# I'm concerned for Mike Pence's safety after leaving office **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 19, 2021, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909 "2021-01-19T19:23:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/1 "2021-01-19T19:23:57Z")
During the Capitol riots, there were a lot of people calling for Vice President Mike Pence to be hanged for not overthrowing the election results. Now that he’s leaving office in less than 24 hours, it seems to me that he’s in danger from rapid Trumpists. Do vice presidents get lifetime Secret Service protection after leaving office, the same as presidents? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/2 "2021-01-19T19:26:14Z")
Former vice-presidents, and their families, only receive Secret Service protection for six months after leaving office. > **[Do former vice presidents like Joe Biden have Secret Service protection?](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/03/03/biden-do-former-vice-presidents-have-secret-service-protection/4948807002/)** > > Joe Biden and his wife were rushed by protestors on Super Tuesday as they addressed supporters. The women were quickly led offstage. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/3 "2021-01-19T19:33:45Z")
I’d wager the outgoing VPOTUS is similarly concerned. One thing to consider: the Presidency of the CFSG was an endless and blinding gish gallop of diversionary drama, moving the nation from one catastrophe to another in days, hours, minutes, or seconds, depending on how badly the CFSG needed the narrative to change. But now we’ve just hit a **ginormous** “pause button,” effectively freezing the post-election US in time for a good number of In-Sane people (because that just isn’t Joe Biden’s MO). Meaning: I doubt the “hang Mike Pence” crowd has much to move on to immediately (eg, jobs, relationships, catching up on their reading, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/4 "2021-01-19T19:36:25Z")
I fear for his life, too. He may be the very definition of “sycophant” but he doesn’t deserve to get killed. I would advise him to grow his hair out, dye it, and let it go unkempt. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/5 "2021-01-19T19:38:22Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I would advise him to grow his hair out, dye it, and let it go unkempt. I feel like there’s a ‘Governor of Georgia’ joke in there somewhere … ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/6 "2021-01-19T19:40:47Z")
However, the Department of Homeland Security can extend Secret Service protection beyond the six months should they determine its warranted. While I’m sure Trump would have cut him off, Joe Biden’s not they type to deny a former VP protection out of spite. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/7 "2021-01-19T19:41:25Z")
Agreed – the situation would certainly seem to warrant it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/8 "2021-01-19T19:43:06Z")
In the long haul he may have to look out for the slow Trumpists, too. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/9 "2021-01-19T19:44:21Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > One thing to consider: the Presidency of the CFSG was an endless and blinding gish gallop of diversionary drama, moving the nation from one catastrophe to another in days, hours, minutes, or seconds, depending on how badly the CFSG needed the narrative to change. I’ve seen CFSG mentioned in other threads, and Google is no help. Google comes up with China Fire and Security Group, classification of finite simple groups, Commando Forward Surgical Group, and Canine and Feline Sector Group. What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/10 "2021-01-19T19:44:46Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I’ve seen CFSG mentioned in other threads, and Google is no help. Cheeto-Faced Shit Gibbon. I don’t think we coined it here, but it gets used here quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/11 "2021-01-19T19:45:57Z")
People keep trying to make that acronym happen, and unsurprisingly it’s not catching on so every thread it appears in gets distracted. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/12 "2021-01-19T19:48:19Z")
You reap what you sow. Pence has long advocated policies of hate and intolerance. He chose to link his fate w/ Trump and his base. I’m confident in the protection his faith - and Mother - will provide. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/13 "2021-01-19T19:54:25Z")
This is just my personal off-the-cuff opinion but I don’t see what there would be to gain from going after a former vice president. I tend to think that those who were chanting ‘Hang Mike Pence’ were caught up in the rage of the moment. A mob mentality was on full display, and with it, all of its irrational, live for the moment thinking. I think Pence will be okay. I further suspect that there will be a cooling off period. How long that lasts - whether we’re talking weeks or months - I don’t know. But the extremists are probably going to drop out of sight for a while. The social media giants will probably do a better job of policing their platforms, and some of the more conventional media - Fox News - will perhaps rein in some a little bit of their fringe commentary. We might even see pressure on commentators like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who might leave for a Newsmax. There will be a momentary shift in the other direction – for a time. But I suspect that by spring, some of the memories of the Capitol riot will start to recede and more of the coverage will be about what the Biden administration is and isn’t achieving. The test will be to see where we are after Biden’s first 100 days in terms of dealing with the extremists. I worry that over time, there will be a rise in new media outlets like OANN, Newsmax, and others will fill the void. The fact is, there’s a big market for white anger, and someone is going to fill it, and others (Facebook) may find it hard to pass up opportunities to help them fill it, which is why I’d like to see more robust regulation of major social media platforms. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/14 "2021-01-19T19:58:22Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > People keep trying to make that acronym happen, and unsurprisingly it’s not catching on so every thread it appears in gets distracted. Meh. The problem is more that people treat it more like one we should already know, rather than a newer acronym that needs to be explained. If you can’t Google an acronym and see what it means on the first page, it’s not common enough yet to go without explanation. Urban Dictionary only shows up if you search for “cfsg Trump”. Doesn’t mean it won’t eventually catch on, but it hasn’t yet. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/15 "2021-01-19T19:58:51Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Former vice-presidents, and their families, only receive Secret Service protection for six months after leaving office. I imagine trumpnuts have short memories. 6 months is plenty of time for them to get their knickers in a twist over something else. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/16 "2021-01-19T20:03:49Z")
Maybe. I think the other danger is that we see an action by an actually competent person a couple years later, kind of like McVeigh and Nichols two years after Ruby Ridge and Waco. Though maybe the government will finally start taking right-wing domestic terrorism seriously only 25+ years too late. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/17 "2021-01-19T20:15:05Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > he doesn’t deserve to get killed I kind of see this in a Death Penalty manner. I don’t want him to be killed, I don’t think it would be “just” for him to be killed, I would change the law in many different ways if it would help him (and others like him) to avoid being killed. Extending Sec Serv protection would be OK in my book. But if he’s killed, I’m not going to feel bad about it, he did many terrible things to put himself in a position to be killed. He supported terrible things out of the office of the President, actively worked to get a wholly unsuitable, unstable person re-elected as President, putting massive powers in the hands of someone he must have known was a hideous example of humanity. Now that odious person has put a target on Pence’s back, and I’m supposed to be concerned for _him_? Yeah, no. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/18 "2021-01-19T21:12:40Z")
Maybe he should go through anti-Trump conversion therapy, complete with electric shocks, like he advocated for gay people in Indiana. If he went through that, maybe, possibly I’d be slightly worried about his future. He was in charge of the COVID team, with 400,000 deaths so far. If he doesn’t give a crap about that, or about the kids he help separate from their parents at the border, or about the gay people subjected to conversion “therapy” or about the AIDS rebound that happened because he killed off the needle exchange program in Indiana, why should I give a crap about his safety? How many deaths (by COVID, by AIDS, by suicide) do you think he has caused? He’s a monster. Just because Trump is a greater monster doesn’t mean that Pence isn’t also a monster. If he’s in danger because of all the Trump enabling he’s done for the last four years, well, his favorite book has a saying about reaping and sowing. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/19 "2021-01-19T21:15:59Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > If he’s in danger because of all the Trump enabling he’s done for the last four years, well, his favorite book has a saying about reaping and sowing. - _Mein Kampf_ doesn’t have anything about reaping and sowing. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-concerned-for-mike-pences-safety-after-leaving-office/930909/20 "2021-01-19T21:17:45Z")
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