This is encouraging. This is not. Chris Christie was worse, at least on marijuana.
You can watch Pence address the need for a little criminal justice reform in this 2015 speech where he was the keynote speaker. The video is here. The introduction begins at 1:01:38, which pretty much lists all his professional accomplishments. In the speech, he says he's passionate about second chances. He says we should be toughest on crimes against persons. He says Indiana should be the worst place to commit a crime, but once you've done your time, it should be the best place in America to get a second chance. He says drug treatment behind bars is critical.
Pence says he keeps a copy of the Indiana Constitution open on his desk every day. He quotes from Article I: "The penal code shall be founded on the principles of reformation, not vindictive justice."
I am still concerned that Trump, in the unlikely event he's elected, will appoint Chris Christie as Attorney General. Then again, maybe with two senior members of Christie's staff pleading guilty to felony charges, and three more charged, maybe Trump will think again before making Christie his go-to law and order guy.
I wonder if the Thumper (so called because I think he will land with a thud in November) will make Newt his Secretary of State. Maybe this leaked video of Newt trash-talking Trump will give him pause.
Newt Gingrich, a leading candidate to be Donald Trump’s running mate, told Republicans at a closed-door meeting earlier this year that Trump is not a conservative, speaks to voters “at the lowest level of any candidate in either party,” and could lose in a landslide if he didn’t significantly change his approach to campaigning.
Gingrich suggested Trump’s move from campaigning to governing would be challenging: “How we make the transition from, you know, language for fourth graders to real policy, I don’t know.”
All in all, it could have been much worse. Anytime we don't have to worry about the likes of Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani or Newt Gingrich, we will be fine.
Another positive thing about Pence's pick: He's really boring to listen to. He speaks well, but he has zero charisma. He might as well be talking about life insurance.
