A Conference with Pence

Members of Young Republicans meet with former Vice President Mike Pence, asking about his policies, beliefs and future plans

By Mary Demarco, Editor in Chief

What started as an introduction at a book signing ended with 25 members of the Young Republicans club experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the chance to have an in-depth talk with former Vice President Mike Pence.

President of the Young Republicans, senior Paul Wheeler, met Pence last November while Pence was promoting his new book “So Help Me God” at the Indiana Historical Society.

“I told him about the club and he was very happy to hear about that,” Wheeler said. “I got his contact for his aide and then through that I was able to work through the schedule and everything else involving the visit in the last couple of months.”

Between last November through the day of the meeting, Paul recalled sending and receiving about “100 emails” collectively between himself, ZCHS administration, and Pence’s team.

Wheeler said Pence is a political figure he has “always looked up to.” Wheeler said it is important for people to meet representatives and politicians, who “are often seen as living off in the far-away land in D.C.”

“It’s important for us to meet the people that represent us and learn how the government functions,” Wheeler said. “Mr. Pence said, ‘There are always people eager to help you, you just need to make the first move.’ My personal experience reaching out to Mr. Pence and getting him to come to our club encapsulates this quote perfectly.”

Principal Tim East said Wheeler “deserves all the credit” for organizing the meeting after “several months of persistence.” East was involved in the final stages of planning and said that the meeting was kept small, limited to Young Republican club members only, so Pence’s security team could stay informed on who would attend the meeting.

Leading up to Pence’s arrival at the March 14 meeting, 25 Young Republicans club members gathered in the ZCS board room after school. The club members, all male, were dressed in collared shirts, suits and ties and some bounced their legs in nervous anticipation.

Accompanied by East and Zionsville police, Pence entered, greeting each individual before opening with a short speech.

After Pence’s speech, he invited the students circle their chairs around him at the front of the room for a question-and-answer session.

Pence then looked to Wheeler -- calling him “Mr. President” -- to ask the first question of the meeting; whether or not Pence was concerned about the decline of the “fourth part in society,” family.

“Strong families make strong communi- ties,” Pence replied. “Strong communities, make strong states, strong states, make strong nations. It really does come down to the family. I think we can do a better job [at] making it more possible for more people to come together as families,” Pence said.

Club members also questioned Pence about the national debt, global policy, Ukraine, the banking system, and more. Pence was also asked his advice for aspiring politicians.

“I think the American people long for leadership that shows more civility than we’ve seen in politics in recent years, on both sides,” Pence said. “I think there’s a hunger for strong, principled leadership that is respectful.”

Throughout the meeting, Pence emphasized his appreciation for younger generations in politics as well as his “Christian faith.”

“Early in my career I allowed my political ambition to get ahead of living out my Christian faith,” Pence said. “I got into hard-punching campaigns, personal attacks, and when it came back around ten years later, my wife and I prayed on it and decided, we’re just going to run campaigns that are about what we’re for. We’re going to fight for the is- sues we care about, fight hard, but we’re going to leave all the personal attacks out.”

Junior Morgan Davis was one of the club members in attendance.

“It was a pretty cool experience to get a one-on-one opportunity with someone who is so important to the country and played such a vital role,” Davis said.

Although some in the ZCHS community may not agree with Pence’s political beliefs, East said the meeting was an “educational opportunity,” for those in the club.

“We’ve seen this hit the national press, more on college campuses. They’ve had a speaker that some students disagree with,” East said. “ There’s an obligation of every organization to say, [is] this person’s belief system so far from our core beliefs, that they would not further our mission.”

According to East, as long as a speaker’s message does not stray from Zionsville’s “core beliefs,” inclusion of every ethnicity, gender, and religion, the students will be supported to meet with speakers.