Mike Pence has a plan to save Republican congressional majorities in November: he’s going to campaign nearly full-time and keep Donald Trump the hell away from contested races. Pence will have a particular focus on trying to sell the Republican tax scam as a benefit to voters—even the ones for whom it’s no benefit at all.
The vice president’s team has devised a unique ancillary strategy to support his cross-country campaigning: partnering with America First Policies — a Trump-backed public-policy non-profit group designed to boost the president's agenda — to hold public events designed specifically to discuss legislative achievements like the tax bill.
The goal is to have the group set up events to help voters understand what the White House sees as the upside of the Republicans’ legislative agenda. A senior administration official said Pence's message at the events will provide a “blueprint for how to be successful in midterms.” [...]
The double-barreled approach — reported here for the first time — includes stops around the country over the next 10 weeks. This weekend he’ll head to Pittsburgh for an event for Rick Saccone, a Republican running in a tight special election. It includes a Feb. 16 stop in San Antonio for Rep. Will Hurd, the lawmaker who represents the Texas-Mexico border. On Feb. 21, he’ll be in Naples, Florida, for an NRCC event.
In March alone, Pence plans to be in the Detroit area for the NRCC; Kentucky for Rep. Andy Barr; Missouri for Josh Hawley’s Senate bid; Ohio for Rep. Steve Stivers, the chairman of the NRCC; New York for the NRCC, Minnesota, Iowa and Pennsylvania. In April, he heads to North Carolina for Rep. Mark Walker, Omaha for Rep. Don Bacon, Nevada for Dean Heller and Indiana for the NRSC.
So … step one: hold straightforward campaign events and “the vice president explains the tax law to you” official events. Step two: victory. It seems like Pence is leaving something out of this plan, like the hundreds of millions of dollars in Koch money and other dark money that will support his message, to say nothing of extensive Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression.
Does Donald Trump understand that Pence is setting himself up as the person to whom congressional Republicans owe favors? That Pence is raising his own profile with Republicans nationwide potentially at Trump’s expense, no matter how much of a suck-up he may be in his public comments? Because Trump does not historically like it when other people get the attention and adulation he thinks he deserves. Then again, maybe he understands politics so little that he won’t notice Pence vacuuming up Republican support as long as Pence also shows up every week or so to say on camera how grateful he is for Trump.
Foil Mike Pence’s big plan by helping take back the Senate! Can you give $3 to the Democratic nominee funds in Arizona and Nevada?