Unfair and Unbalanced

WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASKED?

by Don Fredrick, The Complete Obama Timeline, ©2020

(Oct. 8, 2020) — Millions of Americans watched the televised debate between Vice President Mike Pence and his challenger, Senator Kamala Harris. Millions also might argue that moderator Susan Page was more “fair and balanced” than the moderator of the first presidential debate, Chris Wallace—a registered Democrat with Fox News who clearly favored Joe Biden and is rabidly anti-Trump. But was Page (who is working on a book about Nancy Pelosi which will no doubt portray her in an extremely positive light, and whose husband and son have donated to the Biden campaign) actually moderate? She allowed Harris about three minutes more time to speak than Pence. She did little to push Harris or Pence to answer questions they dodged. But what about the questions? Were they “fair and balanced”? It is worth examining them. They are listed here, with this author’s comments in brackets and a categorization following the question. The responses by Harris and Pence are not evaluated.

Question 1:

“Let’s begin with the ongoing pandemic that has caused our country so much. [Caused our country so much what?] Senator Harris, the coronavirus is not under control. [That is an opinion, not a provable fact, unless one takes the time to first define the term ‘under control.’ Page did not do so. Does ‘under control’ mean no deaths at all? No hospitalizations? No positive cases? One could argue that no annual flu virus has ever been ‘under control.’] Over the past week, Johns Hopkins [University] reports that 39 states have had more COVID cases over the past seven days than in the week before. Nine states have set new records. [An increase in the case count does not mean the virus is not ‘under control.’ It only means more people are testing positive for the virus. That count obviously increases as more Americans are tested. But the majority of people who test positive either have few symptoms or none at all. The vast majority do not need hospitalization and do not even become ill.] Even if a vaccine is released soon, the next administration will face hard choices. [Why would there be ‘hard choices’? If an effective ‘vaccine is released soon,’ would there be a choice not to distribute it?] What would a Biden administration do in January and February that a Trump administration wouldn’t do? Would you impose new lockdowns for businesses and schools in hotspots? A federal mandate to wear masks? You have two minutes to respond, without interruption.”

Question 1 begins with a false assumption, that the Wuhan virus is not under control. That slants the question against the Trump administration. “What would you do differently” is a fair enough question, but because it is asked with regard to the future (‘in January and February’) it offers Harris the opportunity to suggest that the situation under Trump may even become worse. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have spent months claiming they would have done a better job than Trump dealing with the virus, but they have never explained how they would have done so—beyond vague references to “assembling teams of experts.” A better question from Page would have been, “Had you and Joe Biden been in charge in January 2020, what would you have done differently?”

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

Question 2:

“Vice President Pence, more than 210,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 since February. The US death toll as a percentage of our population is higher than that of almost every other wealthy nation on Earth. For instance, our death rate is two and a half times that of Canada, next door. You head the administration’s Coronavirus Task Force. Why is the U.S. death toll, as a percentage of our population, higher than that of almost every other wealthy country? And you have two minutes to respond, without interruption.”

Once again, Page makes an invalid assumption with her question. According to Johns Hopkins University (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53780196), the United States ranks nine out of 10 in per capita death rate for Covid-19, behind Peru, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Ecuador, and the United Kingdom. With regard to the percentage of Covid-19 cases that lead to death, the United States ranks eighth, behind Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, and Brazil. In other words, you have a greater chance of being treated well and not dying if you live in the United States, compared to those other eight countries—which most people would call “wealthy countries.”

Further, of course, the date rate is largely impacted by circumstances over which the President has little or no control. The U.S. Constitution has a Tenth Amendment, which recognizes the right of each state to act in matters in which the federal government has no statutory authority. It was the governors of the 50 states and their state legislatures that instituted lockdown controls, mask mandates, and other rules. It was not Donald Trump who ordered Covid-19 patients in New York and Pennsylvania placed in nursing homes, where they could infect high-risk patients.

