Joe Biden’s mental state is a recurring theme in critics of his decision to seek a second term by MAGA folks (and some Democrats). Admittedly, he has memory flubbed noticeably, for example, last week mistaking Iraq for Ukraine and, same day, India for China. Nevertheless, Trump confuses reality with fantasy on a minute-by-minute basis. Pence may have “caught” some of that disablement since he spent far too much time in Trump’s presence than God ought to have thought necessary. On display recently were his many denials that Trump never pressured him to influence state governors to use their powers to – well, basically – overturn the results of the 2020 election enabling the appointment of pro Trump alternate electors.
“No, I don’t remember any pressure,” he claimed when asked on Face the Nation last Sunday about his call to Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey. He claims this was a stop and chat: “I did check in, with not only Gov. Ducey, but other governors and states that were going through the legal process of reviewing their election results,” and “this was about information gathering, finding out what was going on.” In sum, he explained, “In the days of November and December, this was an orderly process,. You remember there were more than 60 lawsuits underway. States were engaging in appropriate reviews, and these contacts were no more than that.”
This seems unlikely and certainly not Trump’s interest in just innocent “information gathering.” Without a doubt, Trump was only interested in whether Governor Ducey (and other governors Pence called) were going to refuse to certify the results – the true results – of the elections. Trump has only the mildest concern about “information” in any situation, he’s always looking to advance the grift. What he surely wanted to know was “What the hell is Ducey going to do? Have we got him on the hook? That’s why I had you call him!” Pence when reporting to Trump knew this and almost certainly discussed the state of affairs in Arizona with Ducey, perhaps with all the slyness that Pence can often marshal.
Was there another explanation? Above I wrote that Pence “certainly” understood Trump’s motivations. Perhaps not. After all, Trump has a virtuoso’s command of mendacity, the ability to demand something be done without actually stating in detail what it is, as he did during his January 6th speech diatribe when, trying to avoid actually stating in detail that he wanted the crowd to violently attack the Capitol. With many rhetorical flourishes he unleashed his baying hounds to “fight like hell.” As Shakespeare’s Marc Anthony exhorted the crowd memorializing Caesar’s murder, Trump suggested the equivalent: “Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war!” Trump knew it; the crowd knew it. Sadly, unless one actually says, “Go and burn down the Capitol, and I’m not kidding,” the First Amendment is very often too weak to call a spade a spade. Trump knows this from long experience.
But back to Pence, as he was armed with thorough knowledge of Trump’s ways and means, did he miss his meaning? Did he think he was simply “information gathering” without awareness of Trump’s underlying demands? Is Pence that vapid, that dumb? To answer the question posed by this post, did he not understand he was being pressured? Vapid, he is. Dumb, he is. It’s hard to believe, though, that an experienced politician could be imbued with such childlike innocence, isn’t it?
Pence knew. Now that he’s running against Trump for the presidency, we wonder, why hasn’t he taken advantage of the opportunity and squealed, “Gosh darn it, I did feel pressured, mightily!” Well, he’s also very frightened about offending Trump and his MAGAts, as most candidates are, even when ratting him out might be to his (and their) benefit. Pence and Trump’s other rivals are so far behind in polls that it seems none too soon to test it out. As it is, for Pence, Trump’s lies have, for a variety of reasons, forced him to lie as well.
P.S. One notable exception in the GOP presidential primary field, Chris Christie, has taken the bit and is attacking Trump on every occasion he’s offered a microphone, and his criticisms are, like Trump’s, of the schoolyard bully variety. He’s well under 10% in polls, GOP voters hate him by and large, but recently he’s gained what (losing candidates) often call “traction.” Nonetheless, Christie’s macho matches Trump’s and MAGAts like nothing more than a good brawl. It’s the first real opening I’ve witnessed for a contender, and although Christie was manhandled in the 2016 primary season, this ain’t 2016 or 2020. . . . Chris Christie is a rat-out kind of guy. Go Christie?!