This Week’s Round
There were three scheduled presidential debates…the first was last week, and despite COVID-19, the president says he’ll be there next week for round two. Tomorrow, the lone vice-presidential candidate debate.
These are not usually known for much. Sure, we recall Lloyd Bentsen taking Dan Quayle to school about John Kennedy back in 1988, and the Joe Biden/Sarah Palin debate 20 years later…but that was mostly for the Saturday Night Live parodies afterwards.
I truly have no recollection of the Mike Pence/Tim Kaine debate from four years ago…in fact, it took me a moment to remember Kaine’s name. You get the idea.
Folks may be paying more attention this year, if for no other reason than the fact that the presidential candidates are in their mid to upper 70s. No offense, since as I get older that doesn’t seem old at all…but life expectancy for males in this country is 78.5.
And many still have concerns about whether Biden’s health is in decline, placing even more importance on his running mate, California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris. She has a record, dating back to her time as her state’s attorney general. She blistered Biden in the first Democrat debate a year ago with material that’s been fodder for the GOP ever since. And that shows she won’t be shy about calling out Mike Pence for his record as head of the country’s coronavirus effort, and as part of the Trump Administration generally.
Last week, you saw a lot of generalities. Tomorrow, you’re likely to see more specifics. That may or may not be helpful to voters, but I’ll bet there will be far less talking on top of one another and other cringeworthy moments. Whether it changes minds and votes…that’s a different story.
