What Went Down During The Vice Presidential Debate

Thanks to the wonderful graphics team at NBC, we were able to get some numbers behind tonight’s civility. Just because the candidates actually let each other speak this time doesn’t mean they missed opportunities to get in some barbs.

I think Harris was effective at criticizing the Trump-Pence record and explaining what she and Biden would do differently. And in turn, I think Pence was an effective counterbalance to Trump’s belligerence last week, with the exception of the question about accepting the results of the election, which is concerning, to put it mildly.

Vice presidential debates rarely matter, and this one will probably be no different. I’m sure partisans were pleased with their respective candidate’s performance, but there weren’t that many surprises. Maybe we can pick out the fact that each candidate followed the example of the presidential nominees in a notable way.

Like Biden in the first presidential debate, Harris wouldn’t take a stance on expanding the size of the Supreme Court in response to Amy Coney Barrett’s expected confirmation ahead of the election. And like Trump, Pence wouldn’t simply say whether he would accept the election result and support the peaceful transfer of power should his side lose in November. But despite those potential headlines, I’m sure Trump will say or tweet something tomorrow — if not tonight — that will get as much play as anything from this debate.