2016 Vice-Presidential Debate: on Foreign Policy


Ajamu Baraka: International coordinator of Black Left Unity Network

As Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence square off in the only vice-presidential debate, there might be some curiosity Green Party candidate Jill Stein's running mate Ajamu Baraka. Baraka, 62, is an African-American human rights activist who grew up on the south side of Chicago and attended graduate school at Clark College, a private, historically black university in Atlanta that is now called Clark Atlanta University. He is the founding executive director of the U.S. Human Rights Network and coordinator of the U.S.-based Black Left Unity Network's Committee on International Affairs.

"I saw myself as someone that was trying to continue the legacy of (W.E.B) DuBois and Malcolm X in terms of internationalizing the struggle of African people in the U.S.," Baraka told Democracy Now. Baraka was honored by then-United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in 1998 for his work in human rights.

Source: International Business Times: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate Oct 4, 2016

Bill Weld: No alliances for intelligence: We have to do it ourselves!

[In response to Pence saying] "More taxes, more spending," under the Democrats, he is probably right about that.

[In response to Kaine's comment on the Iran nuclear deal]: Kaine not convincing re "safer or more dangerous" question. Trump's proposals are worse. (Nuclear weapons, Putin, abandon allies)

Kaine says the secret to intelligence work is "alliances." As a former federal prosecutor, I would disagree. We have to do it ourselves!

Source: Twitter posts on 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate Oct 4, 2016

Donald Trump: FactCheck: Japan should defend itself, including with nukes

V.P. nominee Tim Kaine said, "Donald Trump believes that the world will be safer if more nations have nuclear weapons. He's said Saudi Arabia should get them, Japan should get them, Korea should get them. And when he was confronted with this, and told that proliferation could lead to nuclear war, here's what Donald Trump said:: 'Go ahead, folks, enjoy yourselves.' "

Is that true? Yes, the quotation is accurate, but it's out of context. From "The Guardian" of 4/2/16:

Trump told a crowd he was sanguine about potential hostilities between North Korea and its neighbors. He said that if conflict between Japan and nuclear-armed North Korea were to break out, "it would be a terrible thing but if they do, they do". "Good luck," he added. "Enjoy yourself, folks." According to Trump: "The case could be made to let [Japan] protect themselves against North Korea, they'd probably wipe them out pretty quick." Trump previously suggested that South Korea and Japan should have their own nuclear weapons.

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Mike Pence: America's place in the world is weakened

PENCE: For the last seven-and-a-half years, we've seen America's place in the world weakened. We've seen an economy stifled by more taxes, more regulation, a war on coal, and a failing health care reform come to be known as ObamaCare, and the American people know that we need to make a change.

KAINE: Governor Pence doesn't think the world's going so well and he is going to say it's everybody's fault.

PENCE: Do you?

KAINE: Let me tell you this. When Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, Governor Pence, did you know that Osama bin Laden was alive?

PENCE: Yes. [But] at a time of great challenge in the life of this nation, where we've weakened America's place in the world and stifled America's economy.

KAINE: Do you know that we had 175,000 troops deployed in the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan? Do you know that Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon and Russia was expanding its stockpile?

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Mike Pence: Fight Russia with strength and allies

There's an old proverb that says the Russian bear never dies, it just hibernates. The weak foreign policy of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has awakened an aggression in Russia that first appeared a few years ago with their move in Georgia, now their move into Crimea, now their move into the wider Middle East. All we do is fold our arms and say we're not having talks anymore. We need American strength. We need to marshal the resources of our allies in the region. America is stronger than Russia. Our economy is 16 times larger than the Russian economy. America's political system is superior to the crony, corrupt capitalist system in Russia. When Donald Trump and I observe that the small and bullying leader of Russia has been stronger on the world stage than this administration, that's stating painful facts. That's not an endorsement of Vladimir Putin. That's an indictment of the weak and feckless leadership.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Mike Pence: Trump for extreme vetting of immigrants and no Syrians

Q: Does the Trump/Pence campaign call for barring Syrian refugees?

A: Trump has called for extreme vetting for people coming into this country so that we don't bring people into the United States who are hostile to the American way life. Donald Trump and I are committed to suspending the Syrian refugee program and programs and immigration from areas of the world that have been compromised by terrorism.

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Tim Kaine: Create a humanitarian zone in northern Syria, with UN aid

Q: 250,000 people-100,000 of them children--are under siege in Aleppo, Syria. Does the U.S. have a responsibility to prevent mass casualties on this scale?

PENCE: What America ought to do right now is immediately establish safe zones, so that families and vulnerable families with children can move out of those areas, work with our Arab partners, real time, right now, to make that happen. And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the US should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo.

