JD Vance turned in an excellent performance last night. He was the most coherent and, I think, the most likable of any of the four candidates who have taken the debate stage this cycle. In comparison, Tim Walz presented a sad spectacle. He got off to a terrible start, visibly nervous and largely incoherent. He got a little stronger as the evening went on, but the damage was done. And his “I am a knucklehead” will go down in presidential debate annals.
But since people don’t care much about vice presidents, the real targets in the debate were Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Vance’s mission was not to outshine Walz–a low bar–but to seize every opportunity to remind voters that on the economy, the border and international peace, things were better under Trump. Also, to call Harris on the absurd pretense that she has no responsibility for he last three and a half years, and rather is a fresh face running on a platform of “joy.” Vance succeeded in these missions as well as he could.
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