"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
- Vice President Debate, Election of 1988
These were the vice presidential debate words of Senator Lloyd Bentsen against Senator Dan Quayle during their political contest against each other in 1988. This past week, Democrat Tim Walz and Republican J.D. Vance, squared off against each other to present their views to the American people. While the debate had lively points, both leaders were civil to each other, and they did not have the aggressive one-liner that was presented by Bentsen versus the presence of Quayle.
This was an important night for America, as there are many citizens who were curious about these candidates. Vance has been on numerous talk shows to present the goals for another possible Trump administration. Little was known about the stance of Walz, this former teacher, sergeant in the Minnesota National Guard, representative, and governor, has been a mystery. After the Democratic National Convention, Harris and Walz were criticized for not being accessible to the media. Both candidates presented their thoughts during a political contest that was watched by 43 million Americans.
Early on, Walz looked and sounded nervous, as he was asked a foreign policy question, where he confused Iran and Israel. He was also questioned about the timing of his trip to China and the inaccuracies of portraying himself
being at the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989. Walz spoke about his younger years in Nebraska and his efforts to fight for the needs of his constituents. But the moderators pressed him to answer the question and Walz explained there are moments that he makes mistakes with his memory. In a truly honest moment, Walz called himself a “knucklehead,” with an odd expression on his face. Walz finished up stronger, but the political analysts after the debate on almost all the channels observed that he was not as prepared as Vance to speak because of rare television interviews. There was a moment that Vance had the sound turned off, as he was speaking, and forced to move on to a different set of questions.
Walz made some strong points about his experience of being the governor of Minnesota through the laws, programs, and actions that he initiated. He was a “folksy” participant, who utilized his Midwestern views through his connection to support the policies of Vice President Kamala Harris. There were few negative moments and while they are complete opposites, these men are from the same national region, they served in the military, and their demeanor was somewhat like each other. As Walz was present to fight for the Democratic causes, it was easy to tell that both men were firm and interested in a productive debate. These politicians had something to prove through the intense nature of a presidential campaign. Vance earlier looked extreme through his
“a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.” And Walz had a serious personal mishap stating, “We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at.” This quote was widely reported by the press who researched the military record of Walz who was never in a combat area during his time in uniform.
Vance was clearly the better speaker, as he has been on weekly television shows and has been widely willing to address media. He was viewed as the least likable candidate and needed some defining moments to drastically change this perception. Vance defended against Walz but more so against the moderators for fact checking him, without a chance to respond, and trying to prevent him from offering an explanation.
Vance had difficulties backing the actions of former President Donald J. Trump’s actions during the riot in Washington D.C. A strategic debater, Vance stated that he expected to look “forward.” This response was not deemed to be enough to condemn a controversial incident that still follows the former president. Vance fired back that Harris endorsed censorship and Biden knowingly hurt the First Amendment rights of Americans through major social media platforms.
There was a distinct contrast within the internal speaking abilities between the Democratic and Republican ticket. Vance was sharp and quick with his responses, as Trump looked fatigued and unorganized during his last debate with Harris. Whereas Walz was not as smooth as Vance, he presented his accomplishments in an easier manner than Harris, who does not have the same political
background as her running mate. Although both vice president candidates are more in the shadows, there are positives that somewhat outshine their bosses.
Vance had to mention the tone of the Republican Party toward the sensitive issues of abortion in this nation and admitted that his party had to regain the people’s trust. As Vance was determined to oppose the policies and actions of the BidenHarris administration, he told Walz that he had the hard task of supporting the “atrocious” economic record of his running mate. Walz opposed the immigration beliefs that Trump and Vance sought mass deportations as being an ugly policy that will not end well for both adults and their children. Vance blamed Harris for not doing enough to stop the immense illegal immigration and the massive violence that has followed some of the migrants to different communities across this nation.
And Walz vehemently opposed the comments that Trump made over the Haitian community and his views over the loss of animals. Countering Trump’s poor argument, Vance pivoted toward the current issues of security, as he identified the unchecked immigration from the current administration on the southern border. There were points of a feisty discussion and when they said goodbye to each other with their wives present, it was good to see these figures constructively oppose each other through a respectful manner, where some questions were fully answered.