Lastly, there has been an incredible inconsistency in how Covid-19 deaths have been recorded around the world. In the United States there have been countless reports of deaths recorded by health officials as having been caused by the Wuhan virus when, in fact, the patient merely died with the virus, not because of the virus. Physicians have reported that they have been ordered to list Covid-19 as the cause of death even when they knew it was not a significant contributing factor. Page’s question makes an assumption that has not been—and probably never can be—proven true.

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

Question 3:

“Vice President Pence, you were in the front row in a Rose Garden event 11 days ago, at what seems to have been a super-spreader event for senior administration and congressional officials, no social distancing, few masks, and now a cluster of coronavirus cases among those who were there. How can you expect Americans to follow the administration safety guidelines to protect themselves from COVID when you were at the White House have not been doing so?”

Once again, moderator Page makes an assumption without evidence. She herself admits that Pence was in the front row of the event, yet he and his wife have not contracted the virus. It is impossible to know whether that particular event was the “super-spreader.” It may very well have been, but perhaps it was not. The truth is that anyone visiting the White House to see the President is tested for the virus before being allowed entry. Sadly, that is not foolproof. But nothing is foolproof, and life is not risk-free. If the virus spreads as easily as the media often suggests it can, White House staffers would have been stricken months ago. The guidelines are just that, guidelines. They are not mandatory. Neither Congress nor the President has the authority to mandate masks or “social distancing.” Question 3 is meant solely to ridicule the Trump administration, which has never stated that any particular practice renders a person immune. Page may as well ask, “Why has the President failed at ensuring that every person in the United States will never get sick?”

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

Question 4:

“Senator Harris… For life to get back to normal, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts say that most of the people who can be vaccinated need to be vaccinated, but half of Americans now say they wouldn’t take a vaccine if it was released now. If the Trump administration approves a vaccine, before after the election, should Americans take it, and would you take it?”

Again, Page’s question makes an invalid assumption. It is most certainly not true that life can only get back to normal if most people are vaccinated. Most people who contract the virus do not get sick and do not require hospitalization. They spread the virus to others, most of whom also do not get sick or require hospitalization. In that way, Americans develop immunity to the virus. If enough people develop immunity, the nation develops what is known as “herd immunity.” A vaccine is arguably nothing more than a way to speed up that process of herd immunity, by giving a small dose of the virus to as many people as possible to prompt their bodies to develop an immunity.

Page asked the question because Harris had previously said she would refuse to take a vaccine if it was recommended by Trump.

Category: Fair

Question 5:

“Vice President Pence, there have been a lot of repercussions from this pandemic. In recent days, the president’s diagnosis of COVID-19 has underscored the importance of the job that you hold, and that you are seeking. That’s our second topic tonight, it’s the role of the vice president. One of you will make history on January 20, you will be the vice president to the oldest president the United States has ever had. Donald Trump will be 74 years old on Inauguration Day. Joe Biden will be 78 years old. That already has raised concerns among some voters, concerns that have been sharpened by President Trump’s hospitalization in recent days. Vice President Pence, have you had a conversation or reached an agreement with President Trump about safeguards or procedures when it comes to the issue of presidential disability? And if not, do you think you should? You have two minutes without interruption.”

Category: Fair

Question 6:

“Senator Harris, let me ask you the same question that I asked Vice President Pence, which is have you had a conversation, or reached an agreement with Vice President Biden, about safeguards or procedures when it comes to the issue of presidential disability? And if not, and if you win the election next month, do you think you should? You have two minutes, uninterrupted.”

Category: Fair

Question 7:

“Thank you, Senator Harris. You know neither, neither President Trump nor Vice President Biden has released the sort of detailed health information that had become the modern norm until the 2016 election. And in recent days, President Trump’s doctors have given misleading answers or refused to answer basic questions about his health. And my question to each of you, in turn, is, is this information voters deserve to know? Vice President Pence, would you like to go first?”

