Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Mike Pence

Pence Walks Out on Colts Game Because Posturing and Performance Are What Politics Is

Politics regularly reveals itself as all show

Ed Krayewski | 10.8.2017 1:43 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests
Twitter

Vice President Mike Pence made a big deal of walking out on today's Indianapolis Colts because he and President Trump would not "dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem," as he tweeted earlier.

The Colts were playing the 49ers, whose Colin Kaepernick, no longer on the team, started the protests more than a year ago.

Pence's comments extend a controversy over kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games that was re-ignited by Trump more than a week ago.

Setting aside that Colin Kaepernick, who started the protest over police brutality and systemic racism, chose to take a knee rather than to sit during the anthemafter meeting with an army veteran about the symbolism, if Pence says he believes the event is "disrespectful," why did he buy the tickets?

Trump re-ignited the controversy by riling his base up over a protest most people had stopped pretending to be offended by, but the protest has been going on for more than a year.

And Pence certainly knew the history of the 49ers in the protests, or should have. Instead he tweeted excitedly before the game (pic to the right). But had he simply chosen not to attend, he couldn't have put on this show. That required giving money to the organization he claims he's boycotting.

But Pence's move isn't about a genuinely-held belief. It's a rank political stunt at the expense of taxpayers, and reveals the self-masturbatory nature of much of what government officials do.

Pence dragged Secret Service out to Lucas Stadium, only to throw a hissy fit and walk out.

The founders of the country hoped that America's elected officials would not become like the royalty of the British Empire from which they broke off.

Yet over the centuries, the way elected officials treat themselves has approached royalty, particularly for presidents and vice presidents. Millions of dollars of taxpayer money is spent to maintain opulent lifestyles for elected officials—travel is especiallypopular.

The president and the vice president are not American royalty or the American people's parents. No one should care whether or not Pence shows up to an NFL game or walks out in faux outrage, and he should stop trying to make us.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Don't Cite The Hunting Ground in Defense of Harvey Weinstein

Ed Krayewski is a former associate editor at Reason.

Mike PenceSuper BowlPolitics
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (296)

Latest

The EPA Is a Prime Candidate for Reform by the Trump Administration

J.D. Tuccille | 5.9.2025 7:00 AM

Review: A Doomsday Murder Mystery Set in an Underground Bunker

Jeff Luse | From the June 2025 issue

Review: A Superhero Struggle About the Ethics of Violence

Jack Nicastro | From the June 2025 issue

Brickbat: Cooking the Books

Charles Oliver | 5.9.2025 4:00 AM

The App Store Freedom Act Compromises User Privacy To Punish Big Tech

Jack Nicastro | 5.8.2025 4:57 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2024 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This modal will close in 10

Reason Plus

Special Offer!

  • Full digital edition access
  • No ads
  • Commenting privileges

Just $25 per year

Join Today!