Though Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took most of the spotlight as this year’s socially conservative presidential candidate, another man has taken his place.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who is outspoken on many of the same issues as Cruz, gets a chance at the second-highest office in the United States as Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate. However, just like Cruz, Pence will never reach the White House.
As Evangelical Christians, Pence and Cruz share many of the same beliefs and conservative ideals. Like many others on the conservative right, the two believe that abortion is murder and anti-LGBT measures are crucial to defending religious liberty.
Because the two are so similar, Trump’s campaign chose Pence as its vice presidential candidate to win the Cruz supporters.
Trump is trying to get the “constitutional conservative” vote, and the people who voted for Cruz in the primaries are exactly that.
Cruz supporters may have prejudiced opinions, but they would never advocate for anything that comes across as obviously racist or sexist the way a Trump supporter does. Two different sides of the Republican spectrum exist, and adding Pence to Trump’s playbook allows the campaign to cover Cruz’s end.
It is no secret that Pence will have a great deal of control with Trump in office.
During the process of finalizing a vice presidential candidate, Donald Trump Jr. reached out to John Kasich’s campaign to extend the opportunity to head domestic and foreign policy, while Trump takes care of “making America great again.”
Trump Jr. offered Kasich the chance to become the most powerful vice president in history, but since Kasich rejected, Pence now takes that place.
For all intents and purposes, Pence might as well be called the Republican presidential candidate. Trump may be at the top of the ticket, but Pence will be the man pulling all the strings if elected. Pence should be considered as much of a danger as Trump, and people should be aware of what they are really voting for.
Despite their recent candidacies, Cruz and Pence are not a new breed of politicians. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) got far in the 2012 Republican primaries, just like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee did in 2008, and they all share similar platforms.
Until the party can come up with new ideas and original candidates, the GOP will keep losing future elections. Huckabee, Santorum and Cruz couldn’t win, and Pence is destined to share their fate.
The United States has progressed beyond their morals, and the country should not look to the past when trying to better its future.
Not a single president after Lyndon B. Johnson’s election swore to overturn the Civil Rights Act. With the legalization of same-sex marriage, people should aim for a similar precedent.
Candidates like Pence and Cruz do not represent the majority anymore, and electing them, or someone like them, will offset the country’s
progress.
Lynne Bunch is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Terrytown, Louisiana.