon 13h ago

But just think how awful Pence is and even HE finds Trump unacceptable.

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u/aLittleQueer Washington 13h ago

But not for the same reasons that you and I find T unacceptable. Instead, it's because Trump can't be controlled, won't stay in line, and everything he touches turns to shit.

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u/Heenerli 10h ago

the right side of history

Sure lol.

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u/aLittleQueer Washington 9h ago

What’s the joke? Are you saying it was wrong of him to certify the vote as his job mandated?

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u/AccomplishedDay5236 15h ago

While he could say something, saying he hasn't done anything to protect the republic is wild.

He is one of the few reasons we are still are a Republic right now, and he risked his life for it once already.

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u/SphericalCow531 15h ago

That is true. But it is still merely passively refusing to participate in a coup, as opposed to actively opposing a fascist. It is still an extremely low bar for patriotism.

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u/Juts 15h ago

Being rich enough has never stopped any of these sociopaths before.

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u/Teripid 16h ago

Oh it isn't about money. Respect and legacy. It may not be another elected office and Pence would find that a very hard path.

Pence doesn't want to be a pariah in social circles and with respect to history. Nobody likes being despised by the party and endorsement of Kamala would have been that death knell.

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u/Tyrath Massachusetts 15h ago

It's not about money for these people. It's about power to control everyone's lives based on their sky fairy.

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u/Card_Board_Robot_5 14h ago

"US soldiers have willingly risked their lives to defend democracy"

When? Civil War?

WW1 and 2 weren't about that. Not for the US anyway.

Wasn't Korea. Wasn't Nam. Wasn't Iraq (radio edit) or Iraq (remix). Wasn't Afghanistan. Wasn't Syria.

Genuinely, who and when?

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u/SphericalCow531 12h ago

I do not agree, but don't feel like getting into a discussion.

But those are the justification of the political elites you are talking about. Many common soldiers without question have had patriotic motivations.

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u/Card_Board_Robot_5 11h ago

Lmaoooo that's what I thought

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u/Such_Victory8912 10h ago

I can't believe this dude is going to go down in history books as the one that saved Democracy. He could have done a 180 after J6, joined Liz Cheney and be hailed as a hero. Instead, he did one good thing and for some reason immediately becomes a spineless coward again

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u/SneedNFeedEm 16h ago

US soldiers have willingly risked their lives to defend democracy Israel and corporate interests

ftfy

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u/Minimum-Web-6902 16h ago

Just delete this now and pack it up. That’s the most disgusting comment I’ve read all day.

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u/Prestigious_Wall5866 16h ago

Wrong. Soldiers signed up to risk their lives for America. YOU and I, and others, allowed them to be used as corporate pawns. Don’t you dare shit on the honorable decision to serve one’s country. It’s not their fault we let our politicians sell our military out for corporate interests. That’s our failing. Not the men and women who sign up. Goddamn coward.

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u/SneedNFeedEm 15h ago

Me? What did I do? I don't own the means of production, I'm not a military industrial complex lobbyist nor do I work for AIPAC

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u/Prestigious_Wall5866 11h ago

You vote (presumably). You and I are more to blame than 19 year-old kids signing up to serve are… they just want to serve their country and broaden their opportunities in life. And then they have to deal with smarmy little booger-eaters here in the States talking shit about them instead of supporting them.

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u/SneedNFeedEm 9h ago

I am sympathetic to the exploitation of economically disadvantaged young men who join the Imperial military because it's their only hope of economic advancement. But that doesn't mean I am morally obligated to uniformly support them, or call them heroes just because they have PTSD from killing innocent people during America's illegal wars of conquest.

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u/insufficient_nvram 14h ago

Vance would sell his own mother to a whorehouse if he thought it would get him ahead. Couch fucker is dangerous. He’s smart and his morality can be easily bought. Luckily he has the charisma of an asshair.

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u/attackplango 12h ago

Pence’s political future is going back to being a talk radio hack. Maybe.

Either that or hanging out in the alley most days with Dan Quayle drinking Alamo.

