Gov. Mike Pence, R-Ind., argued Tuesday night that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s economic agenda would continue policies that have left “millions more people in poverty” in the years since President Obama took office.
“The truth of the matter is the policies of this administration which Hillary Clinton and Senator Kaine want to continue have run this economy into the ditch,” Pence said during the vice presidential debate in Virginia. “We’re in the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression. There are millions more people living in poverty today than the day that Barack Obama, with Hillary Clinton at his side, stepped into the Oval Office.”
Pence launched that attack as a rebuttal to Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Clinton’s running mate, who dubbed Trump a “you’re fired president” and promised that a Clinton administration would provide “tuition-free college for families that make less than $125,000 a year” and raise the minimum wage.
“There’s a fundamental choice for the American electorate: Do you want a ‘you’re hired’ president in Hillary Clinton or do you want a ‘you’re fired’ president in Donald Trump?” Kaine said. “I think that’s not such a hard choice.”
Pence replied by mocking Kaine’s more-scripted moments.
“I appreciate that ‘you’re hired, you’re fired’ thing, senator, you used that a whole lot and I think your running mate used a lot of pre-done lines,” Pence said. “What you all just heard out there is more taxes, $2 trillion in more spending, more deficits, more debt, more government, and if you think that’s all working then you look at the other side of the table.”
As Pence proceeded to talk about the poverty rate, Kaine interjected that 15 million jobs were created during the Obama years. “And the poverty level and the median income improved dramatically between 2014 and 2015,” Kaine added.
“Honestly, senator, you can roll out the numbers and the sunny side but I’ve got to tell you, the people in Scranton know different,” Pence replied. “People in Fort Wayne, Ind., know different. This economy is struggling. And the answer to this economy is not more taxes, it’s not more spending.”
