Tonight was a rare occurrence when I agreed with Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post when he declared Governor Mike Pence to be the winner of the Vice Presidential debate. Tim Kaine was horrible, interrupting 39 times! He was a bully who often looked like he was having a temper tantrum. Was that a strategy? Governor Pence was clearly the adult in the room. Chris Cillizza wrote about tonight’s winners and losers. Mike Pence is his winner:
Mike Pence: From the very beginning, Pence was the more comfortable of the two men on the debate stage. Pence repeatedly turned to the camera when he answered questions, making clear he understood that the real audience wasn’t in the room but watching on TV. The Indiana governor was calm, cool and collected throughout — a stark contrast to the fast-talking (and seemingly nervous) Kaine. Did Pence respond to Kaine’s dozens of attacks on Trump? Only sort of. What Pence seemed to be doing was making the case for Pence-ism, a, dare I say it, compassionate conservatism — a case for Pence 2020 or 2024. Regardless, Trump will very much take it as Pence’s performance will offer a reset of sorts for a campaign that is scrambling badly due to self-inflicted wounds from the nominee. Win or lose in 24 days, Pence did himself real good in the eyes of the Republican world on Tuesday night.
Cillizza found Kaine and the moderator to be the losers tonight and I completely agree.
Tim Kaine: Someone must have told the Virginia senator he needed to always be on his front foot in the debate, always be the aggressor. It didn’t work. Kaine started the debate talking so quickly and trying to load so many Trump attacks into every answer that it made it virtually impossible to grasp any one attack. In the middle of the debate, Kaine seemed to relax into it — delivering an effective attack on Trump’s comments on women. But, that Kaine was the exception, not the rule. When he wasn’t trying to stuff 10 pounds of attack in a five pound bag in his answers, he was relentlessly interrupting Pence. Every single time Pence started to level an attack against Clinton, Kaine immediately began to talk over him. I’m not sure if that was on purpose or not but it didn’t come across well — at all. One glaring example: As Pence was recounting his personal experience on Sept. 11, 2001, Kaine interrupted to say “I was in Virginia.” Um, ok. Not a good look.
Elaine Quijano: I root like hell for the moderators in these debates because they have a next-to-impossible job. But, Quijano lost control of the debate within minutes of it starting and never really got it back. She seemed to dole out 20 seconds here and 30 seconds there for Pence or Kaine or both to respond to each other with no rhyme or reason. She never was able to get Kaine or Pence to, well, stop talking. Then there was the fact that she didn’t seem to follow the flow of the debate; Kaine and Pence would be feuding about, say, tax returns and Quijani, after getting the two men to stop talking, would say something like “Let’s talk about North Korea.”
I also agree with Cillizza when he criticizes the horrible background on these debates. He calls it another loser in the debate:
The debate stage background (again): Look. Am I the only one who finds the Declaration of Independence — in cursive no less! — behind the two candidates’s heads as they debate distracting? I can’t be the only one. I take it as my personal mission to rid the debate stage of this blight before the final two debates commence.On social media tonight people asked over and over, “Can we get Pence on the top of the ticket”? If only we could. Whatever happens we need to keep Governor Pence in around. He’s got a great future with or without Trump.
Pence was the adult in the room tonight. Whatever happens I hope he remains in politics. He’s got a great future in the Republican party.
Comments on Tim Kaine’s bizarre behavior tonight here.
Comments on Mike Pence’s performance tonight here.
CNN focus group overwhelmingly chooses Pence as the winner, here.
28 comments
Somebody tell me, which segment of the population would vote for Trump today that would not have yesterday?
1) Women? After Pence doubled down on pro-life?
Blacks? Naw, I don’t think so. What did Pence say that would attract blacks?
Hispanics? Only the ones who claim to be able to climb big walls.
Sodom Gomorrah bunch? Nope.
So, you say Pence won. Then what is Trump’s prize? It sure ain’t more voters.
On the other hand Hillary will pick up some pissed off pro-choice women.
Why didn’t Pence roll out the Republicans long promised healthcare plan last night?
I saw it differently. Moreover, I tried to look at it from the perspective of the 40 percent of Americans who don’t know either of these guys.
