Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Pence: A man of character and integrity

Pence: A man of character and integrity
Getty Images

Lynn Schmidt is a syndicated columnist and Editorial Board member with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

If you care about liberal democracy here and abroad, while maintaining civility, it might be time to give Vice-President Mike Pence a second look in the Republican primary election. Pence may be ideologically more conservative than many in the electorate, but he is a good and honorable man and the White House, the country, and the world’s stage would be in capable hands with him behind the Resolute desk.


Americans should already know that the former vice-president upheld his oath to the Constitution on Jan. 6, 2021, despite immense pressure and threats to his life. What many may not know is that Pence continues to call out former President Trump, telling an Iowa voter recently “President Trump was wrong about my authority that day. And he’s still wrong.”

During a recent campaign event in Sioux City, Iowa, Pence was confronted by a voter who was unhappy with his actions on Jan. 6. “If it wasn’t for your vote, we wouldn’t have Joe Biden in the White House. Joe Biden shouldn’t be there.” She went on to ask, "Do you ever second guess yourself?" adding "That was a Constitutional right that you had to send those votes back to the states."

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Pence responded with “I know by God’s grace I did exactly what the Constitution of the United States required me to do that day. He went on to explain to her in a very respectful manner “The Constitution says you open and count the votes: no more, no less. The Constitution affords no authority for the vice president or anyone else to reject votes or return votes to the states.” The woman remained disgruntled by Pence’s answer, and he told her “I’m sorry, ma’am, but that’s actually what the Constitution says.”

Not only is he committed to the rule of law here in the U.S., but Pence is also dedicated to advancing freedom abroad. He has been vocal of his support of Ukraine and has pushed back on those in the Republican Party who want to abandon Ukraine and the West saying, “The war in Ukraine is not our war but freedom is our fight.” He called America the arsenal of democracy and espoused believing in the Reagan doctrine. He has expressed that the war in Ukraine “is not America’s war, but if Putin is not stopped and the sovereign nation of Ukraine is not restored quickly, he will continue to move toward our NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies, and America would then be called upon to send our own."

Former Vice President Mike Pence became the first Republican presidential candidate to visit Ukraine. On June 29th, he and Franklin Graham, who heads the international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, traveled to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during the visit.

Pence has also broken from his fellow GOP primary candidates in bringing with him a refreshing dose of decorum. During his CNN town hall meeting, moderator Dana Bash asked Pence, “What would you say to a transgender kid and their family who say this is how I feel comfortable, and I don’t feel comfortable another way and they feel that you are targeting them.” Pence answered without skipping a beat. “I would tell them that I love everybody. I would put my arm around them and their parents. But before they had a chemical or surgical procedure, I would say wait. Just wait. I mean there’s some people, maybe there’s exceptions but most people before you are 18 years of age. There’s a reason we got that cut off for all kinds of categories in our society. You just don’t know what you want in life. You don’t know who you really are. It takes time to become an adult and figure that out. And I would just put my arm around them and tell them I love them but just wait. Just wait. And that’s how we put the interests of our kids first.”

Much of the focus of the town hall was on Pence’s reaction to Trump’s indictments or on January 6 but this exchange showed Pence’s humanity and love for all Americans.

If America is going to again be a beacon of hope atop “the shining city on a hill,” we will need to relight the flame of our democratic values. Whether you vote for a Democrat or Republican, we all should vote for someone of character and integrity. On the Republican side, I think that person is Mike Pence.

Read More

The Psychology of Politics

An illustration of people and their unique minds.

Getty Images, Carol Yepes

The Psychology of Politics

Have you ever wondered why so many otherwise reasonable people are completely bananas about politics? We all know plenty of normal and decent folks who spout wacky political views. But it’s not just our neighbors who’ve gone mad. All over the country, Americans pick and choose the facts they want to believe, champion policies they don’t understand, hold contradictory views at the same time, admire immoral politicians, loathe decent ones, and so on.

What’s going on here? And why does it seem to be getting worse?

Keep ReadingShow less
Addressing Economic Inequity Among Domestic Violence Survivors

A person holding a stack of dollar bills that are flying away.

Getty Images, PM Images

Addressing Economic Inequity Among Domestic Violence Survivors

The 2024 film, “Anora,” about a young woman victimized by sex trafficking, recently won five Oscars at the Academy Awards. Perhaps, it is a signal of more awareness and less stigma surrounding the pervasiveness of domestic violence at all levels of society.

The ongoing lawsuits between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni claiming sexual harassment and violence threat allegations around their film, “It Ends With Us,” about a relationship scarred with domestic violence, demonstrates the thin line between real life and on-screen adaptations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Layoffs at the EPA May Impact Federal Funding for Communities

Environmental Protection Agency EPA | Where James works | mccready ...

Layoffs at the EPA May Impact Federal Funding for Communities

WASHINGTON—The federal government laid off more than 60,000 workers in the first two months of 2025, while another 75,000 employees accepted a buyout and voluntarily resigned.

Among those laid off was James Clark, an Environmental Protection Agency employee who lost his job while on his honeymoon. “It’s just very sad to see someone like Elon Musk take a chainsaw on live TV and say what we do doesn’t matter,” said Clark.

Keep ReadingShow less
Congress Avoids a Shutdown But at What Cost?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on March 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Tasos Katopodis

Congress Avoids a Shutdown But at What Cost?

On March 14, the GOP-led Senate passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government running until September 30. The bill’s passage was made possible by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s last-minute reversal—shifting from opposing the measure and advocating for a shorter extension to allowing the bill to advance. His decision was purely tactical: he feared Democrats would be blamed for a shutdown.

Schumer’s move provided the necessary votes to overcome procedural hurdles, effectively thwarting a Democratic filibuster. While Republican support for Trump’s budget was unsurprising, the Democratic leadership’s decision to go along was a stunning concession. It handed the Trump administration a significant victory while further eroding Congress’s budgetary authority, shifting more spending power to the executive branch.

Keep ReadingShow less