Running mates spar over presidential hopefuls

[chahlley]

(World Today Thursday 6 October 2016)

Running mates spar over presidential hopefuls

Neither Mr Tim Kaine (left) nor Mr Mike Pence made significant errors

through the night, meeting the baseline test of not doing any harm to the top of the ticket.

Photo: Reuters

Vice-presidential candidates attack other party’s nominee on immigration, policing, taxes

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Published: 4:00 AM, October 6, 2016

VIRGINIA — Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and Indiana Governor Mike Pence repeatedly threw each other on the defensive over their running mates’ policies and character at the United States vice-presidential debate on Tuesday night, with Mr Pence making little effort to directly rebut the near-constant attacks on Donald Trump’s fitness for the presidency.

Mr Kaine was far more aggressive from the start, answering a question about his own qualifications with lengthy praise for Hillary Clinton and a declaration that “the thought of Donald Trump as commander in chief scares us to death”.

Mr Kaine, trained as a litigator, frequently used this tactic of turning questions about himself and Mrs Clinton into opportunities to extol his running mate and assail Mr Trump.

“I can’t imagine how Governor Pence can defend the insult-driven, me-first style of Donald Trump,” Mr Kaine said after noting that Mr Trump had once described Mexicans as “rapists” and questioned President Barack Obama’s citizenship.

Mr Pence, more formal and mild-mannered than his rival, seemed frustrated by the fusillade coming from Mr Kaine. He often looked down and shook his head slightly in the face of the attacks on Mr Trump, while Mr Kaine tended to interrupt and talk over Mr Pence.

But at other points, he showed a deftness that Mr Trump often lacked at his own debate last week. And he also offered voters a face of the Republican Party that was not overly dark or angry, as Mr Trump has often been in this race.

“Senator, you and Hillary Clinton would know a lot about an insult-driven campaign,” Mr Pence said. “The campaign of Hillary Clinton and Tim Mr Kaine has been an avalanche of insults.”

From Mr Trump’s proposals for cutting taxes and repealing the Affordable Care Act to “ending the war on coal,” a phrase he repeated several times, Mr Pence tried to describe Mr Trump’s views in ways intended to energise social conservatives, working-class white voters and other Republicans while delivering a measured performance that might appeal to undecided voters who are wary of Mr Trump’s fiery and unpredictable temperament.

Neither candidate made significant errors through the night, meeting the baseline test of not doing any harm to the top of the ticket. Of the two, Mr Kaine appeared far different from his usual self: He has been a more mellow debater in the past, a sign that the Mrs Clinton campaign trained him to be an attack dog on Tuesday.

Mr Pence alternated between ignoring Mr Trump’s inflammatory comments and making it clear that he had a different view on some issues. He repeatedly offered tough talk about Vladimir Putin’s government in Moscow, for example, even though Mr Trump has repeatedly praised the Russian leader.

“The Russian bear never dies, it just hibernates,” Mr Pence said, evoking Reagan-era imagery.

At another moment, Mr Pence called Mr Putin a “small and bullying leader”.

Mr Kaine sought to box in the Republicans, saying, “You’ve got to be tough on Russia, so let’s start by not praising Vladimir Putin as a great leader.”

“We haven’t,” Mr Pence protested, even though he himself said on CNN last month that Putin was “a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country.” But Mr Pence during the debate flatly denied making that remark.

The moderator, Elaine Quijano of CBS News, lost control of the debate at several points as Mr Kaine trampled on Mr Pence’s two-minute answers.

Mr Kaine used a discussion of foreign policy to unleash a torrent of attacks on Mr Trump for his breezy comments on nuclear weapons and praise for a series of authoritarian strongmen.

“He loves dictators, he’s got kind of a personal Mount Rushmore,” said the senator, citing leaders like Putin and Kim Jong-un of North Korea.

Mr Pence sidestepped Mr Kaine’s criticism, instead mocking his rival for lobbing a rehearsed attack.

“Did you work on that one a long time?” Mr Pence deadpanned.

“Let’s see if you can defend any of it,” Mr Kaine shot back.

But Mr Pence made no real attempt to do so.

The next debate, on Sunday, will feature Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton in a town meeting format where voters will ask questions. The third presidential debate will be Oct 19.