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Matthew Tully, Indianapolis Star Opinion Published 3:53 p.m. ET July 12, 2017 | Updated 4:36 p.m. ET July 12, 2017

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Vice President Pence(Photo: Malcolm Benemark, USA TODAY Network)

What must Mike Pence be thinking?

If I had to bet, itd be this: It will all be worth it. All the drama and all the craziness, as well as the close proximity to scandal and the spot forever etched in history next to an inept, mean-spirited president it will all be worth it. Yes, theres a decent chance Mike Pence will someday be president perhaps sooner rather than later and for many, winning trumps everything else.

Still, there must be a part of our former governor that has regrets.

There must be a piece of the vice president that wonders if hed be better off in his old job as governor, announcing new road projects in Terre Haute and holding press conferences in Indianapolis. With every passing day, the decision by Pence to join forces with Donald J. Trump looks even more cynical, more hypocritical and ickier than it did last summer. And to be clear, it looked quite cynical, hypocritical and icky then.

But thats ambition. It can take you to strange places. And Pence is certainly in a strange place these days.

Trump could learn from these social media tips for kids

Practice saying President Mike Pence: Matthew Tully

This week, a vice president who by all accounts has been a model of loyalty issued a loftier-than-thou statement that, to those of us who covered him as governor, sounded very much like Mike Pence. The statement came after Donald Trumps Jr. outrageous dalliance with the Russians came to light and quickly overshadowed everything else going on in American politics.

Heres what Pence said, through a spokesman: The vice president is working every day to advance the presidents agenda, which is what the American people sent us here to do. He is not focused on stories about the campaign, particularly stories about the time before he joined the ticket.

Classic Pence.

Start with flattery. Then act as if your administration actually has a coherent agenda. Scoff at the notion that youd ever spend one moment focused on something as petty as politics. Portray yourself as above it all. Then make sure everyone knows that whatever shenanigans went on occurred before you joined the team.

As Donald Trump Jr. would say: I love it.

The statement left many of us chuckling for a few reasons. First, as a politician Pence has always been more about campaigns and insider politics than policies and legislative agendas. Second, once you team up with a guy like Trump you have forever surrendered the right to portray yourself as above the petty messiness in politics. Finally, theres that popular video of him speaking to CBSs Face the Nation in January.

Did any adviser or anybody in the Trump campaign have any contact with the Russians who were trying to meddle in the elections? he was asked.

Pence didnt pause.

Oh, of course not, he said, pursing his lips, shaking his head from left to right, and squinting as he often does when shooting for sincerity. And I think to suggest that is to give credence to some of these bizarre rumors that have swirled around the candidacy.

Don Jr. Russia emails trap Trump and his whole circus. They have no good choices.

POLICING THE USA:Alook atrace, justice, media

Pence then talked about media bias, just as his President Trump did Wednesday after egg was splattered all over the face of his administration and his family.

Blame the media if you want, but heres the bottom line: Pence once again looked either disingenuous or out of the loop. In this administration, with all of the scandals and investigations swirling, out of the loop is obviously the far better option. That reality explains the final line of Pences statement, the one making clear this latest scandal preceded his time in the Trump orbit.

Much was made of Pences distancing himself from the White House. Is Mike Pence betting it will all come crashing down on Trump? oneThe Washington Postcolumnist asked, raising questions about whether President Trump will survive the Russia investigations. Is Mike Pence the next president? Newsweek asked, noting the many recent steps by Pence to bolster his own political future.

Those are good questions. They boil down to this: What is Mike Pence thinking? Well, he must be thinking that this is all going to be worth it. But even he must have doubts.

Matthew Tully is a columnist forThe Indianapolis Star,where this piecefirst appeared. Follow him on Twitter:@matthewltully

You can readdiverse opinions from ourBoard of Contributorsand other writers ontheOpinion front page,on Twitter@USATOpinionand in our dailyOpinion newsletter.To submit a letter, comment or column, check oursubmission guidelines.

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Mike Pence's Trump ordeal will be worth it in the end. He hopes. - USA TODAY

Vice President Mike Pence will be the keynote speaker at Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalts Basque Fry event on Aug. 26.

Vice President Mike Pence will be the keynote speaker at Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalts Basque Fry event on Aug. 26.

