Tim Kaine didn’t win Mr. Congeniality — but he got the job done in V.P. debate

[DonViejo]

Kaine was grating at times, but he kept the focus on key issues and goaded Pence into "that Mexican thing"

AMANDA MARCOTTE

No doubt many in the media will declare Mike Pence the winner of Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate against Tim Kaine. Kaine was admittedly overexcited and his constant interrupting of Pence in the first 20 minutes rubbed everyone, left and right, the wrong way. Meanwhile, Pence exuded the preternatural calm of a sociopath, increasingly frustrating Kaine with his ability to lie endlessly — and about easily checked facts — with a disturbingly practiced assurance.

But while Kaine didn’t win any points on likability, he had a job to do and he got it done: Push out the anti-Trump talking points and highlight the vast differences between the Clinton campaign’s vision for racial justice versus the Trump campaign’s overt racism and bigotry.

On that front, Kaine got the job done. He repeatedly dragged the conversation back to issues around racial justice, from policing to immigration, which worked both to put Pence on the defensive and to appeal to black and Latino voters (and anyone, really, who cares about racial justice). While Pence was the living embodiment of an unflappable liar — definitely the guy to go to if you need someone to bury the bodies — Kaine’s relentlessness on this front clearly got to him enough that, for a brief, shining moment, he got flustered and angry.

“You whipped out that Mexican thing again,” Pence whined. It was one of the few memorable lines of the night and the likeliest to grab headlines. No doubt Latino viewers watching the debate took notice.

Kaine was irritating, but Pence was downright creepy. Many of the lies he told don’t need fact-checking to read as lies: Denying Trump’s bigotry, denying his and Trump’s praise of Vladimir Putin, pretending that it’s Clinton and not Trump who is running an “insult-driven campaign.” People who look you in the eye and lie so boldly without breaking a sweat are creepy, and I’m sure voters noticed that.

-snip-

http://www.salon.com/2016/10/05/tim-kaine-didnt-win-mr-congeniality-but-he-got-the-job-done-in-v-p-debate/

[MADem]

1. Kaine was JOYOUSLY irritating--I loved that he wouldn't put up with Pence's shit.

He called out his bullshit--it was a beautiful thing to see. How to say "Fuck YOU" without actually saying fuck you!

And Pence? He gave us enough material for three or four campaign ads!

[BumRushDaShow]

2. If Kaine had been "Mr. Congeniality"

it would have played right into the old media-promoted GOP stereotype of Democrats being "soft" and "weak".

It's bullshit that anyone would continue to fight against Democrats who are defying some preconceived nonsense of how to act.

There are posts after posts here on DU from 2012 that absolutely trashed and/or went ballistic against Obama for being calm and cerebral in an attempt to focus on "issues" during his first debate with Rmoney. I.e., they embraced both Ed Schultz's and Tweety's explosive and ODS-filled characterizations of Obama when blaming him for not going on the offensive at that time.

Yet when a "going on the offensive" strategy happens with Kaine, the hands start wringing so much that they get completely twisted off of some arms.

This indicates a lack of understanding of the difference between a Trump babbling away with crazy talk to drown out substance and Kaine attempting to drown out lies with substance.

[Overseas]

3. Kaine won. Pence only got calm points.

Kaine hit him on taxes, on police racial bias, gave a great profile of HRC as lifelong in public service.

[Coolest Ranger]

4. Screw the media

no one messes with my husband dang it. My man won last night.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Who cares if Pence "won" when his ticket lost. Kaine torpedoed Donald J. tRump with his own words.nt

[lonestarnot]

6. He sure did!

[OnDoutside]

7. Let's see how it looks in a few days when the Clinton campaign have sliced and diced Pence into

some juicy campaign ads.

[Madam45for2923]

8. Agree with Amanda Marcotte's article!

Kaine had a job and he produced! Thanks Kaine!