It was civil. It was cordial. It was substantive.
And there’s no query that JD Vance simply received the vice presidential debate. Tim Walz did higher than anticipated – maybe these expectations had been intentionally set low – however regardless of some sturdy counterpunching, he regularly stumbled.
Every man had a mission: to defend his working mate and tough up the opposing presidential candidate.
However Vance had a second aim past speaking up Donald Trump, and that was softening his personal picture. He made a concerted effort to mission empathy, to look affordable, to be open to opposing viewpoints.
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There’s a caricature of the Ohio senator as a hard-right ideologue with little sympathy for ladies, as mirrored by the well-known childless cat women remark. However when the topic of abortion got here up, he went out of his approach to sound sympathetic to the pro-choice aspect:
“I do know loads of People don’t agree with the whole lot that I’ve ever stated on this subject. And, you understand, I grew up in a working-class household in a neighborhood the place I knew loads of younger ladies who had unplanned pregnancies and determined to terminate these pregnancies as a result of they really feel like they didn’t have another choices. And, you understand, considered one of them is definitely very pricey to me. And I do know she’s watching tonight and I really like you.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks throughout the debate on the CBS Broadcast Heart on Oct. 1, 2024, in New York Metropolis. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photographs)
“And she told me something a couple of years ago that she felt like if she hadn’t had that abortion, that it would have destroyed her life because she was in an abusive relationship. And I think that what I take from that as a Republican who proudly wants to protect innocent life in this country, who proudly wants to protect the vulnerable, is that my party? We’ve got to do so much better of a job at earning the American people’s trust back on this issue, where they frankly just don’t trust us.”
(Vance’s web site describes him as “100 percent pro-life.”)
Walz countered with particular tales of girls who died or whose well being was broken as a result of they lived in states that tightly limit abortion.
The Minnesota governor hit his speaking factors, however commonly took a very long time to get to his principal argument. A query about Kamala Harris’ plan to construct 3 million housing items produced a detour about how Walz has solely purchased one dwelling.
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Walz usually spoke in a clipped shorthand – the ACA, Springfield, Vance creating tales – with out explaining, for example, that he meant the false story of Haitian migrants consuming pets.
The CBS moderators, Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, edged into ABC territory by fact-checking solely Vance, regardless of saying they might attempt to keep away from that. After the senator referred to unlawful immigrants within the Ohio city, Brennan stated Springfield “does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status, temporary protected.” That’s a degree Walz ought to have made, however didn’t.
Many questions had been framed from the left. “Senator Vance,” stated Brennan, “you oppose most gun legislation that Democrats claim would curb gun violence. You oppose red flag gun laws and legislation to ban certain semi-automatic rifles, including AR-15s.”
JD Vance and Tim Walz gave differing views on the right way to sort out gun violence throughout Tuesday’s vice presidential debate. (AP/Matt Rourke)
Walz’s worst second was one he ought to have anticipated, a narrative within the New York Occasions and elsewhere saying he was not in China for the 1989 Tiananmen Sq. protests as he had claimed, however acquired to Hong Kong months later. The governor started with a word-salad reply about rising up in Nebraska earlier than retreating to “I’ve not been perfect. And I’m a knucklehead at times.”
Pressed once more, he stated he had misspoken.
Vance’s worst second was about Jan. 6. O’Donnell started, “You have said you would not have certified the last presidential election and would have asked the states to submit alternative electors that has been called unconstitutional and illegal.”
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The senator countered that Trump “said that on January the 6th, the protesters ought to protest peacefully. And on January the 20th, what happened? Joe Biden became the president. Donald Trump left the White House.”
This time Walz was prepared. Trump “lost this election and he said he did. 140 police officers were beaten at the Capitol that day, some with the American flag. Several later died.”
He turned to Vance and stated: “Did he lose the 2020 election?”
Sen. JD Vance speaks throughout the vice presidential debate with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday, Oct. 1, in New York. (AP/Matt Rourke)
When Vance tried the “focused on the future” line once more, Walz referred to as that “a damning non-answer.”
However Vance largely got here off as a Bush-style compassionate conservative. He should determine that win or lose, he’ll be working for president in 2028 and wanted to fight all of the detrimental protection.
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Walz regarded like a person who was pleased to outlive his activate the nationwide stage. The talk would have regarded very completely different if Harris had picked Josh Shapiro, provided that she’s tied with Trump in Pennsylvania.
The Harris marketing campaign has bubble-wrapped Tim Walz, not permitting him to do a single solo interview. JD Vance is consistently doing interviews, podcasts and press conferences, the very best type of preparation for a giant debate. And that, in the long run, could have been the distinction.
