Election in America: Pence-Harris debate will have plexiglass on stage between cadidates

US Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic rival, California Sen. Kamala Harris, are set to meet Wednesday (Thursday NZT) for a debate that will offer completely different visions of a country facing ever-increasing crises.

The Salt Lake City showdown is the most anticipated vice presidential debate in recent times. It will unfold as US President Donald Trump recovers in the White House after testing positive for the coronavirus last week and spending several days in the hospital, a serious setback for his campaign that adds pressure on Pence to defend. the management of the pandemic.

For Harris, the debate is his highest-profile opportunity to express how Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden would stabilize America, especially when it comes to solving the pandemic and addressing racial injustice. She will be able to explain her views on law enforcement, an area some progressives view her with suspicion, given her past as a prosecutor.

Ultimately, the debate is an opportunity for voters to decide whether Pence and Harris are fit to assume the presidency at any time. It’s not a theoretical question as Trump, 74, is fighting the virus, and Biden, at 77, would become the oldest person to become president if elected.

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While the debate will likely cover a variety of topics, the virus will be at the forefront.

Pence and Harris will appear on stage exactly 3.7 meters apart, separated by Plexiglas barriers. Anyone in the small audience who refuses to wear a mask will be asked to leave.

Pence, who was with Trump and others last week who have since tested positive, has faced questions about whether he should be in the debate. The vice president has repeatedly tested negative for the virus, and his staff and doctors insist he does not need to self-quarantine according to the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC defines “close contact” risk as being within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting two days before the onset of symptoms or a positive test.

Pence’s team objected to Harris’s request for Plexiglas barriers, arguing that it was medically unnecessary. But the Presidential Debate Committee had already accepted the barriers, and Pence’s attendees said his presence would not deter him from attending the event.

Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, said there is “zero risk” that the vice president will withdraw from the debate on the Plexiglass dispute. He said Pence “will be there” because he is “too important to the American people.”

“Hesitation seems to be on the other side,” he added.

Sabrina Singh, a Harris spokeswoman, said the senator “will be in the debate, respecting the protections that the Cleveland Clinic has put in place to promote the safety of all concerned.” The Cleveland Clinic serves as a health advisor to the Presidential Debate Commission.

Despite early discussions, the debate is unlikely to be a repeat of the chaotic debate between Trump and Biden last week.

Pence is eager to take advantage of the liberal policies of Harris and Biden, but it can be difficult to divert the conversation from the unequal handling of the pandemic by the Republican administration. Pence is serving as chair of the president’s task force on coronavirus, which has failed to implement a comprehensive national strategy even as Trump himself recovers from the disease and the death toll nationally exceeds 210,000 with no clear end to the view.

The vice president is a 61-year-old former Indiana governor and radio host, an evangelical Christian known for his country charm and unwavering loyalty to Trump.

Harris is a 55-year-old senator from California, the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. She is also a former prosecutor whose sharp questioning of Trump appointees and court nominees and a genius on the campaign trail made her a Democratic star.

She will make history as the first black woman to appear in a vice presidential debate. Democrats hope the storied nature of her candidacy will help energize key groups of likely Democratic voters, particularly African Americans and youth, who have shown less enthusiasm for Biden.

It is unclear how aggressive the candidates will be towards each other.

Both have taken a cautious approach along the way, staying in line with their previous race mates who, above all, are tasked with not damaging their group’s ticket.

Some Harris allies fear that a conservative approach will keep him from shining.

“Writing too much to Kamala Harris amounts to getting five bullets out of her gun before she got into a shootout,” said Nathan Barankin, who served as Harris’ chief of staff in the Senate and when he was California attorney general.

While some Democrats have set high expectations for the debate, Harris and his allies have been trying to keep them low. Last month, when the president of the California state Senate told Harris in a Zoom call that home state fans were excited to see his debate, Harris quickly chimed in.

“He’s a good debater,” he laughed. “I’m so worried, like I can only disappoint.”

Gender will likely play a role in the debate, said Hillary Clinton, the first woman to lead a presidential nomination, during a recent fundraiser.

She suggested that Pence would try to paint Harris as “the inexperienced candidate.” Harris will have to be mindful of double standards for women in politics when responding, Clinton said.

“She has to be firm and effective in refuting any implication that comes from the other side, but doing it in a way that does not scare or alienate the voters,” Clinton said.

Harris has been preparing for the debate in Salt Lake City since Saturday. Karen Dunn, a Washington attorney who helped prepare Clinton for her 2016 debates against Trump, leads the preparations for the Harris debate.

Harris plans to focus on the leadership failures of the Trump-Pence administration but avoid personal attacks on Trump, as Biden has done since the president was hospitalized for the virus, according to a campaign aide who was not authorized to discuss planning. of the debate publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pence’s team has been reluctant to discuss his strategy in preparations for the debate, except to point out that he is “thorough” in everything he does.

Pence has spent the past four years defending the president almost daily and has mastered the art of turning Trump’s chaotic rhetoric into a more palatable and mediocre commentary.

Attendees note that Pence’s criticism has focused almost exclusively on Biden and his record rather than Harris. He’s likely to stay that way Wednesday, but he hasn’t completely ignored Harris.

In an interview with a conservative talk show host in Iowa last week, the vice president called the California senator a left-wing extremist. Pence also said he was “counting the days for debate.”

“In Kamala Harris, you have someone who was actually the most liberal member of the United States Senate in 2019,” Pence said.

“While I will go there and present our case to the American people, and bring the fight to Joe Biden and his schedule, we will also make sure people know about his running mate’s background. , and the positions he has taken. “