How fitting that a fly lands on Mike Pence’s head while he’s spewing more 💩 pic.twitter.com/5brqECRmB2
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) October 8, 2020
Yes, the flash polls show Kamala Harris bested smarmy, condescending Mike Pence in the vice presidential debate. But the fly that perched on Pence’s head (and his bloody eye) dominated social media chatter.
Pence talked over moderator Susan Page and Harris and repeatedly avoided Page’s questions to turn them into campaign theme rants against Harris — abortion, Supreme Court-packing, taxes. Page failed as a moderator though her questions were fine.
Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post nailed it beforehand:
She wrote in advance that the debate commission had failed in many ways, including in enforcing its rules on mask-wearing. It happened again last night, Mother Pence came on stage afterward maskless. Pence and a gang of GOP buds yukked it up after, shoulder to shoulder maskless.
Afterward, Rubin commented:
Page is a fine journalist, but she lost control of the debate and too often allowed Pence to interrupt and go over time limits. The presidential debate commission can’t enforce its rules. Time for it to close up shop. https://t.co/QBEh6oluug
— Jennifer ‘Vote Early’ Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) October 8, 2020
And here’s the Pence gang:
Celebrating with our great @vp @Mike_Pence pic.twitter.com/61c87Z7WRL
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) October 8, 2020
I suspect it’s right that neither side gained nor lost much, though Pence’s mansplaining was widely seen as continuing the Trump camp’s erosion among women.
The next debate will be “virtual” it was announced this morning, but still a town hall format. Will the moderator have a mute button?
PS: Here’s a good sober analysis of how bad Pence was.
Mike Pence has come to resemble a lower-decibel Donald Trump, lying with a fluency and brazenness that might have shocked his former moralistic self, @sbg1 writes. https://t.co/bfRHH46e6H
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) October 8, 2020
