Daily Beast editor-in-chief John Avlon is a liberal-bias denier, who sneers “When did the conservative movement started loving to play victim so much? When did that start happening?” But his latest Beastly article is headlined “The Oscar for Best Supporting Actor Should Go to Mike Pence.”
He declared Pence’s name was missing from the supporting-actor nominees and declared “This is a criminal oversight. There is no greater working actor today than the vice president.”
His steely yet adoring gaze at President Trump, clenched jaw punctuated by affirming nods, is a highly disciplined work of art. The man is a consummate method actor, inhabiting his role for 20 months since his nomination in July of 2016 without ever breaking character in public. His monologues are studies in insincerity on the world stage, overcoming his personal belief in faith and family to project pride standing next to a man who embodies almost everything he disdains in private life.
Avlon hits all the Trump-Hater points – the media-documented lying, Stormy Daniels, Charlottesville – and summarizes “Through it all, Pence keeps the countenance of a molting eagle, determined to project dignity despite being surrounded by disgrace.”
But Pence’s greatest performance was days before Christmas of 2017, making him clearly eligible for inclusion in this year’s Oscar crop. The stage was the infamous “Dear Leader” cabinet meeting celebrating the passage of the budget-busting tax cut.
With the vice president’s audience of one staring at him across the table, arms crossed in a self-satisfied high fold, Pence soldiered on through one of the greatest performances of political sycophancy in recorded history, praising the president, once every 12 seconds for three minutes straight.
This is actually the way Avlon speaks of the liberal media -- why, everything they do is absolutely heroic, and completely nonpartisan. Avlon is too busy amusing himself to evaluate how obsequious Joe Biden sounded about the wonders of Barack Obama -- but then again, most "objective" reporters were in a competition with Biden to erupt in flowery praise of Obama. Maybe this should be considered a step up for Avlon's website, seeing that he moderated a chat with two colleagues who said "I would never give my heart to Dick Cheney. It would freeze over.” Allison Yarrow offered: “He may be one of the most evil people in the world.” Move over, Osama.
Avlon concluded by snidely concluding Pence is selling out all his values because God wants him to be president:
So just what is the greatest political actor of our time thinking as he listens to Trump trample on the values he once held dear? Is he biting his tongue until it bleeds while biding his time? Does he face-palm a dozen times a day inside his head when he hears the latest verbal incontinence from the president? Does he find calm by silently reciting a personal mantra comprised solely of the number 46? Does he fantasize about impeachment while occasionally mouthing Gerald Ford’s immortal words, “our long national nightmare is over”?
What’s clear to all of us watching this painful reality show play out in our republic is that President Trump can’t stand the slightest whiff of public dissent. Pence is playing a role rooted in self-interest. You can call this hypocrisy, cowardice or the triumph of ambition over principle. Pence well may believe that this is the necessary path to fulfil [sic] God’s plan to one day make him president. But surely we can all agree that this act deserves an Oscar.
