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When Donald Trump selected him as his running mate in July 2016, Mike Pence was seen largely as a way to ensure that social conservatives and evangelicals skeptical of Trump would turn out to vote for him. Like most vice presidential picks, Pence was meant to serve a specific but limited purpose. A red-state governor with strong ties to the most conservative elements of the Republican Party, and more than a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives, Pence could shore up Trumps lack of experience, and at least on paper, he looked like the perfect political counterweight to a flamethrowing outsider.

A little more than a year later, amid the backbiting, tumult, and controversy that have defined Trumps presidency, Pence remains exactly what he was brought in to bea rare pillar of calm, polished professionalism. Hes avoided West Wing knife fights, managing not to make enemies in a White House riven by rival factions and power struggles. Pence has also tactfully steered clear of making any significant slights or public contradictions of the president and wisely avoided whats perhaps the gravest sin in Trump Worldovershadowing the boss.

And yet a quiet tension looms over his role. As questions swirl about Trumps future and what may come after, attention has returned to Pence and his potential ambitions. News that he started his own leadership PAC in May raised eyebrows about whether Pence, 58, was actively preparing for life post-Trump or even considering a run in 2020 himself, something he vehemently denies but that Democrats are taking seriously. Still, as he becomes a stabilizing force inside an erratic White Houseif only by defaultthe question arises: Can he use that role to effect change inside it?

Evidence suggests Trump has come to realize Pences value as an asset to be deployed. Whether he sees him as someone worth listening to is another matter. Pence opened for Trump at an Aug. 22 rally in Phoenix, asserting the bosss commitment to racial harmony. Trump proceeded to trample that message in his ensuing speech. The two men do talk multiple times a day and have a scheduled lunch every week. Trumps chief of staff, U.S. Marine Corps General John Kelly, has also struck up a close relationship with Pence and talks with the vice presidents chief of staff, Nick Ayers, each morning and throughout the day.

Among senior officials in the West Wing, no one has the legislative and executive expertise of Pence, who spent four years as governor of Indiana after his 12 years in Congress. His staff is versed in state and national politics and has deep ties to Congress and the Republican Party. After the departure of Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer, both of whom spent years working for the Republican National Committee, those ties are crucial to a West Wing devoid of many Republican stalwarts.

Pence has earned a broad portfolio of domestic and foreign policy issues to oversee, including a big role in formulating the strategy for Afghanistan. This summer, hes led meetings with military and national security advisers, collecting and analyzing options, according to a person familiar with the planning process. In a two-hour meeting at Camp David on Aug. 18, rather than advocate for a particular position, Pence played the intermediary, making sure Trump got a complete picture of the scenarios, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Before the presidents Aug. 21 address on the U.S.s future involvement in Afghanistan, it was Pencenot Trumpwho talked to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the person says.

Pence has taken on a weighty foreign policy role, traveling to a dozen countries, where hes smoothed the rough edges of Trumps nationalist trade talk and volatile foreign policy declarations. During recent stops in Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and Panama, he had to calm leaders over Trumps remarks that a military option was on the table for Venezuela and to reassure countries that the U.S. was still an eager trading partner. As tensions escalated with North Korea, it was Pence, clad in a leather bomber jacket, who scowled across the 38th parallel in April.

Perhaps Pences biggest asset is his relationship with congressional Republicans. He has lunch with GOP senators almost every Tuesday when Congress is in session, something his predecessors rarely kept up. Hes also made the rare move of opening an office on the House side of the Hill and spends much of his time at the U.S. Capitol. During the tensest moments of the health-care debate, some House aides said they preferred dealing with Pence and his staff, ignoring calls from Priebus, says a senior aide to Republican leadership. Pence is close with House Speaker Paul Ryan and often informs him on White House policy decisions. It helps that Trumps legislative affairs director, Marc Short, is a former Pence operative.

No one is more influential in the Capitol than Mike Pence, says North Carolina Representative Mark Walker, chairman of the conservative 170-member Republican Study Committee. Pence is one of the few people who can bridge the different political groups in the House. The vice president was crucial in getting the Obamacare repeal through the House, though when it came to getting it through the Senate, he was less effective. His last-minute entreaties to Arizona Republican Senator John McCain failed.

As relations between Trump and Republican leaders in Congress have soured, particularly with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Pence will likely have to play the role of mediator. McConnell credits Pence for his active role on the Hill and calls him an indispensable player for the White House. His influence also gives him a greater ability to push his own agenda of entitlement cuts and ending funding for Planned Parenthood. Neil Bradley, a former top GOP House staffer and advocate at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, says Pence will be absolutely critical to getting a tax bill passed this fall.

Pence is also expected to be a surrogate for Trump in the 2018 midterm elections, particularly in conservative areas of the country where his endorsement may carry more weight than Trumps. With the West Wing a revolving door of staffers quitting or being dismissed, Pence has job security. As vice president, hes the one White House official whom Trump cant fire.

