This was adapted from the October 8 edition of CNN’s Meanwhile in America, the daily email about US politics for global readers. Click here to read past editions and subscribe.
The highlight reel of vice presidential debates is not a long one — but it is glorious in its own way. As the debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris got underway on Wednesday, we took a look back.
Adm. James Stockdale was an American hero; he was shot down over North Vietnam, beaten while in prison and emerged as a talisman to fellow prisoners including the late Republican Sen. John McCain. But he is fated to be remembered by his iconic opening line in the 1992 vice presidential debate, when he ran on the ticket of Texas billionaire and independent candidate Ross Perot. Stockdale didn’t seem to have much clue why he was onstage, an impression underscored by his opening line (intended as an introduction): “Who am I? Why am I here?”
In 2008, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden was handed the difficult task of slowing the momentum of McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin, who had emerged as a hero of the conservative movement. Any slight that could have been perceived as sexist from Biden would have been a gift for the GOP campaign. In the event, Biden handled things smoothly. But the debate is now most remembered for Palin’s greeting: “Can I call you Joe?”
Four years later, Biden was called upon to restore the morale of the Obama campaign at a moment when it seemed that Mitt Romney might just make his boss a one-term President. Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan came loaded for bear. But Biden charmed away his attacks all night with a flashing, toothy smile, mocking his opponent’s jabs as “a bunch of malarkey.” Ryan didn’t do too badly, though — he later became speaker of the House.
But for the Daddy of all counterpunches, we have to go back to 1988, when grizzled political veteran Lloyd Bentsen, running on the Democratic ticket of Michael Dukakis, delivered one of the greatest zingers in the history of political debates anywhere. Onstage, youthful Republican vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle, the running mate of George H.W. Bush, compared his own experience to that of John F. Kennedy when he sought the presidency. Bentsen — pausing for a moment for dramatic effect — then delivered the immortal, if precooked, line: “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
Cult of K-A-M-A-L-A
Vice presidential picks may capture a bit less limelight than their presidential counterparts, but some in India may have paid special attention to the debate between Pence and Harris, CNN’s Manveena Suri reports from Delhi.
Harris, the daughter of two immigrants, is the first Black woman and the first South Asian woman to appear on a major party’s presidential ticket, making her appearance on the veep debate stage Tuesday a major moment for multiple underrepresented communities in America — and a neat foil to the anti-immigration and largely White administration that Pence represents.
On social media and in campaign ads, Harris — whose mother was born in Chennai — has emphasized her family and experiences in India as formative influences. “When I was a young girl visiting my grandparents in India, I’d join my grandfather and his buddies on their morning walk along the beach as they would talk about the importance of fighting for democracy and civil rights. Those walks made me who I am today,” she wrote in one Instagram post.
In response, the senator from California has found admirers not only in the Indian American community — a growing political force — but also in India, where some superfans are claiming her as one of their own on social media. “The pride and kinship that my Chennai-born mom & her family in India (even though no one lives in Chennai anymore) feel for Kamala Harris because her mother was also from Chennai is so pure & infectious. I wish I could bottle the elation of my mom feeling seen for the first time,” one woman tweeted. “Suddenly half the residents of Chennai are related or acquainted to Kamala Harris,” wrote another.
There are even musical tributes. Earlier this month, a young musician, Kanishka Anand, created “It’s me Kamala,” a homemade music video that shows little interest in Harris’ record as a politician but subs out the original lyrics of the pop synth hit “Friends” for proud references to her heritage, with lines like “For loving dosa, I don’t feel guilty.” Expect such supporters to be vigilant for any missteps in pronunciation or perceived slights from Pence on the debate stage. As Anand sings, “You say I’m Comma-la. I say I’m Kamala. It’s just your craziness … Want me to spell it out for you? K-A-M-A-L-A.”
(Asked last year how she defines herself, given her Indian roots, Harris replied, “Proud American.”)
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