January 12, 2025

"As the former presidents, first ladies, and vice presidents sat together at the National Cathedral on Thursday..."

"'Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that God put me on one of these rows,' Pence remarked. Media coverage scrutinized the small interactions among them, noting Pence’s handshakes with the Trumps and former Second Lady Karen Pence’s refusal to acknowledge either. 'He greeted me when he came down the aisle. I stood up, extended my hand. He shook my hand. I said, "Congratulations, Mr. President," and he said, "Thanks, Mike,"' Pence said. 'You’d have to ask my wife about her posture, but we’ve been married 44 years, and she loves her husband, and her husband respects her deeply.' The very public reunion was far from the only thing on his mind at the funeral. Before joining the Reagan Revolution and becoming a Republican, Pence had voted for Carter and was 'greatly heartened that there was a born-again Christian serving in the White House,'... Backstage at an event in 2015, Pence said he got to thank the 39th president for his service and commended how Carter 'spoke plainly about his faith in Jesus Christ' in office...."

Write Harvest Prude and Kate Shellnutt, in "Mike Pence Shares the First Thing He Said to Trump in Four Years" (Christianity Today).

47 comments:

Dave Begley said...

Birthday girl Althouse is up early.

Rocketeer said...

Harvest Prude is a great name for a writer of a piece on Pence.

Robert Marshall said...

Harvest Prude? Sounds like the name of someone's long-ago Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritan ancestor! Does a name like that steer a person in a particular direction?

MadisonMan said...

Oh yeah! Happy Birthday Althouse! And many more, as they say.

mezzrow said...

Ah! CCDCFE. HBD, AA!

Wilbur said...

If it is your YB, let me offer HB wishes.

Leland said...

Happy Birthday Althouse!

Wilbur said...

I agree, Rocketeer. Pence was a drag on the ticket from day 1. One of Trump's first mistakes was choosing him.

Sally327 said...

Why is Pence talking about himself in the third person, 'You’d have to ask my wife about her posture, but we’ve been married 44 years, and she loves her husband, and her husband respects her deeply.'. That's weird. Her "posture"? I assume these people may have been together in some alcove or staging area somewhere before they were ushered in so they may have already greeted each other, I don't know why such a big deal is being made out of who spoke to who or whatever once the cameras were on. It's a funeral, not a cocktail party.

rhhardin said...

Virtue that goes public turns into the worst sort of evil. The thing to watch for is public virtue.

gspencer said...

Goody Harvest Prude and Increase Mather would yield a bountiful family.

Rocketeer said...

Kremlinology…

William said...

The women in those first two rows didn't make any show of amity. They were all glowering with grudges. Whatever bonds exist in the ex-President's Club, do not exist in the ex-First Lady Club. Those ladies didn't share any friendly pecks on the cheek. I'm just grateful there wasn't any hair pulling. That would have been unseemly at a funeral.

wendybar said...

Pettiness from the Uniparty lover. Who cares?? Let her stew in her hate like the Progressives are.

Happy Birthday Ann!!

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Pence played ball for the Phillies very briefly but he had a big personality and made a big splash and very quickly landed gigs on TV hawking Tastykakes or Liscio rolls or something like that so good for him and I always assumed he was an out-an-proud Christian mostly because he seemed so bright eyed and bushy tailed but I really don't know.

Merny11 said...

Happy Birthday Ann!

Wince said...

Sometimes resting bitch face is just resting bitch face.

BG said...

Happy birthday, Ann, and may you enjoy many, many more!

gilbar said...

who's "Mike Pence" ??

Christopher B said...

It makes me wonder if that old joke about a Presidental couple meeting one of the wife's old boyfriends working in a gas station, and the husband remarking how the wife's life would have been different if she'd married him, and her response being that he'd be the one working in a gas station if they hadn't married, has more than a little truth in it.

JRoj said...

Knowing Mike Pence as I have in the past, to accuse Karen Pence of hatred is ludicrous. Do yourself a favor and learn to paint with a finer brush. And, to be clear, I side with Trump in their dispute. Mike and Karen are committed Christians, like their politics or not.

Steven Wilson said...

Happy Birthday Professor Ann Althouse and may you blog many more!

narciso said...

Happy birthday professor althouse

Aggie said...