Page is suggesting that Trump and Biden are equally secretive about their health issues. Some might argue that Biden has been far more secretive. Americans have been told what medications Trump is taken. The same is not true of Biden. But the question itself is not unfair.

Category: Fair

Question 8:

“I wanna [sic] give Senator Harris a chance to respond to the same question I asked, which is do voters have a right to know more detailed health information about presidential candidates, and especially about presidents, especially when they’re facing some kind of challenge?”

Category: Fair

Question 9:

“You know, that’s a good segue into our third topic… which is about the economy. This has been another aspect of life for Americans that’s been so affected by this coronavirus. We have a jobs crisis brewing. On Friday, we learned that the unemployment rate had declined to 7.9% in September, but the job growth had stalled, and that was before the latest round of layoffs and furloughs in the airline industry, at Disney and elsewhere. Hundreds of thousands of discouraged workers have stopped looking to work. Nearly 11 million jobs that existed at the beginning of the year, haven’t been replaced. Those hardest hit include Latinos, blacks, and women. Senator Harris, the Biden-Harris campaign has proposed new programs to boost the economy and you would pay for that new spending by raising $4 trillion in taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations. Some economists warn that could curb entrepreneurial ventures that fuel growth and create jobs. Would raising taxes for the recovery at risk? And you have two minutes to answer, uninterrupted.”

What had been a booming economy was certainly impacted negatively by the Wuhan virus. But to claim there is a “jobs crisis” contradicts the reality that the economy has been recovering far more quickly and far more effectively than most “experts” had predicted. Third-quarter GDP growth is likely to be in excess of 30 percent. That certainly does not help the people who remain unemployed, but they are in distress mostly because some states have been reluctant to eliminate extreme lockdown rules. Nine of the 10 states with the highest unemployment rates have Democrat governors, while nine of the 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates have Republican governors. The best way to boost the economy would be to remove the lockdown restrictions that are crippling the airline, theme park, hotel, and restaurant industries. That would almost immediately put millions of Americans back to work. At the same time, of course, Americans who are most likely to become sick or die form the virus should be encouraged to limit contact with others. The reality is that children are at little risk and schools can re-open, while the at-risk members of society (the elderly and morbidly obese diabetics, for example) can continue to avoid going out in public while a vaccine is developed.

Page’s question is valid. Increasing taxes would harm the economy and would not create jobs. Even if tax increases were limited to the “wealthy,” those increases would destroy jobs. If a millionaire’s taxes are raised and he responds by choosing not to buy a new Cadillac, he is still a millionaire—while the middle-class Cadillac assembly line worker loses his job. A canceled order for a new boat puts boat-builders out of work, along with the employees of nearby bars and restaurants that close their doors because their working-class customers have lost their jobs. More importantly, raising taxes on investors obviously makes them far less likely to invest—something that is critically needed as the nation recovers from the ravages of the virus lockdowns. Thousands of businesses have failed because of the unwarranted lockdown restrictions. A restaurant with locked doors represents an opportunity for an investor. It can be purchased for a lower-than-typical price, it can be re-opened, and employees can be re-hired. But that is far less likely to happen if investors are frightened by the prospect of higher taxes and renewed lockdowns promised by Biden and Harris.

Category: Fair

Question 10:

“Vice President Pence, your administration has been predicting a rapid and robust recovery, but the latest economic report suggests that’s not happening. Should Americans be braced for an economic comeback that is going to take not months, but a year or more? You have two minutes to answer, uninterrupted.”

Moderator Page again makes invalid assumptions, The economy has, in fact, been recovering at a stronger rate and faster pace than had been anticipated. Despite the strength of the recovery, it is absurd to expect that a full comeback can take place in only weeks. It will obviously take months, and no one has said it would not. But it will not take years—if businesses are allowed to re-open. Page is essentially condemning the Trump administration for not having have magical powers.

