Pence and senator, Kamala Harris, of california. Theit, we will discuss matchup between President Trump and joe biden and how senator harris has prepared for tonight. Off a series of virtual conversations intended to bring the Women Community together as we continue to power through a year that has changed American Life and how women in corporate america, their own communities, and the household. Joining us is maya harris, kamalas sister and one of her closest political advisers, christine pelosi, and jennifer p. , a former communications chief to president obama and advisor to Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign. You can follow the conversation on twitter. I will also answer a few audience questions before we end this roundtable. Before we get started, we have a special video. We are going to show a short as part of the back story on women in debating. We will watch it and come back on the other side. [video clip] to have been so many unprecedented curveballs in this election it can be hard to keep up. But one thing remains constant. People dont like her. Nobody likes her. I did not mention his name. Kamala harris is up against the longstanding sexist scrutiny women in politics face. Its got us thinking, how do the obstacles that women face as politicians translate to a debate stage . Kamala harris and mike pence are about to face each other in the first Vice President ial debate. Theyre different debating styles have political junkies puzzled. They cant be too feminine, or they risk not being taken seriously. If they are too assertive, they are dubbed as unlikable. 8, pantsuits saturated pop culture. Stop photo shopping my head on sex he pictures. Stop saying i have kankles. Is one of the oldest sexist tropes about women in politics, they are too emotional. I ask for forgiveness anytime you get mad at me. I am very blunt. I know that sometimes, i get really worked up. And sometimes, i get a little hot. I dont really mean to. You can see the full video on politico. Com. Lets get started with this conversation. Much for so joining me today. I want to start with that video, which showed the different ways of sexism has pervaded politics for a long time now. Can you set the table for this conversation . What is the environment like now for a woman running . In particular, senator harris, as joe bidens Vice President ial candidate. The environment is definitely better than it was an 2016. ,016 was Hillary Clinton youall all cataloged the moments from 2008, 2016, in that video, she is also subjected to a tax, political attacks atta cks, political attacks, and gender bias, sexism, and misogyny. The Political Legal system did not recognize it as such. We thought there was something wrong with her. I think we just look at it differently now. Story about how she does with likability. It was disappointing to see there was a bunch of pushback. We are not going to let at let it happen this time. I feel like it is just harder for women candidates. It still is. The reason why women candidates do so well is because by the time they run, they are really good candidates. They are really good at this. Women still have a harder row to hoe, but the public can be more aware of gender coverage and recognizing bias. Things like electability. That i choose to hold onto as improvement and Kamala Harris as a political generation behind Hillary Clinton she has her whole life has to be clear about who she is. A woman of color, a woman of mixed race. She has not defined herself, and that is why i think its hard for people to throw her off her game in a way that other women candidates sometimes get pigeonholed. She has the benefit of operating in a system that is a little more aware. Also, i think, she is very skilled at defining herself and not letting herself get pigeonholed. Because shes had to do it her whole life. We have seen such a shift in terms of women embracing different aspects of themselves. Their femininity in a way that we could all put in a box that you are running because you wanted to wear the shoulder pads this is probably Kamala Harris big moment, she accepted being joe bidens less president ial candidate. From 2008, there has been a massive shift. You are one of the people who knows harris the best. This is probably her biggest moment so far besides her first speech when she accepted being the candidate. How is she preparing for this debate . I think you are muted. If you could unmute im here. [laughter] take it back from the top. She is excited. She is excited about it. Shes ready to get up on stage. For her, for all of us, campaigns are about choices. This time, the differences could not be more stark. It is also for her, she sees this as an opportunity to share her vision. And really to show what they are for. Not just what theyre not and not just who theyre running against. For her, it is being able to speak about what people are concerned about. Their health, preexisting conditions, getting back to work and school. As her sister, i can say this is personal for her. Isnt a big opportunity in terms of another big moment to be able to speak to the American People. It is personal for her. She talks a lot about the kind of suffering and grieving. And what we are witnessing, the impact on real people in this moment. You have to remember she has spent her entire life in public service. Literally spent her entire life fighting for people, fighting for truth. Her focus has always been on bringing voice or fighting for people who are too often not seen or heard. It is personal for her to be on the stage and to speak to the American People, but also represent the issues they care about. She truly believes that joe is the right leader for this moment. She is excited to get up there and speak to why she believes he is the right person for this moment and is going to move us in the direction we need to go as a country. Im excited. Im ready. I have my shirt on. Are you there . I am in salt lake. I got here yesterday or the day before. I am on the ground. I think, obviously, the democrats had a lot of debate this cycle, so this isnt the first time democrats havent seen her on the debate stage. Have seen her on the debate stage. But this is her first opponent. Is she approaching this differently, given that she is up against the Vice President . I will not tell her secrets, but i can tell you she is ready. I am definitely interested to hear what my good friends would say about that. Let me speak to something you specifically touched on, which is how this is different from the primary and how this is different than the debate we just saw last tuesday. One, i expect its going to be a robust debate. Pence is a good debater. We saw that in 2016. The difference between then and now is that back then, they