The Vice-Presidential debate last night was much better than the first Presidential debate, in the same way that falling from a branch twenty-five feet up is better than jumping off the top of a six-story building.
They didn't interrupt one another often; they spoke in complete sentences. They managed basic civility towards one another. But neither one wanted to shut up, neither one did a great job of sticking to the point or moving on when a new question was introduced and Mike Pence was particularly poor at minding the moderator's reminders that he was out of time. For her part, Kamala Harris came across as invidious and prosecutorial in a kind of mouse-trapping way.
And as an audience, the gen. pop failed: the single most compelling image and concept to emerge from the debate is the fly that landed on Mike Pence's head and decided to hang around. This is our takeaway? Really?
In a democratic republic, voters tend to get the government they deserve. Uh-oh.
(If you're looking for further information, here's a pretty good fact-check of Senator Harris and Vice-President Pence's debate points. It doesn't cover everything but it hits the main items. Turns out those two crazy kids might've shaded the truth a little, here and there.)
Some times people just need a little relief from the tension and that fly provided it .
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