I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S PENCE

Even though he denies it, it's tempting to believe that Mike Pence wrote that damn editorial.

Here's Pence saying #Lodestar eight times, going back to 2001. I'm just saying! pic.twitter.com/oWWtngCgpK

— Tommy Christopher (@tommyxtopher) September 6, 2018

It's true -- he's said "lodestar" a lot over the years, and the word "lodestar" does show up in the op-ed. But it's a fancy word a lot of people in politics use -- here's an Obama speech in which it appears; here's Dick Cheney using it in an interview. Pence might use it more than most people because it's a meaningful word to Christians -- I found an air-condition contractor in Washington State whose company is called Lodestar. His website explains the name:



Nevertheless, I think it was someone other than Pence because of this passage:

Don’t get me wrong. There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more.

There's nothing in this paragraph about a return to "traditional values." If Pence wrote this and decided to include one paragraph of praise, he absolutely would have mentioned pro-religious right policies and (especially) judges.

I think Pence might favorably invoke McCain, but I can't imagine that he'd condemn partisanship this way:

Senator John McCain put it best in his farewell letter. All Americans should heed his words and break free of the tribalism trap, with the high aim of uniting through our shared values and love of this great nation....

... the real difference will be made by everyday citizens rising above politics, reaching across the aisle and resolving to shed the labels in favor of a single one: Americans.

Pence is a post-partisan? I don't think so.

And what's in it for him? Even if he believes this op-ed can start the process that will rid us of Trump and install him as president, he can't seriously imagine that the Republican base would sit still while he takes office in a coup. There'd be angry calls on the right for his impeachment if that happened, and he certainly wouldn't have a chance of winning the nomination on his own in 2020. Why put himself through that when he has a cushy gig now and an inside track to the presidency if Trump before the next election?

*****

But imagine if Pence actually is the author. If he is, he'll exposed and pressured to resign. Who would be Trump's choice as a replacement VP?

Hannity?

Jeanine Pirro?

Rudy?

Ivanka?

The mind boggles.