Here we are, the vice presidential debate, the debate no one cares about. I literally forgot about it until I accidentally turned on the TV five minutes ago and freaked out because I’m supposed to be covering this. If this is anything like the last presidential debate, I will give up after thirty minutes and this article will never grace the internet. Although, I think this debate will be different. I have a feeling, hopefully this feeling is founded, that VP Pence and nominee Harris will be more civil than the participants of the last debate. The format of my last article was too difficult to keep up with so this time I will be simply summarizing with bullet notes.

Moderator Susan Page introduces debate, enter Pence and Harris

Pandemic

• Page asks Harris what a Biden administration will do about COVID that a Trump administration won’t do. She responds by quoting the stats of the coronavirus. She says that the Trump administration withheld information about COVID. Harris draws attention to the lack of a plan by the Trump administration, she says that Biden has a plan, and that the COVID vaccine will be free.
• Page asks Pence why our COVID death toll is so high. Pence says that Trump puts the health of American first, and says that Trump suspended all travel from China early on. He says that Biden thought that decision was xenophobic, but Trump brought us time and therefore saved lives. Billions of supplies were delivered to hospitals and vaccine development swiftly began. Pence says the Biden plan is plagiarism of their plan.
• Harris responds by saying whatever the administration has done has not worked. The vice president is the head of the task force, and didn’t reveal information when they had it. The excuse was that Trump wanted to keep the Americans calm. 
• Pence responds by expressing sympathies, and says that what we have done has worked, and to say it hasn’t is offensive to all of American’s sacrifices. 2 million were projected to die, and best case scenario 200,000 were projected.
• Page asks Pence how he can expect Americans to follow CDC guidelines when the White House doesn’t. He says that the work of the president needs to go on.
• Harris responds by saying respecting the American people means telling them the truth, which she claims the Trump administration did not do.
• Page asks Harris if Americans should get the COVID vaccine. Harris responds that she will take it if health officials approve it.

The role of the Vice President

• Page asks about the safeguards of presidential disability. Harris says she was raised with good values, and that her and Biden’s purpose are to lift up the American people.
• Page asks if voters deserve to have the candidates’ medical records. Pence says Trump’s doctors and Walter Reed hospital were very transparent, and thanks everyone for expressing their concern for the president. Harris also responds and says that the medical information should absolutely be transparent, and also tax records.Brings up the allegation that Trump paid 750 dollars in income taxes.
• Pence says that Trump is a businessman, and a job creator. Trump says the public reports are not accurate, and he pays million dollars in taxes.

Economy

• Page asks Harris if raising taxes puts economic recovery at risk. Harris says the economy is based on the health of the American people, and should not be based on how rich people are. She says Biden will repeal the tax cuts on the wealthy and the higher taxes will be invested into science and education. 
• Page asks Pence if Americans should be concerned about economic recovery. Pence says Trump has cut taxes and raised the average savings by $4,000. He says the Biden administration just admitted that on the first day they will raise taxes. The 2 trillion dollar Green New Deal will devastated the economy, as well as the repeal of trade tariffs. The American comeback is on the ballot.
• Harris responds and says that Biden will only raise taxes on the very wealthy. She says Biden was responsible for the recovery act and the economic success and that Trump only rode the tail ends of it. She also brings up Obamacare and how Trump is trying to get rid of it.
• Pence says Obamacare was a disaster and that he and Trump have a new plan to protect pre-existing conditions. He brings up how Harris in contradicting previous statements she made when she was running for president.

Climate Change

• Page asks Pence if he believes in climate change. Pence says that our air and land are clearer than ever recorded. Trump just signed an investment in our public parks and land. Pence says that Trump says we are going to listen to science, but the Green New Deal will crush all Americans. Pence says that the free market economy is what caused the CO2 to reduce more here than any country still in the Paris Accord.
• Page asks what the Biden stance is towards the Green New Deal. Harris talks about climate change, completely avoids the question.
• Page asks Pence if he believes climate change is a threat. Pence goes back to taxes because Harris did. He says the Green New Deal is on Biden’s website, which is economic devastation. Harris responds by saying Trump lost the trade war with China and caused a manufacturing recession. She claims that the Trump administration will lose more jobs than any other president ever.

Foreign Affairs (I think, I kind of got lost)

• Pence says that Biden never even bothered to fight China. He says 500,000 manufacturing jobs were created.
• Page asks Pence to describe our relationship with China. Pence blames China for COVID because they did not let us know about certain information until February. Harris says that Trump is getting rid of Biden’s accomplishments. Trump got rid of a disease task force. 
• Page asks Harris what she considers the role of American leadership in foreign policy. Harris says that America should be loyal to their word, and says that Trump has betrayed our friends. She says that Trump is too close to Russia.
• Pence lists ways that we’ve stood with our allies and strengthened alliances. We destroyed ISIS and took down the leader without American casualties.
• Harris talks about a bunch of Iraq stuff that I don’t understand. She brings up Trump’s attacks on John McCain. 

Supreme Court

• Page asks Pence if he would want his state to ban all abortion. He goes back to foreign affairs for some reason. Avoids questions and praises Amy Barrett, and says attacks on her Christian faith are unacceptable. 
• Page asks Harris if she wants any restrictions on abortion. Harris says that a SCJ nomination right now is unjust. Harris says that she is pro-choice, and goes back to Obamacare.
• Page asks Pence how Trump will protect people with pre-existing conditions. Pence says he’s pro-life, and brings up how Harris supports tax funded abortion all of the way up to birth. Pence asks Harris if Biden will pack the court (adding seats) if they don’t get their way and Barrett is nominated. Harris responds and says Lincoln didn’t do what the Trump administration is doing with the SCJ nomination. (she avoids the packing court question) 
• Harris goes into a long explanation that sounds like she’s about to answer the question, and then she doesn’t.

Police Brutality

• Page asks Harris if justice was done in the Breonna Taylor case. She says no, brings up the peaceful protests. She does not condone the violence, and says we need criminal justice reform. 
• Page asks Pence the same question. Pence says his heart breaks for the loss of life, but he trusts our justice system. He says the jury rules and the jury was a fair panel. He says none of this is an excuse for the riots and looting. Pence does not believe in systemic racism.
• Harris says that she is the only one allowed to speak on this subject because she’s prosecuted before. She says that Trump refused to condemn white supremacists. 
• Pence says that Harris is lying. He says he condemned the KKK and neo nazis, and has done so repeatedly. Trump has Jewish grandchildren. 

Election

• Page asks Harris what she would do if Trump doesn’t peacefully transfer power. Harris says that Biden will fight for democracy and integrity. She says that Trump is trying to suppress the vote. 
• Page asks Pence the same thing. Pence says he thinks they are going to win the election. Pence brings up how Harris’s party has been trying to overturn the results of the last election, so she’s a hypocrite. Does not answer the question. 
• How are citizens supposed to get along if leaders can’t? Pence says he believes in the free and open exchange of debate. Just because it’s on TV, doesn’t mean all U.S. citizens are constantly arguing. We can debate as Americans and still be friends. Harris says that Biden will fight for dignity, and the young leadership is bright.

In summary, that was so much better. The debaters were way more polite and easier to understand. Although both of them still talked over their amount of time sometimes, it was far better than the presidential debate. They both respected each other and weren’t obnoxious. However, it should be noted that both of them eluded quite a few questions. I’m sure these questions will be weighing in the minds of the American people. Overall, I thought I learned way more about the two administrations than last time.