BOTTOM LINE - Pence has avoided the political backstabbing in the West Wing and does parts of the job Trump wont. Can he help get the president back on track?

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Mike Pence Is More Important Than Ever for Trump - Bloomberg

President Trumps strategy for South Asia will undo the failed policies of the past and put the safety and security of the American people first.

Mike Pence: Donald Trumps new American strategy for Afghanistan will undo past failures Editorial USA Today August 21, 2017

President Trump has no higher priority than the safety and security of the American people. Since the very first day of our administration, he has taken decisive action to protect our citizens, our country and our very way of life and on Monday, President Trump announced a new strategy for addressing threats from Afghanistan and South Asia that will enhance the security of our homeland and protect our people from those who would do us harm.

The president has authorized our armed forces to directly target the terrorists and militant networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan, who put our soldiers at risk and destabilize the region. He has lifted the restrictions that prevented our commanders in the field from fully using their judgment and expertise to carry out their critical missions.

Achieving this goal requires that both the Afghan authorities and the Taliban demonstrate political will to participate in a meaningful dialogue.

To be clear: Americas goal in Afghanistan is not to impose democracy or a strong central government that runs counter to Afghanistans tradition of local autonomy. Nonetheless, we insist that the Afghan government reduce corruption, implement reforms, and continue to strengthen its security forces, which have repeatedly proved their courage and resolve on the field of battle.

The previous administration alerted our enemies ahead of time by announcing troop numbers and timelines, something President Trump has wisely refused to do.

A stable Afghanistan will mean a safer America. To achieve this goal, President Trumps new strategy for South Asia also calls for a shift in Americas policy towards Pakistan, a place he refuses to ignore.

Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much more to lose by supporting terrorists. The president has put them on notice.

Finally, the president's strategy for South Asia involves a stronger strategic partnership with India the worlds largest democracy and a key security and economic partner.

President Trumps strategy for South Asia will undo the failed policies of the past and put the safety and security of the American people first.

Read the full editorial here.

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VPOTUS Mike Pence Editorial: Donald Trump's New American Strategy for Afghanistan Will Undo Past Failures - Whitehouse.gov (press release)

The answer to what we should do with all these troublesome Confederate monuments?

Just build more statues of other people!

Thats according to Vice President Mike Pence, who told Fox & Friends on Tuesday hed like to see the U.S.erect more statues for heroes instead of tearing down Confederate monumentsthat have graced our cities.

Obviously, I think that should always be a local decision, Pence said.But Im someone who believes in more monuments, not less monuments. What we ought to do is, we ought to remember our history, but we also ought to celebrate the progress that weve made since that history.

He added: Rather than tearing down monuments that have graced our cities all across this country for years, we ought to be building more monuments.

We ought to be celebrating the men and women who have helped our nation move toward a more perfect union and tell the whole story of America.

The debate over Confederate statues most of which were actually built during the Jim Crow era, decades after the Civil War has taken on renewed urgency after a white supremacist and neo-Nazi rally this month in Charlottesville, Virginia, left one dead and 19 injured.

The racist gathering, ostensibly to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, has inspired numerous other cities to consider removing their Confederate monuments.

Language in this story has been amended to clarify Pences remarks.

America does not do a good job of tracking incidents of hate and bias. We need your help to create a database of such incidents across the country, so we all know whats going on. Tell us your story.

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Mike Pence's Answer On Confederate Statues? Build More ...

(DORAL, Fla.) Vice President Mike Pence addressed a sympathetic crowd of Venezuelans in South Florida on Wednesday and pledged the U.S. will use its economic and diplomatic power to push for free elections.

Pence spoke at a church in the city of Doral, the exile enclave, to a crowd of about 300. They occasionally shouted "freedom, freedom" and cheered every time the vice president spoke of President Donald Trump's interest in Venezuela, a socialist nation that has been undergoing an economic crisis .

"Under the leadership of President Donald Trump, the United States of America will continue to bring the full measure of American economic and diplomatic power to bear until democracy is restored in Venezuela," Pence said, threatening there were more sanctions to come against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

As other countries in Latin America have improved their economies, Venezuela has gone downhill, Pence said, calling Maduro's presidency, a "dictatorship."

"We hear you, we stand with you. We will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles," Pence said.

A woman held a sign at the event that read, "Venezuelan resistance asks for military resistance. We can't do it alone," an apparent reference to Trump's remarks earlier this month that there was a possibility for the U.S. to invade Venezuela.

Last week, Pence visited Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Panama in an attempt to rally the region against Venezuela, but because of Trump's comments, the vice president switched to damage control to soothe fears in a region scarred by past U.S. invasions.

In South Florida, Pence found a supportive and grateful crowd.

Earlier in the day, Pence met with 15 Venezuelan exiles in South Florida who said more help is needed to restore democracy in the socialist regime.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, and Republicans Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart joined Pence in listening to testimonies of established leaders of the Venezuelan diaspora and recently exiled politicians and judges.

