One More Interruption

I suppose that, even though I only watched it once (my head hurt too much the first time), the vice-presidential candidates debate still haunts me.  Maybe that's because it made my head hurt, or maybe because, even though one of the candidates was formerly the governor of the state I lived in, I didn't really think I had heard him actually talk about anything previously.

Tim Kaine was an embarrassment to himself, to (in my case "former") Virginians, and to the Democratic Party as a whole.  I didn't vote for the guy either as governor or as a senator, but I wouldn't want to be asked if I did, or if he in any way represented the otherwise-genteel Commonwealth or its citizens.

After all, I lived longer in Virginia than he has.  I had some pride.

Mr. Debatus Interruptus obviously went into Tuesday's debate with instructions and a few things to make sure he did, to wit:
- Do not, under any circumstances, let Mike Pence talk for more than 45 seconds without interrupting him with something that Donald Trump supposedly said, factual or not, accurate quote or not
- Do not, under any circumstances, let Gov. Pence say anything about Hillary Clinton without immediately speaking loudly over top of him, especially if it involved the Clinton Foundation or the private email server
- Rattle off every one of a series of a dozen or so Trump quotes, multiple times each, being sure to twist the words so as to make the perceived meaning far more negative than the original intent
- Rattle off every one of a series of canned quips that his handlers came up with, once each, as if he would get five lashes from one of Hillary's lackeys for each one he neglected to say.

"Putin is a strong leader" (not what Trump said in context).  "Women are pigs and dogs" (not what Trump said about women).  "Mexicans are rapists and criminals" (not what Trump said in context).  There are not enough Pinocchios available to the fact-checkers for trampling on context like that.

As a now-former Virginian, I would have certainly preferred had Kaine not made Hoosiers look even more gentlemanly than Virginians by contrast, even though Kaine is actually from Minnesota.  He could have done that by answering questions with actual policy positions from the Democrats.  Surely he would have not risked embarrassment to his ticket -- he ended up embarrassing them horribly -- had he simply come across as calm, measured, presidential.

Instead, his continued rudeness served to point up Mike Pence's calmness, measured approach and very presidential demeanor, by contrast.

You have to wonder about the judgment of the Clinton camp sometimes, as if they're trying to run the campaign by stalling until Election Day.  No press conferences, a few prepared interviews with compliant questioners (such as the Steve Harvey piece in February that, he admitted, included only questions provided and blessed by Hillary Herself), keeping her under wraps and out of sight.

But this was strange.  Kaine was quite obviously wound up like a wind-up doll, hyper-caffeinated and robotically following marching orders.  Who in that campaign decided that having him be an utter jerk was a good idea?  And, for God's sake, why?  As I noted above, if they had just asked themselves what would be the least harmful approach, it would have been to out-Pence Pence, and just be a decent guy -- which some people claim that Kaine actually is, or at least was at some point.

I would like to hope that Donald Trump, even though he is a New Yorker and thus constitutionally challenged at being calm and nice, watched that debate and saw how contrasting styles can be really effective.  I want to hope that the different format of Sunday's presidential debate, a town hall style, gives him an opportunity to come across as more thoughtful, less reactive and volatile, and capable of making Hillary Clinton look like the pompous, self-righteous creature she is.

I want to hope that Trump is practicing ways to incorporate calm, measured mentions of the worst of Hillary's corrupt acts -- Uranium One, for example, in response to any reference to her actions as Secretary of State in regard to Russia.  The corrupt influencing of Haiti earthquake relief to enrich Clinton construction cronies, while building in a far-less-damaged part of Haiti to the cronies' advantage (valuable with the hurricane this weekend as a visible disaster).  I want to hope that he is practicing doing so in a calmer, more measured tone than in the first debate.

Tim Kaine put the Clinton ticket at risk by showing one member of the ticket, the only time we will see him, as being a horse's back half.  There is an incredible lesson for the Republicans,when they ask themselves why Pence won the day on Tuesday.

May they, and the top of the ticket, learn it.

Copyright 2016 by Robert Sutton
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