I’ve known Mike Pence for a long time – 30 years to be exact. We both ran for Congress for the first time back in 1988. We even attended candidate school together (yes, there is such a thing.) And we both lost!
We got to meet with President Reagan in the White House – Mike’s hair was a lot darker back then, and I still had some!
I ran six years later in 1994, and won (it was the year of the Republican Revolution – Newt Gingrich – The Contract with America.) We took over the House for the first time in 40 years. Mike Pence won six years later, in 2000. We served together in the House for ten years, and in fact, when I was Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, Mike was my Vice Chairman. Now he’s Vice President of the United States!
Anyway, thought I’d give you a rundown of Mike’s visit to Cincinnati, and my involvement in it. Air Force II touched down at Greater Cincinnati Airport yesterday, and yours truly was the first person waiting to shake hands and welcome the Vice President at the bottom of the plane’s stairway, along with the Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman, Alex Triantafilou. The Vice President then shook hands with a slew of well wishers from both sides of the river.
We then motorcaded to the Queen City Club in downtown Cincinnati where the Vice President was scheduled to do a fundraising event for Ohio gubernatorial candidate, Mike DeWine (whom I predict beats Richard Cordray this fall.) While Vice President Pence attended the DeWine event, I headed over to the Westin Hotel on Fountain Square where an organization called America First Policies was hosting several hundred people and a panel discussion consisting of Senator Rob Portman, Congressman Brad Wenstrup, Congressman Jim Renacci, and me.
The emcee of the event was Kimberly Guilfoyle of FOX News’ “The Five.” Also speaking at the event was former Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, David Clarke, of cowboy hat fame, whom I’d bet you’ve seen on FOX News as well (photo below.) And the moderator, Curtis Ellis, asked us four panelists a number of questions relative to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We answered them to the best of our ability and hopefully didn’t bore the audience too much.
Then the Vice President arrived. Rob Portman introduced me. And I got to introduce the Vice President. I ended my introduction by saying “So let me introduce the guy I used to call Mike – and now I call – Mike. No, the greatest Vice President of the United States since John Adams – Mike Pence!” Then he said some nice things about me, and gave a great speech.
I really do think there’s a very good chance that Mike Pence will be the next Republican President of the United States after Donald Trump. Whether there will be a Democratic President in the interim of course, remains to be seen. But, in my humble opinion, Mike Pence is likely to be making decisions in the Oval Office one day.
See you next week.