Kathryn
Last night’s debate was definitely a better debate than the Presidential Debate because they actually talked about policy.
I thought both Kamala Harris and VP Mike Pence did a great job in debating. What was the most evident in the debate was the difference in Trump and Pence’s debating styles. Whereas Trump approached the debate with more aggression, Pence is more polished.
Additionally, Harris and Pence did a relatively good job of not interrupting each other. Harris did a great job hitting points such as climate change, the current state of the economy, and her opinion about the failure of the Trump administration to deal with multiple issues, including COVID. Pence did a good job of asking Kamala Harris about her track record, the Green New Deal information on the Biden website, as well as defending the Trump administration’s response to COVID (including the travel ban to China, which Biden initially opposed). Of course, I think that both Harris and Pence have their “weak” spots in debate, but overall, their stage presence was excellent (both polished and great communicators) and the moderation was much better than last time.
One improvement that I would like to see in future debates is less biased questions that equally target both candidates. That goes for the Presidential Debate questions with Chris Wallace moderating as well. I do also think that the candidates should make their viewpoints more clear in the future, as many questions went unanswered or were diverted.
Valerie
I agree with Kathryn that the focus on policy was a nice shift from the presidential debate. I will say, the democrats take no issue with harping on comic moments. Yes, the fly.
Not even 24 hours post debate, fly swatter donning “Biden-Harris” sold at record rates.
On a social note though, Kamala’s persona, her strategy, her goal, is to be a shake-up, an energizer. Her presence is meant to energize the young to vote by being brazen, funny, a person others look up to and find commonalities. Pence, on the other hand, represents for the Trump Administration civility and poise. The duality in their presence represents what each party wishes to work upon.
Biden, it’s the young. Trump, it’s the classy. Regardless of politics, the two do nicely to balance out the presidential candidates. One more forceful than the other, but nonetheless effective.