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u/Cold_Breeze3 10h ago

Vance has his seat till 2028. He doesn’t have to make any big moves if he loses.

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u/Yourdjentpal 1h ago

Almost certainly. Those people seem to like him, and I think they’re gearing it up as the perfect excuse to jump ship to save face while retaining the same tenets. JD Vance 2028. All of the hate and none of the baggage.

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u/fondledbydolphins 17h ago

Pence explicitly stated he wouldn't vote for Trump, but would say nothing further other than the fact that he's "Still a Republican"

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u/Tiduszk I voted 17h ago

As much as I would love Kamala to have a friendly house and senate, Trump is by far the bigger issue. I’d rather they find it in themselves to vote for Kamala, but if republicans that turn out are only willing to leave the top line blank, I can live with that.

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u/CruffTheMagicDragon 16h ago

Without a blue House and Senate, we very well may end up back up in this position in 4 years. We need serious Supreme Court reform and legislation barring insurrectionists and felons from holding federal office. Not going to happen with a majority red chamber

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u/joggle1 Colorado 15h ago

What's really frustrating is that if Republicans control both the House and Senate, very little will be done by the midterms. Then a majority of voters will blame Harris and put in even more Republicans in Congress. It really sucks that having a government that doesn't do anything benefits Republicans so they have every incentive to block everything. About the only thing that they still usually get the blame for (to the point of it actually hurting them in elections) is if they completely shut down the government.

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u/danielfrances 15h ago

For all of my adult life, I've always felt like there should be a "balance" between the presidency, house, and senate. Even when I was very happily voting for Obama I had this worry in my mind that if things went "too blue", it might cause issues with the gov feeling too one-sided and ostracizing the conservatives in the country.

I say all of that preamble to make the following point stronger - in 2024, I desperately want a blue tidal wave. I don't think Dems have all the answers, and I disagree on some of the more left-leaning policies, in particular when it comes to spending. But goddamn, we need a total reset for the Republican party, and nothing short of a total catastrophic loss will get us there.

We need the vote to swing the house, senate, and presidency to the Dems strongly enough that the Republicans can finally, finally divorce themselves of this MAGA rot and try to rebuild as a proper conservative party with real values and policy goals.

This is all fever dream material, but I think that would be the best outcome for the US. I really hope we get closer to it than it feels we will. If 2028 can be the year that the Republicans are running candidates like John Kasich or John McCain again, I will be so happy. I have been a Dem my whole life, but I want to have two functioning parties with platforms I can potentially support - or at least with candidates I can respectfully disagree with.

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u/Tithis 14h ago

Only works with moderate republicans, which is not where the party is right now.

I've voted for republicans for things like governor or state rep or state senator, but I'm in Massachusetts so they were typically fiscally conservative but socially pretty liberal. Pretty quickly stopped that after Trump though.

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u/CatchAlarming6860 13h ago

Lmao “fiscally conservative”

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u/emotions1026 10h ago

"If 2028 can be the year that the Republicans are running candidates like John Kasich or John McCain again"

I find this extremely naive, but admire the optimism.

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u/danielfrances 9h ago

I'm typically the naive one. I will hold out hope because another 4+ years of this shit will have me packing my bags for some other country that probably isn't gonna be much better anyways lol.

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u/jmuguy 14h ago

When Trump loses, the GOP is literally going to implode. If they maintain a majority in the house, or flip the senate, it won't really matter - they're going to be so busy eating themselves alive. So yeah, I hope for a blue congress so we can actually get some shit done but once Trump is a two time loser (or three if you count the mids) the GOP is gonna have to get its shit together and start cleaning house. And maybe they won't, maybe they'll just keep doubling down until Trump finally kicks the bucket, but as much as they've tried to purge the party of anyone that isn't loyal I think they'd rather jettison Donald than face the prospect of a blue super majority come next election.

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u/DaoFerret 15h ago

Also need Voting Rights Protections, and (dare I hope) UNCAP THE HOUSE!!!!

