How Kamala Harris lost the debate with her body language
What can be deemed as superficial is often the determiner of debates: body language. And the strong nonverbal signals Sen. Kamala Harris was giving Vice President Mike Pence and debate viewers didn’t make any of us want to sit down and have a beer with her, or jam along to Tupac.
Body language is often the hardest to contain when one candidate is listening to the other. Whether you call it a smirk, a squint, or "resting bitch face," not even the plexiglass barrier prevented the rest of us from noticing the mom glares she was tossing Pence’s way. Complete with raised eyebrows, the agitated looks she was giving Pence showed complete disdain.
To be fair, it’s harder to know what to do with your face when you aren’t speaking than when you are. Having to keep a pleasant look on your face while your opponent blasts your record tests even the most gifted debater. But it’s part of the deal. You keep your cool, you keep your poker face, and when you disagree with an attack, you subtly smile with a slight shake of the head. It’s the visual version of Ronald Reagan’s “There you go again.” Those who can visually weather a tough line of questioning seem like they have nothing to hide and, therefore, strategically muddy the attack.
What I will give Harris credit for is that she looked at Pence when he was speaking. Her visual acknowledgment that she shared the stage with him was a contrast to how Joe Biden handled the first presidential debate. Biden rarely looked at President Trump, making it seem as if he didn’t know he was at a debate, or it was a purposeful way to demonstrate that he didn’t even think Trump deserved the respect to be recognized. Regardless of the reason, he failed on eye contact, and she excelled, even though it was reminiscent of a just-wait-till-your-father-comes-home look.
That intensity carried over to when she spoke. This was when she became more agitated. Her hand gestures were frantic, often choppy, which communicates to Pence and to the audience that I’m talking at you, not with you. Her gestures were big, often leaving the camera frame, and at one point she even popped up from her chair — in a seated debate. It communicated that she wasn’t in control. She should have taken a page from Tulsi Gabbard, who is a strong debater and bested Harris during the primary. It’s the calm and steady facial expressions that communicate strength.
This is where Pence excelled. Whether you love him or hate him, he is consistent with an unflappable poker face. No matter the attacks, no matter how many times he is asked to stop speaking, no matter that a fly landed on his head, Pence will soldier on and be exactly who you expect him to be.
Sure, it’s wooden and a bit boring. Yes, he can purse his lips too much in between thoughts, and you wonder if he’s a robot, but after the first presidential debate that was widely derided as uncivil, Pence’s nonverbals were a welcome respite. His visuals were respectful toward Harris, and nothing she said changed the way he looked at her. He is the complete opposite of Trump in every single way.
To top it off, as the debate concluded, Pence for roughly 60 seconds tried to get Harris’s attention to give her a nod in thanks. She refused to look at him, so he waited until she finally had to acknowledge him. It encapsulated the evening — Pence showed her respect even though they disagreed. Harris showed him disdain, which is how she really feels.
Some of the coverage today will call the attacks on her debate performance sexist. One should be able to critique a woman’s body language just as fairly as a man’s without it being boiled down to their gender. If Harris had debated Trump, her body language would have been more in line with Trump’s abrasiveness, even though I would have knocked both of their deliveries. But compared to Pence, the difference was striking. Harris isn’t being panned because she’s a woman. She’s being panned because her body language stole the show for all the wrong reasons.
Beverly Hallberg (@BevHallberg) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. She is president of District Media Group.
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