On October 1, 2024, US Vice president hopefuls (D) Tim Walz, and (R) J. D. Vance debated on the national stage. Vance avoided answering directly, Walz did ok.
A less bombastic debate
The vice-presidential debate – although historically gets a lot fewer attention that the presidential debate, is nonetheless very important. Afterall, one of these men would be a heartbeat away from being the President of the United States by default. Therefore, viewing and understanding the impact of this debate should be as important as considering the top of the presidential ticket.
The debate was held in New York, and similar rules like the presidential debates applied to this one. Candidates had a time limit, mics would be off-limits if they are not talking, and moderators had discretion of following up – not the same as fact checking. However, the moderators do have a responsibility to the public if a lie is being blatantly broadcasted through their airwaves. And they did fact-checked Vance on his relentless lies about demonizing immigrants.
I will say that CBS News Margaret Brennan and Norah O'Donnell were thus far the best moderators in 2024. I appreciated the fact they asked follow up questions and held both candidates’ feet to the fire. In case you missed it,
I am including the link - it originally had the to the entire debate, along with the pre- and post-analysis. Right now, it is going directly into the debate and some post analysis (before it started five hours in).
Full debate: JD Vance and Tim Walz vice presidential debate, hosted by CBS News (youtube.com)
Yes, you should watch it, because these men are not only auditioning for Vice President (VP), BUT the VP is ALSO supposed to be qualified to run the country as the actual US President (POTUS). It might seem boring to the untrained eye, but there were a lot of important indicators that could affect the fate of our country (and the world) during this debate.
J D Vance is dangerous
I was very vocal during the debate in one of the many YouTube live-stream chats reacting to the VP debate, this was hosted by Aron Ra and his daughter Lilandra Ra - Vance vs Walz Debate (youtube.com). It was extremely frustrating to hear Vance avoiding the questions and running out the clock with fluff and non-sequiturs. And he also doubled down on some of the most racist and divisive rhetoric he has been spewing during this presidential campaign – while looking polished and even confident. That is what is so dangerous about it – he knows he is doing political theater.
Unsurprisingly, there is no shortage of MAGA-aligned propagandists already trying to spin the facts, but I’ll say that they are quieter than usual. The fact is that Vance avoided answering direct questions, ran the clock, went on an attack on Kamala even if (often) it was irrelevant or misguided, doubled down on some racists policies against immigrants, lied about being in favor of a national abortion ban, and that is not even the tip of the iceberg. As I said it was very frustrating to watch.
Tim Walz seemed overprepared; it started very rough but got better. I can take that because he was being human, and although his lowest moment was when he was challenged about the Tiananmen Square, his first two minutes he went on a word salad, but on the follow up he owned to the fact he misspoke. I would have advised him to do that from the get-go. But to be honest, I bet you that many people watching had no clue about the impact of the Tiananmen Square situation (or even where that is – its China by the way) at the geopolitical level. Other than that, my impression of Walz is that he was authentic, flawed like any normal human – but he understands the depth of the issues, and he is being ultimately forthcoming with the people listening regardless of political affiliation.
Many people assert that debates are more of a dog and pony show to boost ratings, and there is some truth to that. But I do like to also see the way the candidates are able to navigate tough questions under duress. Especially when they are being checked to their face, and if they are willing to gaslight the audience, or just own up to the reality of any given topic. I say this often, facts don’t care about our feelings. And if any person will be sitting in the most exulted positions of the executive branch, they better have a tough skin and be able to articulate their rationale pragmatically. Afterall, they will have the nuclear codes – for goodness’ sake!
And that is my problem with Vance. His lack of candor to answer questions, and willingness to become a rubber stamp for Trump is concerning. Yes, the VP and the POTUS are supposed to be aligned and be a team, but the VP is also supposed to keep the top executive honest and be that person who will shed light on their blind spots. Trump is a narcissistic sociopath, so he definitely needs somebody to bring him back to reality for the sake of our country. What does that mean?
Well, the VP for Trump was Mike Pence – why is he not debating Vance or endorsing Trump for that matter? Because Trump sent a mob to the Capitol and this mob erected gallows in front of congress on January 6, 2021, and angrily chanted “hang Mike Pence.” The former VP was only about 40 feet from encountering the mob coming after him, when the Secret Service was able to direct Pence to safety. The reason why this happened is because Pence was a rubber stamp for Trump during his entire presidency, but Pence refused to go with the lie that the election was stolen. That is why Vance is the new VP running with Trump.
But when Vance was asked directly if Trump lost the election, he diverted the answer saying that he “focuses on the future” – instead of answering a direct question. Which was challenged by Walz and the moderators alike. This is very concerning, because Vance is a Senator, and J6 happened in Congress! And to be clear, Trump did not win in 2020 – period. He was impeached (second impeachment) for inciting an insurrection, and none of his lawsuits, and “independent” polls-forensic checking were able to find any evidence of the election being stolen. Further, Trump faces criminal charges for trying to take away the will of the people.
Trump has never won the popular vote, and the second time he ran he also lost the electoral college. The fact is that most Americans are smart enough to put their political differences aside when they see a threat to the country. That is why there is a record number of registered Republicans endorsing the Harris-Walz ticket. And there is another reason for this, because a lot of the GOP folks don’t want to be gaslighted.
Vance was speaking mostly towards the MAGA crowd, that was obvious. He tried pandering to the national audience but fell short. Why? Because Americans who live in reality, and not in a MAGA bubble understand if a person is gaslighting them. And they don’t appreciate that, because that is a way to insult their intelligence, and shows the reliability of that candidate, or their proclivity for lying, misdirecting, or becoming a useful fool for an authoritarian, or an authoritarian wanna-be. Or worse, are they authoritarian leaning themselves.