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

Question 11:

“Thank you very, very much, Vice President Pence. Once again you provided the perfect segue to a new topic, which is climate change. And Vice President Pence, I’d like to pose the first question to you. This year we’ve seen record-setting hurricanes in the south. Another one, Hurricane Delta, is now threatening the gulf. And we have seen record-setting wildfires in the West. Do you believe, as the scientific community has concluded, that man-made climate change has made wildfires bigger, hotter and more deadly? And it made hurricanes wetter, slower and more damaging? You have two minutes, uninterrupted.”

The question is ludicrous. There is no evidence supporting Page’s suggestion that “man-made climate change” is responsible for allegedly-worsening hurricanes and wildfires. The “scientific community” has come to no such “conclusion.” They are mere theories. The climate has been changing for billions of years and will continue to do so. Mankind has as much influence over the climate as one grain of sand has on a mile-long beach. An entire year of automobile emissions pales in comparison to the dirt spewed into the atmosphere by one huge volcanic explosion. Mankind cannot eliminate its impact on the earth; it can only modify it. If mankind does not use oil to make gasoline for internal-combustion engines, it will mine lithium to make batteries for electric cars. It will merely trade dependence on foreign oil for dependence on foreign lithium. (Moderator Page is no doubt unaware that China is doing its best to gain control of South America, which supplies much of the world’s lithium.)

Page knows the average Democrat believes in man-caused “global warming.” She knows many independents and even some Republicans have also fallen for the left’s anti-capitalist envirosocialists propaganda. Her question is intended to prompt a weak response from Pence, who she knows would not spend time ridiculing her false assumptions.

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

Question 12:

“Senator Harris, as the Vice President mentioned, you co-sponsored the Green New Deal in Congress, but Vice President Biden said in last week’s debate that he does not support the Green New Deal. But if you look at the Biden-Harris campaign website it describes the Green New Deal as a crucial framework. What exactly would be the stance of a Biden- Harris Administration toward the Green New Deal? You have two minutes, uninterrupted.”

It is fair to ask about the contradictory “Green New Deal” statements by Biden and Harris. Harris risks repelling far-left voters if she runs away from the environmental agenda, but she also risks repelling moderate Democrats if she offers full-throated support of plans to eliminate the use of fossil fuels—and the millions of jobs they provide.

Category: Fair

Question 13:

“Senator Harris just said that climate change is an existential threat. Vice President Pence, do you believe that climate change poses an existential threat?”

Page’s question forces Pence to either choose sides or straddle a fence. He risks alienating voters who believe the global-warming propaganda if he calls it propaganda, but he also risks alienating oil, gas, and coal-industry workers if he falls into line with the “tree-huggers.”

Category: Fair

Question 14:

“I’d like to talk about China. We have, as our next topic, we have no more complicated or consequential foreign relationship than the one with China. It is a huge market for American agricultural goods. It’s a potential partner in dealing with climate change and North Korea. And in a video tonight, President Trump again blamed it for the coronavirus, saying ‘China will pay.’ Vice President Pence, how would you describe our, our fundamental relationship with China? Competitors? Adversaries? Enemies? You have two minutes.”

The question is fair (although saying “Trump again blamed [China] for the coronavirus” suggests Page believes the Chinese Communists should not be blamed).

Category: Fair

Question 15:

“Thank you. Senator Harris, I’m going to ask you the same question that I asked the Vice President. How would you describe our fundamental relationship with China? Are we competitors, adversaries, enemies? You’ll have two minutes, uninterrupted.”

Category: Fair

Question 16:

“Senator Harris, we’ve seen changes in the role of the United States in terms of global leadership, over the past four years—and of course times do change. What’s your definition—we’ve seen strains with China, of course, as the Vice President mentioned; we’ve seen strains with our traditional allies in NATO and elsewhere. What is your definition of the role of American leadership in 2020?”

Page’s question is designed to suggest Trump has harmed U.S. relations with other nations. To Page, asking European nations to pay their fair share of NATO defense costs causes “strained” relationships. (A parent’s relationship with a child might be “strained” by a demand that the lawn be mowed, the garbage be taken out, and a bedroom be cleaned, but that does not mean the parent is lacking in “leadership” qualities.) The question is meant to prompt a criticism of Trump’s foreign policy. It comes from a mind-set that the United States must be “liked,” rather than respected.

