Who Is Your Team's Backup QB?

When I was a kid, my favorite football team was the Oakland Raiders. Even though I lived in New Jersey, I gravitated to the "Silver and Black" because they were often one of the featured teams on TV on Sunday afternoons. I was enamored with the wide-open offense developed by GM Al Davis and Head Coach John Madden. However, most of all, I was a big fan of Daryle Lamonica, the Raiders QB.

Lamonica, a product of Notre Dame, was nicknamed the “Mad Bomber” because he loved to throw the ball downfield. Taking the snap from center Jim Otto, Lamonica would toss the ball as far as he could in the general direction of Fred Biletnikoff and Warren Wells, the Raiders talented wide receivers, or Raymond Chester, their All-Pro tight end. Occasionally, Lamonica would hand the ball off to Clarence Davis, Marv Hubbard or Pete Banaszak, but it was obvious that ol’ #3 preferred the aerial attack.

The problem with Lamonica’s swashbuckling style of play was that it often led to injury. In such cases, out onto the field would trot George Blanda, who also doubled as the Raiders placekicker. Blanda had enjoyed a long and respectable career with the Chicago Bears and the Houston Oilers before signing with the Raiders in 1967 at the age of 40. I doubt that he expected to get much playing time but, because Lamonica was so injury-prone, Blanda saw a lot more game action than anticipated. In 1970, he led Oakland to four wins and one tie in successive weeks with his arm or his foot… or both. However, Father Time eventually caught up with Blanda and he was cut from the team in August 1976 at the ripe old age of 48.

I share this story to emphasize the importance of tomorrow night’s Vice Presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris. Chances are, because of the age and physical or mental condition of their team’s “starting quarterback”, one of those two benchwarmers may wind up finishing “the game” – otherwise known as the presidential term that runs from January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2025. And so, it is critical that we know everything possible about these “second stringers”.

A native of Columbus, Indiana and a graduate of the Indiana University School of Law, Mike Pence lost his first two congressional campaigns in 1988 and 1990 before becoming a radio talk show host. He was then successful in his third try for elective office, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013. In 2012, Pence was narrowly elected Governor, a position he held until 2017.

I have followed Pence’s career closely because, like him, I consider myself “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican… in that order.” In fact, those are the exact words that Pence used to describe himself on his congressional website. He was quite gracious when I met him personally in 2010 during my own congressional campaign. Approaching him as he prepared to board an escalator at CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference), Pence took the time to encourage me in my uphill race.

Mr. Pence and I also share several other commonalities in addition to our Christian faith and our love for politics. The Vice President and I are both 61, are one of six kids, were married in 1985, and recently celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. Gotta love someone who has respected his marriage vows for that long. Like Deanna and me, Mike and his wife Karen also have three adult children.

Policy-wise, Mr. Pence is a strong conservative, both fiscally and socially. As Governor, he initiated the largest tax cut in state history and signed bills intended to restrict abortions, including one that prohibited abortions if the reason for the procedure was the fetus's race, gender, or disability. Pence also pushed for more funding for educational initiatives.

In Congress, Mr. Pence co-sponsored a spending limit amendment to the U.S. Constitution and was a proponent of both earmark reform and a flat federal income tax. In 2008, Esquire magazine named Pence one of the 10 best members of Congress, writing that his "unalloyed traditional conservatism has repeatedly pitted him against his party elders.”

A graduate of Howard University and the University of California College of Law, Kamala Harris is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Ms. Harris’ rise to political prominence came via the District Attorney’s office, first in Alameda County, CA and then the City of San Francisco. Harris was twice elected Attorney General of California before succeeding Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate.

As California’s junior senator, Harris has advocated for healthcare reform, the decriminalization of marijuana, a path for citizenship for illegal immigrants, a ban on assault weapons, and progressive tax reform. In 2019, GovTrack, a non-partisan organization that tracks bills in Congress, rated Harris as the most liberal U.S. Senator, outranking progressive stalwarts Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Elizabeth Warren. Married since 2014 to attorney Douglas Emhoff, Harris has no children.

Ironically, Harris was born in Oakland, the former home of my beloved Raiders. However, the Raiders now play in Las Vegas, which is only fitting because a vote for Joe Biden is really a gamble that he can hang on long enough to serve out a full term. Otherwise, Kamala Harris will be warming up on the sidelines for her chance to enter the game… I mean, the Oval Office.

So, there you have it, folks. A staunch conservative family man from America’s heartland versus a San Fran politician who is to the left of socialist Bernie Sanders. It’s an easy decision for me.