Ramon Muchacho was the mayor of the municipality of Chacao since 2013 but fled in July, saying he was being persecuted by the government.

"There is no way to get (the government) out by democratic means," Muchacho said, pleading for more help from Latin America, the U.S. and Europe.

Two other mayors told Pence the U.S. government should impose more sanctions.

Carlos Vecchio, a well-known leader of an opposition party, said that Venezuela is a failed state that criminals had taken control of.

"It is a criminal state," Vecchio said. "It is led by a mafia involved in drug trafficking and close to terrorist groups."

Alejandro Jesus Rebolledo, a Venezuelan judge who fled the country recently, also accused the government of crimes such as money laundering and drug trafficking.

The country's vice president Tareck El Aissami was sanctioned by the Trump administration in February after being accused of running a drug trafficking network of corrupt officials in Venezuela. More recently, Washington slapped sanctions on Maduro and other top officials involved in the installation of a new, all-powerful constitutional assembly.

During the meeting, Ernesto Ackerman, a local leader of Venezuelan-Americans, approached Pence and gave him a black hat with the colors of the Venezuelan flag. It read, "Make Venezuela Great Again."

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'We Will Not Stand By as Venezuela Crumbles:' Mike Pence Tells Venezuelans - TIME

Mike Pence for president, I say president of the US Senate. Its just the assignment for a pickle like this, when President Trump isnt on speaking terms with his own partys leader in the upper house.

Trump is understandably upset at the failure of the Senate to pass health-care and tax reforms. Its gotten so bad with Mitch McConnell, according to CNN, that the two Republican titans have been cussing each other out.

Privately, The New York Times claims, McConnell has even been voicing doubts that the Trump presidency can be salvaged (not that the majority leaders own approval rating in Kentucky is, at 18 percent, so hot).

In Phoenix Tuesday, Trump mercilessly mocked the states senior senator, John McCain, a lion of the presidents own Republican Party. Thats because McCain cast the deciding vote against ObamaCare repeal.

Trump also tore into Arizonas other senator, Jeff Flake, another Republican. Plus, Trump has been feuding with GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

One might think that a president who is facing at least the possibility of impeachment would be more solicitous of such senators. If Trump were impeached, remember, the Senate would be the jury.

Thats not the Trump way, though. Heaven forfend. And this is where the tough but affable vice president ought to be able to help and, as a bonus, make a long overdue constitutional correction.

You can even argue that, technically, the vice president isnt even part of the executive branch. Unless the president quits, is ousted or dies, the veeps only enumerated constitutional duty is to preside over the Senate.

So why does Pence need two offices in the White House or even one? Why does he play the prop to Trump, introducing him at political rallies like he were a valet?

The point is not to distance Pence from Trump. Rather, to position him so he could play the most effective and constitutional role in helping the Trump presidency.

Pence could move his base out of the White House and Executive Office Building. He could set himself up in the Capitol, where the vice presidents room is one of Americas most magnificent offices.

The vice president doesnt need anyones permission to do this though, to be clear, he would certainly need Trumps assent for such a tack to be successful.

So why doesnt he re-base himself on the Hill and get to work shoring up support for the presidents program? And restoring the vice presidency to its original and sole constitutional duty.

The plain language of the Constitution suggests the VP doesnt have much choice. It says he shall be president of the Senate. He may get to vote only when theres a tie, but can preside when he wants. (Its only when hes absent that the Senate gets to pick a temporary president.)

Whats so attractive about Pence moving to the Senate is that hes perfect for the job. Hes a policy and principles person whos four-square for the GOP platform. And hes got experience on the Hill he was a six-term congressman before becoming governor of Indiana, and in his last term he served as chair of the Republican Caucus, a leadership position.

True, the Senate isnt the House but legislative experience and a history of working with Hill colleagues should be much in demand in the Trump administration.

Its not just health care and taxes. In Phoenix, Trump talked about the importance of the Second Amendment. Yet national gun-permit reciprocity is stalled in the Senate. The president will also need Congress on board if military action against North Korea becomes necessary.

The Senates floundering on ObamaCare repeal shocked the 30 states that voted to make Trump president and Pence vice president. If the Republican senators cant get it done, why not try the vice president?

No doubt the vice presidency has been much derided. John Nance Garner said it wasnt worth a bucket of warm spit (or some other liquid). Vice President Hannibal Hamlin took work as a cook for the Coast Guard.

Maybe, though, Pence could make something of it. It wasnt until Richard Nixon became vice president that veeps insinuated themselves into the executive branch in the first place. Pence could lead the counter-revolution.

The Hoosier could give a daily press briefing in his majestic office in the Capitol. He could try presiding vocally from the chair and working the corridors when he wasnt presiding.

Trump could certainly use the help. It might not work. But its hard to see how it could hurt. Its not as if the current leadership of the Senate has got a lot to show for itself.

The rest is here:
Trump should send in Pence to get the Senate moving - New York Post