Compromising One's Values

ONE MONTH BEFORE TRUMP'S ELECTION, when the Access Hollywood tape was released, in which Trump proudly proclaimed himself a serial sexual predator, his running mate, Mike Pence, like all other devout Christian conservative republicans, had a problem, and a choice to make. A choice of religious morality versus political expediency. They made their choice. In every case, political expediency trumped religious faith and morality. Pence, who like Bill Clinton and many others wanted to be president since he was in high school, offered to replace Trump as the presidential candidate, and to run with Condoleezza Rice. The republican national committee took another approach: to mitigate, ignore, and disavow the Access Hollywood tape. Two days later Trump himself saved the day, and his own campaign, by arranging for all the women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct to attend his debate against Hillary Clinton, as if by bringing back memories of Clinton's indiscretions Trump could expunge his own, which, in the eyes of his supporters, he could. Every day during his service as vice president Mr. Pence is faced with the contradictions between his devotion to Christ and his willing subservience to Donald Trump. the dissonance must be considerable, and there are people close to Pence who confirm that it is. it is even speculated that Pence will serve out one term, then either leave the administration or challenge Trump for the republican presidential nomination in 2020. Trump meanwhile, continues to try to assuage his own guilt by pointing to other people, usually Hillary Clinton, most recently by accusing her of lying to the FBI, this accusation itself being a blatant lie. that Donald Trump ever accuses anyone else of telling lies is audacious almost beyond belief. Mike pence, who started life as a Catholic but converted to evangelical Christianity while a young man, is a man of principles, with attendant political aspirations. It must be truly agonizing for him to sever in the Trump administration. had he not accepted the V.P> nomination, his political career would have been over, so unpopular was he as governor of Indiana. And yet, Pence, more than anyone, understands that Donald J. Trump is the very antithesis of Christian values. Perhaps he feels deep down that he can make a difference, can offset the vile influence of Trump, and thus serve his God, his country, and his conseience. If only all the other Trump supporters felt the same way.