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Chaotic, bleak and frustrating: that was the tenor after the television debate between US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Now his MPs Mike Pence and Kamala Harris clashed and led a thoroughly civilized debate. Which, however, was achieved without major surprises, according to American expert Sarah Wagner.
SRF News: Did Harris and Pence fight more objectively and fairly than the two presidential candidates?
Sarah Wagner: It was a long and interesting night. But the bar was low when we thought about the last duel. The debate between Harris and Pence was traditional. Relatively quiet and with more focus on content. However, the candidates mainly used the questions to present their own content and arguments. That means that many questions were not specifically answered. That was very frustrating.
There were no big surprises or moments that could help or hurt the candidates enormously.
Yet Pence and Harris did what Biden and Trump failed: have a civilized debate.
Absolutely. Both candidates delivered what they had to accomplish, especially for their electoral base. Pence is also a very different type of politician from Trump. He is very disciplined, at the same time that Pence showed his loyalty to Trump and the administration with great force. The direct attacks did not bother him either.
Also, the moderator tried to contain everything. Which he has not always achieved. In this debate, too, the speaking time was frequently exceeded. The moderator also did not ask if problematic content was expressed, or was also silent about it. Specifically with Pence, who did not want to commit to a peaceful transfer of power in the event of an electoral defeat.
In your opinion, who has done better: current Vice President Pence or his challenger Harris?
Both candidates showed what they can do. However, it is much more important that the divisions between parties and politicians in the United States are very deep. This also means that for Democrats, the winner is clearly Harris, while Republicans see Pence up front. According to the CNN blitz poll, Harris was able to increase his approval ratings. But there were no big surprises or moments that could greatly help or hurt the candidates.
Interview by Hans Ineichen.
