If the Harris vs Pence debate were a meme, it would almost assuredly be “Mr. Vice-President, I’M speaking!”
Politics
VP Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris met Wednesday night in Salt Lake City for the “plexiglass clash,” or what many political operatives are already calling the “Smooth Talker versus the Gifted Litigator.” Still, others described it as perhaps the most important vice-presidential debate in US history. They were all right.
Mike Pence presented himself as “folksy” but fake, as many viewers called him disingenuous. After last week’s angry bully fest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Trump needed the Harris vs Pence debate to stop the bleeding on his failing campaign and for Pence to turn the race around in the Trump-Pence favor.
He missed the mark!
Sen. Harris had a clear directive. She needed to appear presidential and pass the “commander-in-chief test,” she needed to avoid the “angry black woman” stereotype that many in America were anxious to label her with, and, above all, she needed to do no harm.
She succeeded!
In fact, it was a powerful night for Sen. Harris who is on the verge of breaking through 2 glass ceilings by being elected the first African-American and the first female vice-president of the United States.
The Harris vs Pence debate began with a hard-hitting question about COVID-19 and how each campaign will handle the pandemic going forward. Mike Pence said he and Donald Trump would continue to respect the American people to make choices regarding their health (apparently meaning they will allow no masks and other ‘willy-nilly’ reactions to continue).
However, Sen. Harris took issue with that response.
“Let me tell you how to respect the American people. You respect the American people when you tell them the TRUTH,” she said, referring to Trump’s failure to put out a red alert once he learned of the coronavirus in January.
The Democratic vice-presidential nominee was off to the races from that moment on.
She discussed last week’s White House “super spreader” event which left 34 White House officials and employees positive for the coronavirus.
When asked if a COVID vaccine was introduced by election day, Sen. Harris said: “If the medical professionals… if Dr. Fauci tells us to take it, I’ll be the first in line to take it. If Donald Trump tells us to take it, I’m NOT taking it!”
Sen. Harris then brought up Donald Trump’s refusal to discuss specifics about his health (as COVID-19 positive) as well as his penchant for hiding his taxes. When asked about the economy, Mike Pence weakly attempted to defend Trump’s record. However, once Sen. Harris was given 15 seconds, she responded: “Joe Biden is responsible for saving the auto industry, and YOU voted against it. THANK YOU!”
And, of course, whenever Mike Pence interrupted Kamala Harris, she reminded him multiple times with her 1000-watt smile: “Mr. Vice-President, I’M speaking!”
With Joe Biden at 77 years of age and Donald Trump at 74 with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, the question regarding the health of both candidates and if their vice-presidential counterparts are capable of stepping into the presidency was asked. In a near tie, 63% of Americans said they now believe Sen. Harris is qualified to be president, while 67% said Mike Pence is qualified.
As for who won the Harris vs Pence Debate, a CNN poll immediately following the event declared Sen. Harris the winner 59% to 38%.
However, the unofficial and true “winner” of the Harris vs Pence debate was the fly that landed and stayed on Mike Pence’s head for several minutes on live television. As one social media post said: “Even a fly recognizes sh*t when he smells it.”
Interestingly, CNN has updated its interactive electoral map. With only 26 days left until the final day of voting, the network has joined just about every major poll in America in declaring that the election is poised to be a runaway win for Biden-Harris. According to The New York Times, Pennsylvania now appears comfortably in favor of Biden, while Florida, North Carolina, Iowa, and even Texas are seemingly in play.
LA Times: Review: Kamala Harris’ sterling debate was for every woman who’s been talked over by a man In the time-honored Washington tradition of male candidates treating their female opponents like subordinates, and men dismissing women in boardrooms and office cubicles across the country, Pence continually interrupted Harris, stepping on her time and steamrolling through Susan Page in the process. But Harris was having none of that. “Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking,” Harris said repeatedly, stopping him in his tracks when Page’s ineffectual thank yous to Pence could not do the job. At one point, Harris explicitly demanded that she be given equal time after yet another of Pence’s successful attempts to filibuster past the two-minute time limit. Pence’s tone was calm and reasonable in comparison to his boss’s bullhorn offensive last week, but Harris still had to walk the same impossible line Hillary Clinton did in 2016 when she ran against Trump. California’s former… Read more »