Mike Pence finally speaks up -- too late! Trump's takeover of GOP is virtually complete

[marmar]

Mike Pence finally speaks up — too late! Trump's takeover of GOP is virtually complete
Pence's performance may reassure the media — but RNC pronounces Jan. 6 riot "legitimate political discourse"

By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 7, 2022 9:43AM


(Salon) Last Friday, appearing before the Federalist Society in Florida, former Vice President Mike Pence said the words that dare not be uttered in the Republican Party: "President Trump was wrong." He was referring to Trump's recent assertion that Pence had the right to "overturn" the election. While Trump's original statement and Pence's mild rebuke both sent shock waves through the media, they really shouldn't have. Of course Trump thinks Pence had the right to overturn the election. He couldn't have been any clearer in the 5,789 times he's mentioned it.

No one should be surprised that Pence came out and said Trump was wrong, either. He has stayed pretty quiet about the whole thing, but the fact that Pence didn't actually try to throw out electoral votes, under tremendous pressure, proved long ago that he thought it was impossible and unjustified. He just didn't have the guts to come out and say it directly until now, which is typical.

I doubt Pence's comments would have caused the stir they did if it weren't for the fact that earlier in the day the Republican National Committee had voted to censure Reps. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., at the RNC's winter meeting in Utah. The committee statement said, among other things, that the party would "immediately cease any and all support of them as members of the Republican Party for their behavior which has been destructive to the institution of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican Party and our republic, and is inconsistent with the position of the Conference," and described Cheney and Kinzinger's roles on the House Jan. 6 committee as helping the "Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."

Once it was pointed out that the Republican Party's governing body appeared to be saying were saying that the Capitol rioters were "engaged in legitimate political discourse" the statement was rapidly amended to read "legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol." RNC leaders claimed they meant to refer to people like those fraudulent "electors" from various states, whom they characterized as being just regular folks. (One of them has close ties to RNC chair Ronna McDaniel.) According to the New York Times, however, the language of the resolution had been carefully negotiated over several days, and was voted on first by the executive committee and later by the full conference. So unless the Republican leadership has reading comprehension problems (which they might!) if they hadn't mean to embrace the insurrectionists surely someone would have raised an objection before the whole thing went public. ..............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2022/02/07/mike-pence-finally-speaks-up--too-late-takeover-of-is-virtually-complete/

[exboyfil]

1. Has Mike Pence finally figured out they might actually use that gallows?

If Trump returns to power.

[Walleye]

2. They are afraid of an investigation which means they are guilty

They forgotten Ken Starr hauling in all of anybody who ever had contact with the Clintons. They had to hire lawyers.Newt the rules on this by reviving impeachment for something personal

[PortTack]

3. disagree...there more and more chinks in tfg hold. Rubio now calling him out

[Martin68]

4. Granted it is late, but not too late. If a significant portion of the GOP disowns Trump, it is in

everybody's interests.