Who won the Vice Presidential Debate? Without a doubt, Pence, he was fluid and prepared for every and all questions asked. Pence stayed grounded in his policies throughout the debate and defending his running mate tremendously. Pence, “would not let Kaine get away with the ridiculous claim that the Iran deal ended that anti-American regime’s nuclear power.” Pence handles questions and attacks better than his running mate, Donald Trump. Does Pence’s professional elegance emphasize how unprofessional Trump is? From a republican point of view Trump looks like he picked the perfect running mate to handle the real business with years of experience. From a Democrat’s point of view, his nonchalant professional attitude emphasizes how crazy Trump is.
Both Pence and Kaine were familiar with policies of their own parties. Kaine was more interested in attacking Trump than answering the questions asked by the moderator. Kaine attacked Trump on issues that Pence could not and would not defend and the audience could tell. When Kaine made these attacks Pence just deflected or did not answer, showing the audience how professional and calm he is. Pence “made a point of highlighting Kaine’s painfully rehearsed lines” which rhetorically harmed Kaine’s potential of winning the debate.
My personal favorite question of the debate: Why voters should trust “Insert Presidential Candidate.” Pence “focused more on opponent Clinton’s shortcomings policy than his candidate’s qualities.” Even Pence has a hard time finding extraordinary qualities Trump posses. Kaine, on the other hand, said because “her strong, lifelong dedication and passion for service.” Pence won overall in this debate but Kaine handled this question better than his opponent.
In this election, the two Presidential candidates are figure heads. It’s all about Trump and Clinton, so does the Vice presidential debate even matter? Does Pence winning this one debate counteract the Presidential debates? Probably not, the Vice Presidential debate is marginal compared to the President’s themselves debating in this election.
Sources:
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2016/10/05/analysis-mike-pence-handily-wins-vice-presidential-debate-n2228206
https://news.vice.com/article/live-coverage-of-the-vice-presidential-debate-between-mike-pence-and-tim-kaine-end