Let’s replace Mike Pence, as Tom Jewell recently wrote. He has not fought for jobs or for Anderson or for Muncie, not to mention the country. Instead, he has fought only for the GOP and himself.
Pence’s tactical rhetoric has become the GOP’s philosophy of governing. The minority’s guiding principle is today “What part of NO! don’t you understand?” Pence’s goal is to stonewall and destroy rather than discuss and engage. This, of course, leads to paralysis, which Republicans have settled on as a winning strategy, BUT it won’t solve the nation’s problems.
Pence, the Republican House Whip, has supported the GOP’s “NO” 98 percent of the time, while supporting Obama only 12 percent of the time, the lowest of any member of the Indiana delegation — and one of the lowest in Congress. On the other hand, Sen. Dick Lugar, a more moderate brand of Republican, has voted 77 percent with Obama and 73 percent with the GOP.
It takes two to tango, but only one Pence to destroy. (For the record,” stonewall-and-destroy” is not uniquely conservative or Republican).
With our economy on the brink, Congress needs to cut spending and raise taxes. That is, Congress must deal with the deficits. Just low taxes and refusing to raise taxes is one way to attack democracy. That is, to slowly, cynically undermine the Founders’ mandate: To work together toward a more perfect union.
Pence does not represent our district. His default position is always the GOP.
Bill J. Paschal
Muncie
