Mike Pence was my governor before becoming Donald Trump's Vice President. Although he was a high ranking conservative leader in Congress, he probably wasn't well known outside the state of Indiana. In the state, however, Mike Pence was easily the most well known Hoosier in Congress (people from Indiana are called "Hoosiers", not "Indianans" if you were ever curious) for those of us from Indiana. The Mike Pence we have seen running for President is not the Mike Pence we knew in Indiana. The Mike Pence we knew was energetic, charismatic, charming, and didn't sound like an animatronic parody of himself on SNL. Without a doubt, Mike Pence is THE MOST CONSERVATIVE Republican candidate running for President in 2024 and he has a real path to winning the presidency if elected. The problem is that the Mike Pence running for President has the personality of a tree stump.

That tree stump analogy is quite intentional. I use it because, for some reason or another, nobody can see Mike Pence's personality right now. However, just like a tree stump, there is a vast network of tangled roots sprawling beneath the surface, undetected by everyone who looks at it. Those roots are Mike Pence's personality.

Mike Pence Used To Be Normal

You wouldn't believe it now, but Mike Pence built a name for himself as a conservative radio and television personality in Indiana... and he wasn't bad at it!

Granted, Mike Pence wasn't going to be the next Rush Limbaugh or Jerry Springer if he didn't go to Congress in January 2001, but he was a comforting, familiar voice that was pleasant enough to listen to.

If the Mike Pence still spoke like this, he would probably be one of the top two alternatives to Donald Trump right now. In this Trump era we're living in as Republicans, having flair and personality is critically important, especially if you want to challenge Donald Trump on his foolish demeanor and un-Christian behavior. Mike Pence doesn't have to out-Trump Donald Trump (he can't), but he at least needs to make his case entertaining enough for people to want to listen to.

In the first debate, Vivek Ramaswamy attacked Pence by accusing him of rehearsing his one-liners. Pence eventually responded with the cringeworthy "too young" argument that undoubtedly irritated an enormous voting block consisting of the most energized GOTV volunteers he desperately needs to be recruiting. Vivek Ramaswamy was right to point out that Mike Pence sounds painfully rehearsed. Listening to Mike Pence today is painful.

I Get It, Words Matter

I've criticized Pope Francis for not not speaking clearly and thoughtfully in the past in exchange for speaking more "authentically". When you're in a position of global significance, such as the leader of the over 1 Billion Catholics in the world or the President of the United States of America, people take every word you say extremely seriously. They scrutinize every syllable and look to twist your words in anyway they can to either fit their own agenda or make you look like a fool.

Pope Francis values authenticity. Donald Trump values showmanship. Both men make themselves easy targets by speaking off the cuff and choosing their words poorly. Mike Pence, on the other hand, is on the complete opposite side of this spectrum. He seems like he's practiced by memorizing a teleprompter instead of a speech and delivers everything he has to say as if he's reading it from the teleprompter in his mind's eye. If that's what he's doing, it's remarkable... and it's also sinking his campaign for the Presidency. Words matter, but so does personality.

Mike Pence is the Republican Al Gore

The similarities to Al Gore are striking! Al Gore was Bill Clinton's Vice President. For eight years, Al Gore kept a low profile... except for that time he invented the Internet (when it was the most fun!). He was also mocked for being exceptionally boring. In fact, when George W. Bush narrowly won the 2000 Presidential election, analysts largely said it was because "George W. Bush was someone you could see yourself getting a beer with." Al Gore was very much not that candidate. Click at any point of Al Gore's concession speech to George W. Bush and you'll notice he's the same kind of monotone voice that Mike Pence has, only he speaks a little faster.

So, imagine the world's surprise when Al Gore demolished the world of congeniality and respect in politics when he did this just a few years later...

Guys, I seriously searched for 3 hours to find this video in a form that can be embedded and couldn't. So, click this link to C-SPAN and fast forward to 33:32.

In case you're not in a clicking mood, it's Al Gore bringing the southern thunder, yelling, "How DARE They Drag the Good Name of the United States of America through the MUD of Saddam Hussein's torture prisons!"

If THIS Al Gore ran for President, he would have won. In fact, after giving slightly less fiery versions of this speech for the previous year, Democrats were practically begging Al Gore to bring his new found personality back to Presidential politics by running in 2004, 2008, 2016, and even 2020. Surprisingly, Al Gore said "no." Perhaps because his and Tipper's marriage was falling apart. Perhaps because his heart wasn't in it after campaigning so hard for Howard Dean and then John Kerry in 2004 and he just wanted to focus on environmental activism. Regardless, Al Gore found his voice.

Mike Pence's political career is on the line. Unlike Al Gore, he's not going to win the nomination of his party simply because he was the Vice President. Mike Pence needs to find his voice NOW because the Iowa Caucuses are fast approaching and his way of carrying himself is going to cost the most conservative and most experienced candidate in the 2024 race to miss out even winning his party's nomination.