By Erica Irish 
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — In his prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention Wednesday, Vice President and former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence called America “a nation of miracles” and promised viewers a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the year.

But former South Bend Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and Symone Sanders, a senior adviser for the Joe Biden campaign, don’t buy Pence’s claims and other arguments from Republican speakers who took the stage at Maryland’s Fort McHenry.

Buttigieg and Sanders argued the biggest issues of today — from the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on public health and the economy to racial justice — should’ve been center stage at the convention. Instead, they argued, Pence and RNC failed to send the right message to Americans, and in some cases ignored key issues altogether.

“Last night was like witnessing an alternate reality,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg and Sanders criticized Pence for not outlining specific measures the current administration could take to repair the economy and other consequences of COVID-19, damage they largely attribute to the administration’s failure to act in the first place.

More than 177,000 people have died from the virus nationwide, and 3,047 have died of COVID-19 in Indiana, according to a Thursday report from the state health department. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified more than 5.7 milllion cases nationwide, compared to 90,504 known cases in Indiana.

Sanders said Americans need a president who will understand the gravity of the pandemic and other issues that have emerged with it.

“The American people are crying out for the sort of compassionate leadership that Joe Biden offers,” Sanders said.

But Buttigieg and Sanders ignored the few specific claims Pence did make about the virus in his speech, including his assurance a vaccine would be available by the end of 2020.

In his speech, Pence also noted steps the Trump administration took to slow the virus, touting increased testing across the nation and the president’s choice to ban travel from mainland China in February. Pence also claimed that no American who needed a ventilator because of COVID-19 was denied one, citing a successful push to build 100,000 ventilators in 100 days.

Biden gave several details in his nomination acceptance speech last week about how he would address the virus if elected. He said he would make masks required nationwide, for one, and also spoke to the need for rapid testing, gathering enough medical supplies and giving schools the resources they need to safely reopen.

Buttigieg and Sanders also claimed clear conversations about racial justice were absent from Pence’s speech. While Pence did address the unrest that’s emerged around the country after several high-profile deaths of Black men and women by police, he did not speak to their lost lives. He instead prioritized the administration’s commitment to protecting communities from violence and supporting law enforcement.

“The American people know we do not have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with our African-American neighbors to improve the quality of their lives, education, jobs and safety,” Pence said, noting the Trump administration supported African Americans from the beginning. He provided some — but not many — examples of this support elsewhere in his speech, notably improved unemployment for African Americans nationwide.

Where Pence stood clear, however, was in the administration’s unwavering support for law enforcement. He said the administration “backs the blue” and will push back on efforts to defund the police. In one of several mentions to special guests, Pence extended condolences to the family of Dave Patrick Underwood, a homeland security officer who was shot and killed while defending a federal building in Oakland, California, in May.

Pence warned that, if Biden is elected, Americans won’t be safe. Buttigieg argued Thursday the vice president isn’t in the position to make such a claim.

“He can’t have it both ways,” Buttigieg said. “On one hand, he said the amount of stability and peace and safety in our cities depends on who’s president. Donald Trump is president right now. All of this is unfolding on his watch.”

The RNC will televise another night of speeches Thursday night, when President Donald Trump is expected to accept the party’s nomination for re-election.

FOOTNOTE: Erica Irish is the 2020 Russell Pulliam editor for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.