It was a civil matter. It was heartfelt. It was substantial.
And there is no question that J.D. Vance easily won the vice presidential debate. Tim Walz performed better than expected – perhaps those expectations were set intentionally low – but despite a strong counterpunch, he stumbled frequently.
Each man had a mission. It’s about protecting the vice presidential candidate and roughing up the opposing presidential candidate.
But Vance had a second goal beyond wooing Donald Trump: softening his own image. He worked hard to project empathy, appear rational, and accept opposing views.
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The Ohio senator has been caricatured as a far-right ideologue with little sympathy for women, as reflected in the comments of the famous childless cat lady. But when the topic of abortion came up, he went out of his way to be sympathetic to pro-abortion advocates.
“I know many Americans don’t agree with everything I’ve ever said on this subject. And, you know, I grew up in a working-class family in a neighborhood where… “I knew many young women with disabilities who had unplanned pregnancies and decided to terminate their pregnancies because they felt they had no other choice, but one of them was someone really important to me.” And I know she’s watching tonight and I love you.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks during a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on October 1, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“And she told me a few years ago that she felt that if she hadn’t had an abortion, it would have ruined her life because she was in an abusive relationship. I think what I’ve received from the Republican Party that wants to proudly protect innocent lives in this country, that wants to proudly protect the vulnerable, is that my party? We must do more to regain the trust of the American people. Frankly, don’t trust us. ”
(Vance’s website describes him as “100 percent pro-life.”)
Walz countered by citing specific stories of women who died or suffered health problems because they lived in states with strict abortion restrictions.
The Minnesota governor got to the point, but always took a long time to get to the point. A question about Kamala Harris’ plan to build 3 million homes led to a detour about how Walz has only purchased one home.
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Waltz often spoke in clipped shorthand that ACA, Springfield, and Vance were making up a story, without explaining that he meant, for example, a false story about Haitian immigrants eating pets.
CBS hosts Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan pushed into ABC territory by fact-checking Vance exclusively, even though they said they were trying to avoid it. After the senator mentioned illegal immigrants in Ohio, Brennan said Springfield has “a large population of Haitian immigrants with temporary protected legal status.” That was the point Walz should have made, but he didn’t.
Many questions were framed from the left. “Senator Vance, you oppose most gun regulations that Democrats claim will reduce gun violence. ” Brennan said.
J.D. Vance and Tim Walz offered different views on how to tackle gun violence during Tuesday’s vice presidential debate. (AP/Matt Rourke)
Walz’s worst moment was something he should have expected. The New York Times and other sources reported that Walz was not in China during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, as he had claimed, but that he arrived in Hong Kong several months later. The governor began with a nonverbal answer about growing up in Nebraska, then backpedaled, saying, “I wasn’t perfect. And sometimes I’m kind of slow in the joints.”
When I questioned him again, he said he had misspoken.
Vance’s worst moment came around January 6th. “You said you were going to ask the states to not certify the last presidential election and submit replacement electors, which is said to be unconstitutional and illegal,” O’Donnell said.
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The senator said President Trump “said on January 6th that demonstrators should protest peacefully. And then on January 20th, what happened? Joe Biden became president. “Donald Trump has left the White House.”
Now the waltz is ready. Trump said, “I lost this election, but I lost it.” That day, 140 police officers were beaten at the Capitol, some holding American flags. Several later died. did.”
He turned to Vance and said, “Did he lose the 2020 election?”
Sen. J.D. Vance speaks at the vice presidential debate with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Tuesday, October 1, in New York. (AP/Matt Rourke)
When Vance tried the “focusing on the future” line again, Waltz called it “not an answer at all.”
But Vance primarily came across as a thoughtful conservative in the Bush style. He has to think about whether he wins or loses. He plans to run for president in 2028 and will have to fight against all the negative press.
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Waltz seemed like a happy guy to get his turn on the national stage. Had Ms. Harris chosen Josh Shapiro, the debate would have looked very different given her ties to Mr. Trump in Pennsylvania.
The Harris campaign bubble-wrapped Tim Walz and never granted him a single interview. JD Vance is constantly doing interviews, podcasts, and press conferences, which is the best preparation for a big debate. And that may have been the difference in the end.
