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Tuesday night's vice presidential debate was surprisingly one-sided.
Sen. J.D. Vance was calm, gentle, friendly, likeable, and in control of his facts and himself.
Gov. Tim Walz, by contrast, began the debate so nervously that it was painful to watch. He then made a series of mistakes that cumulatively resulted in his disqualification. I couldn't believe he had a national ticket.
Vance vs. Waltz Debate: Key Takeaways from the Vice Presidential Candidate Showdown
Calista and I went to bed Tuesday night confident that Senator Vance had won a substantial victory. With this victory, he also vindicated President Donald J. Trump's gamble in choosing his running mate early in his career. Vance, 40, has been in the Senate for just two years and is only a few months older than Richard Nixon, whom President Dwight Eisenhower nominated as the Republican vice presidential nominee in 1952. Mr. Nixon would remain a major political figure until he was 42 years old. year. If that happens, Senator Vance will have a potential role in American government and politics until 2066.
When I woke up Wednesday morning, nearly all the commentary confirmed the sense that this debate was something unusual.
This new reality is best summed up by Mark Halperin in his Wide World of News newsletter.
1. Tim Walz was not “duped” by J.D. Vance, as most of the establishment media has done, but honest Joe Klein You can act as if you were completely certified as invincible. Walz was certainly devastated, telling the world, “It wasn't as bad as Biden's debilitating performance in June, but it was close.” Remember: Biden's performance (romance) was so bad that his candidacy and career were over. ”
Pollster Frank Luntz tweeted that his focus group gave Vance a 12-2 victory.
Glenn Greenwald posted on X: “The strangest thing about that debate was Tim Walz repeating the Democrats' core attack on Trump/Vance, that he is a 'bizarre' and eccentric danger who is far outside the mainstream, and flagrantly… It was a crushing thing.
“Waltz's statements all treated Vance as a perfectly normal, reasonable and likeable colleague.”
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat wrote, “I would like to take stock of Mr. Romney's performance in the most successful Republican debate of this century, outperforming Mr. Romney in the first debate with Obama in 2012.”
FOX News senior political analyst Britt Hume dismissed the performances of moderators Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan, calling them “disgusting” and ending the debate 3-1 against Vance. He said he had made a proposal.
These are just a few. The Trump vs. Vance campaign attracted more than two dozen journalists and celebrities who agreed that Vance beat Walz.
Donald Trump Jr. was the third biggest winner of the debate. He strongly supported Senator Vance as his running mate and tried to convince his father to choose him. The choice certainly seemed to work out well.
As the New York Post's Caitlin Doornbos wrote, Governor Walz's problems started from the beginning.
“Tim Walz had one chance to make a first impression during Tuesday night's vice presidential debate, but he blew it before his opponent, J.D. Vance, even had a chance to speak.”
It is clear that his nerves prevented him from rising to the challenge.
Finally, Governor Walz said some strange things.
In a moment of apparent confusion, he said he would “make friends with a school shooter.” Asked why he lied about being in Tiananmen Square during the crackdown and murder of pro-democracy student protesters in 1989, Walz ultimately said he had simply lied. He claimed to be a “rash person.”
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Being an “unscrupulous candidate” is not a good way to campaign in the final five weeks before an election.
After last night, Sen. Vance has become a very important national figure among Republicans and conservatives. He will have a greater impact on the campaign than he did before the debate.
After Tuesday night, Governor Walz will be seen by most Americans as clearly not ready to be president or vice president.
Vice President Kamala Harris' comments that she was too tired to sleep when she chose him now reflect his role and the first step toward minimizing her ability to make decisions under pressure. It would look like this.
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Having been vindicated, President Trump will likely campaign more enthusiastically and with the confidence that he has built a ticket to victory.
It was a much better night than I expected.
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