Erick-Woods Erickson
JD Vance just turned in the very best performance of a national candidate in decades on a debate stage. He handled himself extremely well. Walz did not hold up and opened himself up to more attacks for lying about being in China during the Tiananmen Square massacre. Walz then lied about how Amber Thurman died, claiming she died traveling back and forth from North Carolina for an abortion.
We will hear from Democrats how vice presidential debates do not matter and how Walz is just not as expert as Vance in this setting. Walz was Minnesota nice, which allowed a very nice and respectful Vance run circles around him.
The big loser here was CBC News. What a terribly arrogant, schoolmarmish performance. They made David Muir look like the stick up his butt is only a few inches long. But there is a lot to discuss and we have to move on, or at least we were told that repeatedly by the moderators.
Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennen were lecturing, full of editorializing, and wrong in the fact checking they claimed they were not going to do. Did I mention there is a lot to discuss and we have to move on?
I realize it is a negative stereotype of a particular type of woman, but both of these ladies really couldn’t help but insist on the last word on most topics, with passive aggressive facts checks coupled with laments about how much they have to cover and how little time to cover it. This was a debate by and for the AWFULS: Affluent White Female Urban Liberals.
The fact checking of Senator Vance about the refugee program Haitians have relied on to gain legal entry was simply discrediting. That Vance had to correct them and CBS cut his microphone even though he was right and Margaret Brennan was wrong. But there is a lot to discuss and we have to move on.
Did I mention Tim Walz said he has become friends with school shooters and, when confronted with the mental health issue, said sometimes it is just the guns to blame. He actually alleged that an inanimate object is to blame while excusing the killers, some of whom he’s become friends with.
Also, as a conservative, I am horrified that Vance and Walz so often agreed on the size and scope of the federal government. Whichever side wins, we’re going to get No Child Left Behind and Medicare Part D on steroids. Likewise, Vance whiffed on the abortion answer, pulling his punches, which I suspect the campaign wanted him to do.
I’m a conservative because I believe we are all sinners and want as few in charge of me as possible. Vance and Walz amicably argued over which sinners should control my life and how much more power those sinners can be given. Vance’s performance was fantastic and I was left wondering why people who want to rein in government should even bother voting because they were arguing over being Democrat-lite and full Democrat. And I’d actually like a Republican Administration, but Trump supporters say wanting an actual Republican Administration is now being a RINO.
All that said, it was a civil debate. These were the adults we have wanted. Too bad they’re not at the tops of their tickets. They and their wives even spoke with each other and shook hands. But there is a lot to discuss and we have to move on.
We need Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, and Brett Baier to handle all future debates. Too much of the traditional press lacks the humility to do a good job and are too inside a bubble of their own making.
Oh, by the way, the Democrats will actually be right — this debate did not matter and will not matter. No one cares about vice presidential debates. If they did, Michael Dukakis would have become President because Dan Quayle was no Jack Kennedy. The way it will matter is by making JD Vance the default choice in 2028 if Trump loses in 2024. His performance was that sharp.
But there is a lot to discuss and we have to move on.
Finally, thank you Senator Vance for not wearing a stereotypical red tie. That was almost as sharp as your debate performance.
Did I mention there is a lot to discuss and we have to move on? But first, let me editorialize and lecture everyone…