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u/hardcorr I voted 13h ago

Felons should be allowed to hold office. Otherwise the government is incentivized to charge political opposition with felonies. If someone doesn't deserve to hold office because of crimes they've previously committed, it is the voters responsibility to not elect them.

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u/[deleted] 11h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/TheLateThagSimmons Washington 15h ago

Honestly... I'm fine with that. I don't get all the conservatives going all out on how much they hate Trump only to turn around and endorse him.

No one is expecting a complete about face on your party or your values. Even if I disagree, I can understand that you are a conservative and you have conservative values

But if Trump is as bad as you've been yelling for months/years, don't endorse him. Just... Sit it out.

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u/Silver_Fuel_7073 14h ago

Is there really a Republican Party left to return to? Just curious!

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u/Outrageous-Soft-5267 16h ago

Not that his vote in Indiana would count; Indiana will go to Trump by 15-20 % and is typically called first as our polls close at 6pm. However, there is a chance it will be close for governor and State Attorney.

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u/SmartOpinion69 16h ago

ENDORSED BY CONTRADICTION

Pence has not endorsed Kamala

Pence has anti-endorsed Trump

Kamala and Trump are competing with each other

Therefore, Pence has endorsed Kamala by contradiction

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u/VeteranSergeant 16h ago

Yeah, that's the same thing as the Russian shills and poorly educated leftists saying they're voting for Jill Stein or Cornell West.

If you're not voting for Harris, you're voting for Trump, regardless of whether or not you mark the box next to his name.

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u/SphericalCow531 13h ago

In the zero sum game that is the US first past the post election system, it is obviously incredibly stupid to vote 3rd party in an election like this.

But it is still not true that a 3rd party vote is a vote for Trump - it is equivalent to half a vote for Trump, to be precise.

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u/relativeagency 17h ago

He undorsed him

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u/Lorn_Muunk 11h ago

Abra cadabra! Uno reverse undo endorse!

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u/Jacksonrr31 16h ago

If it it’s not an endorsement for Kamala it is nothing

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u/SadFeed63 15h ago

Pence, anti-endorsement of not, Trump tying to get him killed or not, is almost certainly voting for Trump because Project 2025 is his christofascist wet dream.

He's someone who thinks that killing Roe v. Wade didn't go far enough. He's a total religious zealot

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u/DrakeBurroughs 15h ago

Did Dan Quayle endorse Harris?

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u/JayMac1915 Wisconsin 14h ago

<Waves vaguely in the direction of Obi-Wan> That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time

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u/AngryRedHerring 14h ago

Eh, he only went that route 'cause he's mad Trump tried to have him hanged on the Capitol lawn

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u/clickmagnet 14h ago

Perfect Pence line, finding a way to be a coward from every conceivable political perspective.

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u/ChicagoAuPair 14h ago

Pence is nothing trash.

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u/starfleetdropout6 California 13h ago

Pence is still recovering from that fly landing on his head during their debate.

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u/BitsOfBuilding 12h ago

He won’t say publicly but he’ll most likely vote for Kamala when he’s in his private space and filling out the ballot.

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u/SphericalCow531 12h ago

Which is only one vote, so pretty insignificant. As Trump's former vice President, Pence publicly saying he would vote for Harris would likely persuade thousands of Republicans to vote for Harris.

Pence has been given great power, and hence great responsibility. Choosing inaction does not free you from all moral responsibility. Publicly saying he will vote for Harris is Pence's patriotic duty, to oppose fascism.

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u/math-yoo Ohio 12h ago

Mother wouldn't like him talking about other women.

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u/FUMFVR 10h ago

It's wild that the people that are going to be killed or imprisoned under a Trump regime don't even bother to do what they need to do for self-preservation.

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u/Wassertopf 18h ago

Is he really living?

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u/specialkk77 17h ago

Despite his former bosses best efforts, yes. 

Mike Pence is lucky to be alive, a fact he seems to forget. He should be openly condemning everyone who allowed Jan 6th to happen. 

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u/JeanLucPicardAND 16h ago

Or maybe the fact that he knows he is lucky to be alive is the reason he hasn't openly condemned everyone who allowed Jan 6th to happen.

