[Donald] Trump has chosen his vice presidential running mate, after consulting with his children, his campaign manager, and who knows how many others.
After several announcements that he would declare his choice, he postponed the time of the announcement until Mike Pence had only a few hours to decide whether to keep running for the governorship of Indiana.
Pence was facing defeat for that post because he had made himself very unpopular for signing into law last year Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which permits discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Businesses are allowed to deny service to this population, incurring the wrath of businesses that foresaw economic consequences.
He already had launched an ever-increasing attack on Planned Parenthood, passing restrictions on their permissible activities, and denying them funding.
Sunday morning, on Face the Nation, Trump and Pence appeared together, briefly, supporting each other and expressing affection and unanimity despite a history of divergent stands on policies.
Much more was said, after this show of joint admiration, by their surrogates, who praised the value of this pairing.
One can assume that their managers wanted to avoid the possibility that the loving pair would reveal inconsistencies and surely, on Trump’s part, huge gaffes that would trigger unwanted analysis.
Pence declared piously that he is, first, a Christian, then a devoted family man and only thirdly, a politician.
It is obvious that the campaign is appealing to the evangelicals, who certainly have strong doubts about Trump’s religiosity, and is courting traditional conservatives, who surely are confused and concerned about Trump’s purity.
Pence lends a sense of calm and sobriety, full of boring platitudes, certainly needed by his erratic leader.
There is plenty of time to discover the eventual consequences of this choice.
Esther Confino
New Hyde Park
