Donald Trump’s lies regarding legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating the pets of local residents, and his lies about the federal government’s response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, fall into the fiendish category. Fiendish because they can get people killed.

So, what is Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence up to? You think maybe his feelings might be a little sore after Trump sicced his Jan. 6 choirboys to chant “Hang Mike Pence” after he refused to comply with Trump’s illegal request to send the electoral vote count back to some states and then into the U.S. House of Representatives?

When an aide informed Trump that Pence’s life was in danger from the mob at the Capitol as Trump watched the Jan. 6 riot approvingly from the White House, Trump replied, “So what?”

Pence has said he will not vote for Trump in 2024. He prefers to hold fast to principled conservatism. In whatever remote political wilderness that might still exist.

Honorable conservative principles such as fidelity to the Constitution and all its amendments, not just the second. Fidelity to the rule of law which subscribes to the 14th Amendment’s “equal justice under the law” clause. Fidelity to national security including our vital alliances. Respect for military veterans who fell in battle or endured years of torture like Sen. John McCain.  Generally free trade. Fidelity to facts, scientific and otherwise. Support of intellectual inquiry. Acceptance of election outcomes, win or lose. For much of the early 20th century, Republicans also led the fight for women’s rights and conservation, as environmentalism was called at the time. 

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Trump’s administration, General Mark Milley, calls Trump “fascist to the core. He is now the most dangerous person to this country.”

And then there is the other most recent Republican Vice President Dick Cheney.

Cheney repudiated Trump, saying, “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again.”

Election denialism is treason by another term. Joe Kent, are you paying attention?

Hell has frozen over. The Dark Knight has endorsed Kamala Harris. It will be amusing to see what kind of contorted lies MAGA will concoct to prove Dick Cheney is a RINO.

Marty Ansley

Cinebar