Okay. Thought there were real problems with the moderators again, no surprise there, and for attack dogs, they sure wasted time on subjects appealing to a small slice of the audience, but that was probably a strategic choice. For the Taylor Swift crowd, maybe childcare does count for more than a port strike where your child might not get formula or food in a couple of weeks.
Walz had blithering idiot-itis in several moments and went off the rails in his attempt to sidestep direct answers about "What would Harris do." Then, the China disaster was all his. He is also not a comfortable figure to watch on stage - you get a sense there's a frenetic energy just barely being held in check, and the leg kick or weird arm gestures are bustin' to come out.
He's big on stories and short on facts.
JD was masterful, even on subjects like abortion and, again, the childcare issue where it seemed as if Brennan wanted him to formulate a complete plan to watch the nation's babies 5 days a week right then and there and would badger him until he said how and how much.
He acquitted himself admirably with grace, good humor, and a vicious intelligence.
I did like the nice little moments between them very much.
Unbiased opinion?
JD wiped the floor with Walz.
Okay, maybe a little fangirling in there.
A little. #SemperFi
Well folks, I just want to thank all of you for joining us in tonight's VP Debate Live Blog! We really appreciate you taking the time to have some fun with us. I hope some of you will take advantage of the code FIGHT to get a 60% discount on VIP/VIP Gold membership!
We will all likely have more takes on the debate tomorrow. Keep the conversation flowing in the comments! Good night all!
Meghan McCain followed up that tweet to note that Dems are panicking in her Twitter TL. They should be.
My final thoughts are not far off from John's. On substance, both men had their moments, but Vance seemed better prepared to discuss specific policies. He also hammered the point home during the debate that Kamala Harris has been in office for three and a half years, and nailed it in the closing statement. She is the status quo, not the change.
On style, Vance blew Walz out of the water. He was poised, charming, gracious, and positive. Walz alternated between glaring at the camera and looking like a deer in the headlights. His non-answer on his Tiananmen lie is going to stick to him for a long time,
Well. There's that in the bag.
I'm sure we'll never see another clip of Walz fumble bumbling through his cover story on Tiananmen again, but it was worth seeing.
No one should ever say debates don't matter because Walz has done a lot of damage this evening.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) October 2, 2024
Imagine how this would have gone with Josh Shapiro on the stage tonight.
You are such a grump!
Vance finally blossoms on his final statement. Great.
My take:
Vance had to seem competent and not offend suburban women. I think he did that.
Walz had to seem competent and look like a regular guy. He did okay but not great. Had a couple bad moments.
Margaret Brennan was annoying.
Day One was 1400 days ago and her policies have made these problems worse
This is a great closing statement from Vance. "Because of Kamala Harris' policies."
"Let's look for a new day" from someone who's been in office for the last three-plus years.
One of my good pals just texted me this:
'Our so just texted me this:"Vance is kicking Don rickles ass. I thought he’d passed"'
I agree. I am totally cable free and loving it.
Off topic: I am really enjoying being streaming-only. This is running very smoothly for me, as was the previous debate.
Off topic: I am really enjoying being streaming-only. This is running very smoothly for me, as was the previous debate.
Yup. And I wonder if Vance will bring up the snitch line.
Censorship. Finally something important.