<p>How much money did it cost the nation's taxpayers for Vice President and Official Glarer at North Korea Mike Pence to spend just enough time in Indianapolis on Sunday to storm out of a Colts game in protest of a protest?</p> 
<p>CNN has an <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politics/pence-indianapolis-flights-cost/index.html" type="external">estimate</a> just for the plane alone:</p> 
<q> <p>According to the Air Force, flying a C-32, the model of plane used for Air Force 2, for one hour costs about $30,000. Pence's flight from Las Vegas to Indianapolis Saturday took about three hours and 20 minutes, so it cost about $100,000.</p> <p>Pence then flew from Indianapolis to Los Angeles on Sunday, which took about four hours and 45 minutes, costing about $142,500.</p> <p>The grand total: about $242,500.</p> </q> 
<p>Keep in mind this is just for the plane. It does not include any of the ancillary costs that accrue anytime the vice president travels anywhere. There were increased security costs to local police once Pence was on the ground in Indianapolis. Costs to locals stuck in traffic as roads were likely closed for his motorcade. Costs to the Colts to increase security at the stadium. And so on.</p> 
<p>All so Pence could release a statement that was the equivalent of his <a type="internal">infamous stern gaze</a> across the Demilitarized Zone at North Korea:</p> 
<q> <p>I left today's Colts game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem. At a time when so many Americans are inspiring our nation with their courage, resolve, and resilience, now, more than ever, we should rally around our Flag and everything that unites us. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I don't think it's too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem. I stand with President Trump, I stand with our soldiers, and I will always stand for our Flag and our National Anthem.</p> </q> 
<p>Pence's office would like you to think this was just a spontaneous reaction by a man proud of his flag and his nation. This is belied by the fact that his reporters traveling with him were <a href="https://twitter.com/ElizLanders/status/917091068797161472" type="external">not allowed out</a> of their vans when they arrived at the Colts' stadium but were told ahead of time that &#8220;there may be an early departure from the game by VPOTUS.&#8221;</p> 
<p>It is also belied by this tweet sent Sunday afternoon by Donald Trump:</p> 
<q> <p>I asked <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">@VP</a> Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country. I am proud of him and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecondLady?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">@SecondLady</a> Karen.</p> </q> 
<p>The Colts were playing the San Francisco 49ers, the former team of Colin Kaepernick, who started the kneeling protests a year ago. The chances that Mike Pence would see players kneeling were approximately 100 percent.</p> 
<p>He knew this ahead of time, yet he still chose to fly from Las Vegas to Indianapolis despite the fact that he had to fly back to California immediately afterwards for fundraisers, just so he could get a picture of himself holding his hand over his heart (a picture his staff immediately made the header photo on his Twitter page) before theatrically storming out and scolding the NFL players for offending him.</p> 
<p>A real leader might have tried to find out exactly why the players <a type="internal">started kneeling</a> in the first place, which was to protest police brutality and <a type="internal">racism</a>, and then spoken with them and tried to figure out ways to address their concerns.</p> 
<p>Mike Pence did the exact opposite.</p> 
<p>As of Monday morning, he has yet to make a peep about the white nationalists returning to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday night to once again rally around the Robert E. Lee statue there. That he is seemingly far more concerned with staging a political stunt slapping down African-American players protesting systemic racism tells you all you need to know about him.</p> 
<p>Oh, and to top it off, one of the fundraisers Pence is attending in California is for <a type="internal">Dana Rohrabacher</a>, the strongly pro-Russia congressman. Fiction writers could not make this up.</p> 
<p>Please note: This is a commentary piece. The views and opinions expressed within it are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of IJR.</p>
Trump VP Pence Wastes Hundreds of Thousands of Tax Dollars on Fake NFL Photo Op