Who Cares if Vice President Pence’s Walkout Was a Stunt?
Vice President Mike Pence after a meeting with Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Gary Cohn, chief White House economic adviser, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 12, 2017. The Trump administration remains open to forging bipartisan tax legislation with Democrats but will push for a Republican-only plan using the budget reconciliation process if necessary. (Tom Brenner/The New York Times)
On Sunday Vice President Mike Pence walked out of a 49’ers/Colts football game after several of the former team took a knee during the national anthem.
Pence left right after the anthem was completed, and posted this to Twitter:
I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem.
— Vice President Pence (@VP) October 8, 2017
President Donald Trump said he asked his VP to leave the game if anyone took to activism during the anthem:
I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country. I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
Now the Trump/Pence critics are deriding the whole thing as a stunt. A political maneuver. To hear them tell it, Pence went to the game expecting to leave.
Maybe that’s true, and so what if it is?
If Pence intended to make a statement about those taking a knee, how is that any different from those taking the knee in the first place?
If what Pence did was a stunt, so is taking a knee during the national anthem.
The players are making their statement. They have little right to complain about the Vice President making his.
