If I were to look at the Vice-presidential and presidential debates, it would be like comparing a dog to a raccoon that was foaming at the mouth.

But why would I make this comparison? We all know that the first presidential debate was a pure dumpster fire and it caused a national uproar because of the unprofessionalism that was that debate–but thankfully, that wasn’t the case for the first and only vice presidential debate.

In the presidential debate, according to the Washington Post, there was constant non-stop squabbling between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, with the president interrupting 71 times and Biden with 22 times. This was an issue that Vice President Pence and Senator Harris didn’t have. Although they did cut each other off a number of times, it wasn’t as nearly as obnoxious as Trump and Biden.

The questions asked were answered in a civil manner and didn’t stray too far from the question. They did not attack each other’s families, and the only time that their families were mentioned was when Harris talked about her mother migrating to America. While the president and former VP just tore into each other about each other’s families, which is just despicable.

The constant back and forth between “It’s the left’s fault” and “It’s the right’s fault” was when the last debate was over for me. It was unforgivable to address this as if it were children bickering over who smashed their parent’s window with a baseball. The Senator and Vice President didn’t do this. They didn’t blame the parties for the country’s problems, they addressed names of the people or groups they thought were causing issues, which I believe is a more professional way of handling the troubles our country faces.

There were some things that could have been better about the debate. For example, VP Pence could have not interrupted as much as he did and they both should have explained their president/candidate’s healthcare plans in more detail.

But there was one line that Mike Pence said that really spoke out to me, “After this debate, we might like a good argument, but at the end of the day, we are Americans.” This was what the last debate was missing.

It was missing a message to remind the American people that we are Americans. Not just liberals, not just conservatives, not just independents, but Americans. The last debate really made me feel like America was truly divided, but hearing that from Pence, it gave me, and hopefully other people, hope.