Is Mike Pence Running for President?

So far I have tried to stay out of commenting on the Republcian presidential race. It is three years out, and we have more important things to focus on. We need to defeat the healthcare bill, win the Virginia governor's race, and take back the house in 2010. All that said a Mike Pence candidacy could possibly shake up the race, and it seems like he is actually putting his presidential campaign in motion.

In 2008 there was an effort to draft Mike Pence to run for president. Clearly the effort failed. Over the past week I have noticed a number of things that make me wonder if Congressman Pence is running for president right now.

Mike Pence had the biggest presence of any elected official. at the 9/12 march in D.C. Young people with Mike Pence shirts were everywhere handing out cards encouraging people to sign up for e-mail updates on his campaign website, and follow him on facebook, you tube, and twitter. Why would you expend that much energy getting people all over the nation to support you in a safe congressional campaign? They also had rally signs made up declaring D.C. a "Czar Free Zone" that had Mike Pence's name on it. The only elected official I saw who sponsored signs for the rally. Congressman Pence also wrapped up the rally with one of the best speeches on what is wrong with this nation.

When I got home I checked out his campaign website. The video on his homepage is not a video for a congressional campaign. It is possibly one of the most inspiring presidential web ads I have ever seen. In it Pence is referred to as "The People's Champion" "A Voice for Millions of Americans" and "A Counter Punch to the Left." This kind of soaring rhetoric about major national issues is rarely used in congressional campaigns.

When I saw the video I felt it was pretty obvious Mike Pence is running for president.

While Congressman Pence has not yet filed the papers to form a presidential campaign committee, he has a half million dollars and rising in his congressional account for a very safe house seat, he is on every media outlet possible, and has made trips to Iowa.

This weekend at the FRC Action Conference we will probably see for sure whether Mike Pence is running for president. One of the highlights of the conference is the strawpoll. If he has an operation there to try to win the strawpoll, it should be clear that he is taking this seriously. The other interesting dynamic will be the responses the crowd has towards Pence and Huckabee. Both of them are similar in that they are dynamic speakers, unafraid to talk about their faith who appeal strongly to social conservatives. If Pence wants to make a successful bid he needs the Huckabee supporters. From his perspective either Huckabee needs to not run, or he needs to annouce early enough that he is endorsed by an overwhelming amount of social conservative groups and thereby sideline Huckabee. The dynamics between two eloquent social conservative potential presidential nominees will be interesting to watch at the FRC Conference this weekend.

Tonight I saw Gary Bauers newsletter. It focussed on Mike Pence's speech about the Joe Wilson controversy. Gary Bauer concludes the newsletter he sent out days before the FRC Conference by saying, "I urge you to keep an eye on Mike Pence in the future." If Gary is hinting at who he might support for president it will be interesting to see where other social conservative leaders begin to lean, and who they eventually endorse.

What do you think, is Mike Pence running? Would you support him if he ran? How would a Pence bid impact the race? Tomorrow I will be liveblogging from the FRC Conference. Please check back to see if there are any other developments.

The Iranian Revolution and Twitter

Right now the Iranian people are protesting the results of their recent election. Just like most totalitarian regimes, the Iranian government is trying to crack down on the protestors, and keep the media from covering it. Right now the main source of information on the events is twitter. Even the New York Times wrote an article entitled Dear CNN, Please Check Twitter for News about Iran. In this critical moment for freedom in Iran, twitter is planning to shut down for 90 minutes starting at 9:45 pacific time. If you have twitter, please message them @twitter and ask them to delay this maintenance so that Iranians can use it to get the word out about what is going on in their nation.

If you are unfamiliar with what is happening in Iran please watch this BBC video.

This is a very important time for Iran, and a moment for freedom lovers everywhere to stand up with the Iranians.

The following is an article by Patricia Phillips, 2007 Republican nominee for the 33rd state senate district, about Jeff Frederick.  It is also linked on We Support Chairman Jeff Frederick.

Put Up or Stand Down

March 8, 2009

Patricia Phillips

Fact: The controversy about Del. Jeff Frederick’s tenure as RPV Chairman is hurting the Party and our statewide candidates’ chances in this fall’s election.  The longer this goes on, the greater the damage to our Party and thus, the greater the injury to Virginians statewide. 

