I didn't keep a strict count, but I'd say VP Pence avoided answering more than half the questions put to him by Susan Page in the just concluded VP 2020 debate. The most egregious avoidance came near the end, when Pence didn't answer Page's question about what Trump would do if he lost the election. That is, the all-important question of whether Trump would peacefully leave office, as the law requires, if Biden won the election.
And that, in turn, raises the question that was raised last week about Chris Wallace: why wasn't Page more forceful in holding Pence to account when he ignored her questions? She was somewhat better than Wallace in challenging Pence when he talked over his allotted time, but as a moderator, shouldn't she have insisted that the candidate answer the questions put to him? Is that part of the job of a moderator? As it was, she complained a lot but took little action. Once again, a mute button would have helped.
Meanwhile, Harris had a good outing. She more than once stopped Pence when he was talking over her, intruding on her time, and offered a both logical and passionate defence of her and Biden's progressive positions. For his part, Pence was far better than Trump in presenting his conservative positions or whatever exactly they were than was Trump, but that's faint praise indeed.
In general, I doubt that this debate changed many if any minds. But Biden is now so far ahead in the polls, that probably doesn't matter. What Trump needed tonight was a decisively powerful and winning performance from his Vice President. What he got was a somewhat weary, smug presentation which will likely do nothing more than seal the much deserved fate of this rapidly disintegration administration.
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