The appearance by the vice president is a major coup for Laxalt, who has laid the groundwork for a widely expected 2018 gubernatorial campaign. Its also a signal to Treasurer Dan Schwartz, a fellow Republican mulling his own bid for governor, that Laxalt has the support of D.C. powerbrokers as well as grass-roots Nevada Republicans.

Laxalt hosts the Basque Fry in Gardnerville, south of Carson City, to support his Morning in Nevada PAC.

We are truly excited for Nevada to welcome Vice President Mike Pence to this years 3rd Annual Basque Fry event, Laxalt said in a statement. This has truly become the grass-roots event for Nevada conservatives and Republicans, attracting residents from all 17 counties.

Pences appearance could present an awkward dilemma for Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., whos running for re-election next year. After Heller announced his opposition to Republican legislation to replace Obamacare, a PAC connected to Pence associates announced it would run ads targeting Heller. While the group eventually backed off, Heller could be the deciding vote on the Senates new Obamacare replacement bill.

No matter what Heller does now, his standing with Nevada conservatives has taken a hit. Perennial candidate Danny Tarkanian is mulling a primary challenge to Heller. The response from grass-roots Republicans to Heller, if he decides to attend Laxalts event, could be a good indication of how much traction a primary challenge might have.

The 2015 event sold out, with 1,500 attendees, but the Corley Ranch, which hosts the event, has made changes to accommodate a larger crowd this year. General admission tickets cost $40 until July 29, when the price jumps to $55. Kids get in free.

I expect the event to sell out quickly and that attendance will exceed either of the two previous Basque Fries, said Andy Matthews, executive director of the Morning in Nevada PAC.

Laxalt patterned the Basque Fry gatherings after events his grandfather, former Nevada Gov. and U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt, held during his time in office. The Basque Fry has attracted many Republican elected officials and candidates trying to connect with the Republican base. Headliners at previous Basque Fries have included Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton and Dr. Ben Carson, the current HUD secretary.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on Twitter.

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Mike Pence coming to Nevada to headline Laxalt's Basque Fry - Las Vegas Review-Journal

WASHINGTON White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday appeared to be confused aboutDonald Trump Jr.s June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer, claiming it was about adoptions contradicting both Donald Trump Jr. and the president, who have both confirmed the true reason for the meeting.

During an off-camera briefing with reporters, Spicer claimed that the president has made it clear through his tweet, and there was nothing as far as we know that would lead anyone to believe that there was anything except for a discussion about adoption,referring to the original reason Trump Jr. gave for meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

Veselnitskaya has lobbied against the Magnitsky Act, a law passed by Congress in 2012 that imposed sanctions on Russian officials. In retaliation for the sanctions, the Kremlin imposed a ban on Americans adopting Russian children.

But both Trump Jr. and the president have affirmed that the real reason the younger Trump took the meeting was he was looking to obtain damaging information on campaign opponent Hillary Clinton.

The presidents tweet that Spicer referred to on Monday lays that out quite clearly, defending Trump Jr.s meeting as politics.

As detailed in emails released by Trump Jr. himself last Tuesdayin response to the New York Times uncovering the meeting, he clearly took the meeting after being offered information that he was told would incriminate Clinton and was part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

If it is what you say I love it, Trump Jr. replied to an email from music publicist Rob Goldstone.

Later Tuesday, Trump Jr. defended the meeting in an interview with Fox News Sean Hannity, saying that it was simply part of normal campaign business.

Someone has information on our opponent. You know, things are going a million miles an hour. You know what its like to be on a campaign, he told Hannity. Wed just won Indiana but were talking about a contested convention. Things are going a million miles an hour again. And, hey, wait a minute. Ive heard about all these things, but maybe this is something. I should hear him out.

The president has also affirmed several times that the meeting was about Clinton. When asked about it last Thursday, he defended his son,claiming that most people would have taken that meeting,as it was very standard and part ofopposition research.

The meeting is the clearest indication yet that the Trump campaign may have colluded with Russia to influence last years election, a possibility that is the subject of multiple investigations.

Despite both fathers and sons insistence that the meeting was routine, many expertsbelieve it violated campaign finance lawsthat make itillegalto solicit, accept or receive contributions and donations from foreign nationals. Legal experts say this generally includes political opposition research.

Republican political operatives told HuffPost last week that itwould be unheard offor campaign veterans to take such a meeting, and that they would have reported it to the FBI.

Excerpt from:
Sean Spicer Still Insists Donald Trump Jr. Meeting Was About Adoptions - HuffPost

Garbled grammar aside, Trump's essential message is this: My approval rating isn't bad at all!

