We recently saw the vice presidential candidates take the debate stage to highlight why their candidate should win the presidency. Most people don’t pay much attention to the VP picks, but with one candidate who is 68 and another who is 70, it is more important than ever to know who these men are, because they could be running the country.
Mike Pence
Mike Pence is running on Donald Trump’s ticket. Pence is currently the governor of Indiana, and a Tea Party supporter. He earned his law degree from Indiana University in 1986, where he was the president of his fraternity. After two failed attempts at winning a congressional seat in 1988 and 1990, he went on to host a radio show that began in 1994 called “The Mike Pence show.” In 2000, Pence finally won a congressional seat in the House of Representatives where he would remain for the next 12 years. In May 2015 Pence announced he would be running for governor of Indiana which he was successful in. Here’s where he stands on a few key issues:
Abortion: Against (has been attempting to defund Planned Parenthood since 2007).
Taxes: Believes in a flat federal tax rate.
Minimum wage: Opposes raising, because it would hurt the “working poor.”
Environment: Opposes climate education programs, and believes the EPA should not be allowed to monitor greenhouse gas emissions. He also believes global warming is a myth.
Foreign policy: Supported the war in Iraq, opposed the closing of Guantanamo bay, and believes Israel is our strongest ally.
Healthcare: Opposes Obamacare.
LGBT rights: Strong opponent. Believes federal funds being used to “promote the spread of HIV” should be used for conversion therapy instead.
Tim Kaine
Tim Kaine is Hillary Clinton’s running mate. Kaine is currently a Senator representing Virginia. Kaine graduated from Harvard law school in 1983 and began his work as a law clerk in Georgia. After this, Kaine practiced law in Richmond, Virginia for 17 years. His focus was fair housing laws, and he represented clients who had been discriminated against. Kaine first became involved in politics in 1994 when he became a Richmond city council member. In 1998, Kaine would become the mayor of Richmond. In 2001 Kaine ran a successful bid for Lieutenant governor of Virginia, and in 2005 became the governor. In 2009 Kaine became the DNC chairman which he served as until he ran for senate in 2012. Currently, Kaine runs for vice president on the Democratic ticket. Below are where he stands on the current issues:
Abortion: Personally against abortion, but believes the government should let women make their own healthcare decisions.
Taxes: Believes we should close tax loopholes and only raise taxes on the wealthy.
Minimum wage: Supports raising.
Environment: Believes in globes warming, and is concerned with rising sea levels. He’s also a supporter of making coal energy cleaner.
Foreign Policy: Supported the normalizing of U.S. and Cuban relations. Also supported the Iran deal.
Healthcare: Supports Obamacare.
LGBT rights: Opposed measures to bar same-sex marriage as early as 2006, and publicly came out in support of it in 2013.
With two presidential candidates that are at an advanced age it is more important than ever to pay attention to the vice presidential options. If you want to learn more about these candidates or their views I would suggest finding the vice presidential debate on Youtube.