were an experiment and now they have a record to run on and have to defend. The other thing in terms of a difference is that mike pence is a different kind of debater than trump. I dont expect that we will see tonight what we saw last tuesday. I think pence will be more reasonable sounding. So i think that is a different context or environment for having a debate. But i also think its important that his delivery can be different, but his substance is the same. We saw that at the Republican National convention. Its going to be important not only for Kamala Harris to share her vision, but also for the moderator, to hold him accountable, because he is saying whatever he can say with a confidence or smile, but it doesnt make it anymore true or good for the American People because his demeanor may be different. I want to bring you into the conversation, christina. You have known Kamala Harris since she was a prosecutor in california. How do you think her legal background plays into her debate style . Do you expect her to take advantage of that tonight . Absolutely, it is great to be here with you. What a historic occasion. The first time a woman of color will be in a Vice President ial debate. Lets just take a moment and recognize we are going to be witnessing history. And i think that is really important, because it speaks to the different audiences. Within the one big metaaudience. Because it is the first time we have seen someone who looks like kamala on this stage this large, people, particularly women of color, are going to look into see themselves and that can be powerful. Second, you saw a gender gap last week between the way the men and women saw the debate last week. When we look at Kamala Harris, i remember a trial that she had early on as a district attorney. She had recently come to the office with a big reputation. She was up against a guy who was such a famous defense attorney, he had a movie made about him. Everybody packed the courtroom. Expecting, she was going to lose, and others were like, no, she was going to be great. She put on a clinic. She won every single charge. She was really wellprepared. As my mom, nancy pelosi, always says, proper preparation prevents poor performance. She will be prepared to be that different kind of leader that we havent seen before. Number two, that she will be speaking to us, the American People, and not trying to win every single point against mike pence, so much as to prosecute his record as a whole. Number three, just as i saw her in the courtroom, shes going to go through the evidence very methodically and carefully without passion or prejudice. That doesnt mean she wont have care and concern, it means she is trying to make an argument that a meaningful person would accept and see that it is unacceptable for this record to deserve a second term. The backdrop of all of this, it is a very historic night, as christine pointed out, but it is that we areic in the middle of a pandemic. The president himself has covid19, is going through that process. The Biden Campaign has pulled down negative ads. Is it hard for a person like Kamala Harris to approach this . You want to be sympathetic to what the country is going through. Particularly because she is a woman. Hillary recommended you want to be aggressive, but not too aggressive. Thats the kind of advice we would get all the time. When it comes from Hillary Clinton to Kamala Harris, Kamala Harris knows what that means. I think joe biden has set a good example for how to deal with it. Show empathy. Right . We hope the president gets better. I havent heard a word about the first lady or hope hicks. I hope everyone is doing well, but hold them accountable for how they have mismanaged the pandemic. Do shek you can can do both of those things simultaneously. The pandemicm its not as though the pandemic, its not as though he had a heart attack or came down with pneumonia. This is not an individual case. The pandemic affects every single american, and it is so rooted in the president ial campaign. She has to make the argument that maybe they have been woefully lacking in how they have handled it. She can do both those things. My father is 89 years old. He is a former republican. He voted for hillary. He said to me six month ago, i hope Kamala Harris is a running mate, because i would love to see her go up against mike pence. [laughter] its so great. She is really effective at this. Mike pence is good, too. He can be very effective. I think she will manage this well and she will be able to deliver a message in a way that joe biden couldnt do because of who he had at his side. That is a big opportunity for the bidenharris ticket. That, thefront of Hillary Clinton advice, dont get too angry. Or prepared does the senator have to be to not of the angry black woman come out if she is aggressive toward the Vice President and wanting to respond directly to things she might think are false or claims that he has that she thinks are true . I agree that having seen her for a dozen years in different spaces at different times, i am confident that she can calibrate and walk the balance of what is needed for a moment like this. But i also want underscore and point, being that this is an important moment, but it is an important moment that is defined by trump and pences mismanagement of the pandemic. I think thats really important to keep front and center. And i think she will be able to walk the balance. Because it is genuine. She and joe genuinely wish the best for the president and first lady and other people who have now found themselves infected with the virus. And hope that it becomes a moment for everyone most for everyone, most especially his own supporters, to be able to see how serious this is and how seriously people should be taking it. To model that we should be Wearing Masks and social distancing. That they have a plan for how to carry it forward to this moment. Through this moment. To the extent that she has genuine compassion and concern not only for the most recent round of people who have found themselves infected, but across the board, for more than 7 Million People who are infected. More than 200,000 people who have died, their families. I think that will come through genuinely, because that is who she is. And i think she will be pointed in being clear about the stakes and being clear about this defining moment in our country. In terms of not just the pandemic, but the leadership and the future of what we need going into the future. Can i add one thing . Kamala harris has been the has been in the public eye for a long time. She has had to temper, to thread the needle for decades so she doesnt come across as the angry black woman. Pence willhe be effective at delivering messages, she is effective at doing