A Truly Hard Decision But My Clothespin Is Ready
By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots
Donald Trump has chosen a Vice Presidential running mate
and it’s Indiana Governor Mike Pence…a choice that will not draw many #nevertrump folks to his camp simply because the man who claims one of his
greatest assets is that he’s not a career politician has now chosen a career
politician as his running mate.
And this proves once again just what a self-serving hypocrite
Donald Trump really is and yet, sadly, I will now have to put a literal clothespin
on my nose and vote for him because the alternative…the now and forever to be know as the 'Butcher of Benghazi'…is far
worse.
And a career politician puts it mildly as Mike Pence…yet
another lawyer…entered the political arena in 1988 at age 29…he’s 57 now…when
he first ran against and lost to Democratic Congressman Philip Sharp. Losing again to
Sharp in a second go round, Pence finally won in 2000, and served six terms in
the House. Becoming governor in 2012 after incumbent Republican Governor Mitch
Daniels was term-limited out, Pence has been in politics non-stop for almost 30
years…the consummate career politician…albeit one many in Congress like and
speak highly of.
A career politician and quite the hypocrite himself as Mike Pence
was a Ted Cruz supporter during primary season and is a man who continues to
disagree with Trump on certain key issues. And while those
disagreements might just be
his saving grace as far as some conservatives are concerned, it does
take a hypocrite to surrender one's core beliefs for a political
position. And so Mike Pence has
now hitched himself to a man who when he loses…and I still do believe
that Trump was
put into the race to assure a Hillary win…will see his own political
career
come crashing to a screeching halt.
But no matter for I will now have to put that clothespin on
my nose and vote Trump/Pence as the alternative…Ms. ‘What Difference Does It
Make’ and her most probable oh so vile running mate Julian Castro…is far and
away worse.
Hmmm…I wonder if I still have the clothespin hanging around that I used when
voting for the McCain/Palin ticket back in 2008.
So
why did Trump pick Mike Pence, the very man who, like I said, has
not and still does not see eye to eye with him on certain key issues.
Why pick a
man who takes a more hard line position on religious freedom and
abortion than he
does. Why...I believe it’s because Trump somehow thinks that Pence can
deliver the
Mid-West to him…something I seriously doubt will happen as Pence was
likely going to lose his re-election bid for governor. And lest we
forget
that Donald Trump and Mike Pence are also to some degree compadres in
hypocrisy…something Trump and his blind followers see as serving their
ticket well.
And as a side note here's a little bit of advice about serving their
ticket well...the Trump/Pence TP logo serious doesn't cut it and for
obvious 'potty humor' reasons...and this election is anything but
humorous...just saying.
And now for the differences between the two men with number
one being that last December 8th, the very day that Trump spoke of banning all
muslims from entering this country, Pence said in a tweet and I quote, “Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S.
are offensive and unconstitutional.” And while I totally disagree with
Pence’s words, as I believe all muslims must be banned from entering our
country, the hypocrisy in Pence’s words… ”offensive
and unconstitutional” were that
they were meant for every other state
but not his home state because he directed Indiana state agencies to suspend a
resettlement policy that would have allowed Syrian refugees to settle in his
state…which a federal judge ruled "clearly
discriminates" against refugees from a particular country.
So I guess in Mike Pence’s mind, what’s good for the goose…the
other 49 states…is not good for the gander…as in Indiana…and yet I have the
clothespin ready for resettlement hypocrisy aside, Mike Pence does seem to understand
the dangers islam and its followers pose to America.
And that is the one thing…probably the only thing…I have always
agreed with Trump on…as in muslims are not conducive to the fabric of our
American society and that all muslim immigration to America must stop. Yet now Trump’s
hypocrisy shows in the fact that he has ‘walked back’ on his original statement that all
muslim refugees must be banned from entering the U.S. to just "temporarily banning" muslims
from ‘certain’ countries alone. And this most assuredly means not banning those
muslim refugees from the Arab countries he has high stakes business deals with.
Maybe I’ll need a whole row of clothespins to pull that
lever but pull it I still will.
And speaking of business, while we all know that Trump is most
vehemently opposed to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) calling it "disastrous…terrible…and a continuing
rape of our country by special interests”…his continuing to spew
words such as this could very well start a
nasty trade war. Mike Pence, on the other hand, did support and still
continues to support TPP as do I and many others. Another saving grace
for
Mike Pence, as far as I’m concerned, is that he voted for "swift adoption" of TPP saying back in September 2014 that, "Trade means jobs, but trade also means
security.” And you know what…he’s right…as those you have ‘friendly’ trade
with will usually…but not always…be hesitant to jeopardize said trade over
issues that can hurt their country's pocketbook.
So, has Mike Pence become to Donald Trump what Sarah Palin
was to John McCain…meaning some will only vote for Trump because of Mike Pence
as some only voted for McCain because of Sarah Palin…could be. But look at how that
scenario has unfolded as McCain, after losing to Obama, became the personification
of the word ‘RINO’ and once relevant Sarah Palin seems to have gone off the
deep end as witnessed by some of her recent appearances. And I was a big fan of
Sarah Palin but no more, because in her ‘sucking up’ to Donald Trump she has fallen so far from
her once true conservative political base.
