From Staff Reports

FLETCHER —After the release of a video containing lewd comments about women made by GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trump’s vice presidential candidate, expressed his forgiveness of — and loyalty  to — Trump during a rally of about 400 people on Oct. 10 at the WNC Agricultural Center’s Virginia Boone Building.

The crowd — jammed together standing in a cordoned off area — was loud, excited and rowdy, as the Rolling Stones’ 1969 recording, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” (a Ttump favorite), played periodically. 

At that point, Pence praised North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory for his efforts in managing the state during the storm — and the efforts of the state’s first-responders.

The crowd cheered when Pence said, “We’re just 28 days away from a great victory.

“I’ve got to say I’d join this campaign in a heartbeat. Because you’ve nominated a man who never quits, never backs down... and in 28 short days he will be the 45th president of the United States.

“Donald Trump is willing to fight every day for what he believes in ... and he’s going to fight all the way to the White House for the American people.

“You certainly saw that last night. Pacing around the ring — Donald Trump won that debate. Donald Trump’s vision won that debate,” Pence said, as the crowd cheered.

“I was very moved by last night. It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong. To express remorse and to apoplogize. And Donald Trump showed last night that he’s a big man.

“I was on TV this morning. One of the commentators said, ‘I’d heard that you’re a Christian.’” I said, “That’s a relief.” As an aside, Pence praised his wife Karen Pence — and said the only bigger decision was when he came to know and trust Jesus Christ..

Pence said the TV commentator asked  him “‘how you, as a Christian, can go forward...’ I told him that I believe in grace, I believe in forgiveness. In fact, I’m called to forgive as I’m forgiven.” The crowd cheered.

“Last night, my running mate showed” his humility. “I’m proud of what he brought on the national stage last night.

“This election is not just between two choices, but between two futures, a more prosperous America, a more....” The crowd cheered.

“North Carolina, I’ve got a favor to ask. Can you make sure that Hillary Clinton is never elected president of the United States?” Besides cheering, the crowd erupted into its frequent “Lock her up” chant.

“The stakes are more than what the media is focused on during any given day... It’s about security, it’s about prosperity, it’s about the Surpreme Court of the U.S. and it’s about integrity in public life.

“The truth is the world is more dangerous today than the day Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton took over.

“For the world to be safe, America needs to be strong — and Donald Trump will lead from the world stage with American strength.

“We’ve achieved peace in America and the world through strength... Today, we stand with the smallest army in 40 years, the weakest navy since 1916... The average age of our aircraft is 27 years old — older than most of the men and women who fly them for us.”

Pence added, “We have to return to the principle that there’s only peace through strength. When Donald Trump is elected president....”

As a result of poor foreign policy by President Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton, “An emboldened Russia has overrun Crimea ... We see China building islands and building installations in the South China Sea... We see weapons tested by an increasingly... North Korea.”

Pence said that “Obama’s leading from behind” is a failed policy, along with “feigning resets with Russia — or paying ransoms to terrorist-sponsored states.”

Further, he asserted, “Hillary Clinton’s record is something specifically that we need to talk about.

“She negotiated the status of forces agreement. In 2009, Iraq was basically stable. From the surge in 2007, the American soldier won the peace.... at a great cost.

“ISIS has literally overrun parts of Iraq. So the American soldier will be called back in.”

At that point, Pence asked for servicemen and women to raise their hands — and many did. He thanked them for their service and crowd cheered.

“This administration made a deal with the mullahs for $150 million. The leading state sponsor of terror will have the most powerful weapons in the world.

“Hillary Clinton left the four people in Bengazai... When she was confronted by a congressional committee, ‘What difference, at this point, does it make?”

The crowd booed the mention of Clinton, and again chanted “Lock her up! Lock her up!”

Pence said, “Anybody who said that and anybody that did that, should not be alowed to be president of the United States.

“You don’t do that. You don’t leave Americans in harm’s way... The call came and it wasn’t 3 in the morning. It was in late afternoon,” Pence stressed.

“For the world and our people to be safe, America needs to be strong with strong leadership. Donald Trump as president. The days of American weakness are over. “ The crowd cheered.

2 Dem leaders call on Pence to reject Trump

From Staff Reports 

North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Patsy Keever made the following statement Oct. 10 prior to — and regarding — Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence’s visit to Fletcher that evening , addressing GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump’s behavior toward women:

"I agree wholeheartedly with Governor Pence. The language used by Donald Trump to describe women in the recently released video is offensive and inexcusable.

“Throughout this campaign and his life, Donald Trump has exhibited a repugnant tendency to harass and demean women.

“This November, the people of North Carolina will come together to ensure that Donald Trump gets nowhere near the White House — and they will affirm that Hillary Clinton, who has spent her decades of public service standing up for the rights and dignity of all people, is the person who represents North Carolina's best values.

 “I call on Governor Pence to join scores of fellow Republican leaders in doing what is best for our country and rejecting Donald Trump," Keever said.

Earlier Oct. 10, Keever and N.C. Senator Terry Van Duyn, also a Democrat, held a press conference to discuss Pence’s visit to the Asheville area. and “how Donald Trump is dangerously unfit to serve as president of the United States, with an emphasis on Trump’s history of inexcusable actions and language that demean and degrade women,” a press release said.