The pundits are not giving Kamala Harris nearly enough credit for her performance in the Vice Presidential debate. While the headlines read that she ducked questions and that Mike Pence ran all over her, Harris actually turned in one of the better debate performances in recent memory. It bodes very well for her future political prospects if Joe Biden is elected and serves only one term in office. Regardless of what the pundits have said, Harris turned in a performance that was both firm and likable at the same time. She is going to be on the political stage for a long time, and will end up being one of the most liked and respected politicians in modern history.

Harris' Performance Should Be Judged By Today's Rules

First, pundits' response to Harris' debate performance seemed to apply normal rules to her. However, what might have applied to debating George W. Bush and Mitt Romney simply has no applicability in the age of Trump. People need to understand that being dragged on to the same stage as Trump and his minions completely suspends the normal rules of debating. Just emerging from the stage without being bathed the stench of Trumpism is a major win. To be able to make a coherent and compelling case while showing warmth to the American public is about as well as one can possibly debate a Republican these days.

Debating Trumpism is a nearly impossible task because it requires that a candidate engage with someone who has completely chosen to put truth aside. It involves having to engage with someone who can literally say anything with a straight face even when it is the exact opposite of what they have really done. What we are saying is that it is Herculean to even have an intelligent political discussion with someone who has put politics aside in favor of lies.

This is why Harris was as impressive as anyone could have been on the debate stage. Her strength is that she instinctively knew when she needed to engage with Pence and when she could speak directly to the American people. It is difficult to know the exact rejoinder when the debate opponent is lying through their teeth with impunity, but Harris was able to refocus the discussion. Rather than fact check everything that Pence said, she selectively knew when she needed to correct the record and did it in a focused way that left no doubt about what she was saying.

People also have a better sense of who Kamala Harris is as a person after the debate. She mixed in enough personal anecdotes that she was able to go for the jugular without looking mean. As a Black woman, she had the highest bar of all, and she cleared it with some room to spare. One misstep for her would have likely been blown out of proportion. Society has unfortunately not changed, and it continues to hold Black women to the highest standard of all. Yet, even by that impossibly high standard, Harris exceeded all expectations of her, just like Stacey Abrams did in 2018.

The American People Are Just Beginning to Know Kamala Harris, and They Like Her

At the same time, Harris also began to form a bond with the American people. Even when she was firmly standing up to Pence and holding her own with him in spite of his willingness to bend every rule, she managed to remain likeable. For a candidate who has not been able to appear in public as much due to the pandemic, this was a great introduction to the American people. Harris has the qualities that voters will like, including a mix of forcefulness and sincerity. She is very worthy of her historic status and proved it on the stage with Pence.

The debate may be the last inflection point in the race until the very end given Trump's decision to skip the second debate because he does not like the format. With that in mind, Harris did exactly what she needed to do in terms of not giving her opponent any ammunition to change the course of the race. Given the amount of mud that Pence was slinging with a smile, that is no tall task. When the best that the pundits can come up with is that Harris did not answer the question of court packing, that is a major win.