“So, America, I think you’ve got a really clear choice on this election of who’s going to honor that democracy and who’s going to honor Donald Trump.”
Gov. Tim Walz landed that line near the end of Tuesday evening’s vice-presidential debate. He did so after asking Sen. JD Vance if Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Vance refused to answer.
That was the high point of the debate for Walz, and a point some say is the only thing that mattered Tuesday evening. The Harris campaign sure hopes so because Walz lost this debate.
The question is, will it matter? Given how polarized the country is, and how dug in most voters are, it is doubtful this vice-presidential debate will move the needle with voters. But you can bet both campaigns are spending today combing through the debate video and turning clips into ads that will air in swing states leading up to the Nov. 5 election.
Much of the debate focused on policy not politics. It was civil, unlike the fiery debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump last month. Vance looked and sounded presidential. He was the better debater, especially during the first half of the 90-minute debate. Vance did what he was supposed to do: play good cop, wash Trump and Trumpism, appeal to middle-class voters, and pin the problems at our southern border (fentanyl, guns, criminals, etc.) and with the nation’s economy (inflation, housing costs, etc.) on Harris.
Vance did so well that Trump might now agree to a second presidential debate, not wanting his running mate to outshine him. That was the prediction of one TV analyst following the debate. That same analyst criticized Walz for not being prepared and for letting Vance steamroll him and soften Trump’s rough edges unchecked.
Vance did carry the first half of the debate masterfully, especially on the economy, the biggest issue for voters. Walz had his worst moment when he was asked to explain why he has claimed to have been in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. Turns out Walz traveled to Asia several months after the massacre. CNN’s debate moderators asked him about the discrepancy.
Walz stumbled badly, dodging the question and instead talking about riding his bike as a boy in Nebraska. CNN threw its question up on the screen during Walz’s rambling response. He eventually said he misspoke and even said he could be a knucklehead sometimes, but by then every Democrat watching was in full-on cringe mode.
On healthcare, Vance shamelessly claimed Trump made Obamacare work. Walz eventually corrected the record, pointing out that Trump did everything he could to try and undo the Affordable Care Act that millions of Americans rely on.
On abortion, an issue that Trump worries could cost him the election, Walz won. He was strong on gun control, too. But Walz missed many opportunities to challenge Vance. We didn’t hear about Vance’s weird internet trolling and his affection for far-right trolls. We never heard “Cat Lady” or “Convicted Felon” or “Proud Boys.” We never heard that Trump has said he would pardon the people behind bars for storming the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection because he says they have been treated unfairly.
Moderators did point out to Vance that he has sharply criticized Trump and Trump’s economic policies in the past, even saying that Trump was unfit for the nation’s highest office. Vance didn’t blink, said he was mistaken, and moved on. Moderators also noted that Trump’s economic plans would add trillions of dollars of debt to the nation’s deficit.
Until the end of the debate, it was the moderators who were tougher on Vance than Walz. I would imagine the people running the Harris campaign would like a do-over, or they would like everyone who tuned in to focus on the second half of the debate, especially the final moments, which provided the night’s only real drama. That’s when the discussion turned to democracy.
Walz said up until that point there was “a lot of agreement” between him and Vance. “But this is one that we are miles apart on. This was a threat to our democracy in a way that we had not seen. And it manifested itself because of Donald Trump’s inability to say, he is still saying he didn’t lose the election. I would just ask that. Did he lose the 2020 election?
“Tim, I’m focused on the future. Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation?” Vance said.
“That is a damning non-answer,” Walz said.
Clearly rattled and not wanting to upset Trump, Vance tried to pivot. He talked about censorship, about Harris working to block online sites like Facebook from sharing false information, about Hillary Clinton complaining that Russian leaders bought ads on Facebook during her failed campaign against Trump. Walz wasn’t buying the gaslighting.
“January 6th was not Facebook ads. And I think a revisionist history on this. This idea that there’s censorship to stop people from doing, threatening to kill someone, threatening to do something, that’s not censorship. Censorship is book banning,” Walz said, finally finding his groove.
He added: “Look, when Mike Pence made that decision to certify that election, that’s why Mike Pence isn’t on this stage. What I’m concerned about is where is the firewall with Donald Trump? Where is the firewall if he knows he could do anything, including taking an election and his Vice President’s not going to stand up to it. That’s what we’re asking you, America. Will you stand up? Will you keep your oath of office even if the President doesn’t?”
Tony Manolatos is public affairs PR specialist who also co-hosts a podcast, Dear San Diego, sponsored by Times of San Diego. You can email him at tony@manolatospa.com.
