Tuesday night’s debate between Mike Pence and Tim Kaine gave us a glimpse of what life would be like under a Trump/Pence administration versus a Clinton/Kaine administration.

One was calm, measured and substantive; the other, frantic, rude and out of touch.

I want to congratulate Mike Pence for the great job he did in the debate. To have such a steady hand in the face of the over-the-top interruptions by Tim Kaine shows not only that Mike Pence is a quality person, but that Donald Trump has the executive experience to surround himself with quality people.

We can’t say that about Hillary Clinton. Watching the debate, it was clear that Tim Kaine had nothing of substance to share with us other than a series of memorized and worn-out talking points.

Tim Kaine was simply too amped up. He did not come with thoughtful solutions to the problems our country faces. Instead, he came with a very long list of democratic talking points meant to distract those watching the debate from the disaster Hilary Clinton would be as president. Many of the talking points, as Mike Pence pointed out, stretched the truth.

A Clinton/Kaine administration would continue the failed democratic leadership of Obama and feed the American people fabricated stories and expect us to believe all of them.

These are the people who told us – and expected us to believe it – that the turmoil erupting in the Middle East and North Africa was the result of some goofy homemade video about Mohammad.

These are the people who, after being caught with her "hand in the cookie jar" with a vulnerable personal computer server at her home that held classified information, tried to tell us that it had been wiped. Anyone who functions in the modern world knows that a digital footprint – whether emails or Facebook posts – never really go away.

These are the people who tried to tell us that they were "dead broke" when they left the White House and yet now they have a net worth of over $250 million.

These are the people who, after four brave Americans gave their lives in Benghazi, tried to tell us, "What difference does it make?" Talk about being out of touch. It makes a big difference to everyday Americans, and Hilary Clinton just does not get it.

The way our constitutional republic is supposed to work is that we have citizen leaders – people who step out of their private lives and the private sector, and step into public life to serve the people. That is what a Trump/Pence administration will look like.

Unlike Hilary Clinton, who has been living off of the backs of taxpayers for decades, Donald Trump made his money the old-fashioned way – he earned it. And in the process, he not only did well himself, but he benefitted tens of thousands of families by creating solid and good paying jobs for them.

Those jobs he created helped families buy their first car or first house. Those jobs helped couples start a family. Those jobs helped send kids to college. Those jobs helped thousands of people save for a good retirement.

I have lived and continue to live the American dream. Donald Trump has lived and is living the American dream. I would never put myself in the category of Donald Trump in terms of achievement, but I’ve got to believe that, like me, having lived the American dream, we both want to fight to make sure that the dream stays alive and is accessible to every American.

The debate Tuesday night gave us two visions for the future of America.

One was steady, measured and filled with hope. This vision believes in the American people and wants to see each person reach for the stars and achieve all that they can. This is the Trump/Pence administration.

The other is divisive, frantic, and full of blame and excuses. This vision pits one American against another and tells us that we can’t be great and that we cannot achieve our dreams because someone else is holding us back.

The Clinton/Kaine administration is a zero-sum game. Success is only achieved because someone else was exploited.

I prefer steady, measured and filled with hope.

Frank Edelblut is a state representative from Wilton and a former Republican candidate for governor.

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