Still breathing fire, she concluded her article with this: "Whether Pence
is in a room with a single woman is silly but irrelevant. What matters is the
millions of American women, and women abroad, to whom his retrograde beliefs and
policies pose a threat." (She was also referring here to the fact that "Pence
broke a tie in the Senate to OK legislation allowing states to bar Planned
Parenthood from getting public health grants.")
Not to be outdone, Bret Stephens of the Wall Street
Journal tweeted, "The calling card of
all religious fundamentalism: terror of women," with reference to the tweet of
Danish journalist Martin Burcharth: "How differrent [sic] is VP from Orthodox
Muslim men? Mike Pence doesn't eat alone with women."
On my own Twitter feed, Susan wrote, "Christians will criticize Muslim
women for wearing hijabs, but Pence would exclude their presence altogether.
That oppression is OK though."
Over at Vox.com, attorney Joanna L. Grossman opined that, "[T]he practice
described by Pence in that 2002 interview is clearly illegal when practiced by a
boss in an employment setting, and deeply damaging to women's employment
opportunities."
Also at Vox.com, although in more moderate tones, a female, evangelical
university professor suggested that "good character
is better than strict rules," as if the two were necessarily in conflict. To the
contrary, good character often results in strict rules, although strict rules
themselves hardly produce good character.
The reality is that Mike Pence is exercising good, old-fashioned common
sense, something that is increasingly rare these days.
Pence recognizes that it's very easy for human beings to fall into
temptation, and he made clear that he's seen all
too many marriages destroyed during his years in politics: "I've lost more
elections than I've won. I've seen friends lose their families. I'd rather lose
an election. . . . Little old ladies come and say, 'Honey, whatever you need to
do, keep your family together.'"
What happens when you spend more time with a woman other than your wife?
What happens when you share your victories and sorrows with someone other than
your spouse? What happens when you put in late hours together, behind closed
doors, leaning on one other for support? (One of Pence's guidelines was never to
work late alone with a female aid.)
The reality is that many, if not most affairs, begin with an emotional
attachment rather than a physical attachment, and it is the latter that grows
out of the former, given the nature of male-female
chemistry.
And let's remember that Pence is not only protecting himself and his wife
Karen. He's also protecting the women who work for him, not allowing them to
look to him in ways that would be inappropriate and closing the door on the
possibility of stumbling for either of them. (If I recall, President Clinton had
a bit of a problem with one of his female interns.)
And just imagine what could happen if Pence was accused of sexual
impropriety. As one of my Twitter followers observed, "The same liberals would
be quick to judge and condemn him if he were to be involved in a sexual act
outside of his marriage."
In light of these fairly straightforward observations, one can only
wonder why so many on the left are reacting so harshly to Pence's practical
guidelines. Are marriages so solid that safeguards are unnecessary? Is there a
need to increase adultery in America? Should we declare war on
fidelity?
As Frank Camp wrote on the Daily Wire, "Elected officials in
Washington, D.C. are just as flawed as any other human being. Additionally, men
and women in positions of power are more frequently the target of unwanted
advances, unsubstantiated accusations, and tabloid speculation. Given the
environment in which elected officials live, the limitations Pence applies to
himself are admirable and prudent."
Camp is absolutely correct, and I for one am glad to have guard rails on
the sides of mountainous roads (or, for that matter, concrete medians in the
center of a six-lane highways), and the most conscientious drivers I know are
the first to put on their seat belts. As the old adage goes, "An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure." Or, in the words of the apostle Paul, "Let
him who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians
10:12).
That's exactly what Mike Pence has done, recognizing that overconfidence
kills. Many on the left, perhaps in denial of the sinfulness of human nature,
must concoct a different explanation for Pence's moral guidelines, thereby
revealing another aspect of our fallen nature, namely, the ability to deceive
ourselves about who we really are.
Sometimes it's painful to look in the mirror.
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host
of the nationally syndicated Line
of Fire radio program. His latest book is Breaking the Stronghold of
Food. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.
Well said, Michael!
