As Vice President Mike Pence landed at Burlington International Airport on Friday, a half-dozen spectators watched from the Pizza Putt parking lot across the street from the Vermont Air National Guard hangar.
A Jericho woman snapped selfies of Air Force Two under the careful watch of snipers and plainclothes United States Secret Service officers standing conspicuously inside the airport’s perimeter fence. The amateur photographer sheepishly described herself as a Pence supporter, though she declined an interview.
There was no media scrum or large crowd of waving supporters to greet Pence, who landed shortly after 1:30 p.m. Within a few minutes, his motorcade of about 15 SUVs, including Vermont State Police vehicles, slipped through the airport fence and drove away.
The vice president has so far kept a low profile in Vermont, where less than 30 percent of voters supported him and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 election. The Labor Day weekend visit wasn’t announced in advance — WCAX broke news of the trip just a few hours before Pence landed — and he hasn’t announced any public events in the state. WCAX reported that the Veep was headed for Lake Hortonia in Hubbardton.
While one Pence supporter showed up outside the airport to greet him, his more numerous critics in the Green Mountain State gave him a less-welcoming hello on social media. One man posted a photo of himself flipping off the vice president’s motorcade.
“I honestly hate [Pence] more than #drumph,” wrote Twitter user RowGirlVT, referring to the president by a nickname favored by critics. “Get out of my state a$$hole.”
In a string of tweets, the Vermont Democratic Party extolled the state’s progressive achievements, such as becoming the first state to abolish slavery and allow same-sex marriage.
“We hope you learn a thing or two while you’re here,” the Dems wrote to Pence.
New Hampshire- and Vermont-based Rights & Democracy released a statement broadly condemning the Trump administration’s policies, though it did not go into specifics.
“If Vice President Mike Pence could take away one thing from his visit to Vermont today,” the statement read, “it is that the vast majority of Vermonters want the Trump Administration to cease and desist their efforts to deeply divide our communities and to undermine our democracy, in order to expand the wealth of billionaires, despite the devastating costs on people and our planet.”
Meanwhile, University of Vermont Democrats took a shot at the notoriously anti-gay Pence by inviting him to a “Pre-Pride” campaign event for gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist in Burlington. Vermont’s gay pride parade and festival is scheduled for September 8 in Burlington.
The Dems made clear they didn’t expect Pence to show: “Or will you be too busy thinking of ways to take away rights from those same LGBTQ folks,” the group tweeted.
Earlier Friday, Pence gave remarks at the U.S. Capitol during a ceremony honoring Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), who died of cancer August 25. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott was also in Washington, D.C., for the event and stayed there so he could attend McCain’s memorial service Saturday at Washington National Cathedral, according to Scott’s spokesperson Rebecca Kelley.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) also spoke at the McCain event and later released a statement about Pence’s visit.
“Marcelle and I and Governor Scott were with the Vice President and his wife in the Capitol Rotunda this morning for the sad occasion of the arrival of Senator John McCain’s casket,” Leahy’s statement read. “I am glad to hear that they are able to now visit the most beautiful state in the country, and I hope they enjoy their time in Vermont.”
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An opportunity to report on a highly news-worthy story and Taylor makes a gleeful sacrifice to the gods of Twitter copy and pasting? Liberal hyperventilation over the Vice President visiting the State is as predictable as which direction the sun will rise – that’s not the story. The story is that the Vice President came to Vermont. (And Rutland County I might add!)
The EPA policies he is supporting will destroy the same unspoiled beauty he came here to enjoy. Such a hypocrite.
Don’t like the guy – that’s fine – I don’t like his policies either. But, respect the office, and let him enjoy his vacation. Giving the finger to his car is lame whimpy stuff…like his boss’s man-child tweets. Grow up.
Couldn’t even announce that he was coming. What’s he afraid of?
Mike Pence: the smiling, spineless, soulless sycophant behind Trump. When ( not if) Trump gets impeached we will be stuck with Pence. He is a Right Wing “Christian” who wants to trigger the Apocalypse so that Jesus will come back.
There really are no good options here. Go home Mike, you are as much a global embarrassment as Trump is.
I pray Mike won’t have to speak to a woman without his wife in the room.
Only the Liberals act like this,,,I dont see the Republicans do this when Bernie comes to town.
Rob
Isn’t using a hand-held device while driving a ticketable offense in Vermont?
pence is here on a holiday he is a tourist that Vermont loves welcome VP Pence enjoy labor day in Vermont
America’s Vice President comes to Vermont and gets ‘the finger’. How classy. That’s Vermont! And its low life, low information, America hating, Socialist Vermonters! Useful Idiots.
Paul Jones: That Pence should speak to a woman who is not his wife? Notice Vermont women? Think he’d find one that he would actually want to speak to?
We have enough cow manure in VT without Pence. Stay away you bigot!
Abort the executive branch, while it is still legal……
These days it feels like were all glued to our devices, watching a debauched season-finale cliff-hanger of Evangelical Prophecies Gone Wild on sur-Reality TV! You got your firestorms and conflagrations out west, recent U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the official Capitol of Israel, and Mammon on steroids stomping about the Oval Office and tweeting up a daily shitstorm.
So maybe we can all agree to ease up a tad on the Penster, and let the Vice-Man enjoy a little peaceful Vermont hospitality. We’re clearly nearing the End Times, and Lake Hortonia seems like a great place to roll a fattie, kick back in an Adirondack chair, and wait for Armegeddon to take care of the burgeoning Eurasian milfoil problem.
When a politician who happens to be a piece of human excrement takes a swim in Vermont, does that cause a Blue Green Algae outbreak?
*Only the Liberals act like this.*
That statement is so plainly, obviously, and ridiculously false that its laughable. Its so obviously false, that Trump himself could have said it. Republicans dont react angrily when liberals come to town? Tell that to the young woman who was run down and killed by a white supremacist who didnt like her anti-racist views. Tell that to the Republican congressman who yelled out *You lie!* to President Obamas during a State of The Union speech: one of the lowest moments in US political history (until, that is, until Donald Trump came along). Tell that to Republican candidate (and draft dodger) Donald Trump, who said that fellow Republican John McCain wasnt a war hero because he got captured.
If only liberals act like this, then Donald Trump he of the daily lying, bullying, insulting tweets is the greatest liberal of all time.
My post was on here then it disappeared twice but I’ll only say that pence is worthless and as bad as trump
Trump never paid his bill when he was at the Flynn. Shows you how he runs out on his bills, the asshole