The Trump administration is besieged, and while impeachment remains unlikely, it has become more probable than it appeared on January 20. Amidst this turmoil, Vice President Mike Pence, who would become President should Trump be impeached, has been largely silent. Bloomberg noted that Pence has begun building an electoral war chest which would give the impression that he may have some inklings of running for President in 2020.
But if Mike Pence intends to escape the S.S. Trump on the first lifeboat, students at Notre Dame made it clear it will not be easy. Pence delivered a commencement address at the university to graduates on Sunday, and over 100 students walked out according to the Daily Beast. The walkout was orderly, which is critical given how conservatives have used excessive and violent behavior at university protests to deflect from their words and actions. This protest, supported by thousands of Notre Dame alumni, sent an undeniable message that Mike Pence is not going to be forgotten.
It is not like Mike Pence is some kind gentleman who joined up with Trump purely to serve his country. Pence joined Trump in order to save his own skin, as the then-Governor of Indiana had become incredibly unpopular even within the Indianan Republican Party for ramming through socially regressive measures.
Some have even suggested that a President Pence would be even worse than President Trump. Trump obviously has no problems with courting the Religious Right, but he is not one of them. And the constant scandals which have swirled around his Presidency has prevented the Republican Party from enacting their backwards agenda. Despite complete control over Congress and the White House, the only conservative victory this government can point to is the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Even that required Mitch McConnell to use the nuclear option.
President Pence would not be making outrageous tweets screaming about fake news at 4 in the morning. But because he has actual governing experience, he could actually enact an agenda filled with tax cuts to the rich, abortion restrictions, and other legislative items which would hurt the American people.
It is precisely for that reason that the people must ensure that Mike Pence’s role in normalizing Trump should not be forgotten. And for that matter, Pence’s attempts to claim that he is some figurehead who has no involvement with the numerous scandals plaguing this White House is absurd. If what Pence is asserting is true, then he has been repeatedly deceived or undercut by either Trump or former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Either Pence is lying or he is just hopelessly naïve and thus unqualified for the Presidency.
And if anyone should not forget about Pence, it must be America’s youth. Analysts have repeatedly spoken about how Trump’s actions and behavior cannot be normalized and viewed as acceptable within mainstream political discourse, but it is the youth who will ultimately decide how acceptable that discourse is in the future. The Pence walkout is a clear signal that while Pence may want to portray himself as just a normal Republican politician, university students understand that he is not and a threat to vast swathes of the American people. The people thus must show the depths of their opposition to not just Trump, but to all his hanger-ons like Pence who joined purely for power.