Says Matt Bai, in "Did Tim Walz miss a crucial moment at the VP debate? The governor didn’t seem to have a clear objective in his face-off with Republican JD Vance." That's a free-access link, so you can read the whole conversation Bai has with Megan McArdle and Gene Robinson.
At one point, Megan McArdle talks about watching the debate with the sound off. Vance looked "much more composed." What Matt Bai noticed with the sound off was "how deeply concerned Walz looked about everything, as if he feared bad news." Which is basically the same point. McArdle asks "At a visceral level, who wants a president who looks anxious?"
I did the opposite mostly. I watched without looking at them. I can listen more carefully if I'm not distracted by all the details of the faces, so I mostly play solitaire on the iPad to avoid looking. As such, I thought the 2 men were well matched, both talking fast and getting in a lot of their material. Since I hadn't believed the attacks on Vance, he struck me as what I thought he was. Walz, on the other hand, made a new impression. I realized I'd been assuming he was quite dumb, and I no longer think that. He has a decent level of intelligence, but he is quite liberal in his instincts: "I don't talk about my faith a lot, but Matthew 25:40 talks about, 'To the least amongst us, you do unto me.'" I know what that means.
When I did vary my approach and look at the screen, I found it disturbing. Walz's eyes were open too wide — as if he were terrified.
I might have found him gentle and somewhat reassuring, but those eyes — I worried about him. We need the President worrying about us. I can't be worrying that he's terrified.
On the other hand, Kamala Harris seems over-relaxed. Here she was this morning, reading to us about Israel as if she had no intellectual or emotional engagement with the material and no occasion to pretend that she did:
SCARY STUFF: Kamala Harris's first statement in the wake of Iran attacking Israel telegraphs her weakness.
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 1, 2024
Not only is she reading notes, she sounds like she has NO CLUE what she is talking about.
Deeply concerning stuff: pic.twitter.com/VotuX8Lgvw
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62 comments:
Walz looked either terrified or gobsmacked.
Anxious would be about three steps up.
In that Kamala video she looks like she's trying to get through it without screwing up...like a woman counting the dance steps in her head...
Harris was reading the words on the teleprompter the way a beginning reader reads the words in a reading workbook. One word at a time, the cadence was not fluid or flowing. Even if I did not know how she really feels about the situation I would not be convinced that she means what she said, or even understands what the words mean.
They had very different styles--Vance was the polished debater who knows how to work his talking points into an answer without dodging the question, while Walz was the guy who just really really believed his message.
I can understand you thinking Walz was fine if you didn't look at him. But when you do look at him, he looks nervous, out of his depth, not ready for the stage he is on. Deer in the headlights.
Extreme things Vance has said about women?
I neverreally thought much about the Vice President position except for being the person that will step in if something happens with the president(Too old,gets shot,loses his mind etc) Tat all changed when I saw the difference a true Conservative that believes in the Constitution and wa will to do the job counting and approving electoral votes affirming JOE BIDEN won the presidency. You now have a Vance and a Johnson who will not do that if ever called for.As much as I viewed Pence as a weak sycophant falling over trumps every word,he had one last set of balls to do the right thing as his duty called him for.Vice President took on a new vision that I saw live even after they wanted to hang him for not following the BIG LIE trump won and FAKE ELECTORS. He is still a worm with no spine from MHO but he does abide by the Constitution and the duties of his position. JD VANCE is a trump clone(mini trump) and will do whatever he is told as MIKE JOHNSON trump is way to old for the presidency and VANCE would be a horrible mini trump in that slot(WILL NEVER HAPPEN) YUP the position has importance but not as they kept saying "why didnt you do that as VICE PRESIDENT" Those people never had a CIVICS class..the VP dont do things on their own thats why they are VICE president not THE PRESIDENT.You should have learned that in school but you can tell the people who were asleep during that time.
Walz lied. He did not grow up in Butte, NE (pop. 400). He moved there in high school after his dad died. He grew up in Valentine (pop. 2,700). Valentine is the county seat of Cherry County. It is one of the largest towns in the Sandhills. That means ranch families drive in to Valentine from all over. I've been to Valentine many times as it is the place to stay overnight before canoeing the Niobrara River. Walz lies about everything; even simple things that can be checked. Why didn't CBS fact check him on that?
