Vice Presidential Debate: First Impressions

You only have one chance to make a first impression.

I have some quick observations.  The fact that they are superficial and unstudied is an accident of my having a 67th birthday party to go to.  Mine.  So I had to glance at the debate, then run off.    This has the advantage of giving me the way to watch the debate about the way I suspect most people watched it--something to fit in while doing something else, and then only to watch a little of it closely.   

Here is a YouTube rendition of the debate:  Click here to watch the debate

Observation #1:

We watched him talk to her, not to us.

Tim Kaine forgot who is audience is.   He was talking to the moderator, not the TV camera.   Here Kaine is, at his opening statement, at 07:20 as he entered his prepared two minute talk.  Tim is looking at the moderator.  In a studio setting like this there is no trick whatever to knowing which camera is on you.  It is the one in front of you, pointing at you, and the one with a red light lit.  Kaine was very obviously prepared and coached and practiced for this debate.  Presumably it was intentional that he look off-camera but it seemed to me to make him less connected to his audience.  

Observation #2:    

Bad body language for Kaine

Tim Kaine looked down at the lectern while Pence spoke,  so we saw him, at length, in a pose that seemed "humbled" or "defeated", not self assured.   Big forehead, no face.   I shouted to Kaine's image on my television to "Look up!" but he apparently could not hear me.

This is body language of weakness, not strength.

Observation #3:

Tim Kaine interrupted a lot.   He makes evident that his role here is to get out the message that Trump has said and done indefensible, embarrassing things.  Kaine interrupts constantly and keeps trying to force Pence to justify and explain things Pence would find nearly impossible, and undoubtedly things that experienced and disciplined Pence would never himself say or do.   Republican post-debate spin focuses on Kaine's interruptions, and I agree they were obvious and distracting.

Pence face while Kaine extols Social Security

Observation #4:

Mike Pence could not avoid expression "tells".  Here, Tim Kaine is talking about Social Security:


"We're going to protect Social Security, which is one of the greatest programs the federal government has ever done"   (21.42 in the YouTube video)

Click here for NY Times article

Observation #5:

Mike Pence couldn't defend Trump, so he didn't.  Pence ignored requests to explain things Trump has said.  He did not attempt to explain away or contextualize the statements by Trump that Kaine threw in Pence's face.  Pence and the moderator both pressed Pence to explain Trump's comments on Judge Curiel, on McCain's being captured, on women, on Muslims, on Mexicans-as-rapists, on Trump's taxes.  Pence ignored the questions and criticized Hillary instead, repeatedly and constantly.  Pence said, "I'm happy to defend him", then would change the subject.


Observation #6

The spin is not just pre-determined.  It is pre-written. The GOP accidentally released a statement declaring Mike Pence the obvious winner of the debate two hours prior to the debate.  About two hours before the debate the news was released that Pence had won and won big:

"Mike Pence made the most of his opportunity to debate Hillary’s VP pick Tim Kaine. The other clear winner from tonight’s debate was Donald Trump. His running mate perfectly shared Trump’s vision to make America great again and that message is resonating with Americans all across the country.”


Conclusion:   None of this matters very much.   Both men were shown to be competent advocates for their presidential candidate.   Both were experienced career politicians who understand policy and policy advocacy.   Neither one melted down or made news.

If undecided voters watched this at all--and why would someone uninterested in politics watch the debate?-- I suspect they came away thinking that either vice presidential candidate was a better, safer, more plausible president than either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
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Yes, there is even more!   

Attorney Thad Guyer and I do a podcast that shares our take on the election.

Check it out:

October 2 Podcast: The Truths that Hillary and Trump know full well, but must not say

This October 2 podcast talks about the polls, about Trump's self-inflicted wounds, and about the things that Trump and Hillary know full well to be true, but must not admit.   The podcast is a spirited conversation between me and Thad Guyer, an attorney who represents whistleblowing employees, with an international practice.   He watches the election from home base in Saigon.