One Word Has People Convinced Mike Pence Wrote Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed

[mfcorey1]

The New York Times’ scathing anti-Donald Trump op-ed, which the paper attributed to “a senior official in the Trump administration,” has inspired a parlor game among people trying to figure out the author’s name.

Some online commentators are leaning toward Vice President Mike Pence based on just one word in the piece.

The unidentified author singles out the late Arizona Sen. John McCain as “a lodestar for restoring honor to public life and our national dialogue.”

The word ― which Merriam-Webster defines as either “a star that leads or guides” or a person who “serves as an inspiration, model, or guide” ― isn’t that commonly used. But Pence apparently says it a lot, according to this mash-up posted on Twitter:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lodestar-mike-pence-anonymous-new-york-times_us_5b905dd5e4b0511db3dec1e1

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. I fell for this also because of what David Corn was surmizing, but this would mean

Mike Pence was a man of substance, and a patriot.

He isnt.

Not remotely so.

Not him.

[Cary]

4. I disagree.

A man of substance and a patriot would not publublish an anonymous op ed.

[Hortensis]

12. "Free minds, free markets, free people" would also

suggest Pence was really a rather secularist movement conservative? I don't see it.

Now, if it were something about god-given rights through the constitution, or true law is god's law, that'd sound like him.

[Cary]

2. Would it surprise you if it was Pence?

[Eliot Rosewater]

3. One scenario makes sense. Manafort picked Pence, Putin picked Manafort.

Maybe this is putin's way of keeping control of the WH while making it look otherwise.

[Cary]

5. Or Pence being a weasel

[Turbineguy]

6. Whoever wrote it

used that word to deflect suspicion.

[fleur-de-lisa]

7. I agree.

[Mosby]

8. I think his chief of staff may have written the oped

I keep wondering who could benefit from this, no one at the cabinet level, IMO.

Writing it as a way to CYA doesn't seem very likely either.

Coats is a real possibility for all the reasons Lawrence laid out, but he doesn't stand to gain anything either, he just has little to lose.

[Dave Starsky]

10. Karl Frisch thinks it was Nick Ayres, too.

He presented a pretty good case on Stephanie Miller's show this morning.

[GusBob]

9. Shit one word out of nearly 1000

And it was used twice during McCains funeral, as it was used in the OP Ed in conjunction with McCain

The weekly standard has whole section of writing from Kudlow which mirrors a section of the Op Ed

Nobody else here is saying it, but from the WS piece it sounds like Hassett. He has written before

[B2G]

11. There are hundreds who could call themselves Sr. Admin Officials

Everyone is just focusing on the ones they know. It could literally be anyone.

And I personally believe lodestar was tossed in there to confuse things. IMO.