With the Republican Convention behind us and Donald Trump as the official nominee of a very divided party, the role of his chosen Vice Presidential candidate, Governor Mike Pence, becomes a pivotal part of his campaign.
Governor Pence has championed the most reactionary social agenda passing legislation in Indiana that restricted women’s health and reproductive rights, and made it legal for businesses to discriminate and refuse to provide services to LGBT Americans, which was so controversial that the Governor was forced to amend the legislation to try and mitigate the negative press and backlash he was facing.
And if that wasn’t enough, Governor Pence is also against reforming our immigration system and hence denying a path to citizenship to six million DREAMers and their families.
Mr. Pence’s willingness to serve as Vice President next to a man that denigrates women, bashes new American immigrants, and uses fear, xenophobia, and other divisive tactics in order to take our country in the wrong direction, makes the case for two confronted visions that go beyond party lines.
The vast majority of Americans embrace our diversity and appreciate the value it brings to make us prosper as one nation. Indeed, the election is confronting two types of leadership, those who want to build bridges and make us stronger together, and those whose desire is to build walls that would divide the country against itself.
The truth of the matter is that Mr. Trump’s selection of Governor Pence as his running mate showcases that, even within the Republican Party, he is willing to double down on his divisive politics and impose a reactionary agenda, which in turn would undue all of the great progress President Obama has been able to accomplish in the last eight years.
In the latest poll conducted by The Washington Post and ABC News in June of this year, 7 out of 10 Americans viewed Mr. Trump in a negative light, with almost 6 out of those 10 Americans, viewing Mr. Trump in a ‘strongly negative’ light.
In another poll conducted by Latino Victory Fund, Latino Decisions and Fusion Television, where 300 Latinos registered voters were surveyed during the first night of the Republican Convention, it was found that 88 percent of respondents said they ‘do not love Donald Trump’ and 83 percent of them described Mr. Trump as racist.
With Latinos being a critical part of this election and with the simple fact that not a single candidate has been able to make into The White House without at least 40% percent of the Latino vote, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and the Republican Party as a whole all have their work cut out for them.
With the current Republican Agenda largely being influenced by Mr. Trump, is no surprise that the GOP’s party platform includes language to strip away rights for the LGBT community, calls for the building of a physical wall along the Mexican border, and uses religion as a way to try and limit women’s right to choose.
There is a great saying by an ancient Greek storyteller that says: “A man is known by the company he keeps.” And in this case, Mr. Trump’s and his Vice Presidential running mate are not the type of company America is looking for, no wonder the GOP is so divided (and silently troubled) by this Presidential ticket.
When so much darkness seems to be surrounding our world, Donald Trump and Mike Pence would not only be the wrong equation for America, but more importantly, they would fail to add up to the dreams and hopes that our founders envisioned for our country.
Follow Leopoldo Martínez on Twitter at @lecumberry