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Post by Admin on Oct 4, 2020 20:23:39 GMT
The Commission on Presidential Debates has agreed to seat Kamala Harris and Mike Pence 12 feet apart at the vice presidential debate next week, after the Biden campaign raised health and safety objections to the original spacing between the two candidates because of Covid concerns.
As of Friday evening, however, the commission would not accede to the Biden campaign‘s request that Harris and Pence stand during the debate. Instead, the two will be seated, which was the preference of the Trump campaign, a source familiar with the discussions told POLITICO.
Negotiations had been underway before President Donald Trump announced early Friday that he had tested positive for Covid-19. But they became especially fraught throughout the day, after the Biden campaign and others who attended the Tuesday presidential debate in Cleveland were undergoing testing to make sure they hadn‘t been infected at the debate. Concerns heightened after 11 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Cleveland stemming from the debate, the city government disclosed on Friday.
The Biden campaign opposed original plans to position the candidates 7 feet apart, arguing that the two would not be spaced far enough apart to abide by medical guidelines. In light of Trump‘s diagnosis, the commission on Friday decided to move the chairs from 7 feet to 12 feet apart.
While social-distancing guidelines call for at least 6 six feet of space between individuals to avoid exposure to coronavirus, the Biden campaign argued that medical professionals recommend a greater distance of separation for individuals spending longer periods of time next to one another indoors. Pence and Harris are scheduled to face off Wednesday night for a 90-minute debate in Salt Lake City.
Harris, who went to Nevada on Friday, will travel to Utah and remain there until the debate, a Harris campaign official said Friday.
Biden campaign officials raised the candidate positioning as a "very serious concern," according to the source, who said the campaign also cited unease over the lack of mask-wearing enforcement during the presidential debate in Cleveland. The source said the commission and the Trump campaign had supported the 7-foot spacing.
Tim Murtaugh, a Trump campaign spokesman, told POLITICO the campaign would work to find middle ground.
“We are open to more space between the candidates, which we will be happy to negotiate,” Murtaugh said.
Several members of the Trump family who were in the audience for the first debate did not wear masks even though they were supposed to do so inside the venue. When a doctor from the Cleveland Clinic approached the Trump family, offering them masks, they declined and no further action was taken.
Trump, first lady Melania Trump and senior aide Hope Hicks have since tested positive for the virus and are in quarantine. The positive tests came after Trump chided Biden during the debate for wearing a mask.
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Post by Admin on Oct 6, 2020 8:40:53 GMT
The Commission on Presidential Debates has approved plans for plexiglass to be used in Wednesday’s vice presidential debate amid mounting concerns about coronavirus transmission, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Plexiglass is expected to be used as a barrier between Vice President Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris, as well as between the two candidates and moderator Susan Page. The plans have the support of the Cleveland Clinic, which is helping to set health protocols for the forums amid the pandemic. The Pence and Harris teams have been negotiating the terms of the debate in recent days. Following Friday’s news that President Donald Trump had contracted Covid-19, the debate commission decided to move the two candidates seats from seven feet to 13 feet apart. But the two camps were split over whether to erect a plexiglass barrier, according to people familiar with the talks. Harris' campaign supported it, Pence's opposed it. “If Sen. Harris wants to use a fortress around herself, have at it,” said Katie Miller, a Pence spokeswoman. A Harris spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It isn’t the first time plexiglass has been used in a debate in recent days: During a weekend debate between Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, Harrison put a plexiglass barrier between himself and the incumbent.
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Post by Admin on Oct 7, 2020 6:03:06 GMT
Isn't it usually a non-event? Who actually cares? Vice-presidential debates don't usually trouble presidential historians too much, but this year the drama of the election campaign could heighten interest in how the pair fare against each other.
The fact that the president has been seriously ill has reminded the public they have the two oldest presidential candidates in history. Being first in the line of succession has never been more significant, and both debaters will be aware they have to present themselves as ready to step into the world's biggest job.
The first debate between Trump and Biden was also so bereft of serious policy that some have said they're hoping for a proper discussion about the vision for America being offered by each ticket.
It could even also be the final debate of the campaign, depending on whether the president recovers in time.
No wonder the Brookings Institution called it the most important vice-presidential debate ever.
When is it, and how can I watch it? It's on Wednesday at 21:00-22:30ET (02:00-03:30BST), and will be the only match between the two VP candidates.
The BBC will have a live page and will stream the debate live from Salt Lake City, Utah, with analysis from three of our specialist reporters @awzurcher, @tara_mckelvey and @aleemmaqbool, and reaction from our voter panel.
It will also be covered live on BBC World News (global) and the BBC News Channel in the UK.
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Post by Admin on Oct 7, 2020 21:26:22 GMT
The first and only vice presidential debate of the 2020 election kicks off Wednesday, October 7 in Salt Lake City, where incumbent Vice President Mike Pence meets Sen. Kamala Harris.
We begin our coverage at 6 p.m. EDT with our nightly PBS NewsHour broadcast, followed by an hour of election-related programming.
At 8 p.m. EDT, NewsHour’s senior political reporter, Daniel Bush, will host a digital pre-show looking at what to expect from the debate and talking about key issues this election cycle.
At 9 p.m. EDT, the debate begins. The 90-minute debate will consist of nine 10-minute segments. Special coverage and analysis continues after the debate with NewsHour anchor and managing editor Judy Woodruff.
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Post by Admin on Oct 8, 2020 5:34:39 GMT
The vice presidential debate Wednesday night will be remembered more for how the candidates evaded questions than how they answered them. Vice President Mike Pence was asked good questions on a number of topics he completely ignored -- on President Donald Trump's health, on the Affordable Care Act, on what a post-Roe v. Wade Indiana should be like, and more. Sen. Kamala Harris evaded her share of questions too, particularly on whether Democrats would try to expand the Supreme Court. But the most important of the questions Pence evaded had to do with the bedrock of American democracy: the peaceful transfer of power after a presidential election. It's maybe not surprising that Pence would take this position since Trump, his boss, has repeatedly refused to commit to honoring the result if he loses the election. Trump's done it enough to raise concern about Republicans looking for ways to undermine the popular vote in states and engineer an Electoral College victory. But it's not every day you get the chance to ask Pence what his role will be after Election Day. Pence is not just any other citizen; he's the person who oversees the counting of electoral votes in January. It's a ministerial role, but still important. He's also the person, under the 25th Amendment, who would take over for Trump in case of an incapacitating emergency.
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