I was never really into politics until it became more of a reality TV show, and there are two new actors in the 2016 election showdown. Mike Pence and Tim Kaine have accepted the opportunity to be the potential next vice president of the United States of America. At this point in the election it seems as though people are trying to pick the better of two evils when it comes to Trump and Clinton, but could these two VP picks ease the picking? Probably not.
Michael Richard Pence is Republican Vice President nominee to the one, the only, Donald Trump. When I first heard the news my initial thought was “who” and I’m positive I was not the only one. Pence has come a long way from graduating with a B.A. in History from Hanover College, to being a college admissions counselor, to being a radio talk show host for The Mike Pence Show, and his current role as Governor of Indiana. Pence accepted his nomination from Trump as his running mate and would give his official speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC). “I’m a Christian, conservative, and Republican in that order,” is how Pence opened up at the RNC earlier this week, and also openly accepted to knowing that he would be the balance to Mr. Trump on the ballot.
I must say, his opening remark stamps himself as a traditional Republican, and that’s what he is. He is the complete opposite of Trump which is where we can see some good. Many voters are pleased that he has chosen someone who is more along the lines of a “traditional” candidate and not the rebel Republican Trump has stamped himself to be. Pence raved on his impeccable job with the Indiana economy, which he isn’t wrong about which entails us to add another item on the good list. Indiana has $2 billion in reserves, which is cash saved and $210 million is a surplus from last year’s budget. Now, as great as that is, Pence has a questionable history on his past actions. In March 2015, he signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFTA) into law. It sounds great doesn’t it? People can freely practice their religion and not be attacked, right? Nothing bad can come of that, right? Wrong. This quickly turned dark when companies and churches turned away homosexuals because their religion prohibits them from serving the LGBT community.
Many people warned Pence of these repercussions but he chose to see otherwise, and signed it anyway. To me, that seems careless much like this next statement which will bring us to the ugly side of Pence. “Moral of the story: women in military, bad idea,” this was said by Pence in a 1999 op-ed on women in military. I understand that this comment was said over 16 years ago, I believe for him to still stand by this statement. When he said this, he used Mulan as backup for why women shouldn’t be in the military. His reasoning was that women and men can not be so close in the same quarters because the sexual tension wouldn’t be cohesive for the intensive environment they are in. Which also brings me to the fact that he is against gays in the military. Pence is also very much against Planned Parenthood, as he voted to cut all federal spending for the program. So like everyone, he has his sides and it should be interesting watching him proceed throughout this election.
Onto the opposing sign of Democrat candidate Hilary Clinton who has chosen Tim Kaine. Kaine is more well-known in the political realm as he has served as a mayor, governor, and senator. In a “Meet the Press” interview with Kaine back in June he stated “I am boring.” I found this enlightening as at least he has some honesty in him unlike Mrs. Clinton seems to have. Many are stating that Kaine will be the soother for Clinton that she so desperately needs. Looking at Kaine’s past with elections, things get interesting. He has not lost any political election from mayor to senator. He has been known for being a positive and optimistic leader which many have seems to brag about, and a safe choice for Clinton.
On the good side of things Kaine is a family man, and with that brings us to his son, Nat Kaine. Nat Kaine in currently a marine serving in the military. But, why does this matter? He promised to his son that he would always look after veterans and protect them. I appreciate this quality of Kaine because our veterans do deserve respect as they are out there serving for our country home of the free and the brave.
As Kaine’s first legislation act as senator was the Troop Talent Act of 2013, which assisted active duty members with assistance that allowed an easier transition into the workforce. He also speaks fluent Spanish, was a former Chairman of the Democratic National Convention, and one of my favorites the media has declared his background as free from drama and scandal. Clearly highlighting why, he is the “safe pick’ for Mrs. Clinton. As great as everyone is saying Kaine is he still has his bad. He is on opposing views with Clinton when it comes to the environment. He was a supporter on offshore drilling in the Atlantic and was also an advocate for a bill that would speed up construction on natural gas terminals. What’s odd is that he has also alleged to being for climate change and that our country must do something, so clearly things aren’t matching up between his words and his actions.
Lastly, we bring you the ugly. This is a personal opinion, as this entire article is, but I feel it shows signs of conforming. Kaine has stated before that he was opposed to abortions because of his faith, but then conformed to being pro-choice as that is what the main Democratic platform is, alike to his partner Hilary Clinton. To me, this shows he is easily influenced, but it is a very small detail to many of his other accomplishments. We have so much more to unveil as Tim Kaine and Hilary Clinton will take on the Democratic Convention this coming week.
As with everything in life, there is a side with good, bad, and then the ugly. This is politics, and it is never a clean and easy topic. We all have opinions, and it’s always best to agree to disagree. We will just have to wait till October to see how these two traditional potential running mates will do when put to go head to head.
