After the anonymous op-ed piece appeared in the New York Times yesterday social media went wild with speculation about who its author might be. Only the Times editors know for sure, and they aren’t talking.
Here are our thoughts:
- Because the editorial refers to “the cabinet†invoking the 25th amendment, it seems as if the author is not in the cabinet but is close to cabinet members.
- Because it talks about morality and deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy the author appears to be a “true†conservative with a strong sense of morality.
- This seems to rule out cabinet members and former generals or others with military backgrounds, such as John Kelly.
Why People Think Pence is the Author
The majority of people on social media seem to think that Mike Pence is the likely author of the anonymous editorial. This seems far-fetched for a straight-arrow like Pence, but it is possible for a number of reasons.
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Reason One: Lodestar
The first is that the op-ed uses the unusual word “lodestar†and in the past Pence has often used that word. This means that either Pence wrote this op-ed or the real author knew Pence often used the word and “lodestar” and included the word in the editorial to make people think Pence wrote it.
People are speculating the word "lodestar" may be proof that Mike Pence wrote the scathing New York Times op-ed against Trump. https://t.co/b5YlZNfhIz
— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) September 6, 2018
Reason Two: Pence Praises Session
Just before the Times published the op-ed Pence publicly stated his support for Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Is this just a coincidence? Or did Pence write this op-ed as part of a plot to oust Trump and support Sessions.
Elizabeth Landers from CNN tweeted about this:
A rare moment: @vp stopped in the Capitol hallway to answer my Q on whether he had confidence in AG Jeff Sessions.
“I hold Jeff Sessions in the highest regard. I appreciate his service to the nation,†he responded.
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) September 5, 2018
Reason Three: Pence Can’t Be Fired
Pence is the only person in the Trump administration who can’t be fired by Donald Trump, meaning that Pence wouldn’t have to worry about job security if his identity is discovered.
https://twitter.com/iancarty123/status/1037625646388862976
Reason Four: Pence Would Benefit
Mike Pence stands the most to gain if the 25th Amendment is invoked, for obvious reasons.
Just last week we published an article called “Pence Thinks God Wants Him to Be President After Trump Scandals “ in which we said:
“Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio told CNN on Tuesday that Vice President Mike Pence believes he is on a mission from God — to become president. Also, since God wants him to be president, he believes that President Trump’s many scandals will be his ticket to the Oval Office.â€
Most people agree that eventually the identity of the author will be revealed in one way or another. In the meantime we can enjoy the speculation about who the real author might be.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
