March 31, 2017 01:35 PM UTC

Colorado Lawmakers Troll Mike Pence

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Local political operative Laura Chapin writes for U.S. News and World Report:

It’s worth noting that it didn’t take dinner or alcohol (the president doesn’t drink) for Donald Trump to brag about sexually assaulting women, and for dozens of them to allege he sexually assaulted them. It took a bus ride and an open microphone, groping a woman sitting next to him on a plane, attacking a female journalist at Mar-a-Lago and walking in on teenage pageant contestants.

It’s not the situation that prompts sexual advances and in Trump’s case, assault. It’s the sense of entitlement to female bodies.

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Mike Pence never dines alone w a woman not his wife, nor does he attends events w alcohol, w/o her by his side. https://t.co/BxfS0JzbAc

— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) March 29, 2017

The story of Vice President Mike Pence’s strict rules about fraternizing with women he isn’t married to created a lot of punchlines this week, even though it wasn’t really a secret–as the Indy Star reported last year during the campaign:

During his 12 years in Congress, Pence had rules to avoid any infidelity temptations, or even rumors of impropriety. Those included requiring that any aide who had to work late to assist him be male, never dining alone with a woman other than his wife, and not attending an event where alcohol is served unless Karen was there.

In a 2002 interview with The Hill, Pence called it, “building a zone around your marriage.”

Pence’s self-imposed rules against being alone with women not married to him creates the potential for troubling situations in the normal course of executing his duties. Does the fact that Pence can’t work late with female aides result in discrimination in hiring? As vice president, what if Pence needed to meet with a foreign head of state who happens to be female? And above all, what is wrong with Pence’s self-control that he can’t be in a room alone with a woman without “infidelity temptations?”

As you can see, the story provokes more questions than it answers. But fortunately, as two Colorado Democratic lawmakers demonstrated today, not everybody has this problem:

Alone with a male colleague @jeffbridges getting ready for negotiations on SB 213. Strategy is important I had to be in the room. #coleg pic.twitter.com/HfE0LQT3A3

— Faith Winter (@FaithKWinter) March 31, 2017

Run Mr. Vice President, before any sin gets on you!