And still I keep telling myself…actually I still keep trying to
convince myself…that Mike Pence aside...no matter that his more conservative positions
on certain key issues do have a certain appeal to the more hard line
Republicans and far right conservatives among us…there remains no tangible option but to vote for a man
whose life-long Democratic policies and positions I so despise.
But back to the differences between the two most unlikely of
running mates…differences that even include the social issues. For starters,
Mike Pence wants to make abortion illegal even in cases of rape and incest…something
I again disagree with him on…and he even co-sponsored a controversial proposal back
in 2011 to redefine rape cases connected to abortion laws as what he called
"forcible rape." His
thinking in that is clearly something to be questioned as Trump supports…and so
do I…abortion in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is in
jeopardy if a pregnancy continues.
Oh dear, I guess that means I agree (gag) with Trump on two not
one of his stances...and possibly even on three for while Mike Pence wants a
constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, Donald Trump has said not a
word to that affect. And while he says…at least he’s saying it now for political
expediency as he plays to the masses…that marriage is solely between one man and
one women…he has not come out and condemned same-sex marriage…something I also will
never do…as he seems to recognize the fact that this is an issue that belongs to the states alone.
And
the last major difference between the two men is their approach to
foreign policy regarding the war in Iraq. Mike Pence voted to authorize
the war
in Iraq while Donald Trump claims he opposed the war right from the
start...something that remains in question to this day. But at this
point in time that is an issue of semantics that really does not matter
anymore as the
war we now face comes in the guise of ISIS not in the guise of the now
long dead
Saddam Hussein.
And it’s ISIS and all the recent acts of islamic terrorism
carried out both here on American soil and in countries abroad…all
carried out
in the name of allah…allah the most unholy…that has been the deciding
factor in my hard fought decision of whether to stay true to my
long-held gut
feeling and belief that Donald Trump is not the man now nor has he ever
been
the man to beat Hillary Clinton. And the addition of Mike Pence to the
ticket does not alter that fact for Mike Pence will most likely not
unite the ticket but might split it even more as the last thing needed
to show unity...to show and reflect the changing face of the Republican
voter...was the addition of yet another wealthy white middle-aged man to
the ticket.
And as a proud member of #nevertrump…a movement I one
hundred percent still support…this decision is tearing me up inside, but when I
look at the pictures of the recent carnage in Nice, France and when tears came
to my eyes when I posted a memorial picture honoring our two American dead…Sean
Copeland and his 11-year old son Brody…I realized that a Hillary Clinton presidency
will allow these acts of savagery to continue. And so I have to gamble that a Trump
presidency will not for one thing I do believe is that Donald Trump is not a
traitor while I know in my heart that a traitor is indeed what Hillary Clinton is.
So while I will not endorse the Trump/Pence ticket nor will
I actively work to promote it, I will not work against it...but if asked
I will say I am voting for it. Nor will I speak out against those folks
in #nevertrump nor against Kendal Unruh and the #freethedelegates and the #delegatesunbound movement for my true
beliefs and my conscience remains with them and what they stand for, and tried so very hard to do.
And
regarding the delegates themselves...something most have forgotten is
that we are not a democracy...we are a republic with a representative
form of government which translates into delegates and those we elected
to make decisions for us. But
due to the above stated recent events in
Nice, France coupled with the fact that even if the delegates are
unbound the numbers still aren't there to stop Trump, common sense now
tells me that common sense itself has lost out to
the emotions of the (sometimes rightfully) angry masses, and that as
World War III now appears to be on
America’s doorstep we must unite together to deal with that first and
let 2020 sort the whole assorted mess out.
And
regarding the delegates themselves...something most have forgotten is
that we are not a democracy...we are a republic with a representative
form of government which translates into delegates and those we elected
to make decisions for us. But
due to the above stated recent events in
Nice, France coupled with the fact that even if the delegates are
unbound the numbers still aren't there to stop Trump, common sense now
tells me that common sense itself has lost out to
the emotions of the (sometimes rightfully) angry masses, and that as
World War III now appears to be on
America’s doorstep we must unite together to deal with that first and
let 2020 sort the whole assorted mess out.
So I’ve got my clothespin ready...as do millions of others including my
candidate of choice Marco Rubio...to do what I nor they never wanted or
expected to
do but know we must do... unite behind Donald Trump...for no third party
candidate is a tangible option nor has even a remote chance of winning
against the Clinton machine and its promises of 'free stuff.'
And now, just like my Right Side Patriots Partner and friend Craig
Andresen also knows, our consciences must sadly be relegated to the back
burner for we know and accept as fact that the Hillary Clinton
alternative truly is a hell of a lot worse...not that either one of us
were ever going to vote for her...worse for both our beloved America and
for the world as well.
