By Andrea Asuaje
BU News Service
Indiana Governor Mike Pence didn’t need the lengthy introduction from his friend House Speaker Paul Ryan. Instead, Pence said he had a much shorter way to introduce himself to the delegates at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
“I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order,” Pence said.
Pence covered all three facets of his self-identification in his speech Wednesday night.
As a Christian, Pence assured the delegates and audience members that he would pray every night for God to grant him a “wise and discerning heart” if he were to become the vice president of the United States, a nomination he formally accepted Wednesday.
As a conservative, he emphasized his experience as a governor, stating that conservative ideals and policies have worked in Indiana under his administration. Pence said his “common-sense Republican ideas” that have worked in his state will transfer to Trump’s “no-nonsense leadership” and strategies for the country if he is elected president.
Pence formally accepted the vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night during a speech that focused on his background and history in politics, his role as a family man, and what is essentially the platform of the Donald Trump campaign.
And as a Republican, Pence delineated the differences between the Trump-Pence ticket and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration. He referred to Clinton as the “Secretary of the Status Quo” and said Obama’s policies were weakening America’s stance internationally.
“We cannot have four more years apologizing to our enemies and abandoning our friends,” Pence said.
Pence also took the time to joke about being a newcomer to the Trump train, saying that many people — including himself — never expected him to be on the stage of the Quicken Loans Arena during the RNC.
“I guess he was just looking for some balance on the ticket,” Pence said of Trump, who he described as a colorful, charismatic and strong candidate.
He also used his speech to showcase his family, acknowledging his mother, Nancy; his wife, Karen; and his three children — Charlotte, Audrey and Michael J. Pence — all of whom were in the audience.
As his speech came to a close, he reminded delegates and audience members that six months from the day, Obama’s presidency would come to an end. Shouts of joy and clapping filled the arena at the news. He ended his remarks by assuring the crowd that the GOP’s candidate is prepared to take his place in the Oval Office.
“That man is ready,” Pence said. “This team is ready. Our party is ready. And when we elect Donald Trump the 45th president of the United States, we will make America great again.”
