This is going to be something. I’m actually looking forward to this. I don’t think this debate can possibly matter in this election. And the two guys who are debating are actually pretty representative of their parties. Democrat Tim Kaine is hardly my kind of a politician, but he’s a standard Democrat at this point. And while Republican Mike Pence is a vile piece of garbage, he’s very much in keeping with his party. If the economy collapsed and 50 million people lost their jobs, Mike Pence would be against doing anything to help if a Democrat was in the White House, because, like virtually all Republicans, he places party above nation.
What I wonder about the vice-presidential debate is if the two candidates are going to go after the presidential nominees. That will be sad — at least for me. Jerry Bowles wrote a good primer, Think Trump Is Scary? Check Out Mike Pence on the Issues. But it doesn’t much go into economics. On that, he’s a typical supply-sider. He voted against the 2009 stimulus, although to be fair, he likely would have voted for it if a Republican had been in the White House. He was against foreclosure relief. Basically, you can determine the correct economic policy by choosing whatever Mike Pence is against.
Tim Kaine is a mixed bag. On a personal level, I like it. I like people who surprise me. And Kaine seems all over the map, well, all over the map. But he isn’t vile. He’s just wrong. Like on the Trans-Pacific Partnership — he’s just wrong. It would be great if the debate allowed me to get a better handle on him as a politician. But I fear that won’t be the case.
What I Expect
I’m afraid the whole thing is going to be dueling charges of how the other’s running mate is awful. “You’re part of a racist campaign!” And, “You’re complicit in Hillary’s lies!” I expect the worst from Pence because he’s been very public in defending Trump’s lies. He seems to have no shame whatsoever. Of course, if he doesn’t become vice-president, he will have no political career either. At least Tim Kaine has a political future regardless.
But none of this really matters. I have two friends that will help me through this vice-presidential debate. The first is Modern Romance by Midnight Sun Brewing Company. The second is Denogginizer by Drake’s Brewing Company. They are both very tasty. But more important in a situation like the vice-presidential debate, they are both almost 10% alcohol. I may not be able to type by the end.
Two Beers: Modern Romance by Midnight Sun Brewing Company and Denogginizer by Drake’s Brewing Company by Frankly Curious is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Well, the blog comment thingy is telling me I have to log in with Facebook or Twitter, so that’s a no-go. Also, I don’t know if I’m gonna watch this one. I suspect, as you mentioned, it’ll just be talking points about Trump and Clinton. Also I’ve been sucking down beers as my back hurts like a mofo, and I don’t know when I’ll get up from my nap.
An imperial IPA and a strong Belgian? Good God, man, be cautious. Yes, those are some admirably complex and delicious beer styles. But, please, no operating heavy machinery!
I couldn’t possibly drink both of those (20 oz) beers before passing out, so don’t worry.
You can’t comment? Couldn’t you comment on the last one? I’ll check the settings.
I watched the entire VP debate. The next to last question was a huge contrast. They were asked “when is one time your faith and public duties have been in tension?” (paraphrased) Kaine gave a great explanation of how he opposes the death penalty on religious grounds, but has allowed executions to go through in his state. Pence, on the other hand, emphasized that he is pro-life and bragged about how few abortions there are in Indiana. In other words, he talked about how he merged his religion with his policies, which is the exact opposite of what he was asked. I don’t think this will be a big moment, but it is genuinely scary to me. The First Amendment is crucial to our country, and it’s always a tough call to say how much someone’s religion should impact their political decisions. But Pence didn’t even acknowledge the tension; instead, he defended running his state on religious grounds. This is not how the country is meant to be run. We are not a theocracy; does Pence know that?
It makes a lot of sense, actually. Religion is really big in the US, but it is mostly meaningless in a spiritual sense. What conservatives and liberals mean by Christianity is totally different. As I discussed in the post today, they are different religions. I think there really isn’t much difference between my atheistic humanism and a liberal Christian’s beliefs. It’s all politics.
Pence lied so much during the debate that I stopped commenting on it and then stopped noticing it. He’s a truly vile man.
Well, I’d say Pence won, 55-45, but neither is really inspiring stuff. Odd, as both Prez candidates are around 70, and there’s a serious risk of assassination attempts on Hillary. Remember when “heartbeat away” was an issue?
Me and the SO had a laugh; thinking about it, Trump is like Basil Fawlty. What makes Basil hilarious is he’s such a dick, you don’t have to feel any sympathy for him. Whenever his arrogant plans come to ruin (which is every time), he immediately blames everyone except himself, starting with his wife (who won’t take it) and working his way down to anybody least in a position to argue with him. If Basil had a shred of decency, his doomed dreams wouldn’t be funny. He doesn’t, so watching him fail is hysterical.
There is that. There is also that he’s totally impotent. He doesn’t even have power over Manuel. That’s such a great show!