The Conscience of Mike Pence - Charlie Sykes - Morning Shots

The Conscience of Mike Pence - Morning Shots

By Charlie Sykes - The Bulwark

After collecting many skeptical comments on former VP Mike Pence's state to  Federalist Society loyalists that "President Trump is wrong...I did not have authority to overturn the election", Sykes concludes:

So what should we make of this? Should we welcome Pence to the resistance, or should we continue to hold him accountable for his years of slavish collaborationism? Or is it possible to do both?

If the point is keeping score, Pence’s latest gesture is obviously inadequate. But if the goal is actually turning the tide and saving democracy, maybe we should make some allowances.

Let’s admit it: this is not an easy call. But desperate times…

I’m conscious of the dangers of defining deviancy down and the risks of lowest-common denominator political standards. There’s a good reason we do not hand out gold stars for people who refuse to run down old ladies, rob banks, or engage in coups. So Pence’s decision to actually obey the Constitution hardly merits a red badge of courage, because it clears the lowest possible bar.

But look how far that bar has fallen.

In times of thorough depravity, even the smallest shoots of decency seem important. Sometimes clearing the lowest possible bar is all we can hope for.

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At best, Pence has opened only the most miniscule of cracks in the solid wall of Trumpist toadying. But those cracks may prove decisive as we confront the ongoing attempts to delegitimize and overturn our next presidential election. He may also have provided a permission structure for others to speak out.

That matters because, ultimately, it may turn out to be Republicans — even former Trump supporters — who will have to a make the final stand against the next coup.