An Opinion on the Debate between Tim Walz and J.D. Vance
With less than thirty days until the election, the final debate between the Democrat and Republican nominees has finished, and voters are preparing to take to the polls.
The vice presidential debate on Tuesday, Oct. 1, provided an opportunity for Americans to learn more about the somewhat unknown vice presidential nominees. While both politicians delivered strong performances, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee, was the stand-out debater.
Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota and Kamala Harris’ vice presidential nominee, had a shaky start as he answered a question about the conflict in the Middle East, displaying inexperience in international affairs. Vance started off strong with his polished, on-message answers, revealing a sharp contrast between him and Walz.
One of Vance’s successes was driving home the statement that Harris has been in office the past three years and has not accomplished anything. He said, “If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle-class problems, then she ought to do them now, not when asking for a promotion, but in the job the American people gave her three and a half years ago.”
Vance supported this by giving examples of Trump’s accomplishments during his term, such as the higher take-home pay for the middle class and the reduced inflation, combating Walz’s claims that there would be extreme negative consequences if Trump was elected, such as increased inflation that could potentially cause an economic recession.
Another of Vance’s strongest moments was in response to the topic of reproductive rights. Vance had one of the best approaches a Republican politician has taken on this topic, saying that Republicans need to be pro-family in order to gain the public’s trust back on this topic. He elaborated on this, explaining how they need to make it easier for mothers to have children and easier for young families to afford housing.
Vance transformed an extremely polarizing subject that is rarely compromised upon and used it to demonstrate how Republicans want to help women, combating the Democratic narrative that Republicans are anti-women.
This is not to say Walz did not have stand-out moments of his own. Although he was on the defense for the majority of the debate, one of his strengths was his response to the topic of gun control. He was quick to reassure Americans that he and Harris do not want to take guns away, but emphasized that their priority is the safety of American children.
Vance answered the question on gun control by suggesting reinforcing the doors and windows of schools and hiring more security personnel, but his answer seemed futile compared to that of Walz, who argued for the enhancement of red flag laws and background checks. This was also one of the few times that Vance did not further push back on Walz’s response.
While the debate was overall even-tempered, the most heated discussion was on the threats to democracy, in which Vance and Walz debated Jan. 6 and censorship.
When Vance did not answer whether Trump lost the 2020 election, Walz said, “That is a damning non-answer.” Vance replied, “It’s a damning non-answer for you to not talk about censorship.”
This was not the first time Vance deflected a question. When asked if he would separate children born in America from their illegal immigrant parents, he said, “The real family separation policy in this country is, unfortunately, Kamala Harris’ wide open southern border.” The moderator repeated the question, to which he again deflected and said Harris’ border policy is what separates families.
Although both politicians had strengths and weaknesses, Vance’s performance was especially impressive. He seamlessly blended Trump’s concepts into coherent and rational policies that can appeal to voters whom Trump cannot reach due to his abrasive reputation.
Regardless of who won, the real question is how much this debate even matters. The people vote for the president, not the vice president, so this will not sway many voters.
However, with each election, the position of the vice president becomes more prominent. Looking at the past two elections with Biden and Harris, the office is evidently not as overlooked as formerly.
In fact, one of Harris’ biggest critiques is that she has not accomplished more during her time as vice president. It is safe to say that Americans will be paying more attention to this office and that we can expect more from the vice president in the future of American politics.
Sally Lynne is a junior English major.