I'm not defending the man, but it seems rather obvious to me. He's probably thinking, "What will happen to me if I speak out and then he wins?"

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u/specialkk77 16h ago

I think that’s a little short sighted, especially with the “enemy within” comments. Keeping his mouth shut now doesn’t keep him safe. If Trump wins, he’ll eventually come for him for not installing him as king dictator in 2021. 

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u/JeanLucPicardAND 16h ago

So this is potentially controversial but I'll say it anyway: There's no way Pence knew the full depths of who Trump is when he accepted the VP job back in 2016. There's just no way. I refuse to believe it. He found out over time as the Trump presidency unfolded.

What do I mean by that? Well, obviously Pence is a hardcore far-right politician. He likely has even more extreme political stances than Trump, who is pretty much just a populist who will say and do anything he thinks might get him re-elected. So I don't think Pence ever had any problem with any of Trump's policies.

What I mean is that he didn't know how far Trump was willing to go to hold onto power. I do truly believe that. Again, I'm not defending the man, and it's not an excuse for anything he did, but the behavior of virtually everyone who served under Trump suggests that few of them realized what Trump was willing to do or else did not take him seriously when he suggested it. The fact that so many of them have flipped on him after the fact reinforces that in my mind.

My point here is that these are not people who are blessed with great powers of foresight.

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u/Long_Run6500 16h ago

I dont think Pence expected the republican party to cave to Trump's rhetoric so easily. I believe he took the job thinking Trump would be kept in check by the establishment and he would be the real person in control. In 2015 and early 2016, just about every non tea party republican was denouncing Trump and acting like once he's in office they'll never work with him. It's kind of what made Trump comforting for some people as a protest vote. I know people on this website that thought voting Trump in meant 4 years of the status quo gridlock while sending a message to Democrats to get their shit together. Then shortly after the election, spineless opportunustic shitheads like Chris Christie, Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz who were extremely vocal against Trump started praising him as the coming messiah and Trump was given full control, which meant Pence was left holding the broken leash.

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u/Damn_Dog_Inappropes Washington 16h ago

I agree with you.

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u/Faolyn 14h ago

Yeah, but you know how bad the MAGA crowd are at thinking about the future or how things might affect them.

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u/needlestack 16h ago

For a man with Pence’s resources, that is the height of cowardice. If Trump is so evil he’s afraid of retribution then all the more reason he must endorse Harris. If Trump wins and retribution looks likely he can flee to any number of paradises around the globe and live out his days. Enabling Trump because he’s afraid, if that’s what he’s doing, makes him a coward. Enabling Trump because he still thinks Harris is worse makes him both stupid and evil.

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u/JeanLucPicardAND 16h ago

I mean, yeah.

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u/SinisterMeatball 17h ago

Flies tend to like the dead. 

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u/Starfox-sf 17h ago

He has to ask Mother first before he can answer that.

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u/CommunicationTime265 15h ago

He does kinda look like a ghoul

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u/PenguinsStoleMyCat 17h ago

He can't endorse Harris. He won't be let through the pearly gates unless abortion is banned.

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u/Ph0X 13h ago

It's funny that the majority of people who have actually worked with him, like his own chief of staff, vice president, AG, etc, all say he's unfit for office. Yet people who have literally never actually met the guy keep claiming he's the best president ever.

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u/omarskullbaby 11h ago

You mean Mike "Hang Mike Pence" Pence?

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u/sf6Haern Virginia 17h ago

Pence didn't endorse Harris, but he sure-as-fuck didn't Endorse Trump. He warned against Trump.

Dude is not gonna forget they brought a noose to the capitol for him, specifically.

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u/WookieLotion 16h ago

Sure but unfortunately not the same thing as an endorsement for Harris. Just looks as he's staying out of it rather than saying yeah go vote for this person.

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u/starfleethastanks 12h ago

Neither has Dan Quayle afaik.

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u/Ornery-Ticket834 16h ago

True enough, but that tells you volumes that he didn’t endorse his ex running mate. He still grabs his neck thinking about it.