KAINE: Hillary and I also agree that the establishment of humanitarian zones in northern Syria with the provision of international human aid, consistent with the U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed in February 2014, would be a very, very good idea.

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Tim Kaine: On Putin: See difference between leadership & dictatorship

PENCE: The provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength.

KAINE: Hillary has the ability to stand up to Russia in a way that this ticket does not. Donald Trump, again and again, has praised Vladimir Putin. And it's clear that he has business dealings with Russian oligarchs who are very connected to Putin. The Trump campaign team had to be fired a month or so ago because of those shadowy connections with pro-Putin forces. Gov. Pence made the odd claim, he said "inarguably Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama." Vladimir Putin has run his economy into the ground. He persecutes LGBT folks and journalists. If you don't know the difference between dictatorship and leadership, then you got to go back to a fifth-grade civics class. I'll tell you what offends me...

PENCE: Well, that offended me!

KAINE: Vladimir Putin is a dictator. He's not a leader. Anybody who thinks otherwise doesn't know Russian history and they don't know Vladimir Putin.

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Tim Kaine: The "reset with Russia" failed because Putin is a dictator

PENCE: This is the alternative universe of Washington, D.C., versus reality: Hillary Clinton said her number-one priority was a reset with Russia. That reset resulted in the invasion of Ukraine, after they'd infiltrated with what are called little green men, Russian soldiers that were dressing up like Ukrainian dissidents, and then they moved all the way into Crimea, took over the Crimean Peninsula. Donald Trump knew is saying it's not going to happen again. The truth of the matter is that what you have in the rise of aggressive Russia, which has increased its influence in Iran, that's now because of [Obama's nuclear] deal, the leading state sponsor of terror in the world in Iran now has a closer working relationship with Russia because of $150 billion and sanctions all being lifted.

Q: Senator Kaine, what went wrong with the Russia reset?

KAINE: Vladimir Putin is a dictator. He's not a leader. Anybody who thinks otherwise doesn't know Russian history and they don't know Vladimir Putin.

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Tim Kaine: Create a humanitarian zone in northern Syria, with UN aid

Q: 250,000 people-100,000 of them children--are under siege in Aleppo, Syria. Does the U.S. have a responsibility to prevent mass casualties on this scale?

PENCE: What America ought to do right now is immediately establish safe zones, so that families and vulnerable families with children can move out of those areas, work with our Arab partners, real time, right now, to make that happen. And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the US should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo.

KAINE: Hillary and I also agree that the establishment of humanitarian zones in northern Syria with the provision of international human aid, consistent with the U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed in February 2014, would be a very, very good idea.

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Tim Kaine: On Putin: See difference between leadership & dictatorship

PENCE: The provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength.

KAINE: Hillary has the ability to stand up to Russia in a way that this ticket does not. Donald Trump, again and again, has praised Vladimir Putin. And it's clear that he has business dealings with Russian oligarchs who are very connected to Putin. The Trump campaign team had to be fired a month or so ago because of those shadowy connections with pro-Putin forces. Gov. Pence made the odd claim, he said "inarguably Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama." Vladimir Putin has run his economy into the ground. He persecutes LGBT folks and journalists. If you don't know the difference between dictatorship and leadership, then you got to go back to a fifth-grade civics class. I'll tell you what offends me...

PENCE: Well, that offended me!

KAINE: Vladimir Putin is a dictator. He's not a leader. Anybody who thinks otherwise doesn't know Russian history and they don't know Vladimir Putin.

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

Tim Kaine: The "reset with Russia" failed because Putin is a dictator

PENCE: This is the alternative universe of Washington, D.C., versus reality: Hillary Clinton said her number-one priority was a reset with Russia. That reset resulted in the invasion of Ukraine, after they'd infiltrated with what are called little green men, Russian soldiers that were dressing up like Ukrainian dissidents, and then they moved all the way into Crimea, took over the Crimean Peninsula. Donald Trump knew is saying it's not going to happen again. The truth of the matter is that what you have in the rise of aggressive Russia, which has increased its influence in Iran, that's now because of [Obama's nuclear] deal, the leading state sponsor of terror in the world in Iran now has a closer working relationship with Russia because of $150 billion and sanctions all being lifted.

Q: Senator Kaine, what went wrong with the Russia reset?

KAINE: Vladimir Putin is a dictator. He's not a leader. Anybody who thinks otherwise doesn't know Russian history and they don't know Vladimir Putin.

Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University Oct 4, 2016

  • The above quotations are from Vice-Presidential Debate, Oct. 4, 2016, moderated by Elaine Quijano of CBS News.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Foreign Policy.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Mike Pence on Foreign Policy.
  • Click here for more quotes by Tim Kaine on Foreign Policy.
2016 Presidential contenders on Foreign Policy:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Page last updated: Dec 09, 2018