Allegations:  Apparently those seeking Chairman Frederick’s resignation, and some of our more loquacious bloggers, allege that: 1) that there are numerous instances where Chairman Frederick has acted improperly, bordering on being unethical; 2) that Chairman Frederick has been ineffective; 3) that Chairman Frederick is somehow responsible for the losses Virginians suffered in last year’s presidential, senatorial, and congressional races; 4) that Chairman Frederick has embarrassed the RPV; and 5) finally, that Chairman Frederick’s election at last year’s convention was somehow tainted.  These allegations are considered so grave that supposedly more than ¾ of the State Central Committee have signed a letter (that remains hidden from the rank and file of our Party) pledging to vote for Frederick’s ouster in April should he refuse to resign. 

Resolution:  All of the allegations against Chairman Frederick should be aired in public. Now. The matter is in the press; any further attempt to maintain secrecy in this matter “for the good of the Party” is pointless.  Further, the refusal of those seeking Frederick’s removal to allow the rank and file to judge the allegations for themselves raises very serious questions about the validity of the allegations. If we allow a select few to overturn a legitimate election, for their own purposes and absent proof of illegal or unethical behavior on Frederick’s part, we set a dangerous long-term precedent for both our Party and our state. 

Point One: The Party Plan allows for the removal of the Chairman in extreme circumstances, similar to the federal system of impeachment by the house and trial by the senate.  This option is not intended to resolve policy differences or personality conflicts.  The RPV does do not operate as a parliamentary system, with votes of no confidence. It is too disruptive. The vote of delegates at our conventions should only be set aside in the most extreme of circumstances. There is an election process to be followed. 

If there are valid allegations of illegal or unethical behavior, they should be made public – reason would suggest that the Chairman would resign in the face of documented, provable charges of illegal or unethical behavior on his part, as the rank and file of the RPV will not support or condone such actions. 

Point Two: Frederick has been Chairman for less than a year. He has already had the distraction of facing down a prior attempt to remove him last December.  Despite that, RPV is moving forward in technology, outreach, and organization. Absent proof of illegal or unethical behavior on Frederick’s part, those seeking his ouster are directly responsible for retarding our growth and improvements in our effectiveness in this gubernatorial year. 

Point Three: Given the election result nationwide, does anyone honestly believe that Chairman Frederick is to blame for our poor showing in last year’s elections? Those making this charge undermine their own credibility in the eyes of the rank and file – they are rightly seen as grasping at any excuse to affect the removal of our duly-elected Chairman.  It raises serious questions about their motives and intentions. 

Point Four: One charge seems to revolve around Chairman Frederick’s legitimate and accurate observation last year that then-Senator Obama chose to develop and maintain a long-term association with William Ayers, the self-admitted collaborator in the 1960s bombing of the Pentagon and other government buildings.  Those who criticize Frederick’s criticism of Obama, including Senator McCain, play into the hands of a biased media that is hell-bent on electing liberals at all levels of government.  The observation was accurate, humorous, and well within the bounds of political discourse. Those who claim otherwise have swallowed the Democrats’ propaganda hook, line and sinker. 

While I agree that the “Twitter” incident was a boneheaded and costly mistake, it was hardly an impeachable offense. 

Point Five: That Chairman Frederick was legitimately elected is incontrovertible.  I was at the convention last year.  His victory was overwhelming.  One blogger recently claimed that Frederick won because so many delegates left the convention following the vote on our Senate nominee.  There was not a significant exodus before the vote for Chairman of the party. The claim that somehowFrederick’s election last year was questionable or illegitimate strongly indicates that the people making this charge are looking for any excuse to subvert the vote held in last year’s convention.  

Conclusion:  The rule of law is critical to the well-being of our Commonwealth. To repeat, if we allow a select few to overturn a legitimate election, for their own purposes and absent proof of illegal or unethical behavior on Frederick’s part, we set a dangerous precedent for both our Party and our state.  I have yet to see any proof, or even any serious allegation, of illegal or unethical behavior warranting the removal of Chairman Frederick.  Unless I am given such information, I will continue to proudly support the Chairman in his efforts to move our Party forward and I will urge the rank and file to unite behind our Chairman.  I welcome any substantiated information that might lead me to withdraw my support of Chairman Frederick.  I urge my representatives from the 10^thCongressional District to the State Central Committee to vote against any removal or censure of Chairman Jeff Frederick. 

Patricia Phillips
2007 Republican Candidate
33^rd Virginia Senate District