The first and only vice presidential debate transpired on live programme on October 7th. Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence led the panel discussion that day. While the political discourse had proven to be much more polite and civil than the Presidential debate, candidates from both sides engaged in their fair share of deception, fallacies, and cherry-picking.
Harris: Trump Calls the Coronavirus A Hoax
In the very first segment, moderator Susan Page had hit a critical topic — the ongoing pandemic. She began by questioning Senator Harris on what measures the Biden administration will take that the Trump administration would not do in response to a global health crisis. In one part of her response, she had claimed that President Trump had called the coronavirus a hoax.
This affirmation is false. On February 28, Trump had called out Democrats for what he believed was their attempt to politicize the administration’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The Democratic super PAC Priorities USA Action had released an ad slicing two parts of Trump’s quotes together: “The coronavirus,” and “This is their new hoax.”
Trump’s original statement: “Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus, you know that right? Coronavirus, they’re politicizing it,” he said. “They tried the impeachment hoax … They’d been doing it since you got in. It’s all turning. They lost. It’s all turning. Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax,” he continued in another portion of his speech.
Pence: Biden Wants to End Fracking
When asked if America is prepared for an elongated economic comeback that will likely take a year or more, Pence had eventually brought up the long-standing argument of oil and gas extractions. He claimed that Biden and Harris wish to ban fossil fuels and fracking, which will kill hundreds of jobs in Heartland.
This is half-true. While Harris has made some past remarks in support of the ban, Pence’s assertion on Biden’s perspective is far-fetched. Back in August, the Democratic presidential candidate had refuted accusations made by President Trump, who claimed that Biden planned to ban fracking.
“I am not banning fracking,” Biden publicly declared in Pennsylvania. “Let me say that again: I am not banning fracking no matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me.”
Harris: Trump’s Tax Bill Benefits Large-Scale Corporations
On the issue of the economy, Harris accused the president of implementing tax cuts that played to the advantage of the nation’s largest corporations.
“Which is why he passed a tax bill benefitting the top 1% and the biggest corporations of America, leading to a $2 trillion deficit that the American people are gonna have to pay for,” she said.
Harris’s claim is partially accurate. Trump had signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in law in December 2017, which provided citizens of all classes a reduction in their taxes. Taxpayers with a higher income receive higher tax cuts, while taxpayers with lower income receive lower tax cuts — which is true. Yet, the Tax Policy Center determined that an estimated 65% of households experienced cuts, while only 6% paid higher taxes.
Pence: Universal Mail-In Voting Stimulates Voter Fraud
Upon entering the final segment of the VP debate, the topic had transitioned to the upcoming election. The vice president had criticized the Biden campaign for trying to implement universal mail-in voting. This effort, he said, would forge room for voter fraudulence.
“President Trump and I are fighting every day in courthouses to prevent Joe Biden and Kamala Harris from changing the rules and creating this universal mail-in voting, they’ll create a massive opportunity for voter fraud.”
Pence’s statement is vastly exaggerated. The Brennan Center for Justice collected data from previous elections over the years — and in 2017, they counted the general risk for ballot fraud to reach 0.0009% at the most. Voter fraud is indeed a serious conviction, to which the guilty party can face prosecution.
