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.
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Effectively, no. But she is the titular head of the selection committee. She had to go along with it. Whoever selected him clearly did not vet him enough.
And part of me thinks, they are throwing this election to Trump, thinking they can engineer the collapse on his watch, and kill MAGA for good.
Even if Trump loses, it won’t necesssarily kill MAGA, especially if Kamala is a disaster in the White House.
Interesting take.
Reminds me of Clinton having friendly discussions with Republican politicians. Immediately after, he took the mic and attacked them.
The one thing they haven’t counted on fully is VANCE. He pretty much showed last night he’s ready for taking over if need be (at least of the pack of Republicans of which I’m aware).
I stopped reading after the beginning of the 2nd paragraph! F whoever wrote this shite!
Vance was brilliant and presented himself as non-threatening and calm and thoughtful which he needed to do and Walz showed himself as adequate and a moderately competent politician.
Veep debates rarely have much meaning to a race but in this case I think this one was a little helpful to the Trump ticket, for undecideds and women JD showed himself as a balance for the Trump ticket and a man with potential, while Walz, while being competent in a low-grade typical politician sense adds nothing encouraging to the Harris ticket or to the office he seeks.
From the “Can’t we all get along” crowd.
“no matter who wins, I feel better about America’s prospects for the next four years.”
If the Demonrats win, America has ZERO chance of surviving.
They will legalize all illegal aliens, register them to vote, and bring in all their family members.
They will “pack” the Supreme Court.
A shooting civil war will become our ONLY way of getting America back.
I agree that Vance missed many opportunities against Walz. I think someone, maybe his wife, told him to be likeable to win the female vote. So, he let Walz spew one lie after another and didn’t try to correct the record or reveal how often he lies. Vance was bending over backwards to be polite and civil. I was really disappointed in his performance. I’m going to bet Trump was too.
When Walz constantly referred to the wonderful job he’s doing in Minnesota, why didn’t Vance come back with facts about the numerous failures including the draconian mask mandates, the hotline so you can rat on neighbors violating Walz’s COVID lockdowns, the failure to respond to the violence as Minneapolis was allowed to burn for four nights?
Walz said he learned a lot about governing during the time he spent in China. Vance should have said, What? I would think you would have learned how not to govern. What do you admire about the Chinese Communists, Walz? Why have you spent so much time there hobnobbing with Party bosses?
I would suggest someone should investigate Walz’s claim his 17-year-old son witnessed a school shooting. I think it’s a lie. He’s never mentioned it before, and it certainly would be a Harris-Walz talking point against Republicans and would hype the Rats gun control stance if it were true. Trump’s people should look into this asap. If Walz is lying, it’s a nail in his coffin.
But you get a participation trophy!
Yeah, he did.
No change here. A LOT of the Democrat leadership must face treason trials and, if convicted, hang. I can not be convinced otherwise.
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