AUTHORITARIANISM & PROPAGANDA The Puppet Master Tools
Available worldwide on eBook and Paperback worldwide
A few lies and misdirection by Vance
Yes, I am focusing on Vance, because he is the one who was mostly lying. I already talk about my almost beef with Wals and his Tiananmen Square statement. Walz owned to it, check – it takes courage to say you’re wrong and admit it. It is cowardice to not answering a direct question and go on a non-sequitur attack to try to score cheap political points. By the way, his attacks against Kamala did not land because they were both false and irrelevant.
This is a non-all-inclusive list. For the full list, you can view the debate, he essentially dodged every question.
- Lied about being against a national abortion ban.
- Lied about immigrants being the cause for the housing crisis in the USA.
- Lied about immigrants receiving free housing while regular Americans do not.
- Failed to answer about the childcare issue in America.
- Failed to answer about How they would solve the housing Crisis in America.
- Failed to answer if he agrees with Trump about climate change being a “hoax.”
- Parroted Russian-state-sponsored talking points repeatedly.
- Lied repeatedly about Kamala’s record
- Lied about Trump’s stance on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and said that Trump “saved” the ACA.
- Failed to answer if Trump lost in 2020.
This last bullet point alone – although all of them are very damning on their own right, should be a reason enough for him to be disqualified to run for office. Just on the grounds of being disconnected from reality. But that is the thing, part of my duties in the US Navy was also to understand the intricacies of body language. Your body screams volumes, even if your voice and statements attempt to tell a different story. Each person is unique, and that is important to understand during these interactions.
Body language and gaslighting
When you rewatch the debate pay attention to the body language on both candidates. Surely, both candidates were screaming quietly whatever is it that did not come out of their mouths. But yes, your body will betray your lies, as I said your body language does not only talks but screams the truth. And aside from the fact that Walz provided better articulated answers, his body language did match his words. Vance was betrayed by his own body language.
Tim Walz. Sure, he looked like a cute puppy dog looking at the headlights from time to time. But that is good, it shows that there is a person in there who cares, who is paying attention, and these expressions happened a lot when Vance was saying something that was categorically false. Walz was making notes whenever Vance said something misleading, and credit to Walz, he did fact-check him a lot. But in that time frame constriction there is just so much you can do. As Vance did Gish gallop – although nowhere near as much as Trump did during his debate – these rapid firing of falsehoods is hard to keep track.
It was very obvious to me that Walz was overly prepared, and all his rehearsal points were coming to the forefront, and that threw him off his game. His suit seemed uncomfortable, and overall he had a few handicaps he was fighting – many between his own ears. Yes, the overpreparation, he was thinking (maybe unconsciously) about “what not to do” as to give the other side a talking point or a screen cap that would become a right-wing meme-punching bag to damage the race. Much like when you’re learning to drive, and instead of driving you’re thinking about every little factor before it becomes second nature to relax and drive. That is how it seemed to me.
Walz was at his best when he was authentic again and let the overpreparation behind. As I said he got a lot better as the debate progressed. I like the fact that he was not in the counterattack in a way that was making an “us against then” – because remember, he is trying to unite the country and embracing all those who are ready and willing to leave MAGA – and there are plenty of those folks. Going into the attack mode would simply have MAGA folks on the fence double down on Trump.
J D Vance. Dude… watch his mouth and his rapid blinking, and weird semi-closed left eye whenever he gets cornered. Once you see it, you cannot unsee it. His mouth does this weird “flat line” Mona-Lisa smirk-like expression. He also nods and turns his eyes a bit glassier and change the gaze when Walz was talking about situations that are more humane. For example, when Walz commented that his son witnessed somebody getting gunned down during a baseball game. Those moments are when you can see that Vance sold his sold for Trump and the MAGA crowd. What does that mean?
Vance was challenged that he was a very vocal critic against Trump, saying things that equated Trump to Hitler. And of course, Vance has flip-flopped in a lot of issues. I’ve said it before, Vance seems like an opportunist to me, and his body language, although it was a lot more polished than Trump’s – did deceive him. He fakes it fairly well to the camera, but as I said, there are these few seconds in the entire debate where unconsciously his guard is down. You cannot fake body language.
Trump does have a lot of body language telltale signs when he lies. For example, the accordion hands, the high-pitched-screamy voice, the jocker-chin-wrinkled-flat-package face smirk, the way he says, “are you ready-are you ready?” when he is gathering his thoughts before spewing insults. I can go on; the fact is that Trump is so transparent in his lies – which paradoxically are easy to pick up when he is cornered. And my problem is that Vance is willing to be a rubber stamp for Trump.
But Vance is also divisive. His closing remarks along with many of his statements were an “us against them” rhetoric. As opposed to Walz who was advocating for unity. That alone should be a very powerful catalyst. But remember, Vance panders to a MAGA base who is full of “debate me bros” and other people enamored with Trump regardless of empirical facts.
I’ll end this article by saying that if you did not watch the debate, you might want to watch it sooner than later. And watch out for the body language tips I gave you here. You will get a lot more out of the debate that way, and more importantly, you’ll be able to see the parallels on different speeches by Walz, Vance, and even Trump. It is our responsibility to make the best choice for America. And party affiliation alone is not the answer. The answer is principle.
There is a lot more than I did not cover for this article. Quite frankly because a lot of people are already talking about it, and to be honest some of the stuff I am not talking about do not really matter in the great scheme of things – but do make it for good clickbait. That is not what my articles are about. My articles are about analysis and capturing history.
I’ll continue writing relevant articles about the presidential election until election day. My goal is to do at least one article per day. I’ll do what I can – somedays might be more than one. Thank you for reading this far. HLC