Governor Mike Pence has done a terrific job. He was an effective conservative congressman. Indiana has thrived under his leadership. It would have been nice to see him finish out his term undistracted and win a second term. Having a good conservative governor in a conservative state is a blessing for America and all of Indiana’s citizens. Success in a conservative state has little bearing on ones ability to attract support in key swing states. His convention speech , though sidelined due to the Cruz crash and burn, was magnificent.
As Trump’s selection for vice president I fear Pence will become a lightening rod for social issues that conservatives should not want to highlight in the campaign. The Governor’s handling of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act left a lot to be desired. In this interview he looks unsure, evasive and unable to make a good case for the law and then his subsequent support for the law as amended
I know many conservatives will question this critique. But we need to see the interview and the man through the lens of most Americans, who are not conservative. Those are the people needed in Trump’s camp in oder for him to win in November. Every moment spent talking about something other then the economy and national defense is less likely to work to Trumps benefit among the undecided. As great as Pence is he draws attention to issues that hurt Republicans.
That said I believe Donald Trump has missed an opportunity to build the conservative movement. Instead he has chosen to reinforce it. If the Republican Party and conservative movement want to have a broad based national (as opposed to local and regional) future in an evolving American demography then they have to work feverishly to counter the media driven stereotypes.
To this end conservatives had an opportunity to pick up a few percentage points among Black voters. Race relations are the worst I have seen in my lifetime. Rather then spend time blaming a President who will be gone in a few months, conservatives/Trump could have put a great Black conservative up front and personal in America’s face as the vice presidential nominee. Tim Scott is the only Black Senator and a Republican. Campaigning coast to coast in Black communities for the next four months and hopefully spreading his message once elected for another four years could do wonders to rebrand the Republican Party.
Who better to moderate the racial animus that has burned white hot under this President? It could have helped rendered Trump’s poorly expressed hot rhetoric a dim memory. Most voters don’t pay much attention until after the conventions.
This year we have two very unpopular candidates, many undecided and unmotivated potential voters. There is no question that Blacks, minorities of every stripe and young people will be less motivated to vote for Hillary then Obama. We could have giving them a reason to vote Republican? In the video Senator Scott demonstrates how convincingly and sincerely he walks that fine line between unqualified support for the police without marginalizing the heartfelt fears, even if unfounded, of millions of black Americans. Having been stopped by the police seven times in one year his credibility is unquestioned. Those stops did not rise to the level of harassment, let alone violence, nonetheless he is witness to the reality of many black men. The ability to show empathy is critical to any rebranding. Missed opportunity.
Another better pick in terms of broadening the conservative appeal would have been General Mike Flynn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTrYK08MZ0Y
Who can watch this clip and not understand Flynn’s appeal as Islamic based carnage reins death and destruction all over the world? Passion originating in the Oval Office to protect Americans and defeat our enemies is long overdue. Leadership during war is something Americans of all stripes crave. A passionate knowledgeable General at Trump’s right hand would lend credibility and substance to Trump’s vague defense posturing.
Flynn is a disaffected Democrat who was let-go by the President because he wanted to fight the war against radical Islam by first naming it and then aggressively defeating Islamist terror with force. Can you imagine the impact his selection would have had the day after Nice and day of the attempted coup in Turkey? Missed opportunity. He is a man who could talk about what has become of the Party he once embraced. He could recite chapter and verse on how the Democrat Party has moved far to the left in terms of national defense (diminishing America’s security) as highlighted by its current nominee. He could have attracted those Reagan Democrats who have strayed. General Flynn also swims in the overheated current of the prevailing negative sentiments in both parties toward the “establishment” and career politicians. And unlike Pence he carries little or no baggage with reference to hot button social issues that divide rather then unite.
The problem is that a fear of losing the base outweighed the prospect of expanding it. Long term, it is the latter that is necessary for the conservative movement to survive in the changing American landscape.
Clearly neither Trump nor hardcore conservatives give a hoot about my suggestions. Having lost six out of the last seven popular votes in presidential elections, I’d hope new approaches would be considered. If the objective is, as many conservatives continually tell me when I lament the many faults of our non-conservative nominee, to defeat Hillary, then we need a lot of people who are not conservative to vote Republican in November. As far as I am concerned Senator Tim Scott and General Flynn would have been better choices to accomplish that goal.