Is Pence even any better than Trump?

[Calculating]

Let's say that we successfully get rid of the trumpster fire. Is evangelical true believer Pence really any better? My best case scenario is that Trump simply becomes a total lame duck for the next 3 3/4 years and nothing whatsoever gets done.

[Thomas Hurt]

1. Just a bigger hypocrite...

[luvMIdog]

2. I think he would be worse actually because he hides his evil better

[Jno_Gilmor_]

19. Exactly. n/t

[shraby]

3. He makes me want to take a shower if I happen to hear him speak.

[cyclonefence]

4. I think he's worse

because Pence knows how the game is played. He doesn't command the rabid loyalty of the bottom-feeders like Trump does, and he probably would not be able to be elected on his own in 2020, but he might be able to get the Republican agenda underway. IMO, what we want--what I want--even more than seeing Trump removed from office is to take Trumpcare, protection of racist police departments, massive tax cuts for the wealthy, "voter fraud" "corrections", destruction of environmental protections, continued cruel deportations, etc. off the table. We can do this with Trump in office because he has paralyzed the Republican party. Pence, not so much.

[elleng]

5. It's a puzzlement.

Sorry to be lighthearted on this not light subject. It is a problem, but I'd rather not have an emotionally unstable person at the head, and I suspect pence won't go far once/if he's in the w.h.

[femmocrat]

6. I think that people will have severe trump fatigue and Pence will seem "normal" by comparison.

We are going to have to be vigilant and fight all his right-wingery. He is not normal--- and he was selected, not elected!

[Madam45for2923]

7. Pence is a nightmare but not a nuclear codes nightmare.

[smirkymonkey]

8. No, but he doesn't have the cult-like following that Trump does and that will

make him easier to get rid of when the time comes.

[BlueCaliDem]

9. Nope. In some cases, he's even worse since he won't try to get a 'deal' out of Congr.Repubs

to sign disastrous bills into law that will harm everyone who isn't a part of the elites in this country - and beyond.

[JHan]

10. He will be "better" because he will be less chaotic and that means...

more attention paid to the changes Republicans are doing right now in "secret" while Russiagate sucks up air.

[womanofthehills]

24. Sounds like Pence is wrapped up in this whole Russian thing and he might not be around anyway.

[JHan]

26. that's true, he stinks in all this as well.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. Depends on what scares you the most.

He is less likely to start WWIII because he thought some head of state insulted him, so that would be an improvement. On the other hand, because he seems relatively sane (at least compared to Dolt 45), he might be considered more credible, and thus possibly more dangerous regarding domestic legislation. His focus will be on social issues favored by the fundie crowd (i.e., making life as miserable as possible for women, LGBT people and minorities) more than on economic issues - I think he'd even give up tax cuts for the rich if he could get rid of same sex marriage and abortion.

What I think might happen if SCROTUS is impeached or resigns and Pence becomes president is that Pence will carry Trump's stench with him. Pence might not have been actively involved in Trump's shenanigans - he seems to have made a point of knowing as little as possible (but this, too, remains to be seen), but even so, if Trump departs in disgrace Pence could remain under that cloud of suspicion. When Nixon resigned, Ford's popularity was pretty high, but nobody ever thought he had anything to do with Watergate (he became VP in October of 1973 after Agnew resigned, and just before shit got real with the Saturday Night Massacre). Pence, in contrast, has been with Trump since last summer and was part of the transition process, so he can't completely divorce himself from the mess even if he didn't actively participate in it. And Ford's popularity crashed when he pardoned Nixon, which probably cost him the 1976 election. That's something else for Pence to think about.

If Pence is weakened by whatever happens to Trump, it's likely the GOP will be weak as well, which means they won't have much luck pushing their agenda. So as bad as Pence might be if he were able to retain some credibility, his association with Trump might make that unlikely.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

12. Trump is highly mentally unstable and extremely volatile

Pence is awful in his politics but less likely to get us into a major war or dictatorship.

Impeach Trump and Pence will be the lame duck because he'll forever be associated with Trump. It will pay dividends in 2018 and 2020.

Keep Trump in and god knows what he'll have done to us by 2020.

[NightWatcher]

13. He's not insane and is aware of how a government works

trump is dangerous and erratic and must be removed now to prevent immediate damage.

[J_William_Ryan]

14. Actually Pence is more dangerous than Trump

because Pence is not insane and is aware of how government works.

Indeed, Pence would pursue the same failed, wrongheaded rightwing agenda harmful to working Americans, to low income Americans, to the disabled, children, and retired Americans.

Pence would also seek to appoint conservative ideologues to the Federal courts – and justices to the Supreme Court – hostile to the Framers’ mandate that church and state be separate, hostile to the privacy rights of women, the equal protection rights of gay and transgender Americans, the voting rights of minorities, and the due process rights of immigrants.

Trump isn’t the problem, conservatives and their hateful, reactionary dogma is the problem.

[NightWatcher]

15. Yes but trump might kill us all by accident. We can methodically fight pence later.

Hell if we take the Congress back we can impeach him in 2018.

[JI7]

29. Trump appointed gorsuch. Trump is no better than pence on the issues

[LisaL]

16. I don't think Pence is much better.

[Motley13]

17. The only thing going for him is he is not insane & can be trusted with the nuclear codes

but he is a religious nut against everything but his narrow beliefs.
He has Russian connections so I hope we can get rid of him too,

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

18. He is worse

He wants much of what drumpf wants and actually has a clue about how to maneuver within government.

[MedusaX]

20. Yet another attempt to try and save 45 by waving the Pence Flag..

[Wounded Bear]

21. Probably worse...

Pence is an ideologue who wants to turn the country into a Dominionist Theocracy.

Trump doesn't really believe in anything beyond lining his own pockets.

Different kind of evil, maybe, but still evil.

[DFW]

22. No, he isn't. If they don't both go, nothing has been accomplished.

From what has been emerging, though, it is looking like Pence is anything but clean-handed. If he has any sense of self-preservation (and he may not), he may well resign ("in solidarity," who cares what the reason?) along with Moby Donald if and when he goes down.

[manicraven]

23. The word that comes to mind with Pence is "lackluster." Don't think he can win on his own.

They both lie and are harmful to minorities, the poor, the middle class, our Constitution... They both need to go. tRump is more volatile and unpredictable, though, plus seemingly mentally ill, so I'd say he's the greater danger.

[Spider Jerusalem]

25. Potentially worse since he has a basic level of competency that Trump lacks (n/t)

[Doreen]

27. NO.

[WinstonSmith00]

28. If Trump goes down Pence goes down

There is no way Trump will go quietly he will take them all down with him.

[ucrdem]

30. No, and he appeals to an even wider base.

He doesn't have Trump's lunatic bravado but since he's already got the world's attention he doesn't need it. I think getting rid of Trump will make 2020 much more difficult than if Trump the trouble magnet stays.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

31. Pence is a religious nut,

so, he'll screw in the lord$ name.

[Luciferous]

32. No I think he's worse

[kairos12]

33. He would shoot for a Theocracy.

[Solly Mack]

34. No. Danger comes in all manner of packaging.

Don't allow anyone to sell you on Pence as being one whit better. Neither is Ryan; and I don't care who he was friends with - neither is Hatch.

The entire line of succession is one big fuck you very much, America!

[BannonsLiver]

35. So Trump and Pence go and then it's president Ryan

We could do that what ifs until the cows come home.

The OP has a whiff of "why bother?" which doesn't seem particularly constructive.