that. Kamala is going to have to thread the needle that women often do, but particularly because she is a woman of color, because she is a mixed race, she doingd so much experience that, shes going to make it look effortless. She is quite capable of it. Im going to go to an audience question, because we are running out of time. If you want to jump in, please, feel free. What can we do, if anything, to expose or prevent sexism from harming Kamala Harriss candidacy . Any thoughts on that . Kamalaoesnt matter what says, she can stand there and say the rosary for an hour and they will still call her an angry black woman. Because that is what they do. Lets understand three things. Number one, no matter what she says, she will be attacked as being very angry and the one who is secretly in control is joe biden. Those are the three tropes they will use no matter what happens. What we can do is respond in real time by having her back and doing a factcheck. Number two, calling those out those tropes the minute we see them with the rapid response, and saying, thats not what happened. And, you would not say that about a man. If you wouldnt say it about a man, you shouldnt say it about a woman. The second thing is, mike pence has two audiences. He has the American People, who he wants them to see him as the future president. But his real audience is the audience of donald trump, and i think hes going to be under enormous pressure to personally attack Kamala Harris, and thats where she knows that is coming. She will be very strong about it. What we can do to have her back is say, aha, he is saying that because trump wants him to. He is saying that because trump is afraid of women, he is afraid of strong women, and he claims to love law and order, but not when its directed at him. I am here as her sister, not just someone who has been involved in political campaigns my whole life. To inject some of the upside, the positive, as a woman, this is really exciting to me. I think we know there are challenges. We we lived it up close and we lived it up close and personal with hillary. It is exciting. For me, personally, how many people get to work for the first woman to be a Major Party Nominee and to win the popular vote by millions of votes then be related to someone who has run for president the next year and is on the Vice President ial ticket . Its exciting. To the point about the people out there, as a sister, i am not just proud of her, but i have actually been moved by the support we have experienced in this. And the enthusiasm we have experienced, and the people who have been coming out who were never really involved in the process. Christina talked about, people see themselves in her. I also think there is a groundswell of people who are seeing this as an opportunity. Seeing this as a time to move forward and seeing themselves in her. And i think that for her, for me, at the end of the day, it isnt so much that its about her. As it is about whats at stake and even for those people who are inspired, its a hope for an administration, a government that is going to see that they can see themselves in and we will see them. And their hopes and their dreams and their fears. Which i know they will find that in joe and kamala. I wanted to inject that because there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm and a lot of people wanting to be self reflective about how they are approaching this campaign and this candidacy, particularly in light of all the things we talked about in the beginning. In the cycle. As we were winding up, i wanted to inject a little bit of that excitement, because i feel that out there. We have seen it out there. I think that that is going to carry the day. I appreciate that very much. Jan, you have been in the advisor role a lot. You have been the last 20 days connected to the election. Going to have plexiglass. How do you think the campaign can best use kamala to maybe get who enthusiasm, the folks see themselves in her, who may be have not seen themselves in other candidates before . The first opportunity is tonight, because it was hard on the democratic ticket to breakthrough with news because trump takes up so much oxygen. This is the most important moment she has to be able to say this is what we would do in a joe biden administration. By her own presence, to be a role model to show whats possible and celebrate that moment of history in america. And then, i think as she and joe biden have done in recent days, to be on the road as much as you can, and to have her be publicly seen as much as you safely can do. They will still not breakthrough as much as trump does. Im just across the street from the white house. He is monopolizing all of the coverage. In this space, it really makes a big difference. To use her and a way that is exciting people and being on the ground in states, even with a small number of people, you are going to see that. Thats going to be a great contrast with what they see on the trump side. Unfortunately, we are out of time. Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon for our virtual Vice President ial roundtable. The first conversation in our women rule powering forward series. We will be back on wednesday, november 11 at 1 p. M. Eastern here on politico for a politico. Com for a conversation. It is going to be certainly an interesting next couple of weeks and the outcome, we may or may not know it at that time. We will have a conversation with conversation about how women did in this election, where things stand going forward. If you dont already subscribe to the women rule newsletter, please visit politico. Com womenrule and sign up. Have a great wednesday. Announcer Vice President , mike pence, and senator harris are preparing for tonights Vice President ial debate in salt lake city, utah. This is a live picture of kingsbury hall, on the university of utahs campus, where the debate will take place tonight. The moderator will be susan page , the Washington Bureau chief for usa today. The debate will be divided into nine segments, which are 10 minutes each. 8 00ns coverage starts at p. M. Eastern with the preview program, the debate itself starts at 9 00 p. M. The Massachusetts Senate debate between incumbent democrat, ed markey, and his republican challenger, kevin oconnor. This hourlong debate was hosted by gbh news. August the come of this debate is going to look and feel different obviously, this debate is going to look different than we have seen in the past. Be six feet apart, voluntarily tested. Separatehe each candidate has a separate studio by himself. A lot of changes. Would has not changed are the rules. There are none. No opening statement, no closing, no time limits. We do have a lot to get through, so please, do not [indiscernible] we wil