Mike Pence, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Up until yesterday, most people thought Mike Pence was about the best thing out of the Trump presidency. When paired against Tim Kaine for the vice presidential debate, Pence came across as cool and collected, while Kaine came across as outspoken and obnoxious. Many people were relieved to see Pence was chosen instead of the many other choices that had been thrown around by republicans. Yesterday, though. that all changed.

Mike Pence made the tie-breaking vote in favor of confirming the controversial Education Secretary nominee, Betsy Devos. And his decision may very well come back to bite him. But the real question is, was it really his decision, or was he contractually obligated to support the Trump nominee?

Now, I know you're thinking... He hasn't supported Trump in the past. They have differing opinions on a lot of issues, and he has been outspoken and expressed those. And to that, I would agree. But voicing an opinion on an issue and actually having to vote to represent it are very different things. Whether or not he mentally supports Trump's nominee, it would have looked far worse from an administration standpoint to have the vice president not support a pick for a cabinet nominee, even if they are an unfavorable choice. That's not to say he couldn't have decided vote against her anyway, but it would definitely create a lot of tension within the administration, and would not make for a pleasant work environment, especially since they haven't been in there long and are still figuring things out. And I'm sure Trump would have called him out on it, and that wouldn't have looked good for either of them. Especially when their predecessors were known to get along so well.

So like it or not, Pence did what he did, for whatever reason he did, and if he is as smart as I hope him to be, there was not a doubt in his mind that if it came down to it, he would have ha
d to make that vote. But I suspect that now anything Devos does from this point on, Pence will be held accountable for it. And I feel bad for the guy because even though I don't support his views on a lot of issues, or his decision on this, I feel like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.