From that point of view, I thought Pence was pathetic, absolutely pathetic. He let this low life, left wing jerk walk all over him. And, seeing how the moderator didn’t do her job, it was his job, as a man, to do it. What a friggin’ joke.
This was a debate, not an interview; so if the moderator didn’t maintain order, you do. If you can’t stand up to a clown like Kaine, how are you going to deal with a strong world leader?
When are “compassionate” conservatives ever going to learn, you cannot have a civil dialogue with a gutter Marxist?
Ever hear of rope-a-dope. Muhammad Ali used it quite effectively toward the end of his career. He wouldn’t be baited into actually throwing punches until the dope had exhausted himself. Kaine was the dope and Pence wouldn’t be baited into responding until he was calm, cool,and collected.
Fair enough, but Pence rarely got a chance to respond
fully.
The problem with rope-a-dope is that the Conservatives and Republicans in this country have rope-a-doped the American people to where they can’t get a decent job, where muslim terrorists just walk in, settle in, and take our tax money, where ms-13, and other Hispanic criminals walk over the border to kill, and rape. Furthermore, these illegal aliens and so called refugees bring their third world diseases with them, bankrupt hospitals, and suck the taxpayers dry. Finally, we rope-a-doped ourselves to where inner-city savages can steal, kill, and destroy at will, and are upset when police take action. They won’t be satisfied until they can commit any crime with impunity.
Y’all can keep your rope-a-dope. This election, if it goes the wrong way, will be the death knell for the European culture that built this country.
If you said global socialists regardless of party rather than conservatives, I would agree. Unfortunately, everything you say has nothing to do with conservatives who value the Constitution and rule of law.
This time I agree with you, I think.
Be it elitist globalist Republicans or Democrats, Republicrats, if you will, “there is not a dime’s worth of difference between them,” as originally stated by Ron Paul. The problem with the Constitution is that the above elitists don’t follow it anymore, unless they use it as a tool to achieve their agenda. The rule of law is another joke to these globalist criminals.
I believe the Constitution is timeless; Constitutional Conservatives were not part of my diatribe.
I consider myself to be a constitutional conservative. What I believe is happening is a realignment of the political parties. The progressives are global socialists and they are pitted against American nationalists or populists.
I agree 100 percent!
Turns out, we are exactly on the same page.
Be well.
I thought the moderator was brilliant. I thought Governor Pence knocked it out of the park. I think Senator Kaine came off like an irresponsible child. All in all, it was a great night for Donald Trump, who should disappear until the night of November 8th.
Pence won, not even close.
Better question: How on Earth did the debate end up in a backwater like Farmville?
Better question? You should have stopped at the first sentence.
Wow!!! Is Mike Pence a rock or what? Controlled, respectful, informed, and articulate, he is everything that Donald Trump is not. Tasked with trying to defend an endless series of gaffes by his presidential candidate, I thought that he had the toughest job in the world. Cleaning the Aegean stables could not have been tougher. But Pence was Hercules, and he showed America what a president looks like. The Donald is not going to like the fact that Mike has stolen his spotlight.
No, I bet Trump is seething right now, but he can’t touch Governor Pence. The Governor will be the reason that many independents use to justify voting for Trump.
Oh come on. Trump is not seething. His running mate just won a good debate, and Pence did defend him in just the right way. Do you think Hillary is happy that Kaine lost?
Pence was great, and I love his style, but the main reason he won has more to do with Kaine’s rudeness, and laughably false attacks. Pence was able to laugh directly at Kaine, because Kaine was so ridiculously over-the-top with his false claims about Trump. Kaine made himself look like a petty deceitful politician.
So Trump should adopt the a few of Pence’s techniques (not all of them, because not all would work for Trump the way they do for Pence).
1) Trump can see that he doesn’t have to refute every single word of the false things said about him. When Hillary gets ridiculous, just laugh at her derisively.
2) When Hillary repeats a lie more than once, point it out and highlight the pattern of deception.
3) Trump doesn’t have to be angry all the time. He needs to spend much more time being sincere about the things that are important to him and to the country.
