“It ain’t over til’ it’s over,” as Yogi Berra famously said — unless you’re the Republican National Committee, which declared Mike Pence the winner of the vice presidential debate with Tim Kaine before it began.
“Americans from all across the country tuned in to watch the one and only Vice Presidential debate. During the debate we helped fact check and monitor the conversation in real time @GOP. The consensus was clear after the dust settled, Mike Pence was the clear winner of the debate,” the party gushed in a blog post on its website before 7: 30 p.m.
The debate didn’t start until 9 p.m.
Pence “perfectly shared Trump’s vision to make America great again and that message is resonating with Americans all across the country,” the party said of its VP nominee.
It even listed Pence’s “top moments” from the debate: “1. Economy 2. Highlighting Hillary’s scandals.”
The page was yanked after wags on Twitter pointed out the goof.
“What? The GOP declares that Pence wins the debate — before it even starts,” tweeted Amy Bartner, a reporter for The Indianappolis Star.