Governor Mike Pence and Senator Tim Kaine had their marching orders for Tuesday night's vice-presidential debate, and that was to show the viewers and any undecided voters - lest there be some, at this stage - that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had what it took to become the next president of the United States.
Both came off as polished and professional in their attitudes and beliefs, With Pence a former radio host, and US Senator and Kaine’s own senate experience, as well as the governorship of Virginia, gave them both a viable and visible comfort level.
Pence had the added burden of making up for Trump’s dismal showing in the last presidential debate where he came off as testy, and uninformed, even insensitive as Clinton skewered him on a number of key areas, especially his Achilles heel: his refusal to release his tax returns, and the late leak by the New York Times which showed him adept at avoiding tax payments.
Kaine shot out of the starting gates like a supercharged racing horse, ready to take the race, but unfortunately, he was so “on message” that, at times, he seemed scripted, and even stilted. What required a more relaxed tone -- right down to the choice of being seated at a conference style table, versus a podium, should have been a clue to his preparation. Instead his aggressive style, so well suited to Clinton made him seem awkward, and he lost much of the laid back southern style, that most in the media are used to seeing from him.
On the issues, Pence definitely showed a thorough preparation that Trump often lacks and even, on one issue, Syria, showed a much tougher stance than the latter has expressed. While not entirely out of step with the creation of safe zones, Pence’s inclusion and commitment of the military showed a much more hawkish position than was envisioned. Perhaps as a decisive turn from the position that President Obama has set, was offered, but did he go too far? Was this an intentional leak?
Kaine will be remembered for how many times that he talked over,and interrupted Pence, to the point that some observers started a stroke tally to keep score. Again, out of character.
Pence, tripping over his own sword, dismissed the Kaine inclusion of the, by now, infamous, remarks that Mexico was sending rapists to the U.S. --- which became enlarged to say that Trump thought all Mexicans were rapists, thieves, and the like. But, the die was cast and Pence remarking “there you go with that Mexican thing,” will be fodder for the Republican ticket critics as they brand them as racists.
Also, on message, was Pence, who followed the Republican playbook to the core, with the theme of bringing America back, and the lack of unity -- all Trump signature phrases, that seem to be point to some former halcyon days, when the country peaked, and now, despite evidence, to the contrary, are believed to be at our lowest.
An old saying used to be “It played in Peoria,” also seems to ring true today with the nativist bent taken by Trump, and the none too subtle urgency that the presidency must be taken away from the blacks and kept away from women.
For Kaine, the inclusion of Trump’s admiration for Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and also by Pence, was his glory moment, and on Wednesday CNN showed tapes of both men expressing their admiration for Putin, whose alliance with Syrian president, Bashar Assad, has been responsible for the millions of deaths of his countrymen, and the wave of immigration that has swept through Europe, in response.
Outside of these moments Pence proved to be unflappable, and when Kaine rushed to the net with an aggressive move, he let the ball drop, rather than respond. For some viewers this might have been a lack of defense, but in reality it left Kaine looking awkward, and lacking a response he could tear into.
On script, Kaine, departing from his Catholicism, asked Pence why he wouldn't let women decide for themselves, and most notably said: “Why don’t you trust women to make this choice for themselves? We can encourage people to support life, of course, we can, but why don’t you trust women? Why doesn’t Donald Trump trust women to make this choice for themselves. That’s what we ought to be doing in public life — living our lives of faith or motivation with enthusiasm and excitement convincing each other, dialoguing with each other about important moral issues of the day, but on fundamental issues of morality, we should let women make their own decisions. “
For this moment, Kaine, got the issue out, played to the base of Hillary supporters and scored a homerun to attract younger women. Game set.
Pence, on the other hand, hit his own play with three references to the war on coal, in an obvious appeal to Trump’s base of white working class men and the lack of coal production as an environmental hazard, and the cheap production of coal, exported to other countries.
Closer examination, by the fact checkers, undermined some of his assertions, yet the die was cast, and the bleachers erupted in cheers, as once again, to their mind, those Democrats, led by, Obama were unsettling the lives of families, dependent on coal.
“The coal industry is struggling, but the Indiana governor incorrectly blamed its woes solely on new federal regulations, omitting the effects of steep competition from cheap natural gas,” reported newsok.com.
They also said, “A string of major coal companies has filed for bankruptcy in recent years, including Arch Coal, Alpha Natural Resources and Peabody Energy. Layoffs and cutbacks have spread economic suffering through coal country in the Appalachians and Wyoming's Powder River Basin.”
The kicker was that “the Obama administration has implemented rules that aren't making the coal industry's life any easier. Obama last year imposed a rule requiring coal-fired power plants to cut their carbon emissions as part of his effort to combat climate change. The rule has been suspended pending a legal challenge. Obama also has halted new coal leases on federal lands until it completes a comprehensive review.”
There was some certainly some fancy footwork on Pence’s part as he dealt with the aggression on the other side of the net. As BBC.com noted, “When Mr Kaine confronted him on Mr Trump's past controversies, he responded by asserting that the Clinton team was the one waging an "insult-driven campaign".
“When Mr Kaine attacked Mr Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the US, Mr Pence said "we're going to put the safety and security of the American people first.”
Perhaps his greatest moment was when ”Kaine noted that Mr Trump had suggested women who have abortions should be subject to criminal penalties (a position he later recanted), Mr Pence said they "would never support" such legislation - and then, when pressed, said Mr Trump wasn't a polished politician and "things don't always come out exactly the way he means them".
While many will say that Pence won, or that Kaine won --- it was more of an overall draw, with Pence scoring major points for shoring up Trump’s profile since the first debate with Hillary. He also managed to hold off Kaine’s aggression, and to show more of the traditional Republican stance, more characteristic of another generation. Which is exactly why he was chosen to be the vice-presidential candidate.
Kaine on the other hand played to Clinton’s base, as designed, and despite some “Red Bull” fueled moments did position her as the one to lead. But, this is a position that most of her supporters already had -- so while he may have underscored that reality, it was Pence that gets kudos for doing the job he was assigned.
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