DemDaily: Breaking Down the Debate
October 8, 2020
Harris and Pence on stage at the University of Utah (CNBC)
The debate followed a devastating week for the administration after a September 26th White House super-spreader event resulted in infecting the President, First Lady, and now 32 senior staff and aides with the coronavirus.
The unprecedented circumstances going into Wednesday's debate, where Harris and Vice President Mike Pence were separated by 13 feet and plexiglass dividers, was eclipsed only by the announcement this morning that the next presidential debate would be held virtually.
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This morning the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced that, "In order to protect the health and safety of all" the next presidential debate, scheduled to take place on October 15th in Miami, Florida, would be virtual.
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In what may be the last debate of the 2020 election cycle, Harris and Pence addressed a series of nine questions posed by USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page, who moderated a somewhat civil exchange compared to last week's disastrously chaotic presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
(SkyNews)
During one exchange where Pence went over time, Page remanded him, "You've had more time than she's had so far. I did not create the rules tonight. Your campaigns agreed to the rules for tonight's debate."
In addition to her relentless questioning of Trump and Pence's handling of the coronavirus, Harris attacked Pence on healthcare, trade, Trump's slander against US military members and the President's reluctance to condemn white supremacists at last week's presidential debate.
Pence repeatedly came back to Biden's plan to raise some taxes for the wealthy, called Biden a "cheerleader for communist China," accused Biden of wanting to "bury our economy" under the Green New Deal, and decried Harris as the Senate's most liberal member, even "more than Bernie Sanders."
(Robyn Beck/AFP)
Both declined to directly answer whether their administration would embrace the idea of expanding the Supreme Court, and on the subject of the threat to Roe v. Wade under a new court, Pence said, "I couldn't be more proud to serve as vice president to a President who stands on a policy for the sanctity of human life."
On the question of the peaceful transition of power, Pence said, "When you talk about accepting the outcome of the election, I must tell you, Senator, your party has spent the last three years and a half years trying to overturn the results of the last election...President Trump and I are fighting every day in courthouses to prevent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris from changing the rules and creating this universal mail-in voting, they'll create a massive opportunity for voter fraud."
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While the vice presidency is historically not a major factor in influencing voters' final decision, the age of both presidential candidates adds a new level of consequence to who will win the VP slot.
At ages 77 and 74, respectively, it is unlikely that Biden or Trump would run for a second term -- underscoring the significance of who would be better prepared to step into the role of Commander-in-Chief tomorrow. Both Harris, 55, and Pence, 61, deflected the question about whether they had discussed a plan of succession with their running mates.
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Page closed the debate by reading a letter from Brecklyn Brown, an eighth grader, which served as both question and statement.
Post-debate, the Biden campaign capitalized on the only light moment of the evening, when a fly landed on Pence's head.
As of this writing, the next presidential debate, if any, is still undetermined.
DemList will keep you informed.
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