# What did Mike Pence mean by this remark? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716 "2022-10-24T20:58:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/1 "2022-10-24T20:58:34Z")
Mike Pence was recently asked if Trump is the Nominee for 2024, will you vote for him? Pence replied: “Well, there might be someone else I’d prefer more.” Some political commentators are interpreting this as meaning the person he might prefer is himself, and thus that he is hinting that he will be running. Now, I don’t think that is a correct interpretation of those words. To me, it seems as if he’s simply hinting that he won’t support Trump, but without directly committing himself to a firm no. So what’s your opinion? What do you think he meant? Note: I put this thread in IMHO instead of P&E for a reason. This question is about the correct interpretation of a single sentence. Please restrict discussion to this topic alone. Please no opinions about whether Pence ought to run, Pence’s politics, or Pence personally. You can go to P&E to talk about that. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dnDcaxdFDuc/maxresdefault.jpg "WOW: Mike Pence Won't Say He'll Vote Trump 2024") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnDcaxdFDuc) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CkR8MT6WoU8/maxresdefault.jpg "Mike Pence Makes It Clear He Doesn't Want Trump To Be Republican Nominee") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkR8MT6WoU8) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/2 "2022-10-24T21:03:08Z")
Every tidbit of Pence wishy comes with a heaping side of washy. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/3 "2022-10-24T21:09:24Z")
“I think Trump is a dumpster fire but I’m terrified that saying so out loud will end my political career. Maybe this will be enough to avoid his ire while simultaneously convincing a hypothetical President deSantis that I’m worth a cabinet seat. Oh dear oh bother oh odds and bodkins.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/4 "2022-10-24T21:09:47Z")
What he meant by that remark was absolutely nothing. He didn’t want to commit to anything, and so he said something completely meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/5 "2022-10-24T21:26:01Z")
It means he’s still trying to pointlessly (because the MAGAtroids are permanently pissed at him for not anointing the Mango Messiah on 1/6/21) triangulate. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/6 "2022-10-24T22:16:01Z")
Yeah, Pence still delusionally believes he has a political future in the US, so he is attempting to thread the messaging needle where he neither prostrates himself before Trump (and thereby looks like a cowardly hypocrite) nor criticizes him as unfit for office (and thereby alienates the angry MAGAt base). Unsurprising that what emerges from this effort sounds like gibberish. In any case, he seems unaware that the needle’s opening is the size of a hydrogen atom, and he’s trying to thread it with a hawser. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/7 "2022-10-24T22:17:14Z")
“I’m not 100% on the Trump Train, but please don’t try to have me murdered again.” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/8 "2022-10-24T22:42:38Z")
Folks, would you please take the politics to another thread. This question is about the interpretation of a sentence. Pence stated that he might prefer a different candidate. Some people have said that he means he would prefer _himself_. Do you think this is a valid interpretation? Please answer that question, and no other. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/9 "2022-10-24T22:45:46Z")
You asked us what we thought he meant. We’re answering the question you asked. If you didn’t want it answered, you shouldn’t have asked. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/10 "2022-10-24T22:49:53Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Some people have said that he means he would prefer _himself_. > > Do you think this is a valid interpretation? Yes, but not the only valid interpretation. That is, I think he could have meant that he intends or wants to run. But he could also have meant it as a “diplomatic” way of saying that he didn’t think Trump was a very good candidate (and I can think of several good reasons why he’d want to be “diplomatic” and not piss off Trump or Trump’s worshipers). ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/11 "2022-10-24T22:50:25Z")
How, exactly, are we to interpret an obviously feckless weasel-worded equivocation other than by concluding, “Yep, that’s an obviously feckless weasel-worded equivocation, all right”? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/12 "2022-10-24T22:53:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You asked us what we thought he meant. We’re answering the question you asked. If you didn’t want it answered, you shouldn’t have asked. Do you really think you’ve answered it? All you’ve done is take political potshots. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/13 "2022-10-24T22:59:35Z")
Again: What you’re calling political potshots are, in fact, the answer to the question. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/14 "2022-10-24T23:10:03Z")
You know better than that. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/15 "2022-10-24T23:12:16Z")
Almost everybody here has offered up a version of, “He doesn’t want you to know what he means.” That’s not good enough? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/16 "2022-10-24T23:13:21Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Do you think this is a valid interpretation? Yes, that is absolutely A valid interpretation. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2022, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/17 "2022-10-24T23:14:06Z")
He’s equivocating. It’s that simple. He clearly does not want to make a definitive statement, for all the reasons already noted by others. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/18 "2022-10-24T23:44:04Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Almost everybody here has offered up a version of, “He doesn’t want you to know what he means.” That’s not good enough? No, because it’s not what I asked. I will try to make this simple for you. Pence said “Well, there might be someone else I’d prefer more.” David Pakman and Farron Cousins have mentally added " … and that person is me" to the statement. Question: when Pence said the words “someone else” did he mean himself? **You** haven’t answered the question. **Chronos** hasn’t answered the question. **Steve\_MB** didn’t answer the question. **Kenobi\_65** didn’t answer the question. **pullykamel** answered, but just said “yes” and gave no basis for the answer. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/19 "2022-10-24T23:46:49Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > **pullykamel** answered, but just said “yes” and gave no basis for the answer. I was answering the very simple follow-up question I quoted. I thought you wanted very specific answers to very specific questions. That statement can be read and interpreted as a coy “oh, there’s someone else I’d rather vote for, that’s me!” What further explanation is needed? It didn’t seem you wanted conversation after your replies to others. Do I think that’s what he meant? I can’t say anything other than “I don’t know.” Maybe. Like I said, that certainly is one way to read it. It’s probably more likely a simple question dodge, but that interpretation strikes me as reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716/20 "2022-10-24T23:50:11Z")
Better. Thanks for being the only person so far that has actually addressed the question. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I thought you wanted very specific answers to very specific questions. Yes, I do. > [@pulykamell](#): > > It didn’t seem you wanted conversation after your replies to others. I do want conversation, I just didn’t like the people ranting about something completely different to the question I asked. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-mike-pence-mean-by-this-remark/973716.md?page=2)