Tuesday
night was the only time the vice-presidential candidates would debate in the
2016 election.
I
think there will be a couple of things remembered about this debate but it is
quickly starting to fade from the news cycle in part due to the most recent
Trump controversy and the lead up to the second presidential debate.
Here
is how I scored this debate
TIM KAINE: C
MIKE PENCE: D-
MODERATOR ELAINE QUIJANO: INCOMPLETE
I
think Kaine did what he was expected to do which was defend his running mate
and put the Trump-Pence ticket on the defensive. This debate was to rally the
base to their respective candidates. For the Clinton campaign it was a certain
segment of the liberal base that was not enthralled with Clinton selecting
Kaine as her running mate. I wanted Senator Warren due to the circumstances of
the election but Kaine is a good choice given his behind the scenes work as an
anti-discrimination attorney, his work as a missionary in Honduras, and
starting as a city council member followed by mayor of Richmond then becoming
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (2001-05), Governor of Virginia (2005-09), and
the elected to US Senate in 2012.
Not
only that, but selecting Kaine kept a Democrat holding a senate seat when the
Clinton-Kaine ticket wins because Virginia’s governor, Terry McAuliffe, is a
Democrat unlike Massachusetts’s governor. Selecting Warren would have likely
resulted in all sorts of mental gymnastics to keep the seat in Democratic hands
as possible and shorten the time between Warren vacating the seat, when
Governor Charlie Baker appointed a Republican to fill the seat, and when the
special election takes place.
Polls
indicate that Kaine lost the debate, but did he really lose? There were times
where Kaine interrupted the moderator and failed to let Pence finish his
sentences and at times came off a bit too excited as well as engage in
crosstalk with Pence which is why I gave him a low grade. But like Clinton
picking Kaine, there is a logical walkthrough and it makes sense.
Kaine
attacking Pence for the things Trump has said put Pence on the defensive and
throughout the debate Pence denied that Trump ever said those things.
Oh
really…
The
Clinton campaign has already cut an ad from the debate showing Pence saying
Trump didn’t say X or shaking his head about Trump saying X, but a clip of
Trump saying X.
Even Mike Pence can't defend Donald Trump's insult-driven campaign. pic.twitter.com/iJVFlrSHBq— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 6, 2016
Speaking
of Pence, it appeared that him and Trump never had a conversation about some of
the things that he and the top of the ticket agree and disagree on specifically
about Russia.
Trump
has praised Russia while Pence mocked Putin.
And
it seemed that Pence has never heard of Donald Trump or watched his campaign
announcement speech, specifically towards the end when Pence said “that Mexican
thing again.”
Pence
in one exchange mentioned that Trump is not a polished politician like Clinton
and Kaine are. Prior to her presidential runs of 2008 and 2016, Clinton ran for
the US Senate in New York in 2000 and won re-election in 2006. I mentioned
Kaine’s electoral history and he has never lost a race. Meanwhile Pence has run
for congress in 1988 and 1990. He finally won elections to Congress from
2000-2010. He won the Indiana gubernatorial in 2012. Prior to being tapped as
Trump’s running mate it was looking like he was going to lose re-election in
part due to signing Indiana’s religious freedom bill into law.
And
as I expected the social issue question came up but it was a very broad
question, not a specific one. It is part of the reason why I gave Moderator
Elaine Quijano an Incomplete. As far as I know, this was the first time that
she moderated any presidential level debate. Maybe next cycle she moderates a
primary debate in order to hone her skills better. It is my way of saying, “This
was a tough gig. I want to see you try it again. Don’t get discouraged.”
The
social issue question was addressed in the
MSNBC post-debate coverage by Rachel Maddow. This is not Governor Pence’s
first time in the national spot light. Last year, Pence signed an anti-LGBT
bill into law that drew so much national scorn that the Indianapolis
Star took out a front page editorial demanding that the state legislature “Fix.
This. Now.” For the moderator to ask a broad question about social issues
and not touch on Pence’s history of embracing some very radical positions on
abortion, HIV/AIDS, and LGBT identity does the country a disservice and gave the
Trump-Pence ticket a bit of cover. Trump’s campaign is supposedly on this wave
of economic anxiety among a certain segment of the population but he has a
culture warrior as his running mate.
Overall
this debate likely changed nothing in regards to the trajectory of the race. Clinton
is heading into tonight’s debate as a favorite and is expected to deliver a
knockout blow to Trump’s dwindling presidential chances.
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