Posted on 10/02/2024 7:02:26 AM PDT by shortstop
America won.
J.D. Vance and Tim Walz reminded us that we could be passionate and polite, that our disagreements could be civil, that our politicians could be intelligent, that our politics could be patriotic. It was a reminder of who we are and how we move forward.
Both men showed that they are more intelligent and decent than their running mates, and that partisan and philosophical disagreement can be congenial and cordial. It was almost a relief, like the burden of contention was temporarily lifted from the nation’s shoulders, like the grownups were back in charge.
And J.D. Vance was brilliant.
Absolutely brilliant.
He was thoughtful, knowledgeable, unwavering, genial, and never at a loss for either facts or words. He was an intelligent man explaining what he believed and why, and what his ticket would do if it was elected. He expressed courtesy and admiration for people with whom he disagreed, he was never rude to either his opponent or the moderators, and he was humble and self-deprecating in regard to himself and his party.
And he was right.
What he expressed and stood for was not only cogent, it was true. He articulated not just the beliefs of his party, but the best path forward for our country. He held up his party’s principles, and invited the nation to embrace them.
And he held Kamala Harris to account without exposing her to disrespect. There was no ridicule or mockery, but there was accountability, and the clear, powerful vision of the Republican Party on its best days.
And Tim Walz was honorable and dignified in defeat.
The debate was won by J.D. Vance, that’s really undeniable. But that wasn’t because Tim Walz did poorly or failed, Vance was just of a different order of magnitude. Yes, Walz dealt awkwardly with his decades-long misstatement of where he was during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations, and the economy and the border left him holding a weaker hand, but he did well nonetheless, presenting himself and his platform in a good light, and members of his party should be proud of him.
Public knowledge of both men should now poll higher, and so should public approval. Both of them deported themselves well and were a credit to their respective tickets. They also showed that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris had done a good job in their selection of running mates.
The lone embarrassments of the night sat behind the moderators’ desk.
The CBS interrogators were so biased, so in the bag for the Democratic Party, as to be somewhere between laughable and contemptable. ABC was horribly slanted toward the Democrats in the debate between the presidential candidates, and CBS outdid even that. The topics and questions almost exclusively highlighted Democrat strengths and Republican weaknesses, the questions to Vance were largely mocking and derisive, the moderators repeatedly arguing against him as if they were participants in the debate.
But he didn’t rise to the bait.
J.D. Vance was a gentleman throughout, and so was Tim Walz.
Republicans and Democrats should both be pleased, and encouraged. In front of a large national audience, both parties put their best foot forward and were represented by gentlemen who could with sincerity shake hands as colleagues when the evening was done.
As a Republican, I was grateful for the performance of my candidate. As a father, I was grateful that my children could see how it’s supposed to be. As an American, I was grateful for this reminder of civility and competence.
Going forward, no matter who wins, I feel better about America’s prospects for the next four years. And I hope this example is followed by others. Commentators and flamethrowers on social media criticized both men for failing to draw blood; Walz was particularly criticized by progressive commentators. Division gives power to the parties and the press; civility gives power to the people. I hope the dark spirit which has permeated American politics of late can be dispelled.
I hope we can have more of what we had last night.
Because, last night, America won.
Dems view “politeness” as a sign of weakness. You can’t play nice with vipers.
Yes respectful and polite was warranted back when the Democrat Party was not so extreme.
“If only we could get the moderators to not be one-sided.”
Very easy, let each side pick its own interviewer. The Republicans should only do a debate under that condition.
Disagree with that. Walz showed himself to be a bumbling fool, his eyes bugging out he was so nervous and unprepared.
Kamala is exactly the same unless she is highly coached, scripted, and put in front of a friendly interviewer with softball questions.
Vance is the one who showed intelligence and decency - Walz constantly fell back on attacking Donald Trump as his answer to everything - that's b/c he's got nothing.
Absolutely NO NEED for ANY moderators. Just a "timekeeper" and lights. The questions are the same for each candidate, from the top polled topic down the list. 2 min each and 1 min rebuttal, and that's it.
America won nothing.
I don’t feel freer or better off than I did on Tuesday.
“Going forward, no matter who wins, I feel better about America’s prospects for the next four years.”
This guy is a complete moron. He’s from the “reach across the aisle” wing of the republican party. Quick to surrender to get along.
Makes sense to me.
Put a sock knit shortstop.
That’s more or less what I meant. When they were not against human biology and Western Civilization.
Yes.
I hated yesterday’s debate. Now the only time Bible verses are cited readily and accepted is to justify abortion and unwalled borders with undeterred crime.
The left has won the culture and we’re just tiptoeing on their turf.
\/
stopped reading there.
B.S.
” both” ?
hardly.
this is a urinalist
trying to pull timmys pathetic act
up to JDs superb level.
disgusting pablum
decency left town with tim and never made it home from the CCP groomer feild trips this creep made a hobby of. spit. .
Lonsbery’s emotions may be too important to himself. With all that is at stake, does Lonsberry think it is important that Vance was nice?
America did not win anything last night. His attitude here is at least immature and at worst naive.
The same number of one-sided moderators on EITHER side would be good, too.
100% agree. Conservatism and traditionalism have been obliterated in the culture.
I suspect that in addition to being as far Left as Harris, Walz was selected to play the role of “nice guy/teacher/coach being abused by mean men”. By pulling his punches and refraining from being drawn into the Dem’s game plan, Vance came off more favorably than I had hoped for.
Trump let Harris run him around by exploiting his fixation on responding to every nasty lie and allegation she served up. If there is another Presidential debate, I hope Trump will dismiss her attacks as childish wastes of time, and hammer on policy-policy-policy, force Harris to talk about serious matters and explain how her Presidency will be different than her four years in the Biden-Harris administration.
Well, I will disagree. Polite debate? Yes.
But Vance did more than just show as a good VP choice, his demeanor demonstrated he could take the reins if needed.
Tim Walz, sadly failed in that regard.
With a world on fire, these two men are important picks for the often overlooked office of VP.
“The left has won the culture and we’re just tiptoeing on their turf.”
***************
They won the culture war because they have a party that relentlessly fights for them.
We don’t.
Those with the biggest will to win usually do. Just saying.
I also agree that Que-Mala chose poorly. Walz didn’t come off as a graceful loser; he came off as a man whose vengeful preparation against Trump failed because he depended on the moderators to back stop him and in forgetting he was debating Vance who is clearly superior. He was outmatched from the start. He should not have been there.
It’s not like Kamala was the one who made the decision.
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