Posted on 10/02/2024 5:51:03 AM PDT by lightman
SOMERSET – About 25 Republicans from this rural coal-mining community gathered at a sports tavern Tuesday night for the political showdown between vice presidential candidates.
Amid tables filled with beer, pizza and wings, the GOP faithful expected a heaping serving of political red meat as tart-tongued Republican JD Vance took on homespun Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz.
Only, they largely didn’t get it.
Instead of confrontational fireworks between the candidates, a polite, reasoned policy discussion broke out.
“It was a lot calmer than a Trump debate,” said Guy Berkebile, the Somerset County GOP chairman who organized the event.
“You know, I like Trump; I like that he has the fire. But yeah, I thought tonight’s debate was, was friendly, was respectful,” he added.
With Vance largely known for his caustic comments about “childless cat ladies” and Haitian immigrants in the first-term senator’s home state of Ohio eating pets, Donald Trump’s VP pick pivoted to polite. In the process, Vance shored up his sagging favorability ratings, Berkebile said.
“In my opinion, his likability skyrocketed,” he said of Vance. “In particular, among women. Whenever I talk to them about Trump -- you know, they’re Republican women, they’re going to vote for Trump. But they don’t necessarily like his personality. I think Vance’s personality displayed tonight is going to win over a lot of the females. He came across as polite, as smart, as factual and very calm.”
The partisan crowd was far less favorable to Gov. Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate. The crowd guffawed repeatedly at what some saw as the flappable Democrat’s wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights expressions on camera.
So much so, the one-time high-school football coach reminded people at Berkebile’s table of another now-infamous coach from Pennsylvania.
“The comment at our table was that when he turned his face sideways, he looked like Jerry Sandusky,” Berkebile said of Walz, comparing his appearance to that of the retired Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator later convicted and jailed for molesting multiple young boys.
“Walz came out in my opinion sounding very rehearsed, you know, from his opening statement to his to his ending statement,” Berkebile said. “JD seemed much more natural. He had a much better grasp of the of the facts and spoke with authority.”
Kami Greig, who brought her 15-year-old daughter to the debate party, said Walz did have a moment that moved her when he spoke about his 17-year-old witnessing a shooting.
“I’ve never heard that come out before, so I’ll be anxious to see if that’s true,” she said.
Still the comment wasn’t enough to sway her on gun control in a rural county where hunting’s a passion and the 2nd amendment is sacrosanct.
“I don’t think it’s a gun problem. I think it’s a mental health crisis,” Greig said. “It’s sad that we have to think about making schools safer for our children, but we do.”
Overall, she said she was pleasantly surprised by the more sedate “mannerisms of the debate.” But she maintained that a “cool, collected” Vance got the better of the policy exchanges.
“I think JD Vance is very eloquent, very knowledgeable,” Greig said.
By weaving in his poverty-stricken upbringing in small-town, rural Ohio, Vance, author of ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ connected with people in Somerset and many other working-class pockets of swing-state Pennsylvania with similar biographies, she added.
“I think this was a nice platform for him to go into that,” Greig said. “It’s smart. People are going to see Vance in a new light. I think he answered some of the questions tonight more elaborately.”
On pure debating points, it was no contest, according to Ross Stewart, Republican State Committee member from Indian Lake.
“I think Sen. Vance did an outstanding job,” he said. “I’m very impressed with Sen. Vance’s performance.”
By contrast, Ross said of Walz: “You could see the concern on his face. He seemed unprepared, and it seemed like he didn’t have responses to what Sen. Vance was saying.”
For Berkebile, it all boiled down to leadership on a day when Iranian missiles rained down on Israel and millions of Americans can’t afford the high cost of living.
“What we see going on around the world makes me think of Trump’s statement today concerning the rocket attack by Iran. He said ‘the world is on fire.’ There’s a lack of leadership from the United States. Vance offered leadership and spelled it out,” Berkebile said.
Pa. Democrats welcomed a ‘real debate,’ but still derided Vance’s performance as ‘smarmy’Oct. 1, 2024, 11:13 p.m.
GOP trains poll watchers in Cumberland County as party still hedges on Trump’s fraud claimsSep. 26, 2024, 8:56 p.m.
Finally, one of the sharpest debate conflicts wasn’t between Vance and Walz. Rather, it was the Republican senator talking on the CBS moderators over a Biden-Harris policy to bring in Haitian immigrants. As Vance attempted to explain specifics on the program giving these immigrants legal status, CBS cut off his mic.
Berkebile blasted it as another three-on-one debate with moderators ganging up on the GOP candidate.
“I thought it was censorship,” he said of the CBS move to silence Vance’s mic. “The program that these immigrants are coming in under is a special program that the Biden administration has for Venezuelans and for Haitians where they’re flying them into the country.”
Guy needs better promotion for events like this. I would've taken a half-day off work and driven 4 hours for this.
In what I saw, he came across very well. As far as I am concerned, he is the future of the MAGA movement and hopefully, the Republican Party, unless they corrupt and assimilate him.
I am very impressed with that man, as he displayed in this brilliant and funny public relations offensive when, unannounced and grinning widely, he approached Air Force Two on the tarmac:
It's not clear that his son "witnessed" it firsthand, or was just in another part of the building when it happened.
-PJ
IMO that would make a difference.
Vance did his job, which is to appear harmless and physicially attractive to suburban women.
I'd say he also did a good job "feeling their pain", he was tremendous.
Just like daddy and Tianemen Square.
I grabbed this from Twitter (X) from the MAGA side:
“With the exception of insect landings and occasional one-liners VP debates
are an utter snooze fest.
Last night’s debate changed the VP debate status quo by providing one answer to the question many MAGA and mainstream conservatives continue to ask.
What does MAGA look like beyond 2028?
JD Vance won the debate for many reasons, but ultimately it came down to a question never asked, but profoundly answered:
Is he Presidential material? Absolutely.
In the debate he proved this by:
• Keeping his poise and composure during a heated debate viewed globally.
• Modeling what a warrior gentleman looks like in contrast to the GOP’s
pushover gentleman.
• Being gracious and appreciative to not only Walz, but Walz’s ideas, even when he had profound disagreements with them.
• By not “going there” on so many attack points that Walz had obviously
devoted much time prepping a response for. showing a strategy
focused on higher priorities.
• Finally answering by answering the the #1 question by looking
presidential from start to finish.
By his outstanding debate performance JD Vance validated Trump’s wisdom in choosing him as a running mate and cementing a potential path forward to continue MAGA’s efforts beyond 2028.
While he remains a viable candidate for 2028, Vance’s immediate contribution is further building the case to Make America Great Again in 2024. This is our focus and action in the few days ahead.”
+1
Walz looked like that clown from the heavens Gate cult
He came across as likable, articulate and calm. He’s the front runner for 2028 assuming Trump wins. The liberal establishment Republicans will have their long knives out for Vance if he indeed continues on his America First path.
He must be taken out for them to regain their power in their eyes. In reality that Republican Party might as well be the Know-Nothing Party. The brand is dead, it stands for anything and nothing depending on who’s in the room and votes with it’s alleged political enemies than against them.
Vance winning in 2028 might actually root out the liberal establishment, but harsh actions must be considered. Most of the Republican congress has to be voted out, they are the problem, not the solution.
Agree, they ruined the GOP.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.