Those two tweets sum up the night perfectly, so I’m going to keep this one short and sweet. Both Kamala Harris and Mike Pence accomplished their respective goals in the debate. Harris HAMMERED the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus, avoided generating negative headlines, and overall held her composure.

     Pence on the other hand executed the GOP playbook to a T. Avoid, deflect, and outright lie. He had his list of talking points going into the debate and stuck to them like his life depended on it. One thing I will say about Pence is that he legitimately scares me as a politician. To me it seems that he has the ability to actually accomplish all of these horrific and insane plans that Trump has been attempting. I believe he has the political wherewithal and clout to get stuff done.

     While Pence actually answered very few questions, there were a few that Harris avoided too. Harris kept the pressure on the Trump administration and a few times that led to her leaving out much substance of her own. Whether that was intentional or not, I always prefer when candidates discuss their own policy proposals and why they believe they will be beneficial to the working class.

     One thing I do want to bring up is the gender aspect. My wife, who is by no means a huge fan of Harris’s political viewpoints, was enamored watching a strong-willed woman stand her ground against a white man of power who seemingly views women as subservient. And she did so while keeping her composure and not lashing out. As much as she was talked over, interrupted, etc. if I were debating Pence, I probably would have just gotten up and left. Harris’s willpower to sit there and take the straight up disrespect from Pence proves that she has what it takes to handle herself under high pressure, stressful situations.

     So overall the vice-presidential debate was much less rage-inducing that the presidential debate, but it still left a little to be desired. While both candidates had roughly equal speaking time, Pence routinely interrupted and talked over both the moderator and Harris. Going forward, I honestly do not expect that to change. Pence obviously believes that what he is saying is worth more than anything a woman offers.

     As an objective observer, I would say that Harris won the debate – as she actually answered more questions. But like I said earlier, both sides came out of the debate feeling accomplished. It seems this will be the overall theme of the rest of the debates going forward.

     Also, please be sure that you are properly registered to vote! Visit Vote.gov for more information to get started. And if you are planning to vote absentee by mail, make sure to request your ballot NOW. Then when it arrives, follow the directions carefully. Do not let a simple mishap keep your vote from counting!