Last night I watched the VP debate...twice. I watched it first and then listened to the commentators. Pence won??? Were they listening to the same debate I was? Generally I agree with most of what Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes say but their comments after the debate struck a sour note with me. I watched the debate again to see if I was missing something. Nope. Tim Kaine won. By a lot!
The moderator lost control of the debate early on and spent the evening fighting to get the control back. Tim Kaine came out swinging from the beginning. He didn’t quite answer the first question but he did defend his candidate and began to dismantle Trump right away. Then it was Mr. Pence’s turn. With his botox forehead and his botox voice he talked and talked and talked. His two minutes were well used up when Tim Kaine finally got his two cents in. As is the way with the Tea Partiers and Trumpists, he came out lying and talking in the most boring manner that I have seen in a long time. On most of his answers he kept talking and when his time was up he kept talking and talking over everyone else as per Trump surrogates are well known for doing. He was warned twice by the moderator for trying to talk when it was Tim’s two minutes. We saw Donald doing the same in the first presidential debate. People said they thought Kaine was rude but he had to interrupt in order to say anything.
Mikey kept trying to say that Hillary’s campaign was one of insults even though Tim Kaine was using Trump’s own words. The one comment about a basket full of deplorables by Hillary in no way equaled the myriad of nasty comments made by the Donald. And she apologized. Don’t hold your breath for an apology from Trump. Pence refused to defend Donald’s comments instead saying they never happened as if the rest of us have been asleep for the last eon of the campaign. He couldn’t defend him so he just lied. This habit of lying by the Right wing of surrogates has become so much the personality of anyone speaking for Trump or anything else they do not want to talk about, or do that it is no wonder voters do not believe politicians and that includes Trump and Pence. The only time I think Pence told the truth was when he talked about his beliefs on women’s rights. A debate is supposed to be a dialogue but how can you have a dialogue with someone who just lies and lies. Mike Pence has learned well at Trumps knee.
Tim Kaine was animated and engaged. He had the facts and the plans. I enjoyed his explanation of the Intelligence Surge. He explained it well and also explained how it would be accomplished. He was very sincere when he gave his views on abortion and women’s right to decide. I loved when he asked why Mr. Trump did not trust women to make their own choices. but then we know what the Donald thinks of women….too well. As a woman I was disgusted at the arrogance of the men in the right wing to assume we little ladies are just not smart enough to decide for ourselves.
Where Tim Kaine was animated, a scrappy little leprechaun and fun to watch, Pence was stony faced (except when he was sneering, huffing, and sighing). He was an automaton. He spoke in a monotone and it was only Tim Kaine ho kept me awake. Mr. Me Too and So’s Your Old Man was slimy in the way he answered questions and telling us that he would violate the constitution in dealing with Syria and Putin. He lied about Hillary’s record as Secretary of State and Senator. He lied about Tim Kaine’s record in Virginia and in the senate and, as I said before he lied about Trump and his own record. How he can portray himself as a moral man when all he can do is lie, I don’t know but as is typical with the Tea Party, it seems that that part of the 10 commandments is not important to fundamentalists in our government. Pence was dismissive and evasive in his behavior and did not do anything to promote his ticket.
Thank you Mr. Kaine for making me more sure I want you as my VP.