Waiting to see Bob Dole weigh in.

Aggie said...

Yes, and many Happy Returns on the day. Make Meade take you out somewhere pricey.

Curious George said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0bQ7wJmrbA&t=36s

RCOCEAN II said...

They should have named her Chaste Anna Prude. Now that's a Christian name. As for Pence, its good he and Trump were friendly, but Trump is the injured party not Pence. Stabor and Stabee.

Of all the 1st and 2nd ladies, I have the least amount of respect for Mrs. Pence. Supposedly a big Christian and a Republican. Okey-dokey. Melania is a class act. And I've always had a soft spot for Laura Bush, even though she's a big-time liberal. Michelle Obama has a chip on her shoulder. Hillary is a horror. And Jill Biden isn't much better. Tipper is OK.

Our 2nd Gentleman, David Emoff has never been more misnamed. "That's was no Gentleman, that was a sexual abuser." Impregnated his nanny, and then told her to get an abortion. Ugh.

Roger von Oech said...

Welcome to your mid-70s Ann! It’s the “new mid-50s!”

Charlie said...

What's a "Mike Pence"?

Megthered said...

The first ladies were probably the most honest people there. The men are politicians. The women hate each other and it showed. Kamala was a hoot. She hates everyone there. I wonder if they checked her for her gun?

Mr. T. said...

Oh yes, Carter was certainly the epitome of Christian godliness and pious humility- as he extolled and defended Islamic terrorism.

::eyeroll::

Mike Petrik said...

Pettiness is the currency in this comment thread as well, unfortunately.

Former Illinois resident said...

Pence's wife is a hypocrite. To claim so loudly so proudly to be "Christian", and yet refuse to acknowledge President elect is shameful and rude. For that "Christian" to refuse to acknowledge President elect's wife, someone you know, someone whose mother died a year ago that particular day, is shameful, rude, and inexcusable. Pence's wife is a horrible person, hope her minister reprimands her reprehensible conduct here.

Former Illinois resident said...

Pence's wife is looking for headline coverage, even if to do so she must behave in a most uncharitable manner. Hope we never see or hear from Mrs. Pence again. Shameful conduct within confines of a church.

jaydub said...

""'Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that God put me on one of these rows." News flash: God didn't to that, Trump did.

Rory said...

"'Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that God put me on one of these rows"

I'd rather spend an hour at the big table at Waffle Hut.

Lazarus said...

If you're actively in politics at a high level, you learn not to carry grudges. That's for the spectators. I like Trump a lot more than Pence, but if he expected Pence to send the results back to the states on his own, he was asking too much of him. Pence had a more accurate understanding of what his role on that day was.

The Pences seem to fit into a hallowed US tradition of easygoing political men and their uptight wives. Noted hound dogs Clinton and Harding and shrewish Hillary and Florence are extreme examples. And of course, Franklin and Eleanor. But you also had (if I remember right) Lucy Hayes and Sarah Polk banning liquor in the White House. Carter was highly strung himself, but I got the feeling "steel magnolia" Rosalyn was the boss of the family, and "Joan of Art" Mondale pulled the strings on Walter.

Drago said...

^^^^^^

Tina Trent said...

Thanks for the insight, JRoj. She showed up, at least. The religious common bond with the Carters might explain that. Was Tipper Gore there? She left Al a long time ago. And why did Gore act so weird? Why was he arguing with that young soldier?

Tina Trent said...

Rosalyn Carter was absolutely subservient to Jimmah, as he expected of everyone around him. An unpleasant egomaniac. It wasn’t even a sex role thing: he expected just as much submission from male aides.

She seemed much happier hanging around with Jim Jones.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

“Rocketeer
Kremlinology…”

Exactly. A Shiny Object to distract from reality.

Disparity of Cult said...

SNL's Church Lady was named Enid Strict.

Narr said...

Happy happy birthday day, Prof.

MountainJohn said...

https://x.com/PapiTrumpo/status/1877469296038678996

Disparity of Cult said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Disparity of Cult said...

Tata had something to do with that, but Mika doesn't mention it much.

Jim at said...

I'm just grateful there wasn't any hair pulling.

So that's why Michelle stayed in Hawaii.

Imagine Hillary running around the coffin waving a wig high in the air ....