Spanish – The first debate among the candidates for the U.S. vice presidency concluded with more responses than personal attacks, compared to the presidential candidates.
The most disputed topic at the beginning was the approach of the coronavirus. Democratic candidate Kamala Harris rebuked Vice President Mike Pence for the delay in action by Donald Trump’s administration.
The Republican replied that the president of the nation declared a ban on flights from China, the birthplace of the coronavirus since late January. And Joe Biden opposed it, accusing Trump of xenophobia.
The moderator then asked whether the relationship with China would be that of a rival or an ally. Pence answered that they could play on the same court but with clear rules. And he stressed that the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for the spread of the virus.
Pence also claimed that Biden is a “cheerleader” for China. During his tenure as Barack Obama’s vice president, he lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs.
In contrast, said Vice President Pence, Trump increased 500,000 manufacturing jobs.
However, with the coronavirus quarantine, employment in the nation declined. A point that Harris used against Pence.
?@Telemundo announces who their viewers thought won tonight’s debate. No surprise here: pic.twitter.com/HOPgZk7DDW
— Daniel Garza (@danielggarza) October 8, 2020
While 22 million jobs were lost during the pandemic, Pence said, 11.6 million have already been recovered.
And the Trump administration got congressional approval to fund the four trillion USD payment protection program to address the loss of income in U.S. households.
Pence took advantage of his counterpart’s attack to denounce Harris’ participation in the creation of the Green New Deal, an environmental pact that would hurt the national industry, abolish fossil fuels, ban fracking, and hurt the heart of the country.
He also noted how Joe Biden said he does not support such an agreement. But on his campaign’s official website, he says he does. The moderator then intervened and asked for an explanation.
Harris insisted that he is not opposed to fracking and supports job creation.
However, earlier, she publicly stated in response to the question from an environmentalist that she is in favor of banning fracking.
“I’m in favor of banning fracking.” – Kamala Harris on video. pic.twitter.com/698djLevUw
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 8, 2020
Pence took advantage of the inconsistency in the speech and said the Biden-Harris duo’s economic plan means more taxes, more regulation, the abolition of fossil fuels, and an economic surrender to China.
This would mean imposing a new green deal, raising energy costs in homes, and crushing American jobs.
On the environmental front, Harris tried to position herself as the pro-science candidate, when the moderator highlighted the intensification of fires on the West Coast and the intensity of hurricanes in the gulf states.
Pence targets innovation to address climate issues; Harris targets regulation and prohibition
Pence did not flinch and explained how the Trump administration reduced more CO2 emissions than any developed nation through innovation, not regulation and prohibition.
He argued how free markets, natural gas, and fracking do more for the environment than the countries that signed the Paris agreements.
He also cited the National Institute of Oceanography, which states that there are no more hurricanes than there were 100 years ago.
The moderator cut Pence’s time, but one could hear him refer to certain environmentalist speeches as “alarmist.” After announcing how Trump passed the Great American Outdoors law and achieved cleaner water for the nation as part of his commitment to the environment.
Harris, by contrast, is a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, which Pence argues includes two billion USD in charges for U.S. companies.
In response, the Democratic candidate tried to belittle Trump’s economic program, claiming that the tax cuts only benefit the richest 1% of the population.
But Pence replied that, on average, a family of four has saved 2,000 USD in taxes and increased its income by 4,000 USD.
The vice president noted how the Democratic presidential hopeful intends to repeal Trump’s tax cuts.
There was only one issue on which both candidates acted equally on the question of what would happen if the president cannot govern because of health problems.
Whether Trump at 74 or Biden at 78, either will be the oldest president in history and their health is a concern. But neither of the two candidates answered this concern.
Democratic candidate asserts pro-abortion position, Republican pro-life
There was also one question that Kamala Harris did not answer, and Pence pointed it out: will the Democratic Party intervene in the Supreme Court under the threat of a pro-life majority?
Fears among progressives that abortion could become illegal again with a Supreme Court ruling have been reinforced by the nomination of a pro-life judge.
Harris tried to show her indignation at not being considered a person of faith because of her pro-abortion position, just like Biden.
She confirmed her position that women should be free to choose their bodies. And despite her claim to be the pro-science candidate, she did not consider how abortion ends the heartbeat of the child, not of the mother, and therefore, the woman who has an abortion does not decide about her body but her child.
In total contrast, Pence used his minutes for the next question to affirm his pro-life stance, of which he was very proud.
With this issue, the position of both parties was affirmed. On the one hand, the Democratic Party showed itself to be the one that seeks control of both production and reproduction, while the Republican Party bets on a free economy to solve environmental and labor problems, hand in hand with the defense of life.