The VEEP Debate

Environmental report first: I watched the VP debate right after taking delivery on my new Winchester gun safe. Very nice. Delivered and set-up by a very professional and friendly crew. I was, therefore, in a good mood when I sat down with the dog beasts to watch the debate between Trump's running mate, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, and Clinton's running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. Upon the conclusion of the debate, I immediately shut off the TV and took the dog beasts for a quick walk in the cool evening. I did not and have not yet listened to the pundits evaluation of the debate, so my evaluation might be way off in left field. I just didn't want the chatterers to influence me.

Quick and dirty.

Winner?

In the debate between Trump and Clinton, I gave that one on points to Hillary, this despite my clear intention to vote for Trump. This debate, however, I give overwhelmingly to Gov. Pence. He far exceeded my expectations; he showed himself a polished, natural speaker, and debater with a quick wit and no irksome mannerisms. He also showed a strong grasp of policy issues, and took the attack to Hillary quite effectively on her failed foreign policy record, her use of the Clinton Foundation, and her use of a private email server for official and classified materials. He nailed Clinton on the "Russian reset," on Iran, and on the disasters unfolding in Syria and Iraq. Pence did a credible job of defending some of Trump's more ill-advised statements and in dealing with the tax issue. He did not allow Kaine's repeated efforts to interrupt and speak over him to throw him off message. I was quite taken by the skill and courage he used in explaining and defending his position on abortion, especially on partial-birth abortion. A very impressive performance. Trump made a good choice.

I found Sen. Kaine, quite simply, annoying for most of the evening. He had several highly rehearsed lines that he insisted on using whenever possible; he wanted the whole debate to be about Trump's tax returns. His attempts to interrupt Pence and to shout down Pence's statements did not go over well with me and I doubt with any but the most die-hard Clinton supporters. His repeated pronouncements that Hillary Clinton had stopped the Iranian nuclear program and that the Israelis were quite pleased, were, of course, nonsense, and Pence repeatedly called him on it. Kaine seemed overly rehearsed and programmed, not natural at all. For me the only effective moment Kaine had was in response to the question of how his own faith has shaped his actions as a public servant. He did a nice job in explaining how despite his personal faith-based opposition to the death penalty, he realized that when he was Governor of Virginia his state was a death penalty state, and he was sworn to uphold the law. It was good.

The moderator? Elaine Quijano of CBS News did a very credible job. Her questions were good, with no "gotcha" attempts, and she tried to prevent Kaine from making a rude ass of himself, although not always with success. I thought the questions were balanced and fair. At times she seemed a bit intimidated by the debaters and let them keep talking too long, but overall she did a good job--much better than Lester Holt at the Trump-Clinton debate.  

So, Pence wins. Will it have an impact on the polls? I don't know.