Mike Pence and Dining

Tempting as it may be, I’m still not ready to write anything about Donald Trump’s presidency, but I do feel compelled to say something about the all the brouhaha that erupted a week or so ago regarding Vice President Mike Pence’s dining habits. As we all now know, Mike Pence has a policy of not dining alone with women who are not his wife or a member of his family—a policy that’s he’s submitted himself to since about 2002. The Internet and the press promptly erupted with both ridicule and outrage upon learning this, showering him with a level of scorn usually reserved for men who beat their wives. While I can understand why people would disagree with any number of Mike Pence’s political positions, it’s been disgusting to watch the mudslinging that he has endured over this personal rule. Here is a man seeking to esteem his wife, protect his marriage, and maintain his personal integrity by not spending intimate time alone with women who are not his wife—an unusually honorable policy for a Washington DC politician. I do not for a minute believe that Mike Pence hates women or thinks of them as nothing more than temptresses that can’t be trusted. If you don’t believe me, maybe you’ll believe Mary Vought, one of his former staff members who published an op-ed in the Washington Post in his defense, which can be read here. Seeing as how she worked directly under Mike Pence, I’m inclined to believe her when she says his personal dining habits never held back her professional career, and as a side note I would go so far as to say that if your career advancement is dependent on having private dinners with an opposite sex boss, then something is very wrong with your organization. I have known a number of men in my life with similar personal policies to the one Mike Pence lives by, and though I realize that the experience of one individual cannot be taken as authoritative for every circumstance, I will say that those men are likely the most upright and honorable men I’ve ever met. If you want to tear down Mike Pence go after his actual political positions. Attacking him for his commitment to his wife just makes you look completely out of touch with reality.