Kamala Harris and Mike Pence, the real debate
Democratic candidate Joe Biden's running mate pinned the Trump administration on its handling of the pandemic, calling it "the biggest failure in American history"
The eagerly awaited debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, Democratic candidate Joe Biden's running mate in Salt Lake City, Utah, took place under the most peculiar circumstances. Because Donald Trump, back in the White House without being cured of Covid-19 and in a hurry to resume his campaign, is spreading comments about the coronavirus which are quite puzzling. And that the White House list of "covids" continues to grow. On Wednesday evening, special measures were taken to protect debaters. They were placed 3.6 meters away. And were separated by plexiglass walls.
"Cheerleader of Communist China"
The coronavirus, which has already caused the deaths of more than 210,000 Americans, has logically dominated the debate. Kamala Harris attacked from the start. "Americans have witnessed what is the biggest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country," she said, sharply criticizing Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic. Mike Pence defended himself by insisting that the president closed the borders with China early on, "which no other US president has ever done." He did not, however, really respond to moderator Susan Page (USA Today) question about social distancing rules that had hitherto been broken in the White House. He just said that Americans should be free to do as they see fit.
While the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden had turned into a cacophony, that of the "vice-presidents" gave rise to more courteous interventions, especially with more substantive discussions on key subjects such as the economy , health insurance, China, racial issues, the Supreme Court or the integrity of elections. “We must remain loyal to our allies. What we have seen with Donald Trump is that he betrayed our friends and made friends with dictators across the globe, ”replied Kamala Harris to a question about his definition of American leadership in 2020.
If the Democrat has already demonstrated her qualities as a good speaker and her pugnacity, often with a big smile, Mike Pence, well prepared, did not hesitate, with his phlegm, to throw her a few darts, as well as to Joe Biden . About China in particular. "Joe Biden is a cheerleader for Communist China," he denounced. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, lagging behind in the polls, was making live comments on Twitter, praising his runner-up and accusing Kamala Harris of being a "blundering machine," terms so far used for Joe Biden. Twitter was also interested in a fly that had rested for exactly two minutes on Mike Pence's white hair.
A first woman vice-president?
The Democrat didn't give up. She recalled in particular that the American president had, during the debate which opposed him to Joe Biden, explicitly refused to condemn the white supremacists. Mike Pence didn’t give up. "Donald Trump condemned the Ku Klux Klan and the white supremacists", he pleaded. What is true. Except he did so after the debate, as criticism mounted. Mike Pence insisted that Joe Biden was going “from day one” to raise taxes, and spoke in support of law enforcement and the military. He wanted to play in the register of emotion by evoking the American hostage Kayla Mueller who died in 2015. Her parents believe that she would have been still alive with President Trump, he blurted out, praising the operation which, in October 2019, led to the elimination of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, torturer of the young woman.
In recent days, Mike Pence had to be ready to replace Donald Trump in the event of a sudden deterioration in his health. Kamala Harris is in the peculiar posture of one who should be seconding a man who, if elected, would be 78 years old the oldest president to take office. Everything separates them. The rather smooth conservative Mike Pence represents those white evangelicals who helped bring Donald Trump to power, and is fiercely anti-abortion. The playful Kamala Harris brings her Indian and Jamaican roots to the fore, advocates for minorities and leftist values, and draws heavily on her background as a prosecutor.
According to a CNN poll, Kamala Harris is the winner of the debate, at 59% against 38% for Mike Pence. A somewhat harsh judgment for the vice-president. Much less virulent than the president, he remained, despite his spikes, in a respectful register, going so far as to congratulate his opponent on her "historic nomination" as the first black running mate of a party. The Democrat is only the third woman to reach this level in the campaign. If elected, she would be the first woman to take on the post of vice president.