It is 105 miles from Valentine to Butte.
Pence partially redeemed himself with his refusal to do Trump’s bidding. He again got a bit more of my respect by refusing to endorse Trump and say he would not be voting for him. Vance would have violated the Consitution for Trump. Who is a better American, Pence or Vance?
OMG! This is HUGE!
Never send a courtesan to do a orator's job.
"Vance came into this debate with a mission, which was to make himself and his running mate seem more reasonable, less extreme and more respectful of women.
Vance wore a pink tie in recognition of October as breast cancer awareness month. I wonder if that's considered respectful enough. Maybe he should have put one of those pink pussy hats on as well.
At first I thought the debate was a draw because each candidate behaved the way I thought they would behave. But I'm seeing a lot of people (even on the left) saying that Vance did a much better job than Walz.
I will admit that one thing that disturbed me about Walz was all the weird faces he kept making at Vance while Vance was talking. It was quite distracting.
As for the clip of Harris talking, it looks to me like she hasn't gotten enough sleep and also didn't get a chance to practice with the text beforehand.
Another thing, and this is just an opinion, I think that some politicians fall into the trap of surrounding themselves with sycophants who never give them negative feedback. If Walz has been seriously practicing the debate, a real advisor would have told him to avoid making weird faces at the Vance stand in. But I'll bet his debate practice was a room full of yes men and women who kept telling him how great he was. (I also think that Harris falls into this trap as well. That's why she doesn't seem to improve as the weeks go by.)
I agree both talked too fast. And Walz sounded intelligent enough to be a national candidate. He certainly comes across a standard deviation more intelligent than Kamala & Joe. But he’s the oldest-looking 60 year old on the planet. Just as he was the oldest looking 30 year old on the planet in his DUI mugshot. He should retire and enjoy the last three years of his life.
Kamala'a matter of factness in her statement comes from her sense that the entire statement was cooked up by the Defense and State Departments without the slightest input from either Biden or Harris. She is content being merely a puppet for the ventriloquist(s) whose name(s) we do not know.
The only one I can think of is when he said we're letting our country be run by women whose biggest commitment in life is to their casts.
"I don't talk about my faith a lot, but Matthew 25:40 talks about, 'To the least amongst us, you do unto me.'"
Matthew 25:40 is a favorite catch all for liberals. Liberal Catholics will drive you nuts with it. It's how liberal Christians, like secular college PhDs, try and monopolize the claim they stake on compassion, charity, and make-believe altruism.
In Walz' case (like all modern liberals) there are exceptions and contradictions. The eight babies in Walz' Minnesota that survived a late term abortions and were left to die on a cold metal table don't fall under the definition of "the least amongst us." By denying their humanity those babies don't even qualify as "the least." Besides that, the doctor already mutilated them anyway, so it would just be unnecessarily resuscitating a baby doomed to a lifetime of physical handicap. THAT'S SOME COMPASSION RIGHT THERE!!!
Inner city minorities stuck in dilapidated, drug infested violent neighborhoods with horseshit public schools do not qualify for the "least among us" compassion. The fentanyl allowed to roll in from the southern border is purposeful. And so is the resource redistribution to illegal immigrants whose future votes are more valuable than current Americans needing help.
Providing puberty blockers and mutilating young children influenced by transgender propaganda is now charity toward the least among us. So is removing them from their home if their parents don't want to support cutting off Jesus' genitals (you do unto me). That's Walz' Minnesota.
We all know what Jesus meant in Matthew 25:40. Those that shout it from the mountain top as their main driving value, hypocritically implement it...the least.
"I was very surprised that Walz didn’t... point to the pretty extreme things Vance has said about women."
Almost every post-debate commenter remarked on how refreshing it was to have a debate focussed on policies rather than on trading blows. I'll bet Bai agrees. And I'll bet that a lot of commenters who said this also wish Walz had attacked Vance more often.
When Tiananmen Square came up, I expected Vance to pile on with stolen valour, etc. When I realized why he didn't, I was impressed by his restraint. There were many other times in the debate where he could have easily jumped at something but instead stuck to his debate strategy.
Vance fucker this up.
Walz is a Stolen Valor piece of shit.
That cannot be abided.
