Kamala Harris was the clear winner in the debate

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I WAS very impressed with Kamala Harris and her skills in the United States Vice-Presidential Debate. She appeared to be calm, measured, eloquent and, unlike Vice-President Mike Pence, answered most of her questions. She has matured since she first announced her candidacy as a Democratic nominee. As a woman of colour and relatively young, she held her own and defied the odds and stereotypes, in a race which historically is usually dominated by the much older, white male counterparts. As someone with Jamaican roots, I was particularly proud of her performance.

The debate was far less chaotic than the first Presidential Debate, where Donald Trump was disruptive and loud. The moderator of the Harris-Pence debate, though, I thought was detached from the proceedings; she could’ve done a better job with follow-up questions, while pressing the candidates to answer directly and adhere to the agreed format. Pence in particular, it seems, was granted too much overtime, he looked robotic and his responses rehearsed, and avoided answering most of his questions.

The fly on Pence’s head was a moment that has already made many memes on social media. Joe Biden already used this to create one with an image of him holding a fly swatter and the caption, “Pitch in $5 and help this campaign fly!” Campaigns are won through connection and taking quick advantage of every moment. It is won on effective use of messaging and branding across all media, including social media.

I am rooting for Biden-Harris to win the 2020 presidential elections and return a sense of normality, sanity and order to the White House which benefits the US and the rest of the world.