The Vice Presidential Debate

    The September 29 presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden was, according to one CNN reporter, a “hot mess inside a dumpster fire inside a train wreck.” As a Canadian who wasn’t well-versed in the dynamics of political debates in America until this year, I really thought the yelling and interrupting was a normal occurrence. Apparently, this has only ever happened with the current, special presidential candidates.
    After that craziness, it’s understandable that many people took in the October 7 vice presidential debate as a breath of fresh air.
    This debate, which took place at 9:00 pm EDT in Salt Lake City, Utah, covered a wide variety of topics - debate moderator Susan Page questioned Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN) on subjects such as the pandemic and the possibility of a future vaccine, American relations with China, the Breonna Taylor case, plans for the U.S. Supreme Court, climate change, tax policy, abortion rights, and law enforcement.
    What was interesting was that Harris, given her immense debating skills, was quite restrained during this debate. Even when Pence went over his time to speak, Harris kept to hers. She chose to focus on the bigger picture of things rather than zooming in on the small details, effectively maintaining the Democratic party’s standing with the people of America and following an important unspoken rule of vice presidential debates: do no harm. Harris spoke with a deliberative tone—seeming passionate and relaxed at the same time—and stood her ground on the issues at hand, even being bold enough to tell VP Pence, “I’m speaking,” when he would begin talking over her. In many people’s eyes, this was essentially exercising her equal right as an authoritative woman in politics and proving herself as a competent VP of the United States.
    Still, some believe that she didn’t really hit home with her statements against the Trump administration, often choosing to attack Trump himself rather than the organization he stands for.
For instance, when asked about the possible Covid-19 vaccine, she said: “If the public health professionals, if Dr. Fauci, if the doctors tell us that we should take it, I'll be the first in line to take it absolutely, but if Donald Trump tells us to take it, I'm not taking it.”
    As the debate continued, the discussion turned to environmental issues. Harris criticized Trump for ignoring the threat of climate change and repealing environmental regulations. However, she did little to eliminate the worries people had about the Biden agenda, including raising taxes after the Green New Deal framework.
    When asked about Harris’s seeming deflection of this agenda, one Andrews University sophomore commented that “the Biden-Harris campaign is focusing more on feelings rather than reassuring their possible supporters about what they’re agenda really is.” Is this something that Americans should be worried about?
    Mike Pence, on the other hand, went in for the specifics. He addressed the issues presented in a more direct manner (though not in a completely direct manner, as is the way of politicians) and made his claims with a calm, commanding voice as he outlined the differences between the Trump administration and the Biden-Harris administration. Pence was able to point out his opponent’s mistakes while driving home a variety of winning points about taxes, fracking, and the Green New Deal.
    When asked about climate change, Pence remarked that “the climate is changing. But the issue is, what's the cause? And what do we do about it? President Trump has made it clear that we're going to continue to listen to the science.” By providing such moderate answers to this question as well as others, Pence came across as a rational man who was backing up a rational party, showcasing Biden-Harris as extreme instead. But is this portrayal of a rational, level-headed party a true one?
   With this background, one might wonder what this debate accomplished. And in the eyes of the people, who won?
    Some say Kamala Harris did, her arguments full of substance and strategy. She brought up President Trump’s taxes and his failure to clearly condemn white supremacy during his debate, while also refusing to take any of Vice President Pence’s repeated interruptions.
    Others say that Pence won, zeroing in on numerous Biden-Harris weaknesses while also managing to stay keen and level-headed in his talking points.
    One thing to note is that vice presidential debates don’t usually change the trajectory of the campaign, but they’re still a chance to win swing voters. Many undecided voters often base their decision on persona instead of substance, and both Harris and Pence presented personas that could be argued for. Both seemed almost overly-civil in comparison to the Trump vs. Biden debate, and the night was moderated nicely. Both exuded confidence, passion, and level-headedness in their own ways. On another end, however, some saw Pence’s demeanor as condescending, while others saw Harris’s laughs and smirks as unlikeable. Both parties also avoided answering some questions altogether, sidestepping into other topics instead, or opting for obvious answers.
    Adoniah Simon (junior, social work), commented on this, saying, “What sticks out to me most is the final question asked, sent in from a girl from a local elementary school In essence, her question was this: ‘How can we hope for future generations to get along if the current ones in charge can’t?’ Both gave their answers...but neither of them reckoned with the hyperpartisanship of today. Instead, they opted for the sort of easy responses that leave our generation feeling dissatisfied and disillusioned.”
    Like Adoniah, most other voters didn’t appreciate the ducking of these important questions. It made people wonder if America would really be in capable hands, whichever way they voted.
    “I have hope in the future, ultimately,” said Adoniah. “I just wonder how many things left over from our parents and grandparents’ generations will be left to us to fix.”
    So who do you believe will make the most change for this country? Who do you believe will help America grow and learn from the past as well as work towards a better future for the people? Who do you believe will fulfill that hope?
Ultimately, the decision is up to you. Weigh the facts and do the research. Stay informed and be ready to vote when the time comes, because right now, the future of America is in the hands of her people.

Sources

Armentrout, M. (2020, October 07). Here's Harris, Pence on 6 key issues during the vice presidential debate. Retrieved from https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2020/10/7/21507090/vice-president-debate-quotes-kamala-harris-mike-pence-donald-trump-joe-biden
Data on six topics from the vice presidential debate. (2020, October 8). Retrieved from https://usafacts.org/articles/data-six-topics-vice-presidential-debate/
Halon, Y. (2020, October 08). Undecided voters found Harris 'abrasive, condescending' in vice presidential debate: Frank Luntz. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/media/vice-presidential-debate-reaction-undecided-voters
Isgur, S. (2020, October 08). Opinion: Who won the vice presidential debate? Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/08/opinions/who-won-vp-debate-roundup/index.html
Moore, E. (2020, October 8). Vice Presidential Debate Fact Check. Retrieved from https://apps.npr.org/liveblogs/20201007-debate/
Walsh, D. (2020, October 08). 4 Takeaways From The Mike Pence-Kamala Harris Vice Presidential Debate. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2020/10/08/921323806/4-takeaways-from-the-mike-pence-kamala-harris-vice-presidential-debate