Three ways Mike Pence's refusal to wear a mask sums up Trump-Republican ideology

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To me, this sums up Trump-Republican ideology pretty neatly, in three ways:

* Trumpist Republicans don't have to play by the rules. The president ran his 2016 on a law and order campaign, but has notoriously been the most lawless president in living memory -- and that includes Nixon. Rules are for other people, not for the powerful elites and their friends.

* Trumpist Republicans disdain those they see as "weak." The GOP’s general attitude toward the vulnerable members of society is: "I got mine, you can go to hell." Mike Pence believes he doesn't have the coronavirus, so why should he act in a way that protects others from from the disease? And he can buy health insurance, so why should Republicans worry about ensuring that poor people can afford medical care? Or food? Or anything else?

* Trumpist Republicans are willing to let those weak people shoulder the consequences of their actions. Of course, people can be asymptomatic and still spread coronavirus, which means there is a chance that Pence's refusal to wear a mask increased the chances that patients and staff at Mayo were exposed to the virus. Not a significant chance, but still. Similarly, the GOP project largely is about protecting corporations from dealing with the consequences of their actions -- which is why environmental and worker safety protections have been gutted under Trump.

Pence's refusal to wear a mask is in some ways a small act. But it speaks volumes.