Posted on 05/26/2014 12:58:56 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
If the Republican nominee for president is going to come from the ranks of current or former governors, the GOP could do worse than choose former chairman of the House Republican Conference and current governor of Indiana Mike Pence.
Pence is the kind of candidate who just might be able to act as a bridge between the warring conservative factions. His conservative voting record as a House member is nearly impeccable: no to No Child Left Behind and the prescription drug biil; no to the bank bailout; and a budget hawk who was calling for big cuts in spending before it became popular to do so on Capitol Hill.
On the other hand, he has governed Indiana via compromise and pragmatism — two traits that don’t sit well with much of the GOP base. As James Antle III writes in the American Conservative, those qualities of governance have led to several problematic decisions by Pence:
With great fanfare, Pence signed legislation pulling Indiana out of Common Core, making it the first state to junk the controversial education standards many Tea Party conservatives see as a precursor to a national curriculum. “I believe education is a state and local function,” he said. He then embraced new academic standards that were panned as “warmed over” Common Core.
Hoosiers Against Common Core describes Pence’s standards as “re-branding Common Core” and the bill he signed back in March as “a ruse to fool Common Core opponents.” The group says on its website, “The legislation gave the appearance of voiding the Common Core while the Indiana Department of Education and the Center for Education and Career Innovation walked it through the backdoor.”
Then Pence announced he would accept the federal funds that come with Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. But he vowed to seek a waiver that would allow him to pursue Medicaid reforms based on former Gov. Mitch Daniels’s Healthy Indiana Plan rather than the traditional Medicaid plan.
“Reforming traditional Medicaid through this kind of market-based, consumer-driven approach is essential to creating better health outcomes and curbing the dramatic growth in Medicaid spending,” the governor said.
Some conservatives see this too as sleight of hand. One complained to the Indianapolis Star it was “merely the latest iteration of full Obamacare Medicaid expansion thinly disguised as a conservative entitlement reform.” Other critics wrote at Forbes, “Gov. Pence has tried to cover his ObamaCare expansion plan with the veneer of the Healthy Indiana Plan begun by Mitch Daniels.”
Those who have followed Pence since he was in Congress may remember a third instance where he tried to split the baby on a contentious issue. In May 2006, as House Republicans stood against an immigration plan hatched by Bush, John McCain, and Ted Kennedy, Pence gave a speech to the Heritage Foundation in which he outlined “a rational middle ground” between “amnesty and mass deportation.”
Pence’s proposal was an ambitious guest-worker program that essentially privatized a large part of immigration enforcement. “Private worker placement agencies that we could call ‘Ellis Island Centers’ will be licensed by the federal government to match willing guest workers with jobs in America that employers cannot fill with American workers,” he said.
Pence’s immigration reform proposal never went anywhere, with some conservatives calling it “backdoor amnesty.” So what happened to the Tea Party favorite and conservative lion who served in Congress? I’ll explain on the next page.
Governors are faced with the prospect of not only talking a good game, but actually getting things done. As one of 435 House members, Pence could afford to stake out positions on the issues that were strong and uncompromising.
But an executive can’t afford to take the kinds of stands that a House member or even a senator can hold to if he wants to be successful. Accepting Medicaid expansion may appear on the surface to be a betrayal, but the several billion dollars dangled in front of Pence and other GOP governors will help tens of thousands of their citizens. It’s what makes Pence an attractive candidate to some: his willingness to eschew ideology in favor of practical governance.
Pence would be one of the longer long shots if he runs. But if he does, he should be taken seriously as someone with the experience and temperament to be a successful president.
What is Pence’s position on US jobs?
He’s for them.
Haha ok, I am looking on google and I (think) that is what I am seeing.
Good so far.
Actually would prefer that he be the next senator from Indiana
Do you want Pence to replace Coats or Donnelly?
If you want his record both in Congress and as governor, here’s a good place to start:
http://www.ontheissues.org/in/mike_pence.htm
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Either. Would leave Coats in place if there was another good conservative on deck to pick up Donnelly. Otherwise stringers most conservative candidate at the first opportunity Don’t know if Daniels is interested or not.
Our rep Todd Young has done a great job of solving problems and with a little experience do well too. Appointing the female prosecutor to Gowdys team will give her some exposure. That might prove interesting !
As soon as I saw the words, “compromise and pragmatism,” I stopped right there.
GOP liberal.
We don’t need anyone who fraternizes with the enemy.
Thanks.
I can’t tell, but he seems to have good credentials.
However I just want to say “Support US jobs”.
:D
That’s all.
I doubt Daniels is interested. I agree about the female rep appointed to Gowdy’s committee.
The letters to the editor here in Lafayette complaining about Daniels have reached the point of absurdity.
Consider the source!
I really don’t think Daniels wants to leave Indiana again. Can’t say I blame him!
There was an abundance of Hoosier connected cabinet members in DC during the Bush years.
At this point I’m more interested in who’s going to be on the team then the background of the top guy.
It’s going to take a big strong group of managers to get the federal government under control. People with the experience of Palin who have tackled the establishment and won. Pence falls in that category. I could see West, Gowdy , and many others on the team. I’d sure like to see them run as a team It would show unity and that they had the background and knowledge to straighten the mess out.
Big difference is GOP has a deep bench. Not only is the democrat thin (just Hillary and has beens ). It has splinters in its arse!
Pence,..Daniels,..anybody but who it should really be: Gov.Sarah Palin.
She is the person who will clean out the government. Whether Democrat or Republican, if they’re found to have committed crimes, she will have them prosecuted.
THAT IS WHAT TERRIFIES ESTABLISHMENT POLITICIANS!!
And I say, good.
Will you ever quit banging this drum?
That incident was probably the first time I really noticed Pence and I haven't been too impressed with him. Maybe he should become a senator from Indiana eventually and not jump into what will be a very crowded Republican primary field.
We don't need even more primary candidates who will be, or will be considered as conservative. Too much vote splitting among conservatives will give us Jeb Bush or Cristie.
When America starts bringing back American jobs.
Sure. :D
Put your gun back in your holster. We could do much worse than Mike Pense. Here are some examples of candidates/Presidents that don't have his credentials: John McCain, Mitt Romney, two George Bush's, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush.
Pence might be okay, if he sincerely and convincingly inspires with consitutional conservative values.
RE: Pence,..Daniels,..anybody but who it should really be: Gov.Sarah Palin.
SARAH PALIN ON THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION:
http://www.ontheissues.org/sarah_palin.htm#Immigration
* Supports a path to citizenship, but no amnesty for illegals. (Oct 2008)
* Never supported Pat Buchanan for president. (Sep 2008)
* Has not often expressed views on illegal immigration. (Aug 2008)
* OpEd: Palin is sick to death of this immigration nonsense. (Mar 2008)
* Address jointly with Canada the border security challenges. (Jan 2007)
* Immigrants want more vocational training & senior assistance. (Oct 2006)
* Took no action on Alaska’s “sanctuary cities”. (Sep 2006)
* Tightened restrictions on illegal alien’s drivers licenses. (Sep 2006)
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