Blogger Candidate Forum: Round Two, The Vice Presidential Candidates

 

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN)
latimes.com

Hello Everyone:

Here we go again. The 2020 General Election Debate, the Vice President edition and The Blogger Candidate Forum is tapping in with the pre-game show.

One thing The Candidate Forum can say with absolute certainty is that it will be a more civilized debate.  Both nominees Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and incumbent Vice President Mike Pence (R-IN) are both very polished debaters who know how to charm and disarm.  Based on comments on The Candidate Forum/Blogger's social media feeds, a lot of people are expecting the Lady from California to put a beat down on the incumbent VPOTUS.  Those expectations are far too high.  Senator Harris' time in the San Francisco District Attorney's office, arguing criminal cases, have allowed her to develop a very keen set of verbal skills that made her a force to be reckoned with in the Senate.  One has only to look at how she questioned Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.  See it for yourself https://youtu.be/Tsm1GPnlqmU.

Although both candidates' primary task is do no harm to the top of the ticket, defend your running mate and your record, the incumbent VPOTUS is saddled with a much harder task.  He has to defend not only his record but also his running mate's lethal ineptitude in managing the United States' response to the COVID-19 response.  As The Candidate Forum said, a much harder task because pandemic and protest have been the overarching themes of this election cycle.  Game time is 6:00 pm on the Pacific Coast, 9:00 pm on the Atlantic Coast, and take place at the University of Utah.  The Candidate Forum will be back with the post-game analysis but before we jump in, question:  Have you made a plan to vote?

Well, have you made a plan to vote?  If you made your plan, good for you.  If you have not made a plan yet, stop reading, go to iwillvote.org, make your plan and come back to read the post.  Thank you.  Onward

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)
politico.eu

There is some good news going into this evening's debate, the incumbent VPOTUS tested negative for the virus, enabling him to maintain a rigorous campaign schedule, despite being the next in line should the president been unable to perform his duties.  To reduce the possibility of transition, the candidates and moderator, Susan Page, will be separated by plexiglass, something Team Pence objected to.

Historically, vice presidential debates have not attracted a lot of interest.  However, this cycle is different because both campaigns are casting an eye to the 2024 election cycle.  Both the incumbent president and former VPOTUS Joe Biden (D-DE) are in their mid-seventies and the incumbent president is still recovering from his bout with COVID-19.  If the Gentleman from Delaware is elected, there is a distinct possibility that he may not seek a second term and the Lady from California is being looked at as his successor.

He never left you
nbcnews.com

VPOTUS Pence is considered the favorite for the Republican nomination because "when President Trump is no longer in the White House, the GOP will branch out to establishment, Christian Evangelical, Libertarian, and Populist-Trump wings" (cbsnews.com ; Oct. 2, 2020; date accessed Oct. 7, 2020).  Really, the Republican bench is quite deep and there are several potential candidates that could easily be the Republican standard bearer. Other potential candidates include: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley; Senators Tom Cotton, Ben Sasse and, James Lankford; South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and Representative Dan Crenshaw have all paid recent visits to Iowa.  Bob Vander Plaats, the president and CEO of the Family Leader Foundation, enthused,

What we see is a very deep bench,... There's a host of them that're probably looking at 2024 in one way or another... (cbsnews.com ; Oct. 2, 2020).

The incumbent VPOTUS has indicated "he hasn't given any thought to anything beyond the election in 2020 (Ibid).  Regardless of whatever his thoughts on 2024 are, the final results of this cycle will have an impact on his future within the party (Ibid).

Vice President Mike Pence
en.wikipedia.org

Historically, vice presidential debates have always been considered the supporting act.  Since 1976, when the vice president nominees first had their own debate, the running mates have sort of been the runner-ups when it comes to television viewership.  For example, in 2016 only 37 million people watched the debate between Democratic nominee Senator Tim Kaine (VA) and Republican candidate then-Governor Mike Pence (IN).  This was 44-percent fewer than the number of people that watched the lowest rated Clinton-Trump debate (the second), which drew 66.5 million viewers (pewresearch.org; Aug. 28, 2020; date accessed Oct. 7, 2020).  This was the biggest drop-off between the vice presidential and lowest-rated presidential debates (Ibid).

The lone exception to this rule was in 2008, when more people--69.9 million--tuned in to the vice presidential debate between former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) and then-Delaware Senator Joe Biden (D) than the debates between the late Arizona Senator John McCain (R) and then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D) (pewresearch.org; Aug. 28, 2020).

What to expect from this evening's debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris?  A more substantive, less fiery exchange between the candidates.  Expect the Lady from California to dial down her prosecutorial manner of debate in order to adapt to the incumbent Vice President's Midwestern nice.  She will have to answer for her record as both San Francisco District Attorney and California Attorney General.  Spoiler alert: Her record reflects a more law and order prosecutor than "Far Left Radical."  He will have to account for his management of the United States' inept response to COVID-19 and the racial justice protests.  The main thing both candidates need to remember is do no harm.

The Candidate Forum will be back over the weekend with the post-game analysis and a look ahead to the second presidential debate.