w  rd 2 the woss

Mike Pence and Tim Kaine went head to head at the only vice-presidential debate for the election of 2016. Both went full throttle, trying to convince America that they and their running mate are the best choices for the future of the United States.

 

Mike Pence,  the running mate for Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump and Tim Kaine, the running mate to  Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton met on October 4th at Longwood University in Kaine’s home state of Virginia. It was truly an interesting night, nerves were struck, questions were asked, and thanks to Senator Kaine, a couple cringe-worthy jokes were made. Although both Kaine and Pence were very good debaters, many agreed that Pence’s calm and relaxed temperament was the reason why him came out on top.

 

Many issues were discussed among them were terrorism, the American economy, and abortion laws as well as both candidates’ readiness to become The President of the USA, should a tragedy occurs. Elaine Quijano, the moderator, asked  diverse and interesting questions that gave both candidates and opportunity to showcase their strengths.

 

When asked what he brings to the table, Senator Kaine said,

“that's what I bring to the ticket, that experience having served at all levels of government. But my primary role is to be Hillary Clinton's right-hand person and strong supporter as she puts together the most historic administration possible”.

 

Pence, himself had a similar reply,

 

“I'm going to meet the responsibility should I be elected vice president of the United States. And that's to bring a lifetime of experience,  a lifetime where I've served in the Congress of the United States,  where I've led a state that works in the great state of Indiana,”.

 

Also discussed were both candidates’ running mates. Hillary Clinton was praised by Senator Kaine for her willingness and passion for helping people by making their lives better. Quijano questioned Kaine why 60% of voters distrust Hillary  and whether it was because of Hillary’s email scandal or the Clinton Foundation accepting foreign donations. Kaine simply replied,

 

“Elaine, let me tell you why I trust Hillary Clinton. Here's what people should look at as they look at a public servant. Do they have a passion in their life that showed up before they were in public life? And have they held onto that passion throughout their life, regardless of whether they were in office or not, succeeding or failing? Hillary Clinton has that passion.”

 

His criticism of Donald Trump’s racist comments then followed,“ he started his campaign with a speech where he called Mexicans rapists and criminals, and he has pursued the discredited and really outrageous lie that President Obama wasn't born in the United States”.

 

Pence was also questioned on his running mate’s outrageous theories and plans as well as Trump’s overall trustworthiness, to which Pence answered “Donald Trump has built a business through hard times and through good times. He's brought an extraordinary business acumen. He's employed tens of thousands of people in this country”.

 

Senator Pence then went on to further question suspicious contributions to  the Clinton foundation as well as implying that ISIS was created due to Clinton’s unsuccessful attempt of negotiating a deal with Iraq to protect American troops.

 

Kaine argued that Clinton has done a lot to help America,

 

“Do you know that we had 175,000 troops deployed in the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan? Do you know that Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon and Russia was expanding its stockpile? Under Secretary Clinton's leadership, she was part of the national team, public safety team that went  after and revived the dormant hunt against bin Laden and wiped him off the face of the Earth. She worked to deal with the Russians to reduce their chemical weapons stockpile. She worked a tough negotiation with nations around the world to eliminate the Iranian nuclear weapons program without firing a shot. And instead of 175,000 American troops deployed overseas, we now have 15,000.”

 

Both candidates also discussed the economy, with Pence stating that Hillary’s plan of increasing tax on the wealthy would increase the national debt.  

 

“I think the fact that -- that under this past administration was of which Hillary Clinton was a part, we've almost doubled the national debt is atrocious. I mean, I'm very proud of the fact that -- I come from a state that works. The state of Indiana has balanced budgets. We cut taxes, we've made record investments in education and in infrastructure, and I still finish my term with $2 billion in the bank”.

 

Kaine explained Clinton’s and his plan as well as  what they would do ,

 

“Hillary and I have a plan that's on the table that's a "you're hired" plan. Five components. First thing we do is we invest in manufacturing, infrastructure, and research in the clean energy jobs of tomorrow. Second thing is we invest in our workforce, from pre-K education to great teachers to debt-free college and tuition-free college for families that make less than $125,000 a year. Third, we promote fairness by raising the minimum wage, so you can't work full-time and be under the poverty level, and by paying women equal pay for equal work. Fourth, we promote small business growth, just as we've done in Virginia , to make it easier to start and grow small businesses. And, fifth, we have a tax plan that targets tax relief to middle- class individuals and small businesses and asks those at the very top who've benefited as we've come out of recession to pay more.”

 

Gun violence was a topic that was definitely the centrepiece of the debate. Kaine mentioned that the Virginia Tech shooting and how in-depth background checks could have solved and lowered mass shootings. “we learned that through that painful situation that gaps in the background record check system should have been closed and it could have prevented that crime, and so we're going to work to do things like close background record checks. And if we do, we won't have the tragedies that we did”.

 

Police shootings were also among the topics discussed. Pence, whose uncle was a cop said,

 

“Police officers are the best of us. And the men and women, white, African-American, Asian, Latino, Hispanic, they put their lives on the line every single day. Donald Trump and I are going to make sure that law enforcement have the resources and the tools to be able to really restore law and order to the cities and communities in this nation. They also hear the bad mouthing, the bad mouthing that comes from people that seize upon tragedy in the wake of police action shootings as -- as a reason to -- to use a broad brush to accuse law enforcement of -- of implicit bias or institutional racism”.

 

Overall, this debate might not have been as exciting as the Presidential debates, but it still provides insight into both candidates and who they are, as well as what they are representing.