[ad_1]
SALT LAKE CITY: The showdown between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday night (October 7) began without the fireworks that marred last week’s chaotic debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
But Trump’s COVID-19 infection, and his and Biden’s advanced age, made him perhaps the most momentous US vice-presidential debate in living memory.
LOOK: Mike Pence and Kamala Harris face off over Trump’s coronavirus record in the US vice presidential debate.
Here are some highlights from the debate:
FILLING THE COURT?
Frustrated that Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate may soon consolidate a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, some on the left have asked Biden to expand the court from nine members to 11 or 13 seats.
Harris declined to say whether he supported that idea.
Trying to push that idea forward, Pence raised questions about Biden and Harris’ plans, which she also answered for her: “The direct answer is that they are going to fill the Supreme Court if they somehow win this election.”
FOREIGN POLICY
The relatively calm atmosphere allowed large political differences to come to light.
On global warming, for example, Pence declined to say it was caused by human activity, the overwhelming scientific consensus, and said that the solutions proposed by Biden would be too expensive.
It also incorrectly said that Biden would ban hydraulic fracturing.
Biden, in fact, has repeatedly said that he would not seek a fracking ban, although he would oppose new permits to drill on federal land. It is a key issue in electoral contexts such as western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, where the technique has led to a boom in energy production over the past decade.
A FLY IN THE OINTMENT
Pence’s left eye was noticeably bloodshot throughout much of the debate.
More than an hour later, a black housefly sat for several minutes on Pence’s white hair, dangling as he shook his head and argued with Harris about race and criminal justice. It unleashed a flurry of social media posts and the # fly2024 hashtag appeared on Twitter.
Vice President Mike Pence listens to Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, during the vice presidential debate Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, at Kingsbury Hall on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo / Julio Cortez)
“Three debaters are on stage now: Harris, Pence and a very political fly that has nested in Veep’s head,” Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, wrote on Twitter.
COLORING WITHIN THE LINES
Following last week’s chaotic and insulting debate between Biden and Trump, moderator Susan Page warned both candidates that she would strictly enforce rules designed to ensure decorum. “We want a debate that is lively. But Americans also deserve a discussion that is civil,” he said.
Pence opened by saying it was a “privilege” to be on stage with Harris, even after he said that the administration’s response to the coronavirus was “the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country.”
Things eventually got heated, but only on a low heat, not a boil. Pence repeatedly interrupted Harris and the moderator, leaving Harris to plead, “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking.”
Don’t talk about the elderly
In 2008, when he was running mate of Barack Obama, Biden said that “nobody decides who they will vote for based on the vice president.” However, this debate is of enormous importance.
The 77-year-old Biden would be the oldest president in American history if he won the election, and has hinted that he could serve only one term.
Trump, only slightly younger at 74, spent the weekend in a military hospital outside Washington after contracting the new coronavirus.
From a purely actuarial point of view, Pence, 61, and Harris, 55, would be more likely to run for president than other vice presidential candidates.
Pence also has an additional burden, as he has been tasked with campaigning for the ticket, as Trump has been sidelined due to his COVID-19 infection.
However, both candidates avoided the issue.
When asked if they had a firm succession plan, Pence used her time to talk about vaccines, while Harris spoke about her biography as the daughter of immigrants who later served as California’s attorney general.
Likewise, none responded directly when asked why their older running partners had not posted detailed health information. Pence thanked those who wanted Trump’s recovery, while Harris criticized Trump for not publishing his tax returns.
DINGING BIDEN ON PLAGIARISM
Candidates are usually presented with a quiver of clever catchphrases, and Pence blurted out one earlier.
He accused Biden of copying the Trump administration’s plan to fight the coronavirus, exposing plagiarism charges that helped sink Biden’s first presidential race in 1988.
“It’s a bit like plagiarism, which is something Joe Biden knows a bit about,” he said.
