VP Debate: Kamala Harris, Mike Pence and a Fly

There were 11 Vice Presidential debates prior to last night and while I’m sure that I watched at least part of some of them don’t ask me for any details. I don’t remember.

The reason is simple. For all the talk on the campaign trail about the importance of the office of Vice President we don’t pay much attention to it.  What do you remember most about Dan Quayle’s eight years as VP under George H.W. Bush besides the fact he couldn’t spell “potato?”

So with that said I watched Wednesday night’s one and only debate between current Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris.  As expected it was not the raucous off-the-rails fiasco that took place last week between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.  The two were somewhat civil to one another with Pence composed and cool while Harris clearly was more in an attack mode especially when it came to the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

What was most troublesome to me as a viewer was how often both candidates refused to answer questions from moderator Susan Page of USA Today and instead use the allotted time to address something the other had said earlier.  Pence did this more often but Harris did as well especially when it came to whether or not Biden would attempt to “stack” the Supreme Court if conservative Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed during Trump’s tenure.

This is where Page should have stepped in and demanded an answer but frankly she was more concerned with staying on time then seeking answers. She could have done a much better job.

My guess is that what took place last night will have little impact on the election which is now just 26 days away and with polls agreeing that Biden’s lead is growing.  I guess if I was scoring last night I would give Pence the slightest node because he had to defend the President which is not easy especially when it comes to the coronavirus.

Plus he went nearly two minutes without reacting to the fact a fly was sitting on his head. I mean, he deserves bonus points for that.