This entire political cycle has been crazy. From the beginning of the recent presidential campaign until now, many of us still can't believe our ears. We have accepted the present reality, yet it is still mind blowing. I mean the election results. I wasn't even referring to the ensuing chaos that came out of it. We're eight months in, and it still feels surreal. More and more, Mike Pence grabs my interest in a small way.
When Mike Pence was announced as Trump's running mate, many of us thought, who's this guy? Like we often do with many politicians. He didn't seem to have much controversy surrounding him. Like most accomplished politicians, he was well spoken and had a good grasp of most issues. Although being Trump's running mate, he never seemed to get a lot of slack. Even when defending something the President said, or a position he took. By the very nature of the position, vice presidents play a background role. The Vice President has been doing just that. Now and then he would pop up and address the press, but mostly staying away from the camera and public. I'm sure this is mostly just the routine of a vice president, but sometimes I wonder.
Soon after the election I would jokingly refer to Mike Pence as the genius of the year. When the President was choosing a VP, many thought of the candidates as those willing to sabotage their careers. I had occasionally joked that eventually Trump will get himself impeached, and it would be Pence to the White House. Shortly after making that joke, I began to feel like this may happen. Shortly after that, I began to feel like maybe this is a simple strategy on Pence's part. Get elected by being on a popular ticket, then when the President's antics get himself removed, the VP is next in line. All he has to do is quietly play the background, support the President's positions, and wait for things to play themselves out. Like he's been doing.
