Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 07:11 pm
Hillary Clinton’s campaign has wasted no time alerting voters to the bigotry and extremism of Trump’s VP pick, Mike Pence.
John Podesta, chair of Hillary for America said in a statement:
By picking Mike Pence as his running mate, Donald Trump has doubled down on some of his most disturbing beliefs by choosing an incredibly divisive and unpopular running mate known for supporting discriminatory politics and failed economic policies that favor millionaires and corporations over working families.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Pence is the most extreme pick in a generation and was one of the earliest advocates for the Tea Party. He was the first of GOP leadership to join Michele Bachmann’s Tea Party Caucus. As governor, Pence personally spearheaded an anti-LGBT law that legalized discrimination against the LGBT community, alienated businesses, caused boycotts, lost investments and embarrassed Hoosiers– a law he was later forced to revise. Pence also personally led the fight to defund Planned Parenthood while serving in the House and fought to pass Indiana’s 2016 anti-abortion law, with some of the most outrageous restrictions in the country that threatened women’s privacy and limited their choice. And just like Trump, he’s been a long-time opponent of comprehensive immigration reform.
Pence has been no economic leader or friend to the American worker. In fact, he wants to get rid of the very wages that make the middle class possible. Pence opposes raising the federal minimum wage and signed a law allowing skilled workers in Indiana to be paid less. Under his failed leadership, the incomes of Hoosiers have stalled at 38th in the nation.
Voters deserve better than more of their divisive policies and ‘me-first’ economic proposals. This new Trump-Pence ticket stands in dramatic contrast to Hillary Clinton’s vision of our future – one where we are stronger together, where unity prevails over division and the economy works for all Americans, not just those at the top.
Trump could have shaken up the presidential race by picking a running mate who could have broadened the electorate for the GOP. Unfortunately, the Republican nominee had already alienated any Republican who could have helped his ticket, so he played to type, and picked a bigoted far-right white male to be his running mate.
Pence is a tea partier, who holds all of the usual views that are common to that wing of the Republican Party. He will be cheered by the angry white conservative men who were already supporting Trump, but for the rest of the country, he is a reminder of a dangerous and discriminatory agenda that can not be allowed to occupy White House.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
