"Before he became Trump's running mate a decade ago, conservative Christian values were the center of Pence's political identity, but in October 2016, he reluctantly stood by Trump after the release of the tape in which Trump boasted about grabbing women "by the pussy." It was a sign of things to come. Pence became vice president, and for the next four years, he defended his boss through moral abominations and deficit explosions that cut against his fiscal conservatism."
"Becoming Trump's running mate required a yearslong effort to ingratiate himself with a guy whom Vance had, in the pages of this magazine, referred to as "cultural heroin" and elsewhere called "America's Hitler." Maybe Vance's ambition blinded him to Pence's lesson, but the war in Iran is teaching it to him the hard way."
"Though smart, Vance is not an especially talented politician. He won election to the Senate from Ohio only with Trump's endorsement, and he lacks anything like Trump's charisma. By signing on with Trump, however, he not only ended up one heartbeat from the presidency but also became the heir apparent to Trump's political movement."
J.D. Vance's decision to become Trump's running mate in 2024 echoes Mike Pence's earlier experience of political compromise. Pence, whose conservative Christian values once defined his identity, gradually abandoned his principles while serving as vice president, defending Trump through various controversies and ultimately being abandoned by Trump during the January 6 Capitol riot. Vance, despite previously calling Trump "cultural heroin" and "America's Hitler," pursued a yearslong effort to ingratiate himself with Trump to secure the vice presidential position. Though ambitious, Vance lacked independent political success before Trump's endorsement. The Iran conflict now demonstrates the harsh realities of Vance's calculated political gamble, teaching him the lesson Pence learned: alignment with Trump demands continuous moral compromise with limited reward.
#political-compromise #trump-administration #vice-presidential-politics #moral-abasement #ambition-and-consequences
Read at The Atlantic
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