Piety & Power, by Tom LoBianco: on Principles & Values

Donald Trump: I don't have time for political correctness

Then Trump cuts her off, "Only Rosie O'Donnell." The studio audience, mostly Republican honchos, loved it. Kelly quickly corrected him, "No it wasn't. You once said to a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, 'It would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees.' Does that sound to you like a man we should elect as president?" Then Trump launched into a tirade. "I don't have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't either. This country is in big trouble. What I say often times, it's fun, it's kidding. And honestly Megyn, If you don't like it, I'm sorry. I've been very nice to you."

Donald Trump: We don't win anymore; we lose to China and Mexico

The next day on CNN, Trump carried through on the threat. "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her whatever. In my opinion, she was off base." Had Trump just accused Megyn of attacking him because she was menstruating? It sure sounded that way, but the nuances could be debated forever, and they were.

Donald Trump: October Surprise: Access Hollywood tape of Trump

Then WikiLeaks posted e-mails from the Hillary campaign-an awfully convenient [response] "October Surprise."

Greg Pence: 2004: Filed for bankruptcy for oil & gas cleanup

Compounding the Kiel Brother's problems was significant gas leakage from broken tanks at their gas stations--the state fined them $9 million for cleanup costs. Then, in 2004 Greg Pence and the Kiel brothers filed for bankruptcy, unable to overcome $100 million in debt.

Gov. Mitch Daniels offered to help Greg Pence--he found him working at Indiana's Department of Environmental Management. Greg was bailed out by the agency that said he owed them $3.8 million--he resigned just two months later.

And for the second time in his life, Mike Pence lost a small fortune because of one of his closest friends, this time his oldest brother. The collapse of Kiel Brothers cost Pence $700,000 in stock he held in the company.

Hillary Clinton: Russian hackers paid internet trolls to attend Trump rallies

But the summer of 2016, American intelligence had picked up on some troubling actions by Putin and his operators in Russia. Behind the scenes, Russian hackers and operatives had been hard at work the years before laying the groundwork for an attack on the very roots of American democracy--an army of internet trolls, working out of Moscow, not only spread propaganda and disinformation online, but also actively paid Americans to protest.

Russians even set up real American bank accounts and actively recruited Americans to perform for them. The troll farm paid one man to build a wooden cage, and another woman to dress up in a Hillary Clinton costume--and then she rode in the cage at a pro-Trump rally and chanted "lock her up!"

Hillary Clinton: October Surprise: campaign emails from Russia via WikiLeaks

Meanwhile, within a half an hour of the news breaking, WikiLeaks began posting thousands of e-mails from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The e-mails had been stolen in a hack that Democratic cybersecurity experts traced to Russia--it seemed awfully convenient that when the biggest "October Surprise " to land in modern American politics dropped on the head of Trump, a half hour later an equally startling surprise landed at the feet of the Clinton campaign. It was whiplash for the American public.

Mike Pence: 1980-90s: Attended nondenominational Christian megachurch

He had his first savior experience with Jesus in 1978 but kept attending church through the 80's into the early 90's. After they had children, Karen and Mike opted to attend a nondenominational church in Greenwood that could best be described as a reformed Baptist church with an evangelical bent. In D.C. the Pence's attended a nondenominational megachurch

And what of Pence himself? Pence's close political aides and allies, formed during his time in congress, describe an unshakingly pious man. But his friends in Indiana rarely saw the public displays of religiosity before he went to Washington in 2000. And those displays returned again once he returned to Indiana to run for governor, a dozen years later.

Mike Pence: 1991 OpEd: Negative campaigning is wrong, and that's my sin

The Indiana Policy Review published Pence's confessional in its fall 1991 quarterly issue. Pence opened his 500-word essay with the advice of St. Paul: "It is a trustworthy statement, worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came to save all sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." He now knew that, "negative campaigning was wrong.. The mantra of a modern political campaign is ,"drive up the negatives."

Instead, Pence wrote, a political campaign "ought to be about three simple propositions; First, a campaign ought to be able to demonstrate the basic human decency of the candidate. Third, and very much last, campaigns should not only be about winning." Pence wouldn't get down in the mud again, and neither should anyone else.

Mike Pence: 2000: Positive in campaign; negative on radio talk-show

"Our campaign has committed itself this year to talking about Mike Pence, and about what Mike Pence believes," Pence said in his first TV ad, in a straight-on shot to the camera. The footage was gauzy, almost like it was glowing. Then: "I've learned a lot in the past ten years: I've seen my children born; I've built a business." The business he was talking about was his radio show. " What I've learned is that negative personal attacks have no place in public life."

The Mike Pence of the finely crafted television spots was a good Christian who never stuck his neck out on divisive social issues. But the Mike Pence of the internet had no problem going there.

Mike Pence: Urged to exit ticket after Access Hollywood scandal

Trump gathered his team. Reince Preibus confronted Trump and told him to step down from the ticket or lose in a landslide-he never mentioned the contingency plan the RNC had in place to remove Trump and replace him with Pence.

Pence put out a carefully hedged statement--he found Trump's comments reprehensible, could not condone any of them, and was praying for Trump.

Friends and colleagues called Pence repeatedly: they text their pleas. "Please leave the ticket, save yourself they begged. But Pence knew that Trump was the future of the Republican party: the yowling from the politicians and the elites inside the Washington bubble were the past.