Harris v Pence: Five things we learned from the VP debate

Coronavirus, climate change, and the Supreme Court dominate the only vice presidential debate

After a turbulent first presidential debate last week, the first and only 2020 vice presidential debate between California Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence was relatively tame.

Both candidates allowed each other to speak with few interruptions, and the night benefited from the absence of the personal attacks against family that Donald Trump flung against Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

With a stronger focus on the issues, here are five things we learned from the debate:

1. On coronavirus, Pence falls back on China ‘ban’

When cornered on the administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Republicans for months have been following the same playbook: Blame China.

And there is, literally, a playbook for that.

In April, a GOP consulting group sent a 57-page memo to Republican senatorial candidates urging them: “Don’t defend Trump, other than the China Travel Ban — attack China.”

Mr Pence — faithful, disciplined Mr Pence — did just that.

“First and foremost, China is to blame for the coronavirus, and President Trump is not happy about it,” he said.

He heaped praise on Mr Trump for instituting restrictions in February on travel to the US from China, which he falsely claimed banned “all” travel from China.

2. Harris attacks on Covid, Pence deflects

Ms Harris kicked off her debate by rattling off the staggering statistics of coronavirus cases and deaths in the US, which proportionately outpace the rest of the world.

“The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,” she said in one of her opening lines.

She hit Mr Pence, whom she noted is the “head” of the White House’s coronavirus task force, early and often for the administration’s sluggish rollout of a national testing strategy, cavalier messaging and example on wearing masks, and other issues related to the pandemic.

“Whatever the vice president is claiming the administration has done, clearly it hasn’t worked,” the senator said.

“When you’re looking at over 210,000 dead bodies in our country, American lives that have been lost, families that are grieving that loss. And, you know, the vice president is the head of the task force,” she said.

When pressed to answer for the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Pence instead reframed the question by applauding the efforts of the American people to carry on during difficult circumstances.

While that strategy precluded him from actually answering many questions about the administration’s response, it allowed him to cast Mr Trump and himself as allowing Americans to chart their own course and make their own decisions about how to approach the coronavirus crisis.

“President Trump and I trust the American people to make the best choices for themselves about their health,” he said.

3. Civility reigns

Mr Pence proved once again to be the velvet glove to Mr Trump’s brass knuckle, confirming how “proud” he is to work for the president while simultaneously eschewing the pugnacity that has marked his first three and a half years in office.

There were few interruptions on Wednesday, a welcome return to bipartisan decorum.

Each candidate, for the most part, allowed the other to answer — or deflect — the questions of the moderator, USA Today’s Susan Page.

There was a robust discussion of issues: We heard each candidate hammer the other on climate change, Covid-19, fracking, the Supreme Court, foreign affairs, and China policy.

Mr Pence even extended both his thanks and his congratulations to Ms Harris, who warmly accepted them.

“I want to congratulate you on the historic nature of your nomination,” the vice president said, referring to Ms Harris’ background as the first African-American and Asian-American to be nominated for vice president.

Mr Pence also thanked Ms Harris for her and Mr Biden’s prayers for the president and First Lady Melania Trump as they continue recovering from Covid-19.

“I respect the fact Joe Biden has spent 47 years in public life. And I respect your service as well,” he said at one point.

Mr Trump has often tried to turn Mr Biden’s career in public service against him, saying he has done more in “47 months” as president than the former vice president did in 47 years.

Ms Harris was equally poised and courteous.

Mr Pence briefly interrupted Ms Harris on more than one occasion.

But instead of trying to wrestle back control, the senator chuckled, shook her head, and let Mr Pence finish his point.

When debate moderator Susan Page tried cutting short Ms Harris’ answer, the senator asked for a few more seconds.

“He interrupted me, and I’d like to just finish,” she said calmly.

The request was granted.

4. Pence and Harris take a tactical approach

While the debate between Mr Trump and Mr Biden bounced around chaotically from one vague point to the next, without any seeming regard for a cohesive political strategy, Mr Pence and Ms Harris made more concerted efforts to target specific voting groups.

For instance, recent public polling has shown the president trailing Mr Biden by as many as 12 percentage points in Pennsylvania, a state home to thousands of people who work in the fracking industry.

Mr Pence hit Mr Biden for his vow during the Democratic primaries to end the use of fossil fuels, saying the Democratic ticket would “abolish fracking” if they win the election.

Ms Harris pushed back, pointing out Mr Biden has never said anything of the sort about fracking specifically.

The former vice president has said he would stop the Interior Department from approving new leases for companies to frack on federal land, but he has never supported a national ban on the practice.

“Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact,” Ms Harris said.

5. Transfer of power

Mr Pence has often been cast as a moderating voice in the White House, someone who can tone down the president’s most base rhetoric and reassure people there is an adult in the room.

He did not live up to that reputation on Wednesday when asked about peacefully transferring power to Mr Biden and Ms Harris if the Democrats win the election in November.

Instead, he merely projected optimism about the Republican ticket’s chances of winning.

“I believe we are going to win,” he said.