Vice-Presidential Debate Offers a Welcome Glimpse of Normal Politics
In its way, the Pence-Harris matchup was quite an achievement.
We’ll take it.
Photographer: Morry Gash/AFP/Getty Images
Last night’s vice-presidential debate, despite its limitations, felt like a breakthrough after the recent top-of-the-ticket atrocity. Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris let each other speak, for the most part. They exchanged some intelligible opinions. They were civil, even if they sometimes voiced their courtesy through gritted teeth. Many viewers must’ve felt nostalgic for what used to be normal politics. Perhaps, after all, it might one day resume.
Admittedly, the vice-presidential debate rarely affects the outcome of an election. In 2020, it should matter more than usual, with President Donald Trump a victim of Covid-19 and challenger Joe Biden hoping to take his place as the oldest first-term president. But last night’s event, refreshing though it was under the circumstances, is unlikely to break the pattern. Pence and Harris avoided memorable errors — their main task — and came across pretty well. It’s unlikely they moved any votes.