Except, he's wrong.

Here's George H.W. Bush back to Jimmy Carter:

Bush, Ronald Reagan and Carter were all in the stratosphere compared to Trump at the six-month mark of their presidencies. Worth noting: Bush and Carter went on to lose their re-election bids three and a half years later -- a sign that you always need to be cautious about making predictions after just 6 months.

Then, finally, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford:

So here are the facts: Donald Trump is less popular at the six-month mark of his presidency than eight of the nine men who have held the office before him. He's as unpopular as the ninth, who pardoned a president embroiled in the most serious scandal ever to hit the presidency.

That's probably not something he'll be touting on Twitter anytime soon.

See the rest here:
3 charts that show why Donald Trump's low approval ratings aren't normal at all - CNN International

Trumps decision to postpone the so-called U.S. startup visa program is the worst possible news for U.S. cities that are emerging innovation hubs.

Judging from President Donald Trumps announced intention to kill a program aimed at allowing foreign founders of successful startup firms to stay in the United States, he is not content with being the most anti-immigration, anti-environment and anti-free press U.S. leader in recent memory. He now wants to become the most anti-innovation one.

In a move that has drawn fire from some of the best-known U.S. technology innovators, the Trump administrations Department of Homeland Security announced July 10 that it will postpone until March 14, 2018 and may ultimately eliminate the so-called U.S. startup visa program.

The program, the International Entrepreneur Rule, was supposed to start this month. It was launched by former president Barack Obama toward the end of his term, and the Obama administration had estimated at the time that it would draw about 2,940 applications for temporary visas annually.

To be eligible for these visas, foreign innovators had to show that they had raised at least $250,000 from established U.S. investors, or more than $100,000 in U.S. government grants.

The foreign entrepreneurs had to own at least 10 percent of their startups, and had to be actively involved in their operations. If approved, their visas would be good for 30 months, and could be extended if their startups proved successful.

When I first read about this decision, I could hardly believe it. Anybody who has ever set foot in Silicon Valley, or in emerging innovation centers such as Austin or Miami, knows that foreigners are a driving force of U.S. scientific, technological and business innovations.

Some of the best-known U.S. innovators are foreign born, including Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Sergey Brin of Google and Garrett Camp of Uber. If Musks SpaceX company, which already employs about 6,000 people, succeeds in its goal of sending the first U.S. manned mission to Mars, it will be thanks to an immigrant.

Immigrants have founded 51 percent of the current crop of U.S. startups valued at more than $1 billion, according to a recent study by the National Foundation for American Policy. The study showed that 44 immigrant-founded companies had a collective market value of $168 billion.

For Miami, which was recently ranked by the Kauffman Foundations 2017 Index of Startup Activity as the No. 1 city with the highest rate of entrepreneurs opening new businesses, Trumps latest decision is next to his decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord on climate change the worst possible news.

Miami ranks No. 1 in the nation in immigrant-founded businesses with employees, according to another Kaufmann Foundation study cited by The Miami Heralds Nancy Dahlberg.

Vivek Wadhwa, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and the author of a new book on innovation titled The driver in the driverless car, did not mince words when I asked him about Trumps decisions to delay and possibly kill the foreign entrepreneurs visa program.

The startup visa was the closest thing to a free lunch for the United States, Wadhwa told me. It would have enabled entrepreneurs all over the world to bring their ideas, inventions and money here to create jobs. No jobs are taken away, only new jobs created.

He added, The Trump administrations decision will only hurt U.S. competitiveness and help countries that are competing with it. It is the peak of stupidity and xenophobia, the most foolish of all policy decisions.

Likewise, the U.S. National Venture Capital Association, which represents startup investors, said in a statement that Trumps decision represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the critical role immigrant entrepreneurs play in growing the next generation of American companies.

My opinion: The delay and possible elimination of the startup visa program is an idiotic idea, even by Trump administration standards. While Canada, France, Singapore, Chile and several other countries are offering visas and financial incentives to foreign entrepreneurs, the United States is doing the opposite.

Trump keeps talking about saving coal miners jobs, as if that decaying and polluting industry represented Americas future. On the contrary, it represents Americas past, and Trumps ignorance about the knowledge economy that is driving the future will put the U.S. economy at risk. He is rapidly becoming the anti-innovation president.

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Donald Trump, the anti-innovation president - The Seattle Times