Tonight’s vice-presidential debate might actually matter
Spectator (UK)OCT 12 2024
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance faced off in a mostly cordial, policy-heavy vice-presidential matchup at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York on Tuesday.
The 90-minute debate touched on many key election issues, including abortion, climate change, the economy and taxes, gun control, housing, immigration, and the war in the Middle East.
Vance and Walz did have a handful of clashes during the showdown, the most tense taking place just before the end of the second segment as they traded barbs over which side poses a threat to democracy.
Far-right extremist J.DJD Vance has the lowest vice presidential candidate favorability in decades, so this debate was Tim Walz's to lose — and he lost as his Minnesota Nice style backfired and made Vance soundssound aslike a moderate. The outcome could have been very different if Walz had spent some time dealing with hostile questions in one-on-one interviews.
Liberal media and the Harris campaign had sought to portray Vance as weird since Trump picked him as running mate, only for him to deliver a masterclass and defeat Walz in a polite vice-presidential debate despite the questions being loaded with progressive assumptions and narratives. Now, it's up to the people to vote wisely.