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Duel of the Seconds: A Viewer’s Guide to the 2020 Vice Presidential Debate
Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris are equally matched and formidable debaters. But will it matter?
Because I wrote a book on presidential campaign rhetoric, and because I’ve spent 20 years teaching a rhetoric class, I’m often asked to offer my two cents during presidential debate season. But with Covid still raging, I know many people no longer wish to handle coins. So instead of two cents, here are seven key factors worth considering as we watch Mike Pence square off with Kamala Harris this Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
1. Historically, the vice presidential debates have featured memorable but electorally negligible performances
In 1976, at the first-ever vice presidential debate, Republican vice presidential nominee Bob Dole humiliated himself while snidely implying Watergate may have been Nixon’s fault, but World War I and World War II were caused by the Democratic Party. In 1988, Democratic undercard Lloyd Bentsen filleted his Republican counterpart, Dan Quayle, with the most devastating line in the history of televised debating: “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” In 1992, independent candidate Ross Perot’s running mate, Adm. James Stockdale, turned off his hearing aid during the debate and missed a question entirely. In 2008, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin began her debate with Joe Biden by asking her opponent, “Can I call you Joe?” At the time, people thought she was trying to be folksy. Later, it was revealed that her debate coaches instructed her to call him “Joe” because she couldn’t stop calling him “O’Biden.”
While we often watch debates to see these kinds of classic undercard moments, it’s unlikely any performance in a vice presidential debate has ever decisively swayed the outcome of the election in November. Only a small number of voters ever cast their ballot either for or against a vice presidential candidate. This doesn’t mean, however, that the debates aren’t important. Of the 44 humans who have been president, eight have died while in office, and one resigned. So, when you’re watching the vice presidential debate, there’s a 20%…
