Three conclusions from the TV debate Niceness has won - Vance has achieved his goal
Tim Walz vs. JD Vance: What was different from the TV debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris? Were there any parallels? Three aspects stand out where one of the candidates achieved their goal.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Three aspects of the TV debate between Vice President-elect Tim Walz and JD Vance stood out.
- Why not just like that? A TV duel can be so refreshingly normal.
- Established topics and familiar points of view: the déjà vu effect.
- Strengths and weaknesses: One of them uses his experience in front of the camera, the other forgets to counter properly due to nervousness.
- And the winner is: There is no real winner, but one of the two candidates has clearly achieved their goal.
Tim Walz came up against James David Vance early Wednesday morning CEST: Three aspects of the TV duel between the vice presidential nominees stood out.
Why not like this?
Civility, concessions and civil interaction - when you see Walz and Vance on the national stage, you immediately realize how crazy the duel between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris was.
No one attacks the presenters. The mimicry is limited when the other speaks. The debate never gets heated - only once are the microphones turned off when the topic of migration and Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, comes up. These are the people Trump accuses of eating the pets of the local population.
Overall, however, the opponents in this duel are remarkably respectful and nice to each other. There is even a human touch when Walz recounts that his son himself witnessed a school shooting. "I didn't know that your 17-year-old had witnessed a shooting. I'm sorry about that, I hope he's okay. Christ, have mercy, it's terrible."
And then the exit: Walz and Vance walk towards each other, shake hands and chat, while their wives join them laughing - see video at the top. And again, many observers probably wish that things were like this much more often in US politics. It would actually be normal.
Topics? Déjà vu!
Nothing new in the West: the fact that the topics of this TV debate are so similar to those of the Trump-Harris duel is down to the media. After all, the CBS News presenters set the tone and repeated most of it.
Migration, climate change, taxes, inflation, abortion rights, guns, health, children and democracy - the presidential candidates also talked about these issues. Only the opening question on the Middle East made the debate somewhat different due to its topicality.
The parties' positions on these issues are well known. However, Walz and Vance did not provide any new facts.
Strengths and weaknesses
It quickly becomes clear in the TV debate that it is James David Vance who has more experience in front of the camera. The 40-year-old comes across as calm, composed and confident, but sometimes also smooth. He often goes on the verbal offensive and can also land a few hits - for example on the subject of the economy.
But on the other hand, Vance is also allowed to lie with relative impunity. Walz fails to name these clearly and to nail his opponent on them promptly. For example, the Republican is allowed to use Obamacare health insurance, which Trump actually wants to abolish.
Only rarely is Walz able to make a clear point in the debate - for example when it comes to abortion rights and he talks about a specific case of a young woman from Texas who was abused and impregnated by her stepfather. It is vivid and touching.
However, Walz also misses the chance to really nail Vance on this topic. He is actually campaigning for a national ban on abortion, which is quite unpopular in the country. Instead of confronting him, the Democrat lets the Republican get away with saying that he feels sorry for the fate of the lyricist and that we need to talk more and have more options.
Walz seems overwhelmed at times, but is able to score points on the topic of migration and land a valuable blow at the end of the debate when it comes to the outcome of the last presidential election and the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 - see video at the top.
And the winner is ...
Who won the TV duel? It doesn't matter!
The overwhelming majority has made up its mind and is relatively irreconcilable towards the other camp thanks to the polarization of US politics. Perhaps 2 or 3 percent are still undecided - and it remains to be seen whether they will let this TV debate influence their point of view.
It is obvious that both sides are now claiming to have won the duel. Whether that is the case is for everyone to decide for themselves. On one point, however, one of the candidates pursued a clear goal and achieved it.
And that is JD Vance. Up until the TV debate, Trump's designated running mate was extremely unpopular. Videos have shown how the Republican meets people who give him a hard time. Phrases such as "childless cat women" have cost him further sympathy.
Vance has therefore seized the opportunity to present himself on the national stage as an empathetic politician who comes across as reasonable. The senator has cleverly concealed the fact that he comes from the conservative right. When it comes to correcting his image, Vance has actually won the duel.
