A political event organized around faith should be home field for this guy but even here he couldn’t escape being hooted at for having done indisputably the correct and courageous thing on January 6.

I guess it makes sense depending upon whom you think the audience at this event regards as their Savior.

Anyway, I salute Mike Pence for clinging to his dream of leading the “hang Mike Pence” party.

Pence gets drowned out by hecklers at the Faith & Freedom Coalition summit, some of whom appear to be chanting "traitor!" pic.twitter.com/pAQxavsK3O

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) June 18, 2021

The woman screaming “traitor” at him was apparently removed by security.

Pence is hanging around Republican circles still making speeches because he has an idea in his head that he might be the GOP nominee someday. I … do not share his optimism. On paper it makes sense. He’s a former VP to a president around whom the party has built a cult of personality. If Trump were to pass on running in 2024, Pence could jump in with universal name recognition, tons of connections to right-wing fundraisers from his years in Washington, and a reasonable-ish claim that he’s the MAGA heir apparent via his status as Trump’s number two.

In reality, January 6 ended any chance he had of becoming the nominee. He wouldn’t even be the VP pick if Trump ran again in 2024, as Trump himself has already hinted. So what’s his path to the nomination?

Peter Spiliakos made the best possible case:

I think the plan involves:

1. Trump not getting in

2. Somehow mending fences with Trump so Trump stays neutral.

3. Name recognition + I was there for the good Trump stuff + I'm kinda normal.

— Peter Spiliakos (@petespiliakos) June 18, 2021

Neutrality by Trump is an absolute requirement for Pence to stand a chance. If he can keep Trump from endorsing anyone by making nice with him, conceivably he could gradually wriggle his way back towards grudging acceptability among MAGA voters. But I still don’t see how he overcomes DeSantis. And if Trump were to endorse DeSantis or anyone else, Pence would be sunk. Which, let’s face it, is all but certain to happen: It’s unimaginable that Trump would sit out a nomination process aimed at anointing his successor instead of executing his royal prerogative to choose his own heir. He won’t be neutral. The most Pence can hope for is that Trump speaks warmly of him while endorsing someone else, which would be enough to end his chances.

And even if, against all odds, Trump did stay neutral, the rap on Pence which he wouldn’t be able to shake is that he didn’t “fight” when he had the chance on January 6. There’s no coming back from that.

So why not just retire with dignity rather than subject himself to audiences that are going to shout “traitor” at him?

I’ll leave you with this depressing poll result from a few days ago. Maybe Pence will get lucky and be reinstated as VP after that Arizona ballot audit is done.