In the midst of a toxic culture war across America, a small meeting between two world leaders was held last week, on Thursday to be more precise. It was a quiet meeting and didn't get much attention. But it's worth taking another look at it if for no other reason than because it showcased something missing in public affairs these days: respect.
The vice president of the United States hosted the Irish prime minister at his home for breakfast. These two have some stark differences. Mike Pence is a socially conservative Christian married to the same woman since 1985. Leo Varadkar is more to the left of our vice president and is one of the only openly gay world leaders, having been with his domestic partner since 2015.
Mr. Pence oversaw the implementation of policies during his tenure as Indiana's governor that were criticized as anti-gay. He also comes from a country where gay marriage was legalized by a Supreme Court ruling, not by We the People. By contrast, the prime minister represents a country that, in the last few years, has allowed gay marriage and loosening abortion restrictions by popular referendum. To say the societies these two men represent have some differences is a bit of an understatement.
And yet, the Taoiseach's visit to America ahead of St. Patrick's Day was meant not to show a cultural divide between two countries, but how strong the ties are. "I think that the relationship between Ireland and the U.S. is long-lasting--it's strong," Mr. Varadkar told The Washington Post.
This breakfast could have gone cold, literally and figuratively. Mr. Pence, who opposes same-sex marriage, could have voiced opposition to Mr. Varadkar's domestic partner attending the breakfast. But he didn't. He treated both men with the dignity all of us deserve. (The Chicago Tribune reported that our vice president and the prime minister met at Mr. Pence's home last year. During that meeting, Mr. Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence confirmed that Leo Varadkar and his partner, Matthew Barrett, were welcome in their home.)
The prime minister, for his part, could have used the breakfast to make a show of the vice president's opposition to same-sex marriage and created a stink. That's how the American left would have handled it. But Leo Varadkar also showed respect. The press said Mr. Varadkar said a few words that touched on his sexual orientation, but otherwise left the topic alone.
"I lived in a country where if I'd tried to be myself at the time, it would have ended up breaking laws," the prime minister said. "But today, that is all changed. I stand here, leader of my country, flawed and human, but judged by my political actions, and not by my sexual orientation, my skin tone, gender or religious beliefs."
Both men knew there were other issues to discuss, like the impending impact of Brexit. They didn't get hung up on their differences. Contrast that with what's going on in American politics these days. Watch the TV news for five minutes, and then ask yourself: Wouldn't it be better if our betters were more like Mike Pence and Leo Varadkar?
Editorial on 03/18/2019