Mike Pence. My Dude. Just... no.

Whoops! Wrong Mike Pence fail. The new derpness is his latest ad that looks like it was pitched and crafted by people who no longer have a job working for Bud Light. Either that or his new co-campaign managers are Matt Stone and Trey Parker from South Park. And they bought in Seth MacFarlane from Family Guy to run comms. There is no way anyone who likes Mike Pence thinks THIS is a good ad for 2023. I just don't mean 2023's GOP electorate. I mean 2023 as a point in time.

Folksy Mike Pence driving a pickup truck, filling it up with gas, and pining for the good ol' days when he could afford gasoline.

I haven't seen such a fail in an ad like this since a North Carolina Democrat tried to pander to BBQ fans in North Carolina... by cooking on a gas grill. Worse, he sullied the name of BBQing political Cunninghams (shout out RedState's Joe Cunningham).

To believe Mike Pence is filling up his pick-up truck requires you to believe Pence drives or pumps his own gas. He is the former vice president who was a governor before that and a congressman before that. This is the video equivalent of a "how do you do, fellow midwesterners" meme.

Also, as Daily Caller was quick to point out, "...the gasoline pump can be heard making a beeping noise, which typically prompts the user to select a fuel grade before beginning to fill up. Pence also does not pretend to pull the trigger on the handle, which would start the flow of gasoline if he had selected a type of fuel and paid for gas."

It is every cheesy, corny, conservative, middle-America trope they can squeeze into a minute. Missing only an American Flag flying in the background for no reason whatsoever and a Jason Aldean song. It is one thing when a company like Bud Light thinks so little of its audience they think THIS appeals to anyone. You should expect more from actual conserva... ok, I think I see my error there. The people working on Pence's campaign need to be blacklisted.

Adding to the fail, I guess Pence is using this video to announce his energy plan? Everyone has been too busy taking the piss out of it. Also, any GOP candidate's energy plan needs to include only one point.

1. Do the exact opposite that Joe Biden has done.

We're at that stage in the primary where I start to get stabby because you have people who have a role to play and then you have interlopers. Ron DeSantis has his role, as does the former president. Like them or not, Chris Christie, Tim Scott, and Nikki Haley all have their "one early state can change it all" roles. It's Joseph Campbell's "A Candidate of 1000 Faces." We see the same storylines play out every four years.

Mike Pence plays no role other than to be the guy who doesn't realize it's not 2009 anymore. I don't even think he takes votes away from the other candidates. He's there just because he's Mike Pence and has nothing else to do.

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Brodigan is Grand Poobah of this here website and when he isn't writing words about things enjoys day drinking, pro-wrestling, and country music. You can find him on the Twitter too.

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