After a yelling match of a Presidential debate where it seemed like we didn’t learn anything about either of the candidate’s position, Vice President Mike Pence and challenger Kamala Harris took the stage (12 feet apart with plexiglass due to Pence’s COVID-19 exposure from President Donald Trump and other GOP members), it felt like a real debate even though it was still a hot mess but in its own way.
There’s a lot of key takeaways from the VP debate, especially with often Harris seemed to point out the incompetence of the Trump administration’s COVID-19 handling or how she would hit back from Pence’s lies with facts and figures even though Pence seemed to disagree that those are Harris’s own facts she made up- even though they weren’t.
While it wasn’t as crazy as the Presidential Debate, it gave at least an idea of what a debate should look like.
A lot was discussed, and twitter was buzzing with how well Harris did with holding her ground against a white male who kept interrupting her and refused to hear her out. Below are 5 key moments from the VP debate.
- Harris calling the Trump administrations COVID-19 handling a “failure”
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Harris called Trump’s administration COVID handling the “greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country”. Harris went on to provide facts that if the administration had acted quicker back in January and February, about 100,000+ lives could have been saved if the pandemic was taken more seriously by the administration.
The administration continues, even with Trump’s own diagnosis, to downplay the seriousness of the virus. Pence, like Trump, compared it to the swine flu outbreak but the swine flu outbreak was not as lethal and quick spreading compared to COVID-19 nor did it take more than 210,000 American Lives. Only 14,000 died from it since then-President Barack Obama took the action needed before it got out of hand.
- Pence defending the Rose Garden event that has been linked to about 30 COVID-19 cases
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About a month ago, the administration held an event to nominate Amy Coney Barret to serve on the supreme court after former Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away. The event has been linked to 30 positive COVID results due to no social distancing and with few people wearing masks.
The event goes to show how quickly COVID can spread without proper protocols in place.
- Affordable Care Act hearing and possible repeal Nov. 10- a week after the election
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A week after the election, the Supreme Court will look to challenge the Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare, which is why Trump and the GOP are wanting to rush a nomination to repeal and ‘replace”.
Over 20 million Americans are covered by the ACA since it has blocked insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. While the ACA isn’t perfect, and Obama has mentioned it before, it has helped low-income families with pre-existing conditions to get the coverage needed.
For the administration to try and take it away and supposedly replace it with something better even though no mention of their plans have been released, is dangerous and lethal especially during a pandemic where millions need it now more than ever.
- Pence plays the voter intimidation/suppression scare
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Pence said we will “free and fair election” if Trump wins. This is a form to intimidate voters from even bothering to send in their ballots or go to the polls. Trump also did this during the Presidential debate urging his followers to stand outside of the polls and “watch”.
Voting is your constitutional right. DO NOT let anyone scare you from doing your part to help uphold our democracy another day. This is a way to undermine any type of result unless it goes the way they want it too. Mail-in voting has less than 1% of fraud.
It is your right to vote- do not let anyone scare you away or think your vote doesn’t mean anything. Ten, twenty, or even one vote(s) can change the outcome of an entire election. Go vote.
- “I’m speaking.” “He interrupted me, and I’d like to just finish please.”
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There were a lot of key moments but the way Kamala Harris held her ground, especially each time Pence tried to outspeak her, was one the most glorious parts of the night.
Any woman can easily relate to a male, no less a white male, continuously speaking over them, and refusing to listen trying to push us into silence is frustrating to no end. Keep talking. Be powerful. Prove your point.
Don’t let them push you into silence. Make your voice heard.
The debate was easier to understand for each candidate, but it was still a hot mess in its own way but with more key moments where we could actually learn about each candidate and their ideas for the future of our democracy.
The election ends Nov. 3. Get out there and vote.