Categories: Politics

Takeaways From The Much Calmer Vice Presidential Debate Between Mike Pence And Kamala Harris

The debate took place in Utah, with the presence of a limited, socially distanced audience, with moderator Susan Page. Initially, the focus was on the COVID-19 pandemic but took turns to cover a broad range of issues including climate change, trade, jobs, and America’s position with China.

The Coronavirus Pandemic

Commenting on the President’s management of the deadly coronavirus which has already taken the lives of 210,000 people in the U.S, Harris said in her very first answer, “The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,”. She went on to accuse Trump of lying to the people about the gravity of the virus.

Pence defended Trump’s performance by saying that the Biden administration wouldn’t have handled the pandemic any better. “Our nation’s gone through a very challenging time this year, but I want the American people to know that from the very first day, President Trump has put the health of the American people first,” he said.

Dodging Questions

When asked questions about each candidate’s age, both Pence and Harris avoided giving a direct answer. Biden’s age,77, has been continuously under attack by the Trump campaign while the President himself is 74. The fact stands that if either Trump or Biden were to die in office, the vice president would have to assume responsibility for the presidency. This issue gained much importance after President Trump was hospitalized.

Pence further went on to dodge questions about the precautions taken at the Rose Garden ceremony which was held to celebrate the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, which had led to several attendees testing positive for the coronavirus. Pence escaped the fact about the indoor gathering and went on to add that the event was held outdoors as per the medical experts’ guidelines.

Harris, just like Biden last week, also avoided the question about whether their administration would increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court.

Interruptions

As with last week’s Trump-Biden debate, interruptions were made once again as Pence demanded more time to speak. Pence refused to move on without replying to Harris’s saying about Trump’s behaviour and actions towards the U.S military.

“Joe Biden would hold Russia to account,” Harris said after referencing reports that Russia offered bounties to Afghan militants to kill U.S. troops.

When Pence continued to protest to be allowed to respond, Page granted him 15 seconds to which he said, “I’ve got to have more than that.”

“The slanders against President Donald Trump regarding men and women of our armed forces are absurd,” Pence said.

Page continued to cut in, but Pence paid no heed and went on talking. “You’ve had more time than she’s had so far,” Page said amid the crosstalk. “I did not create the rules tonight.”

Question By An Eighth Grader

The last question of the night was submitted by an eighth grader from Springville, Utah. Page read “When I watch the news, all I see are two candidates from opposing parties, trying to tear each other down. If our leaders can’t get along, how are the citizen supposed to get along?” Page read. “Your examples could make all the difference to bring us together.”

Pence elaborated an example of the two people who were famously close friends despite their different political views, late Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. He said, “Don’t assume that what you’re seeing on your local news networks is synonymous with the American people.”

Harris grabbed the chance to boost Biden’s character. “Joe has a longstanding reputation of working across the aisle,” she said. “Joe Biden has a history of lifting people up and fighting for their dignity.”

The Fly

In the last hour of the debate, found o be the most interesting one by most, a fly landed on Pence’s head and refused to budge for a whole two minutes. Shortly after the debate, Biden tweeted, “Pitch in $5 to help this debate fly,”. Half an hour later, the campaign added a fly swatter to its merchandise store with “Truth over flies” written on the handle.