For the record:
October 2, 2024, 4:53 PM: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that JD Vance wrote the foreword for Project 2025. He wrote the foreword for the book by Kevin Roberts, the architect of Project 2025.
Do vice presidential debates matter? Conventional wisdom says no. Historically, polls have shown that these once-every-four-year 90 minutes have little impact on voting in presidential elections.
Tuesday night’s debate between the Democratic nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and his Republican challenger, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, appears to be following that pattern. Some experts claim that Vance, who delivered a polished and unwavering performance, “won” the debate. Mr. Walz seemed more nervous and stumbled on some questions, but fact-checkers said he lied much less frequently. Walz also scored big points at the end for pressing Vance to confirm that President Biden won the 2020 election, calling Vance’s deviation “an outrageous non-answer.”
An instant poll after the debate showed that most voters thought the debate was a tie, and that both men’s favorability ratings were on the rise, but Walz’s numbers were unusually high and Vance’s numbers were on the rise. That fact is unlikely to change.
As mentioned earlier, none of this may matter in November.
Except for one thing. One thing that is very important but rarely mentioned is that if Donald Trump wins, there is a very good chance that Vance will become president. This should be concerning given how low Mr. Vance’s approval ratings have historically been. Before the debate, Vance was more unpopular than any vice presidential candidate in modern history, including Sarah Palin, who was credited with helping defeat John McCain in the 2008 election.
After all, Mr. Vance is very close to being president. And if he wins, the 78-year-old Trump will become the oldest president in history by the end of his term.
And Trump’s recent rambling, nonsensical speech, his decision to refuse a second debate with his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, and cancel a scheduled “60 Minutes” interview. indicates that Trump may already be grappling with the problem. The strategic reasons behind the choice, as well as cognition and stamina.
In addition to his regular disparaging comments about sharks and Hannibal Lecter, and his outrageous lie that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating their neighbors’ dogs and cats, President Trump recently claimed that the North Korean president He accused Trump of trying to kill people (Mr. Trump appears to be confusing North Korea with Iran), admitted he didn’t know what Congo was (that “a lot of people” from Congo (despite falsely claiming that it was flooding into the U.S.)
Needless to say, if Ms. Harris said these things, the press would demand that she resign. This is exactly what happened after President Biden undramatically failed in June’s debate against Trump.
With Biden off the campaign trail, Trump and Vance have been attacking Harris’ “policies” and frankly showing an astonishing ignorance about the vice president’s role.
Those of us who have taken a civics class in high school or watched at least one episode of “The West Wing” or “Veep” know that the vice president’s primary role is to support the president. I understand that sometimes it means standing in for the president. and, most importantly, to take over the office of president in the event of his death or incapacity.
Even if Trump’s noticeable lack of consistency and energy is not a sign of mental and physical decline, the fact remains that, based on Trump’s age alone, Vance is not seeking to play that role in history. He is one of the most likely vice presidential candidates. Republic of.
Yes, the guy who wrote the foreword for a book written by one of the architects of Project 2025. He distrusted people without children and spread racist stories about Springfield’s Haitian community even though he admitted they were false. Anyway, who thought that women should stay in abusive relationships for the sake of “family”, who thought grandma was the solution to child-rearing problems, and who said rape was a nuisance? That person could very well become our president.
So Tuesday night’s debate should be viewed less as Vance facing off against Walz and more as Vance offering a preview of himself as leader of the free world.
As many have noted in praising his performance, Vance has criticized many of Trump’s ill-considered policies (tariffs, Project 2025), mischaracterizations (e.g. about the Biden administration’s responsibility for inflation), And he offered a more sophisticated version of an outright lie (the claim that violent crime is a crime). For example, most Americans support strict abortion laws. )
Most importantly, by refusing to refute Trump’s big lies about the 2020 election, Vance told us just about everything we need to know about his potential presidential bid. That’s what it means. One undecided Michigan voter told CNN after the debate: “I don’t think you can trust your vote unless someone respects your vote.”
When Biden defeated Trump in 2020, many thought MAGA Republicans would then follow the same nationalism, except with orange makeup, lots of lawsuits, and a penchant for veering into narcissistic and often incomprehensible rants. They were concerned that they would find a candidate who would promote a political, elitist, and divisive agenda. .
Based on the Vice President’s discussion, it appears they are doing so.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
