POLL: Why didn't Pence wear a mask? A Pence expert shares his view. Now share yours!

• A Pence expert says Pence's decision not to wear a mask was a career-development move. What do you think? Take our poll!
• A version of this post first appeared in "Insider Today," a daily email written by Henry Blodget and David Plotz. To receive it in your inbox, please sign up here.
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When Vice President Mike Pence visited the Mayo Clinic yesterday, he refused to comply with both the clinic's rule that everyone must wear a mask and the CDC's guidelines that everyone should wear a mask in public.

Why?

Pence gave two explanations. First, he has tested negative for the coronavirus and therefore doesn't need to wear a mask. Second, he wanted to be able to "look [the healthcare personnel] in the eye and say thank you."

It's possible to look people in the eye and speak to them while wearing a mask, so we can scratch that one. Also, it's generally considered helpful and important for leaders to act as role models, so, regardless of how confident he is that he doesn't have the coronavirus, Pence at best missed an opportunity to set a good example.

Pence obviously knows that.

So what's the real reason he didn't wear a mask?

Insider's Tom LoBianco has written a book about Pence. He considers one obvious possibility — that, like his boss, President Trump, Pence is "defiant" and thinks rules are for other people. But Tom rejects this theory. Pence is not an "openly defiant type guy," Tom writes. He's a "by-the-book type guy."

Pence is also not the type who would just obliviously not wear a mask without considering the ramifications. According to Tom, Pence "doesn't do anything without thinking through all the angles first."

So, then, why?

Tom spoke with a long-time Pence acquaintance who offered this explanation: "He is going to do whatever keeps him in good graces with two groups, Trump and his minions and the evangelicals – but more important than the pastors, the evangelical money people. That's what allows him to keep on a path to the White House."

So, that's the inside theory: Pence's decision was a calculated career move designed to impress the two groups who Pence regards as the key to his future — "Trump and his minions" and "the evangelical money people." Neither of these groups, apparently, approve of masks.

Agree? Disagree? We've put together a simple poll to answer this critical national question. Share your thinking here!

A version of this post first appeared in "Insider Today," a daily email written by Henry Blodget and David Plotz. To receive it in your inbox, please sign up here.