If Donald Trump had acted in the restrained and calm manner that Mike Pence did in the vice presidential debate, he might have won his debate with Hillary Clinton last week. At least he wouldn’t have embarrassed himself, which is what happened in the clash with Clinton.
Trump took the bait every time Clinton zinged him, punching back and prolonging the discussion of issues that could not possibly aid his presidential campaign. Pence, his running mate, struck back at Virginia senator Tim Kaine’s shots at Trump, but he did so selectively.
Pence knew he wasn’t required to answer Kaine’s jibes. Instead, he did what a clever debater is supposed to do: turn the tables on his opponent. He took aim at Clinton as the “architect” of the failed foreign policy of President Obama or as the perpetrator of some other political sin, such as exposing classified information on her unsecured email system.
The most striking feature of the Kaine-Pence debate was role reversal. Kaine acted like Trump. He interrupted Pence frequently. He was annoying. He came across as a scold. He had a smirk on his face. Pence was more controlled, as Clinton was in her debate with Trump.
Kaine appeared to be oblivious to the use of the split screen—that is, the two candidates on TV simultaneously, one speaking, the other listening. And he paid a price for this. While Pence spoke, Kaine did a Trump imitation. He looked nervous, anxious, or even angry at times. Pence smiled, much like Clinton, or seemed mildly displeased at what Kaine was saying.
Kaine gets credit for relentlessly staying on message. He returned repeatedly to a series of anti-Trump points. They added up to a description of Trump as a horrible person who makes outrageous statements. Trump’s policies? Kaine didn’t bother with those. He assailed the man, not the politician.
Repetition can be effective in politics. Trump’s followers are known for ignoring the personal attacks on their candidate. But undecided voters are another story. Kaine may have reached some of them. If he did, he helped the Clinton campaign.
A criticism of Pence was that he boosted himself with his cool and appealing performance, and this came at Trump’s expense. Trump himself may have felt Pence should have rushed to his defense more often. On the other hand, when your running mate performs well, the presidential candidate usually benefits.
Chances are, the Kaine-Pence debate didn’t alter the status of the presidential candidates. Clinton is ahead. Trump trails but is still competitive. A Pence-like performance against Clinton in the second of their three debates on October 9 could lift Trump into striking distance of Clinton.
