Vice Pres. Mike Pence recently found himself in a proverbial political poop-storm for a very strange reason – honoring his wife and trying to protect the sanctity of his marriage.

The hue and cry ensued after the Washington Post dug up comments Pence made back in 2002 regarding how he chooses to interact with other women in certain situations.

“In 2002, Mike Pence told the Hill that he never eats alone with a woman other than his wife and that he won’t attend events featuring alcohol without her by his side, either.”

The brouhaha that followed demonstrates two truths.

1. Politics is just stupid. The fact that a person’s approach to their marriage can suddenly become a topic of intense “national” discussion, debate and hand-wringing, while killing dozens of innocent civilians in a military raid  barely registers as a blip in the media cycle, tells you a lot about the priorities inherent in statist politics.
2. When people call a man into question for respecting his spouse, prioritizing his marriage and trying to live a life of integrity, it indicates a high level of cultural rot in a society.

The “rule” Pence claims he tries to live by has been dubbed the “Billy Graham rule” after the famous evangelist. According to a post on the Gospel Coalition website, Graham came up with the standard early in his career in an effort to avoid the pitfalls he saw ensnare other evangelists. In an attempt to avoid these snares, Graham and his associates got together and made lists of actions that had ruined the lives of other ministers, undermined the integrity of the gospel message and led to charges of hypocrisy. Sexual immorality unsurprisingly made the list. Graham described this process in his autobiography.

“The second item on the list was the danger of sexual immorality. We all knew of evangelists who had fallen into immorality while separated from their families by travel. We pledged among ourselves to avoid any situation that would have even the appearance of compromise or suspicion. From that day on, I did not travel, meet or eat alone with a woman other than my wife. We determined that the Apostle Paul’s mandate to the young pastor Timothy would be ours as well: ‘Flee . . . youthful lusts.'”

Notice that it wasn’t just about avoiding temptation, but also the “appearance of compromise.” I’m pretty certain political operatives on the left would just love to make hay out of photos of Pence eating alone with a woman who was not Karen Pence. I can hear the screams of “hypocrite” now. It seems wise for him to avoid that possibility.

And I can tell you from personal experience, seemingly innocent actions can start you down dangerous paths. You take a step without really considering the consequences and wake up one day in a very bad place wondering, “How did I get here?” The one sure way to avoid ending up in such as spot is to never take the first step down that path. It seems Pence recognizes the danger and at least respects his marital vows enough to want to set boundaries to avoid it.

Personally, I  find the “Billy Graham rule” extreme. Maybe outdated. Although I take steps to protect my marriage. I don’t take things to that extent. But I refuse to condemn a man for making an effort to protect the sanctity of his marriage. In a country where more than half of all marriages end in divorce, where men abandon familial responsibilities without a second thought, and where sex has become a recreational sport, I find somebody trying to adhere to some kind of biblical standard refreshing.

But here’s the real question. Why do Americans care how Mike Pence chooses to run his marriage?

Because politics.

He occupies a position within the ruling class. Therefore, what he does takes on extreme significance in the minds of the hoi paloi. He represents “authority,” and he has the power to influence society – not just by his example, but by force and coercion. He might actually try to impose his ideas on the rest of us, right? Isn’t that the real issue people have with Pence’s marital “rules?”

This brings me back to my first point.

Politics is dumb.

Photo By U.S. Army Sgt. Kalie Jones [Public domain]