I tried to visualize all of them, Trump, Harris, Vance and Walz, is a group photo with world leaders. Trump and Vance are the two I want there. I also tried to visualize them in a meeting with our military leaders. Again, its Trump and Vance I want there. Harris seems uninformed and lacking in leadership skills. Walz reminds me of the head coach, Cloris Leachman's husband, in "The Last Picture Show."
The Democrat Left likes to characterize anyone to the center as "extreme". They take after the Soviets who declared anyone opposed to them as "fascists". That included other Communists who were less extreme.
IMO, Trump is pretty much a centrist on most policy issues. People with a functioning brain know who the extremists are.
Almost as huge as being friends with school shooters.
Actually, Inga it is. I grew up in Omaha. A huge difference if I claimed I grew up in Wayne or Pierce or Odell or Fairbury.
As our nation swirls down the toilet with high crime, high prices for everything, illegal entrants all over the place - sucking up our tax dollars, high taxes on the horizon etc... we are supposed to give a crap about an old "cat lady" utterance?
Sorry Megan - I don't care.
Walz made me nervous by his mannerisms. He also reminded me of Chris Farley. Article author trying to make being prepared and answering the questions into some form of parlor trick. He also implies that Vance doesn't really believe what he is saying. This article deserves a 'civility bullshit' tag.
Pretty country up around Valentine.
MfG.
Goetz von Berlichingen
"Walz was the guy who just really really believed his message."
That he was a knucklehead for having spent the last 30 years lying about being in Hong Kong during the Tianamen Square massacre?
WHAT message? He dodged every question that might force him to say what teh Harris / Walz Administration would do, because they're not willing to admit the reality of it
Very simplistic. The Vice President may not have explicit decision-making authority (except for breaking ties in the Senate), but the Vice President is often assigned by the President to follow up and manage or expedite certain critical issues. Their role in such cases varies, but could include: visiting key locations and people in charge to assess performance, obstacles to success, resources needed, whether current strategy or personnel needed to be changed, etc.
As a very good example, Vice President Harris was assigned with great fanfare to the border and immigration issue. By all credible accounts to date, she has almost totally ignored that assignment, in spite of the fact it is among the top 3 or 4 concerns in this country. She could have had a major impact on that issue but chose not to do anything of consequence. That does not show "Day One" urgency or future executive initiative.
Beyond such special assignments, the Vice President has direct access to the President and can advise and counsel, as well as act as a top emissary to key legislators on vital legislation, particularly given the VP's role as official tie-breaker, to forge needed alliances and get needed votes. There is also no evidence that VP Harris showed significant initiative in this area either.
Walz talked too fast, especially about those stats re MN. It was one brag after another and difficult to follow his point. I’m glad there were moments of grace from each of them.
It was really amazing. I haven't sat down to watch the whole debate, yet, but every single video clip I've seen, Walz alternates between looking at JD and being scared of what JS is saying, bug eyed looking at the screen, or writing a note like he's a kid taking notes in a class he doesn't understand
You really do need to look at the screen for this one
It was really amazing. I haven't sat down to watch the whole debate, yet, but every single video clip I've seen, Walz alternates between looking at JD and being scared of what JS is saying, bug eyed looking at the screen, or writing a note like he's a kid taking notes in a class he doesn't understand
You really do need to look at the screen for this one
Was he pals with the paid patsy on the roof in Butler? I can easily envision a big brother/ Trump hate cult for justice situation.
Anyone who references Matthew 25:40, but isn't anti-abortion, isn't worth listening to
Because there's not more "least of us" than a baby about to be aborted.
Congrats, Tim, you're killing baby Jesus every day
Walz reminds me of the head coach, Cloris Leachman's husband, in "The Last Picture Show."
That was Dennis Hastert.
Tim would have done better if he was debating behind a wall or with a sack over his head. Deer in the headlights is not a good look.
John C Reilly in Step Brothers, although Will Farrell might have worked as well,
The libs’ Matthew 25 includes a verse not found in the majority of manuscripts:
“For I was poor and you took other peoples’ money at spear-point and gave it to me, after of course keeping most of it to pay your bureaucrats….’Lord, when did we extort from others to pay ourselves and you?’….I say unto you, inasmuch as you have taxed the least of these, you taxed them for me.”
