Politics

Pence Lacks All Conviction, While Bobby Knight Is Full Of Passionate Intensity

Matt K. Lewis Senior Contributor
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Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s endorsement of Ted Cruz today was…interesting?

He spent an inordinate amount of time praising the guy he was not endorsing. Honestly, I’ve seen people more excited about getting a root canal.

As Chris Cillizza noted, “Pence clearly had misgivings — a lot of them — about choosing between Trump and Cruz, and even though he decided to go with the senator from Texas, he wanted to make very clear to all the Trump folks in his state that he didn’t hate The Donald or anything close to it.”

Pence’s backing of Cruz was especially lame in comparison to the support Donald Trump is receiving in Indiana. As an astute observer pointed out to me: “Pence shrugs his shoulders for Cruz, Bobby Knight bends iron bars while doing the moonwalk for Trump.”

If anything, Knight is too effusive in his praise. “I’ll tell you one thing,” the legendary and controversial coach said of Trump, “that son of a b— could play for me!”

All the chips are on the table in Indiana, and it’s not a great sign for Cruz that his most prominent endorser there is hesitant, while Trump’s is on fire. I’m reminded of the old Yeats line: “The best lack all conviction, while the worst. Are full of passionate intensity.”

Matt K. Lewis