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July 17th, 2016 
Awake Goy In deference to his over-bearing son-in-law Jared Kushner’s opposition to Gov. Chris Christie as his running mate, and not wanting to alienate himself from his daughter Ivanka, Donald Trump reluctantly chose conservative leader and self-described “evangelical catholic” Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence has described himself as a “pretty ordinary Christian” and as “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.”
Christie, who endorsed Trump shortly after ending his own presidential campaigns, is heading the mogul’s transition team. Kushner, who married Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka in 2009, is a close adviser to his father-in-law.
Trump’s reluctance adds credence to rumors that his children and political advisors sparred over the VP appointment. The buzz is that Paul Manafort favored Pence while influential son-in-law Kushner favored former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Donald favored Christie but Jared was vehemently against that choice. It appears that Governor Christie had sent his father, Charles Kushner, to prison in Alabama for two years. As a result of this, as revenge, the young Kushner blocked Christie from becoming Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee.
So the story goes, back in the summer of 2004, Chris Christie, then-U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, negotiated a plea agreement with Charles Kushner, the head of a $2 billion real estate company and one of the most cunning and ruthless men in the state. Were it not for Christie’s investigation, Kushner, a close ally of then-governor Jim McGreevey, would likely have been appointed the chairman of the New York-New Jersey Port Authority—a position that would have given him influence over billions of dollars in government contracts.
The elder Kushner was accused, among other things, of blackmailing his brother-in-law—a federal witness—by setting him up with a call-girl and filming their sexual exchanges. In August 2004, he pleaded guilty to 18 felony counts of tax fraud, election violations, and witness tampering and for these misdeeds; he was sentenced to two years in federal prison in Montgomery. Jered would fly down every Sunday to visit him.
These events do not show the Trump campaign in a good light. The selection of a running-mate is a very important event for both Trump, himself, and the course of the country’s political events. These back-room antics and petty family vendettas should not be a part of this selection process. Vice President Pence might be a good addition to the Trump administration, and for that matter, for America, or, he might be a “bad fit” or maybe even part of a nightmare. Who knows?
In choosing Mike Pence as his running mate, Donald Trump has shored up the GOP’s religious base. Given that evangelical Christians comprise 48 percent of Republican primary voters, that is important. The Republican voter base is comprised of three sectors: You have the establishment conservatives, the so-called RINOs, these are people who are fiscal conservatives and are socially moderate or secular in orientation (e.g., Mitt Romney, the Bushes, Henry Kissinger), you have the right-wing, which is comprised of populists, nationalist, and racialists. This is the sector that Romney ignored in ’12 and it cost him the election—the white male voter didn’t come out in enough numbers–and then you have the evangelicals.
Trump has sort of marginalized the party establishment—he’s sent the Bushes packing. This leaves us the two remaining sectors: the populists and the evangelicals. The anti-establishment Trump energized his right-wing base during the primaries and now has chosen an evangelical as his running-mate. Everything looks great, right?
Not necessarily, for these two groups—the populists and the evangelicals–don’t always see eye-to-eye. One bone of contention is Israel and America’s relationship with this Jewish state.
Trump, early in the primaries, alienated himself from this wealthy and influential group. Speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition Forum in Washington, back on December 2, 2015, Trump was booed when he declined to state whether he believed Jerusalem was the “undivided capital” of Israel. His speech also contained a few interesting quotes. He begins by saying: “You just like me because my daughter happens to be Jewish,” then, “The only bad news, I can’t get her on Saturday!”, next, “Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t renegotiate deals? Probably 99% of you. Probably more than any room I’ve ever spoken in.” and then: “I’m a negotiator, like you folks,” and finally: “Stupidly, you want to give money. . . But you’re not going to support me because I don’t want your money.” “You want to control your own politicians,” he added. This insolence and many other examples of it has gotten him in “hot water” with the Jewish community and has prompted accusations of anti-Semitism.
Mike Pence was raised Catholic and later attended an evangelical megachurch. Growing up in an Irish Catholic family that reportedly revered the Kennedys, he served as an altar boy and went to parochial school in Columbus, Indiana.
Pence has said he made that “commitment to Christ” while taking part in a non-denominational Christian student group in college. He had told The Indianapolis Star that he and his family attended Grace Evangelical Church in the 1990s, but by 2013, he told another media outlet, that they were “kind of looking for a church.”
Pundits have said one reason Trump picked Pence is that the governor’s strong pro-Israel sentiment would shore up Trump’s shaky relationship with Jewish voters. Speaking before AIPAC in 2009, then-Rep. Pence linked his support for Israel with his faith:
Let me say emphatically, like the overwhelming majority of my constituents, my Christian faith compels me to cherish the state of Israel.
This statement confirms the criticism that has been made of evangelicals that they are old-testament bound and feel the Jews are god’s chosen and are to reign supreme among other men and other races of the world—a sort of supremacism if you will.
He backed that up last December at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s conference when he said:
Israel’s enemies are our enemies, Israel’s cause is our cause. If this world knows nothing else, let it know this: America stands with Israel.
Pence has maintained a strong relationship with AIPAC, the Washington-based pro-Israel lobbying organization. A political conservative, he was a member of the House in 2001-13, where he advocated strong military defense aid for Israel. This year he signed a bill that would divest his state from local businesses that take part in the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement. Despite coming from a state with a small Jewish population (about 17,000), he was a vocal critic of the nuclear accord the United States signed with Iran last year, calling it “deficient” and a threat to Israel.
Has Trump made a mistake in picking this man for his running-mate? Is he trying to consolidate his base? Does he feel he’s in over his head with this populist stuff and wants to appear more Republican? Will these two men’s vision clash or will they find common ground? Will Trump still be the Populist hero that we need, and if he decides to be, will Pence come along? One thing he needs his running-mate to do if and when he falls is pick-up his banner. Will Pence fly a populist banner?
Source Article from http://www.renegadetribune.com/trump-make-mistake-pence/
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