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

Question 17:

“So, I want to go ahead and move to the next topic, which is an important one, as the last topic was, and that is the Supreme Court. On Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to open hearings on Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Senator Harris, you’ll be there as a member of the committee. A confirmation would cement the court’s conservative majority, and make it likely open to more abortion restrictions, even to overturning the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. Access to abortion would then be up to the states. Vice President Pence, you’re the former governor of Indiana. If Roe v Wade is overturned, what would you want Indiana to do? Would you want your home state to ban all abortions? You have two minutes, uninterrupted.”

The question falsely assumes an overturning of Roe v Wade would result in the banning of all abortions. It would merely return to the states the rights they have under the Tenth Amendment. The question is designed to force Pence to make anti-abortion statements that would turn “pro-choice” Republicans and independent voters against him.

Category: Anti-Trump slant

Question 18:

“Senator Harris, you’re the senator from and former Attorney General of California. So let me ask you a parallel question to the one I posed to the vice president. If Roe v Wade is overturned, what would you want California to do? Would you want your home state to enact no restrictions on access to abortion? And you have two minutes, uninterrupted.”

The question is designed to allow Harris to re-affirm her support for abortion, turn pro-choice Republicans away from the Trump-Pence ticket, and make a case against Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Page’s questions to Pence and Harris are not designed to make their positions clearer. They are designed to allow viewers to place the candidates into broad pro-choice or pro-life categories. A better question would draw out the candidates’ positions on the particular situations a reversal of Roe v Wade might bring about. A reversal would not make all abortions illegal. It would merely mean states would resume their constitutional roles of regulating abortions. A good question might, for example, be: “If a healthy woman is pregnant with a healthy baby, would you object to a state law prohibiting an abortion the day before the baby’s due date?”

Category: Anti-Trump slant

Question 19:

“You know, you mentioned earlier, Vice President Pence, that the President was committed to maintaining protections for people with pre-existing conditions and—but you do have this court case that you are supporting, your administration is supporting, that would strike down the Affordable Care Act. The president says, President Trump says, that he’s going to protect people with pre-existing conditions, but he has not explained how he will do that. So, tell us, specifically—how will your administration protect Americans with pre-existing conditions and give access to affordable insurance if the Affordable Care Act is struck down.”

Moderator Page is apparently unaware of (or chose to ignore) the fact that Trump has signed an Executive Order re-affirming that Americans with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied health insurance. Trump and many Republicans have repeatedly stated they will continue to protect those Americans. A repeal of ObamaCare would not mean people with pre-existing conditions would not be able to buy insurance. Even before ObamaCare was passed, those Americans could buy insurance—albeit with higher premiums, as would be expected and appropriate. (It is not unreasonable to charge smokers more for health insurance than non-smokers. It is not unreasonable to charge women of child-bearing age more for health insurance than men or women who cannot have children.)

Category: Anti-Trump slant

Question 20:

“In March, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician in Louisville, was shot and killed after police officers executing a search warrant on a narcotics investigation broke into her apartment. The police said they identified themselves. Taylor’s boyfriend said he didn’t hear them do that. He used a gun registered to him to fire a shot, which wounded an officer. The officers then fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment. They say they were acting in self-defense. None of them have been indicted in connection with her death. Senator Harris, in the case of Breonna Taylor, was justice done? You have two minutes.”

