On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence was speaking to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian religious liberty organization, when ADF’s CEO Michael Farris asked for advice on how Pence dealt with attacks on his faith and beliefs. Pence, whose wife Karen was viciously attacked for teaching part-time at a Christian school, replied, ““No. 1 is, spend more time on your knees than on the internet … Forgiveness is a great gift.”
Pence also stated, “As a Christian believer we’re charged to pray for our loved ones but also pray for our enemies. You have lots of opportunities in politics to do that.”
The Washington Times, reporting the story, wrote on Twitter, “Mike Pence: ‘Spend more time on your knees than on the internet.’”
That prompted feminists to mock Pence for using a phrase that they interpreted in their own way:
Monica Lewinsky, whose experiences with former President Bill Clinton apparently gave her the urge to chime in, responded:
Prompting Duca to respond:
Pence has been mocked by leftists for years for his religious faith; in December 2016, when he was vice-president-elect, residents in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where Pence had rented a house, put up yard signs provided by NARAL Pro-Choice America reading “This Neighborhood Trusts Women.” In January 2017, a few hundred LGBT activists staged “Queer Dance Party at Mike Pence’s House” outside Pence’s home.
In March 2017, New York Magazine mocked Pence for stating he would not eat alone with a woman other than his wife, writing, “To achieve such a feat, Pence reportedly won’t have dinner alone with a woman who is not his wife; he also won’t attend any events where alcohol is served unless Karen is by his side. Suddenly the ‘mother’ makes a lot more sense.” Slate added, “Pity the poor soul who tries to come between Vice President Mike Pence and his ‘mother,’ or rather, his wife, Karen. Thick as prayer-loving, Bible-studying thieves, the two are so close ‘you can’t get a dime between them,’ as one official is quoted …”
The Daily Wire noted at the time:
The Pences are likely following the Billy Graham rule. Graham vowed “never to meet, eat, or travel alone with a woman other than his wife, a strategy to protect his marriage and to avoid even the appearance of an inappropriate relationship.” That code of conduct is far older than Graham; Jewish law has stated for millennia that men and women are forbidden from being alone together in a secluded location unless they are married to each other or are close family members.
In May 2012, Pence was ripped by the Left after stating, “The reality is across the wider world the Christian faith is under siege. Throughout the world, no people of faith today face greater hostility or hatred than followers of Christ.”
In December 2017, Planned Parenthood mocked Pence by suggesting supporters send him condoms. In February, Jimmy Kimmel targeted Pence with a joke about homosexuality. In January 2019, an MSNBC guest called Pence “The Jesus Whisperer.”