I've repeatedly said that though President Trump gives his leftist enemies plenty of fodder in his tweets to attack him, they would malign any Republican president unless he totally capitulated to their demands -- and switched parties. Indeed, they always have.
The liberals say Trump is such an awful person, which apparently excuses their monomaniacal obsession with destroying his presidency. Yet Vice President Mike Pence is one of the finest people around, and they can't stand him, either. Big surprise.
Remember how they ridiculed Pence for saying he has a rule that he won't dine alone with a woman who's not his wife or attend events where alcohol is served without his wife? Pence didn't originate the rule. I've heard variations of it from Christians, including my pastor, for years.
Well, the left wouldn't tolerate that innocuous practice of self-discipline. No, his rule to avoid any appearance of impropriety or unnecessary temptation incurred the wrath of some liberals. They said that refusing to meet with women is a form of discrimination because it deprives them of informal networking opportunities that could advance their careers. Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, said that to make it fair, men should apply the rule to men, as well. In other words, no dining alone with anyone.
Sometimes you just can't win. So the vice president's efforts to lead a godly life simply cannot stand. He not only isn't praised for the noble gesture; he's trashed for it.
Last week, lovely leftists were at it again, and the Winter Olympics in South Korea was their venue. The liberal networks and print media salivated over the opportunity to compare Pence, unfavorably, to Kim Yo Jong, the sister of one of the world's most despicable dictators, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Under this headline, "Kim Jong-un's Sister Turns On the Charm, Taking Pence's Spotlight," The New York Times had a field day, writing, "Flashing a sphinx-like smile and without ever speaking in public, Ms. Kim managed to outflank Mr. Trump's envoy to the Olympics, Vice President Mike Pence, in the game of diplomatic image-making."
I'm sure it was news to Pence that he was competing with this Nork wonder woman for attention. No doubt Ivanka Trump was also surprised to learn that the press dubbed this Commie super-sibling "North Korea's Ivanka."
But you'll have to forgive the liberals' enthusiasm. They simply can't contain their childlike excitement for communist dictators, such as Cuba's Castro brothers or the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.
If one were inclined to psychoanalyze the leftist mind, it would be interesting to explore how the leftist can put "charm offensive" and "North Korea" in the same sentence. Do liberals think the entire world is vapid enough to actually believe that the malevolence of a murderous regime can be mitigated by a flurry of public smiles or a squad of Olympic cheerleaders dancing in militaristic unison? But enough about that.
The latest Pence-dissing came on ABC's "The View." A few of the show's adorable hosts mocked Pence's Christian faith -- you know, that annoying superstition that inspired the "Pence rule." The segment began when they played a clip from "Celebrity Big Brother," showing former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman deriding Pence.
"As bad as y'all think Trump is," she said, "you would be worried about Pence. ... Everybody that's wishing for impeachment might want to reconsider their life. ... I'm Christian. I love Jesus. But he thinks Jesus tells him to say things."
Reacting to the clip, Sunny Hostin said, "I think what was interesting is that she said that Jesus tells Mike Pence things to say." Pence, she said, is a hated figure in Indiana, where she went to law school. "I think when you have a Mike Pence that now sort of puts this religious veneer on things and calls people 'values voters,' I think we're in a dangerous situation."
Joyous Joy Behar said, "It's one thing to talk to Jesus. It's another thing when Jesus talks to you." That sent the sycophantic audience into convulsions of mindless applause. "That's called mental illness." Outdoing herself, Behar added, "Can he talk to Mary Magdalene without his wife in the room?" That was yet another swipe at the "Pence rule" wrapped in an offensively sacrilegious and even less subtle Christian slur.
There must be an acute case of collective cognitive dissonance, pathological denial or arrogant indifference among many leftists about their attitude toward Christianity.
Every time conservatives complain about the popular culture's assaults on Christians and Christianity, the left mocks in unison, as if anyone making the charge is delusional. When the national Democratic Party is criticized for booing God, Democrats gaslight their accusers as all being deceived by their lying eyes.
Why can't they just own up to their contempt for Christians -- at least Christians who actually believe what Christians claim to believe? Wouldn't it be easier to have a national dialogue on this -- as liberals are always eager to do -- if each side were honest about where it stands?
You see, in liberals' view, Trump is abominable, but Pence might be even worse because he not only claims to be a Christian but, unlike Trump (in their eyes), actually is one. His ideas are "dangerous." And his going to God in prayer and believing he gets subtle promptings from the Holy Spirit just proves he's mentally ill. Is it OK to say "LOL" in a column?
Leftists had better hold their fire against Trump, lest they wind up with the dastardly Mike Pence. LOL.