Page called Taylor an emergency room technician. In fact, she had not worked as a city EMT since November 2016. At the time of her death, Taylor had a job as an emergency room assistant in a hospital. A grand jury determined that the officers involved acted in self-defense. Page’s question is irrelevant because the inadvertent shooting death of Taylor—after her boyfriend shot one officer in the leg when they executed a legal search warrant—was a matter for local authorities. Neither Harris nor Pence have likely read the grand jury proceedings, nor have more than a handful of Americans. The very fact that there was a grand jury proceeding means the judicial system was followed. (Justice would not have been served had the officers not been questioned, investigated, or made subject to grand jury proceedings. Many might disagree with the jury verdict in the O. J. Simpson murder trial, but the judicial system was followed.) The federal government has no jurisdiction over cases that do not involve federal crimes, and Trump has no authority to intervene in the Taylor case. (He does, however, have the responsibility of protecting federal buildings and employees where riots followed Taylor shooting protests.)

Whether Harris or Pence agree with the grand jury’s decision in the Taylor case is irrelevant. What is more important is how the federal government responds to civil unrest and federal crimes. What is more important is for voters to know why Kamala Harris expressed public support for fundraising to bail out demonstrators who rioted and looted in protest of the unfortunate shooting of Taylor. Page does not pose that question. Her goal is to give Harris an opportunity to unjustifiably portray the Trump administration as anti-black.

Category: Anti-Trump slant

Question 21:

“Thank you, Senator. Thank you, Senator Harris. Vice President Pence, let me pose the same question to you. In the case of Breonna Taylor, was justice done? You have two minutes, uninterrupted.”

Category: Anti-Trump slant

Question 22:

“Thank you, Senator Harris, and I’d like to pose the—I’d like you to respond first to the question on our final topic, the election itself. President Trump has, several times, refused to commit himself to a peaceful transfer of power after the election. If your ticket wins and President Trump refuses to accept a peaceful transfer of power, what steps would you and Vice President Biden then take? What would happen next? You have two minutes.”

The question is unjustified. Trump has stated on more than one occasion that he would comply with the results of an honest and fair election. There would be no reason for Trump to refuse to transfer power if he loses a fair election, and there is no reason to believe there would be an historical “stand-off” of some sort. To claim that Trump would refuse to leave the White House is nothing more than outrageous fear-mongering, of the same sort used by Democrats who falsely claim that Republicans would eliminate Social Security, throw sick people into the streets, start a war with North Korea, ban all abortions, and so on. The better question would address substantiated reports of vote fraud and ballot destruction. The question should not be, “What if Trump loses and blames vote fraud?” but “How would you address the issue of vote fraud?” (Instead of trying to dance around the ‘refusal-to-leave’ question, the Trump administration’s response should be, “If President Trump loses the election, he will treat the incoming administration in the same manner as the Obama-Biden administration treated Donald J. Trump, General Michael Flynn, and Carter Page.”)

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

Question 23:

“Vice President Pence, President Trump has several times refused to commit himself to a peaceful transfer of power after the election. If Vice President Biden is declared the winner and President Trump refuses to accept a peaceful transfer of power, what would be your role and responsibility as Vice President? What would you personally do? You have two minutes.”

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

Question 24:

“You know I’ve, I’ve asked—I’ve written all the questions that I’ve asked tonight, but for the final question of the debate, I’d like to read a question that someone else wrote. The Utah Debate Commission asked students in the state to write essays about what they would like to ask. And I want to close tonight’s debate with the question posed by Brecklyn Brown. She’s an eighth grader at Springville Junior High in Springville, Utah, and here’s what she wrote. Quote: ‘When I watch the news, all I see is arguing between Democrats and Republicans. When I watch the news, all I see is citizen fighting against citizen. When I watch the news, all I see are two candidate parties, trying to tear each other down. If our leaders can’t get along, how are the citizens supposed to get along?’ And then she added, ‘Your examples could make all the difference to bring us together’—end quote. So, for each of you, in turn, I’d like you to take one minute, and respond to Brecklyn…”

The question is ridiculous. The issues in the election revolve around the future of the country, and whether it will remain a (relatively) free republic or descend into a socialist Hellhole ruled by totalitarian tyrants. Page is apparently unaware she is moderating a significant, and even critical, political debate, rather than offering musings in a class about the works of Maya Angelou. The world is not a perfect, fair place where beautiful, barefoot people dance around a Maypole, surrounded by flying unicorns. Evil exists; evil wins if it is not defeated by good; and when good compromises with evil, evil wins. Page’s question serves no justifiable purpose. Her intention is to leave the voters with an image of a confrontational thug named Trump bullying an avuncular grandpa named Joe.

