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How DO YOU Treat the Lunch Ladies?: VP Debate REVIEW

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Vice President Mike Pence visits Dearman’s Diner & Soda Fountain Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 in Baton Rouge, LA. (Official White House photo by D. Myles Cullen)

In considering last night’s debate, I can’t stop thinking about Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris as school teachers we’ve all had at some point in our life. Last night, Pence was the teacher you remember as being tough, yet fair, and you knew the rules of the road. With Harris, you remember the teacher who was always running late to class, absent all the time for career “advancement” days, or sick, and the rules are “because I said so!”

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You can see teacher Mike greeting the lunch ladies by name and thanking them for the extra cookie. When Harris walks through the line, she doesn’t know a single name, swooping through the same way every single day.

When Harris said how proud her mother would be of her if she were still alive today, you didn’t feel the emotion you’d expect in such a powerful statement. Rather it felt rehearsed, and that being VP is yet another step to the real prize: Being the first woman president of the United States. In her mind, she’s already won, casually referring to her running mate as “Joe.”

In contrast, Vice President Pence spoke with deference to the American people and the office he serves. When he spoke, Harris squirmed. She looked at him with a “how dare you question me?” expression as if sitting in front of angry parents at a teacher-parent conference—they’re wondering why little Johnny’s doing so poorly in her class—she’s thinking, “Wait ’til I get my hands on that kid tomorrow. He’ll be sorry. And so will you.”

Harris speaks with a shaky, insecure voice that screams inexperience, where Pence sounds seasoned. She acts as though she knows best, and your opinion not only doesn’t matter, but she looks down on you with a raised brow as if she’s thinking, “Do you know who I am? I can’t wait until I’m in charge. You’ll get what’s coming to you.” And that’s leftism in a nutshell.

Listening to Harris felt like watching Lucy hold the football for Charlie Brown. Do you really think she’s trustworthy on taxes, removing the filibuster to pack the Supreme Court, law and order, and the Green New Deal?

Bottom line: Mike is the favorite teacher you remember for a reason: He was there to teach you. To help you improve your life and be the best version of you, even if it took some tough love. Harris wasn’t there for you. She was there for herself and the next opportunity for advancement. You were a distraction, you were lazy, and that wasn’t her problem—she had better things to do.

Action Line: If you were nice to your lunch ladies, then you’ll feel right at home with me at Your Survival Guy. Let’s keep in touch and not forget about those who are too important not to be nice to, and the ones who matter most. I’d love to talk to you.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.
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