Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris met last night at the University of Utah for their only Vice Presidential debate. It was a 90-minute affair hosted by USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page.
Senator Harris labored throughout the night to blame the Trump Administration for the coronavirus pandemic. She called the Administration’s response a “failure” while feigning an outraged look as she spoke directly to the Vice President. She attempted to place the oft-disputed total number of US coronavirus deaths at the foot of the Trump Administration while the Vice President responded with one of several well-placed counter blows.
After Harris described how a Biden Administration would have handled the onset of the pandemic earlier this year, Pence said that their plan looked a lot like what President Trump and he were already doing. In a response that rattled Harris and referenced Biden’s 1988 failed Presidential bid, he said their plan sounded a lot like plagiarism, something he noted that the former Vice President should be familiar with.
When questioned about the forthcoming coronavirus vaccine, Harris said that she would take it only if it were approved by physicians and that she would not take it if President Trump instructed the nation to do so. Pence seized the opportunity to shame Harris, calling her attempt to undermine the confidence in the vaccine “unconscionable.”
Vice President Pence was calm and in control with a track record of facts, although he did interrupt her at times during the event. Harris was caught in several lies that were immediately called out by Pence including her campaign’s pledge to rescind the Trump tax cuts and ban fossil fuels and fracking. Her lies combined with her continuation of false narratives like the President’s statements about the Charlottesville protest in 2017 prompted another superbly landed response from the Vice President that he used more than once when he told her she was “entitled to your own opinion, but … not entitled to your own facts.”
Harris managed to work in reliable progressive talking points like “free college” and “cutting student loan debt” while using scare tactics when she looked directly into the camera and gravely announced that the Trump Administration is “coming for you” if you have a preexisting health condition.
While Harris painted a doom and gloom scenario during the discussion about climate change, calling it an “existential threat,” Pence countered with how the Administration’s fracking initiative lowered CO2 emissions via natural gas innovations.
Pence also rightfully characterized Biden as a cheerleader for China and contrasted his compliance with the communist regime with the Trump Administration’s record of standing up to it.
While Harris was looking smug, arrogant and using a condescending tone, Pence dismantled her police reform rhetoric by pointing out her filibuster of Senator Tim Scott’s police reform legislation. He also called out Harris’ non-existent record on criminal justice reform during her time as the Attorney General of California. The Vice President directly asked Harris if she would pack the Supreme Court if elected and when she ignored his question, he noted her non-response.
Moderator Susan Page was barely better than Chris Wallace who moderated the first Presidential debate, but still limited some of the Vice President’s response time. She also appeared to manufacture her own facts about the economy, calling the recovery slower than expected despite the robust September jobs report, something Pence should have highlighted. Pence did use an effective tactic when he used his time during other questions to counter previous Harris falsehoods while also addressing the question’s issue. Hopefully, his boss will consider adopting this technique.
As the debate wound down, Page asked the Vice President what he would do should President Trump refuse a “peaceful transfer of power,” and he delivered one of the best lines of the night when he said that Harris and her party have spent the last three years trying to undue the results of the 2016 election. He also referenced Hillary Clinton’s very public advice that Biden should under no circumstances concede the election.
Game, set, match and debate victory – Vice President Mike Pence.
Andrew Mangione is Senior Vice President for AMAC’s advocacy affiliate, AMAC Action. He leads AMAC’s grassroots efforts, represents AMAC’s membership in Washington, D.C., and helps chart the association’s policy course. He also serves as a national spokesperson.