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In what runs the risk of being the last televised showdown of the US election campaign, given Donald Trump’s current positivity towards the coronavirus, the two vice presidential candidates, Mike Pence for the Republican Party and Kamala Harris for the Democratic Party , they faced each other. politely, exchanging many accusations but without low blows and systematic interruptions, and taking advantage of a gentle restraint that allowed them both to avoid the most sensitive issues and subjects.
“A brief conventional moment in a time of extraordinary chaos,” wrote the New York Times.
The moderator of the confrontation, Susan Page from the newspaper USA Today, quickly led to a discussion about handling the pandemic, which Harris called “the worst administration failure in US history.” Harris accused the Trump administration of lying to Americans and not taking the threat of the epidemic seriously, resulting in the deaths of more than 200,000 Americans. When the moderator asked Pence why the United States has had so many deaths relative to population compared to other developed countries, Pence did not respond without ignoring the question.
The fact that Page chose not to pressure the candidates allowed both of them during the evening to talk about their favorite topics and not answer some questions.
When the moderator asked Pence if Americans have the right to know the president’s health status, given that Trump’s personal physician lied to the public in the days of his admission to Walter Reed Hospital, Pence said He responded by thanking the doctors and nurses, remembering the affection expressed by the Americans, spending words of praise to the same Biden and Harris who had sent messages of closeness to the president, and then even congratulating him on the appointment of Harris as vice president … until time is up . , and did not answer the question.
Shortly after, speaking of the Supreme Court, Harris also avoided responding: and as Biden had done last week, he did not want to clarify whether or not the Democrats are thinking of adding justices to the Supreme Court, bringing the number from the current 9 to 10 o 11. Pence took advantage of this, putting her in trouble: “The American people deserve an answer.”
Later, speaking of climate change, Pence was quick to defend his management and changed the subject again, leading the discussion on economics and taxes. First, however, he pointed out how Kamala Harris has called for a ban on fracking, the controversial practice of extracting oil and natural gas from rocks, in the past, while Joe Biden says he is against the ban and has adhered to the ambitious plan. of economic conversion proposed by the left wing of the party, and known as the Green New Deal, which Biden does not officially support, preferring more gradual reforms.
This issue also came back several times over the course of the confrontation: although he is considered excessively moderate by the more radically left wing of the Democratic Party, over the years Harris has positioned himself firmly to the left of Biden and is among the senators. more leftists for the Democratic Party. votes he expressed during his tenure. Harris had to release herself from her previous positions, her current positions, and overall from being the first black woman to run for vice presidency, which likely led her to avoid overdoing it to dismiss the widespread and racist gender stereotype of the so-called woman. ” angry black “.
In a debate without ramming and low blows, which will continue to be memorable especially for the extraordinary conditions in which it took place – the two candidates were separated by two Plexiglas panels, since Pence lives inside a coronavirus outbreak – the moment in that woke up. The attention of the public, especially online, was that in which a fly settled for almost two minutes on Pence’s head, who continued speaking impassively.
Within minutes, dozens of accounts and memes on behalf of the fly appeared on social media: Joe Biden’s committee tweeted us, has been registered a dedicated domain for the site that allows you to register for the electoral rolls (flywillvote.com) and has put up a brand-name fly killer for fundraising purposes, in an attempt to exploit the predictable online virality of this harmless moment.
Despite the calm and collected atmosphere, unmatched by the Trump-Biden showdown, Pence has at times tried to interrupt Harris. She was very firm, answering each time, “I’m talking.” Pence almost always gave up on this point and was generally much less aggressive and more reassuring than Trump. At one point, however, the moderator called him back, because he exceeded the time allowed for responses and did not even stop in front of the many “Thanks” spoken to tell him to stop.
Two other notable moments: when Harris, speaking of health, accused the Trump administration of wanting to abolish the Barack Obama reform without having an alternative plan, and recalled that there is currently a pending case in the Supreme Court in which the administration he’s calling for insurance companies to be allowed to deny policies, or make them cost significantly more, to Americans with past health problems.
“If you have any prior medical conditions – heart problems, diabetes, breast cancer – you have them,” Harris said. “If you love someone who has previous pathologies, they have it with you. If you are under 26 and have taken advantage of your parents’ policy so far, they have it with you. “
Finally, abortion. Abortions were legalized across the country by a famous Supreme Court ruling in the 1970s, whereas previously each state was free to regulate, or not regulate, abortion in any way. American conservatives have been fighting for decades to introduce restrictions on voluntary termination of pregnancy, if not to ban it entirely, and Pence is known for being highly religious and a point of reference for movements against the right to choose.
The recent appointment of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court has given new relevance to the issue, since it opens the possibility of a super conservative majority in the Court: a fact that Trump has linked on many occasions to abortion to abortion, defining himself also as a few years “pro-life”. The overwhelming majority of Americans, however, do not want to back down on this issue: and it was significant that, speaking of abortion, Pence hesitated a lot, calling himself “pro-life” but not delving into the true intentions of his administration.
Most American observers and journalists expressed relief at the civilized tone of the entire confrontation, but disappointment at how both candidates were allowed to avoid answering questions. The result was a boring and forgettable debate, which plausibly will have no impact on the consensus in the face of an electoral campaign filled with events of much greater weight and influence. “No candidate brought the panache and flames of the first confrontation, often resorting to previously rehearsed and memorized phrases; nor have there been serious errors or new attempts to change the electoral campaign ”, summarized the Washington Post.
The style and choices of the two candidates also contributed to this result: if Pence continued to present himself as the quiet voice of the administration, Harris avoided the aggressive style displayed for a long time in her career as a prosecutor and senator, perhaps also to avoid being a victim. of gender stereotypes.
Although the debate can be defined as a tie, however, the two parties did not start from the same position. The polls right now give Joe Biden a huge head start, who would remain great and successful even if the voting institutions were wrong, as they were wrong in 2016. With just over twenty days left until the presidential election, and millions of Americans They are already voting and have already voted thanks to the mail vote and the possibility of voting early, Pence needed some remarkable moment, or at least something that could change the balance of the electoral campaign. According to the vast majority of independent journalists and observers, none of this has happened: and much of this confrontation will soon be forgotten, out of the woods.
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