4) Trump needs to spend more time on why his policies are not just right, but important, and why Hillary’s policies are wrong for the country.
“First time hearing Kaine speak, hope I never to have to experience it again. ”
“He is worse than Clintons squawking and Pence sounded so comforting”
“My first description of Kaine is that he came off as a yappy small dog”
“Kaine was a flustered nut case. Poor pick as VP. Pence was strong and composed.”
“Tim Kaine might be the most unlikeable person on the planet. His face reminds me of the grinch.”
“Kaine imploded.”
“Maine reminds me of the Nicholson era Joker. He’s just a weird freak.”
“PENCE just won the election for Trump.Yes. And kaine lost it for Clinton”
“i found kaine annoying and defense. zero likability with the guy.”
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” Did you notice how many times Pence looked directly into the camera and spoke to us – the audience? Kaine was shifty and correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t look even once into the camera. He was simply afraid to. I also imagined as if it was these two who where the actual presidential candidates and asked myself, which one was more presidential, which one could lead the USA if he had to? PENCE. Kaine appeared gay and as Hildabeast’s alto ego. Game over.”
Kaine looked really, really nervous.
He was expected to operate as a pit bull and throw out a bunch of talking points. When he tried to defend the Clinton Foundation, he simply lied directly to the American people. Good charities give 70% or more to charitable needs. Scam charities give less than 50%, and the Clinton Foundation gives around 10%. If it weren’t for the criminal cabal running the nation, the Clinton Foundation would have been shut down and criminal charges for fraud and more filed.
“Even Dems. think Kaine started the Creepy Clown fad.” https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d4a91051f12aad67f9404d43b83d4b44b3aaac8c624ecbce9306ad3a26024507.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f8cf2b80c64d8389c02648c6af6d15a884789b7cab28d6881779fc06c4d39e77.jpg
This article is a joke, right?
Mike Pence revealed the GOP strategy that will be in place on November 9, after Trump is destroyed on Nov 8: Pretend Trump never existed.
“To be honest, if Donald Trump said all those things you said he said,
in the way you said he said those things, he wouldn’t have a fraction of
the insults that Hillary Clinton leveled when she said half of our
supporters were a basket of deplorables.”
— Mike Pence
Pence claimed Trump didn’t say a long list of insults, but he did.
Here’s what Kaine said: “Donald Trump during his campaign has called
Mexicans rapists and criminals. He’s called women dogs, pigs, slobs,
disgusting… He attacked an Indiana-born federal judge and said he was
unqualified to hear a federal lawsuit because his parents were Mexican.
He went after John McCain, a POW, and said he wasn’t a hero because he
was captured. He said African-Americans are living in hell, and he
perpetrated this outrageous and bigoted lie that President Obama is not a
U.S. citizen.”
Pence Says Trump Didn’t Say Those Insults. He Did. – NBC News
http://www.nbcnews.com/card/pence-says-trump-didnt-say-those-insults-he-did-n659856
Rightwing Twitter feeds went berserk over Kaine’s lapel pin, calling it a Japanese flag, a Nicaraguan flag, and other equally ignorant comments. IN FACT, Kaine was wearing a Blue Star Flag lapel pin . . .
http://www.bluestarmothers.org/service-flag
Are you people paid to be ignorant?
Hillary attacked American citizens. Most of Trump’s attacks were focused on illegals or people he personally disliked. By the way, blacks in the inner cities are living in the hell created by democrats.
People at this site will probably be horrified, but I laughed out loud, and I am still laughing. Someone in the Brietbart comment section wrote
Now the whole country knows why many Virginians can’t stand Kaine.
I have a feeling the Dem running for Mayor in Richmond will end up being another Kaine, not worth a dern, but somehow continues to climb the political career ladder.
Everyone agrees on this one. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7b9475b19af5ebd6b6ed395881a66463ee8e778a287974b0206027c17ebc222f.jpg
Why can’t they have a debate where they switch the mike off of the person who is not supposed to be talking. And, also switch the mike off the talker once time is up?
I kept thinking that during this debate. Someone needed to cut Kaine’s mic.
They used to ring a bell/buzzer, not sure why they stopped doing it.