Vice Presidential debates serve three purposes. The biggest is to introduce the running mate, who is generally less well-known than the top of the ticket, to low-information American voters who know very little about them.
Second, party and candidate platforms are usually debated in more detail than during a presidential debate. They’re supposed to be more substantive with fewer fireworks and more specifics. This allows the VP candidates to attempt to serve their third purpose which is to attack the opponents’ presidential candidate while propping up their own presidential candidate.
Last night’s CBS News debate exemplified all three purposes. The lone deviation was the moderators who once again inserted themselves into the debate by carrying water for Democrat Tim Walz while trying to discredit Republican J.D. Vance. At times, moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan were insufferable.
Here are six key takeaways for those who didn’t watch as well as for those who did watch and might have missed a few details.
Vance’s Debate Skills in 43-Seconds
The “Whac-a-Mole” moment during the debate checked all the boxed. In 43-seconds, Vance attacked his opponent, attacked Kamala Harris, promoted Donald Trump, and added a personal anecdote on top.
This is the best 43-second answer in a debate that I have listened to in my lifetime.
J.D. Vance was a brilliant choice.#VPDebate2024 pic.twitter.com/6dHEkEjNjZ— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) October 2, 2024
This will be a moment that future debaters analyze while preparing their own candidates.
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Vance Dominated the Optics Battle
To fulfill the first goal of the debate, Vance presented himself to the American people as intelligent, confident, and well prepared. He handled the “gotcha” attacks from both Walz and the moderators with the precision of a highly skilled debater with only a few missteps on messaging.
In contrast, Walz came across as a buffoon. His first answer started off very rocky as he was conspicuously nervous, tripping over words and bouncing around different talking points. At one point he even noted that he can be a “knucklehead” sometimes.
Words aside, Vance looked great and Walz did not. As Jack Posobiec noted on X:
The entire debate summed up: pic.twitter.com/IZR9UCy4mg
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) October 2, 2024
Scarlett Johnson reiterated the point:
My daughters think Vance is “hot.”
My husband says he's never heard conservatism explained in such a relatable and common-sense way.
I think Vance SLAYED. pic.twitter.com/dpSTNkjPQE
— Scarlett Johnson (@scarlett4kids) October 2, 2024
Throughout the debate, Vance presented himself as presidential and a man Americans could follow while Walz came across as the bumbling uncle families don’t look forward to hearing from on Thanksgiving.
Walz Bombed the One Tough Question He Was Asked
The only thing the debate moderators did fairly the entire night was to ask Walz about his bald-faced lie on being there during the Tiananmen Square massacre. It didn’t go well.
Tim Walz just admitted he is a LIAR on national TV
It is the single most awkward moment in American debate history
Just watch… pic.twitter.com/HWTBhBv8Rq
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 2, 2024
As bad as Walz’ response was, it’s hard to imagine any way this guy could have answered the question without looking awful. He took a bad circumstance and sprinkled moronic all over it.
Trust the Experts?
There was a moment in the debate that may not get as much attention from pundits as other exchanges but the viewers noticed. Many were likely nodding their heads unconsciously as Vance gave a brief history lesson about “the experts.”
WATCH: J.D. Vance decimates Tim Walz with a series of brutal fact checks.
“Governor, you say trust the experts, but those same experts for 40 years said that if we shipped our manufacturing base off to China, we'd get cheaper goods. They lied about that.”
“They said if we… pic.twitter.com/cZ810urWYD
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) October 2, 2024
Of all the moments in the debate, this is the one that will stick in the back of people’s minds long after the election.
Tim Said What?
It was brief, but voters who noticed what Walz said about school shooters may have questions.
Yes, Walz said he had become friends with school shooters. He likely meant he had become friends with school shooting victims and their families, but unfortunately for him anyone who heard his actual words won’t forget them.
Even CNN Thinks Walz Stunk It Up
Unprepared? Overprepared? Outmatched? Whatever narrative corporate media tries to spin for Walz, the fact that they aren’t out there praising Walz the way they fawned over Kamala Harris after her debate is telling.
BREAKING: CNN admits Tim Walz lost the debate pic.twitter.com/VrHrNzrNKT
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 2, 2024
They might as well have just said he was a buffoon and moved on. They’re not going to dwell on this debate very long. They’ll move on as quickly as possible, sweeping it under the rug while drastically reducing coverage of Walz going forward.
The Verdict Is Obvious
This may have been the most lopsided VP debate in modern history. And to be clear, Walz did far better than many expected. But Vance was dominant even though he missed a handful of opportunities.
It’s conspicuous that he didn’t bring up the lawfare against his running mate, even when Walz gave him the perfect opening by highlighting how Trump talks about locking up both Hillary Clinton and Harris.
It was a no-good, awful night for Walz and very few expected otherwise.
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