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MIKE PENCE SEEKS A WAY FORWARD. Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke at New Hampshire’s Hillsborough County Republican Party Lincoln-Reagan dinner Thursday night. In a 35-minute speech, he sought to remind Republicans of his longtime place in the conservative movement; attack the Biden administration; offer extensive and fulsome praise of the accomplishments of President Donald Trump; and, in a brief aside, distance himself from the disastrous final weeks of Trump’s presidency. In doing so, Pence might have provided a model for other Republicans who are less connected to Trump than Pence but still want to strike a balance between support for Trump’s accomplishments and opposition to his behavior after the 2020 election.
“I learned a lot serving alongside President Donald Trump,” Pence told the crowd, calling his time as vice president “the greatest honor of my life.” Noting that “some people think we’re a little bit different” — just a brief word to suggest contrast — Pence continued, “But I think what President Trump showed us was what Republicans can accomplish when our leaders stand firm on conservative principles and don’t back down. That’s exactly what he did for four years. And under President Donald Trump and our administration, it was four years of consequence. Four years of results. It was four years of promises made and promises kept.”
Pence went down the list: Cutting unemployment. Raising household income. Increasing energy production. Cutting regulations. Securing the border. Strengthening the military. Defeating ISIS. Holding China accountable for years of trade abuses. And finally, “In the face of the worst pandemic in 100 years, we launched the greatest national mobilization since World War II, and the day we left office we were vaccinating one million Americans a day.”
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There was more. “Nearly 300 conservatives confirmed to our federal courts,” Pence continued, “including Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Amy Coney Barrett.” And then: “We stood without apology every single day for the sanctity of human life.” “We made history,” Pence said. “We made a difference. We made America greater than ever before.”
From there, Pence switched gears to Joe Biden. “After 134 days, the Biden administration and Democrats in Washington have been pushing open borders, higher taxes, runaway spending, more government, defunding the police, abandoning the right to life, censoring free speech, canceling our most cherished liberties,” Pence said. “I came here to say enough is enough…It is time to stand up and fight back against the agenda of the radical left.” Calling today a time of opportunity, Pence said that if Republicans offer “a positive, conservative agenda to the American people,” the party can win in 2022 and 2024.
And then, a change. “You know, we’ve all been through a lot in the past year,” Pence said. “A global pandemic. Civil unrest. A divisive election, and tragedy at our nation’s Capitol. As I said that day, ‘January 6 was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift action of the Capitol Police and federal law enforcement, violence was quelled, the Capitol was secured.’ And that same day, we reconvened the Congress and did our duty under the Constitution and laws of the United States. You know, President Trump and I have spoken many times since we left office. And I don’t know if we’ll ever see eye-to-eye on that day.”
Then, as quickly as he had turned to the events of January 6, Pence turned away. “But I will always be proud,” he concluded, “of what we accomplished for the American people over the last four years.”
News coverage focused on Pence’s “eye-to-eye” remark about Trump. But Pence’s speech was about more than just reaffirming that he opposed Trump’s effort to stop the certification of Electoral College results. The speech was a way for Pence to establish independence while also laying claim to an impressive list of accomplishments of the Trump administration — the Trump-Pence administration. Of course Democrats will reject it. The question is whether Republican voters will believe Pence has found the right formula.
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