Category: Anti-Trump Slant

The final totals are:

Anti-Trump Slant – 14 questions

Fair – 10 questions

The debate was clearly not “fair and balanced.” Susan Page may, to many viewers, have come across as fairer than Chris Wallace in the prior debate, but it is the questions, not her demeanor, that should be the determining factor in judging her.

Here are some questions that could and perhaps should have been asked:

“Vice President Pence, there have been a substantial number of personnel changes in the White House since Trump became president. What explains that? Is he a poor judge of character, or is there something else going on?”

“Senator Harris, if a healthy woman is pregnant with a healthy baby and the due date is tomorrow, would you support her having an abortion today?”

“Vice President Pence, President Trump has pledged to end unjustified wars and bring troops home. Why do we still have soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria?”

“Senator Harris, do you support increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour? If so, what do you say to people who lose their jobs when they are replaced by machines? What if some jobs are simply not worth $15 to the employer because they bring only $10 worth of value to the company?”

“Vice President Pence, how in the world are we going to cope with a national debt that will reach $30 trillion in just a few years?”

“Senator Harris, how in the world are you and Joe Biden going to pay for your expensive programs, which will push the national debt beyond $30 trillion?”

“Vice President Pence, give us some specific examples of what the Democrats might do with almost unlimited power if they pack the Supreme Court with leftists, eliminate the Senate filibuster, eliminate the Electoral College, and add four additional leftists to the Senate by making Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico the 52nd and 53rd states.”

“Senator Harris, give us some specific examples of what you Democrats might do with almost unlimited power if you pack the Supreme Court with leftists, eliminate the Senate filibuster, eliminate the Electoral College, and add four additional leftists to the Senate by making Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico the 52nd and 53rd states.”

“Vice President Pence, should the Department of Education be eliminated? Why or why not? Are they any other federal departments or agencies you might eliminate if you could?”

“Senator Harris, education is a local issue. The U.S. Constitution gives the federal government no power or authority over education. Does not the Tenth Amendment justify the elimination of the Department of Education?”

“Vice President Pence, would you support a Constitutional Amendment limiting the Supreme Court to nine members? What about a Constitutional Amendment requiring photo ID for all federal elections? Why or why not?”

“Senator Harris, would you support a Constitutional Amendment limiting the Supreme Court to nine members? What about a Constitutional Amendment requiring photo ID for all federal elections? Why or why not?”

“Vice President Pence, why do we need so many military bases around the world? Why are we spending a fortune in hard-earned taxpayer dollars every year to defend the rest of the world?”

“Senator Harris, would you stop construction of additional border wall? Would you remove any existing portions? Why?”

“Vice President Pence, what federal spending would you slash to reduce the annual budget deficits?”

“Senator Harris, why should illegal aliens received taxpayer-funded health care when hard-working Americans are struggling to pay for their own?”

“Vice President, what would you do about the monopoly the leftist high-tech giants have on social media?”

“Senator Harris, what are your plans to limit Second Amendment rights?”

“Vice President Pence, would you support term limits for members of the House and Senate?”

“Senator Harris, would you support plans to increase the numbers of members of the House of Representatives?”

“Vice President Pence, why do the Republicans in the House and Senate cave in so often to Democrats, while Democrats tend to stick together and act as one powerful unit to steamroll their opponents?”

“Senator Harris, how can you justify the existence of ‘sanctuary cities?’ Why should illegal alien criminals be protected from arrest and deportation?”

“Vice President Pence, who do Republicans repeatedly allow debates to be moderated by Democrats who ask questions designed to make them look bad and Democrats look good?”

Feel free to conjure up your own questions, despite it being an exercise in futility…