Kamala Harris v Mike Pence: Who won the VP debate?

This vice-presidential debate has given Americans who saw a glimpse of present and future American politics.

For the current election, both candidates did their best to defend their running mate and throw shots at the top of the opposite ballot. While both have had moments of effectiveness and failure, history suggests it will do little to change the dynamics of the race.

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• Candidates clash over viruses, taxes and weather

However, the participants in this debate look beyond November. Pence, like most vice presidents, has his eyes on a presidential candidacy of his own. To do that, he will have to win over Trump’s base and at the same time launch a broader web at Republicans and right-wing independents who may be unhappy with Trumpian politics. And so, throughout the debate, he defended Trump, but also tried to forge his own identity.

Harris, who was running for president at this time last year, tried to prove that she is a capable standard-bearer for the Democrats once Joe Biden leaves the political stage. When given the opportunity, he spoke about his education and background, taking the opportunity to present himself to a wider American audience.

Four years ago, Tim Kaine had an uneventful performance against Pence and his national position does not appear to recover. A good performance tonight, his only big moment of 2020 in the limelight, would help ensure he avoids Kaine’s fate.

Crossword about the coronavirus

Not surprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic was the opening topic of the debate and, unsurprisingly, Harris spent most of his time on the attack. Pence, on the other hand, focused primarily on defense.

Such is the current political reality, since currently the Trump administration is in charge.

Harris’s clearest line was to cite statistics (210,000 Americans killed) and accuse the Trump administration of “ineptitude” and “incompetence.”

Pence had his answer ready. He said the Biden-Harris plan was largely a copy of what the Trump administration was already doing, boasting about the rapid progress of a vaccine and treating criticism of his administration as an attack on first responders and health workers in USA

Surprisingly, none of the candidates spent much time on the fact that the White House itself has become the latest hotspot for the coronavirus. An obvious line of attack for Harris was left unexploded. With polls suggesting that handling the virus is the Trump campaign’s biggest weakness, a lure on the issue is a hit for Pence.

Energy and environment

If Pence was on the defensive from the coronavirus pandemic, when the issue turned to the environment, it was his turn to strike. Biden has expanded his plan to address climate change since the Democratic primary, and Harris was one of the original sponsors of the Green New Deal climate proposal.

While that has earned them praise from left-wing environmentalists, there are voters in swing states like Pennsylvania and Ohio who might see more government regulations as a threat to their economic livelihood – a reality that Pence tried to exploit.

While acknowledging that “the climate is changing,” he warned that the Green New Deal “would crush American energy.” He accused Biden of wanting to “abolish” fossil fuels and ban fracking, which Harris pointed out was false.

However, Biden has had to walk a fine line in the environment. During the debate, Harris said that climate change is an “existential threat” to the world, but both she and Biden have avoided a vigorous defense of the kind of government response such a threat would require, probably because it risks alienating key voters. in key states.

Race, police and protests

Like Trump a week earlier, Pence tried to move quickly from a discussion of discrimination and excessive force by law enforcement to a condemnation of the sometimes violent protests that have occurred in American cities. He said he trusted the justice system and that suggesting that the nation is systematically racist is an insult to men and women in law enforcement.

That prepared Harris’s most powerful replica.

“I will not sit here and be lectured by the vice president about what it means to enforce the laws of this country,” the former San Francisco attorney and California attorney general said dryly.

He pointed to Trump’s difficulties, as recently as last week’s debate, in clearly and concisely condemning white supremacists, and concluded that “this is what we have as president.”

Of course, there was a fly on Pence’s head for almost the entirety of this moment, so it may be what everyone is talking about for the next few days.

A matter of tone

Lasting memories of last week’s presidential debate are likely one of tone and demeanor: Trump’s constant interruptions and Biden’s occasional flashes of temper.

Both candidates clearly had this in mind when they sat behind their Plexiglas-protected tables.

Pence’s typically calm and methodical demeanor served as a constant counterpoint to Trump’s earlier bombshell. However, on the occasions when he interrupted, Harris was prepared.

“Mr. Vice President, I’m talking,” he said. “If you don’t mind letting me finish, then we can have a conversation.”

Given the dynamics of the debate – a white man interrupting the first black female vice presidential candidate – those were tense moments for Pence, where the normally quiet Midwesterner risked appearing rude.

What’s more, Pence had no qualms about crushing Moderator Susan Page, and given that female voters have turned drastically against the Trump-Pence candidacy, the extra speaking time she won may have come at a political price.

This story will be updated.