Most Bible scholars theorize that this verse was written by St Matthew while he was still in the process of leaving his former line of work, and edited out of his final version.
JSM
Mentioned this in a comment to an earlier post, but Walz looks just like Don Rickles (albeit when Rickles was 15-20 years older than Walz is now). Not a particularly Presidential look.
Walz looked like an apprehensive Boston Terrier. The cornucopia of memes will be forthcoming and very entertaining.
Walz is so fucked in the head he tried using the “I’m proud to have served” he uses in response to the charges of stolen valor to respond to his lies about his whereabouts during the Tiananman Square uprising.
Politico debate analysis: Vance's beard is sexist, Walz's bulging eyes are lovely
https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/1841538135450108371
They're signing the arms. They're signing the legs.
LOL!
When sanpaku eyes are smilin'
Sure it is like the morn' in spring
In the lilt of school shooter's laughter
You can hear the demons sing
When coward's hearts are happy
They're probably really gay
And when sanpaku eyes are smilin'
Their inner fears they do betray
To me, Vance looked presidential. They've tried to paint him as wild, but his composure worked for him. And he maintained it with the moderators. My first thought when they had to women moderators was that CBS was hoping to get an attack on the women. Vance was respectful but not doting to the moderators when they tried to lure him out. The mic cutoff during the exchange on the reality of the Haitian immigrant status did not reflect well on the moderators.
Quick VP debate take:
Women not on the pill will prefer Vance.
Women on the pill will prefer Walz.
Seriously." - Scott Adams
I think younger women will describe Walz's facial expressions as giving them the ick.
While I think that Vance has more masculine characteristics than Walz, I still think he has some softness to him which women who are experiencing hormonal levels associated with pregnancy, whether from actual pregnancy or simulated, will find attractive. While Walz was softer, he also came off as anxious and I don't think anxiety in men is broadly appealing to any type of women.
I let everyone else comment on the Dullard earlier and was happy to find all of us who are not lefties agree. The lefties show poor understanding of everything.
Agreed.
OMG! This is HUGE!
Dismiss it if you want, but it's a peek into his character. If he's willing to lie about such trivial matters - and ones that can easily be checked - what isn't he willing to lie about?
You just don’t get it, Dave. A lie in service to these leftwingers is not a lie.
Igna… you need to retire, sit on a bank of sand and watch the river flow.
If Iran is so destabilizing - Why do Biden-Kamala keep giving the Islamic Terror Mullahs so much of our money?
Its telling what DOESNT bother DEMS at ALL.
Did those ALL CAPS words help?
As some of the talking heads in the legacy media noted, Vance had been through numerous interviews with hostile interlocutors asking him tough questions, while Walz (like Harris) has been cocooned from any kind of media scrutiny about his record, his philosophy and the policies that a Harris-Walz administration would try to implement. You play like you train, and if you don't train strenuously, you can't play strenuously, either. Mene, mene, tekel upharsin.
FJB will be leaving stash of depends behind in January 2025
Women on the pill will prefer Walz. ! and hope it works after they .....
And women who don’t need the pill because they are either too fat to get pregnant, or have sexual orientations that would preclude that, are, no doubt, heavily supporting Harris/Walz.
If Trump wins, I think Democrats are going to look at their abortive "Trump and Vance are weird" narrative as a minor own-goal. Trump is indeed kind of weird (Vance isn't particularly), but this bug-eyed weirdo Walz is not the messenger for that message, other than perhaps in a comedy skit where he's the butt of the joke.
Walz managed to steal valor from both American soldiers and the brave thousands who stood up to the chi-coms in Tianamen Square. That's a pretty neat trick.
There was no reason for him to act this freaked out on a public stage. He's a very seasoned politician. He's given countless speeches, run many campaigns, and knew the "moderators" were on his side.
So the question for me was, why? What is going to come out about him next? Nobody is paying attention to the chi-com money. So why does he ooze flop-sweat?
I didn't find him particularly intelligent. He just hung up his aw shucks hat for the evening. He must be dreading some October surprise.
No surprise. WaPo commenter morons claiming aWolz won.
On the other hand, Kamala Harris seems over-relaxed.
John Barleycorn will do that.
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