Presidential Debates 2024

[Zaxxon]

Hopefully Walz has been practicing his kamalaunimpressed.gif look.

[Zaxxon]

This also rings true:

[Unagi]

yeah, right !?

[Isgrimnur]

yeah, right !?

‽

[Kraken]

I don’t think the fireworks in the Middle East are going to do Walz any favors tonight unless he can sell an argument for a steady hand and a clear head.

[EvilHomer3k]

What's the over under on the number of times Walz says weird? I'll take 6.

[Zaxxon]

What's the over under on the number of times Walz says weird? I'll take 6.

Seems like a fair guess. I'll go 8.

[Isgrimnur]

Forbes

Which words will be said by either candidate?
...
Weird (-130)

[LordMortis]

I don't Walz well enough to make an informed guess, so I'ma say 2. That he will be guarded against sounding de trop.

[El Guapo]

I don't Walz well enough to make an informed guess, so I'ma say 2. That he will be guarded against sounding de trop.

He may throw in a few synonyms like "bizarre" to avoid sounding too repetitious.

[LordMortis]

That I could see. Though, again I don't really know Walz. I'm going to try and catch the debate, at least in part, specifically to get a feel for who he is.

[hepcat]

Walz should be brought out on a sofa by 2 large democrats.

[Default]

Michael Moore won't be able to take an end.

[waitingtoconnect]

With the current attack on Israel I think Walz wins the debate if he looks Vice Presidential and competent. Vance won’t make it easy by having a meltdown but Walz needs to portray him as not a serious person. And during these times of Middle East turmoil and natural disasters at home, we need serious people.

I reckon the debate will go something like this:

[$iljanus]

Vance is sounding like a serious man. Also he actually answered the question unlike Walz who kinda rambled with some obvious talking points. Walz was better on the rebuttal though.

[hepcat]

They’re both being very mature and statesman like so far.

[YellowKing]

Yeah Vance is performing exactly as I expected. He's a great bullshitter and can rattle off climate change denial as if he's stating the sky is blue.

I got REALLY nervous when Walz first started - he seemed very nervous. But he settled in within seconds and is doing just fine.

[Exodor]

I got REALLY nervous when Walz first started - he seemed very nervous. But he settled in within seconds and is doing just fine.

Yeah his first answer was shaky - he even said "Isreal" when he meant "Iran" at one point - but his first rebuttal was great and he's doing fine now.

[$iljanus]

Walz is definitely hitting his stride. Unfortunately Vance has a low bar to meet.

[hepcat]

Vance denies the Haitians are legally in Springfield by outlining how they legally are in Springfield.

[Kurth]

I think these moderators kind of suck.

Walz and Vance are both doing a pretty good job answering questions (at least, compared to other recent debates) and not saying crazy shit.

But the moderators seem intent to cut them off and fact check in a way that seems unnecessary.

Walz and Vance seem to want to have a substantive debate about the issues. I wish the moderators would get out of the way.

[El Guapo]

TBH my guess is that this debate won't matter much. I think this debate will help Vance's favorability numbers - he's coming across as fairly polished and non-crazy overall. Walz is doing well, though I think he would benefit from slowing down and saying a little less but more slowly and clearly.

I think this will be a wash in the end. Plus my sense is that VP debates generally don't matter all that much.

[YellowKing]

This race has remained essentially unchanged for a month. It's not going to shift based on a VP debate, as much as the media wants you to believe that.

I also think it's absolutely maddening that Walz gets hammered about misspeaking about his time in China, while Trump can rattle off 1000 demonstrably false, easily disprovable lies in an hour and nobody bats an eye.

[El Guapo]

This race has remained essentially unchanged for a month. It's not going to shift based on a VP debate, as much as the media wants you to believe that.

I also think it's absolutely maddening that Walz gets hammered about misspeaking about his time in China, while Trump can rattle off 1000 demonstrably false, easily disprovable lies in an hour and nobody bats an eye.

Yeah that was an aggravating question.

[$iljanus]

TBH my guess is that this debate won't matter much. I think this debate will help Vance's favorability numbers - he's coming across as fairly polished and non-crazy overall. Walz is doing well, though I think he would benefit from slowing down and saying a little less but more slowly and clearly.

I think this will be a wash in the end. Plus my sense is that VP debates generally don't matter all that much.

In a typical election year I'd agree that the VP debates are just an entertaining slideshow. But in this truncated election year which really got started after Biden withdrew and with no other debates planned for the future, I think this debate may matter a bit more. It will be interesting to see in the following days.

[waitingtoconnect]

I got REALLY nervous when Walz first started - he seemed very nervous. But he settled in within seconds and is doing just fine.

He mixed up Iran and Israel. Despite immediately correcting himself I've decided to switch my vote. (/sarcasm) (Seriously though the right wing media and some of the center is calling is a major gaffe.... )

Can we also have a question on why the brothers of Democrat presidents and governors always hate them while all of Trump's family and all of his former workers and lieutenants love him and never have a bad thing to say?

This desire for "balance" over fact checking is maddening. If we want to punish people for misspeaks over outright lies and slander our media need to take a leaf out of the book of real journalists like Dan Rather who were actually newsmen with integrity. If China is a real question for "balance", then when not go the whole conspiracy hog, go full "balanced" and ask Walz if he's ever been to the Comet Ping Pong restaurant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Ping_Pong)?

As we saw in the Florida gubernatorial debates though where DeSantis clearly lost and lost badly these debates don't change people's minds. Unless you're a Democrat.

[Blackhawk]

Walz really needed to use that opportunity to stamp down the Minnesota 'killing babies' law that does nothing of the sort. I spent some time reading up on that - he removed some ambiguous language in one section regarding post-abortion live births, but left in the actual protections clause, plus federal protections also apply (in every state.)

I wish he'd simply explained that instead of sounding like he was dancing around it.

[$iljanus]

If Trump was as disciplined as Vance is on the debate podium the polls might be a little different.

But I'm pretty sure Trump is going to Trump. I hope uncertain Republicans won't think that Vance will be the guy who'll keep Trump in check because he happened to not sound insane tonight.

[YellowKing]

I think Walz is a genuinely nice guy, and he's really trying to find common ground. I think that sometimes means he's avoiding direct confrontation with Vance (and was probably coached not to get baited into those kinds of arguments). Meanwhile Vance is a slimy sleazeball who has no compunction about lying through his teeth.

Watching Vance feign sympathy for Walz' son witnessing a school shooting (while being directly opposed to ANY kind of gun control) was so cringe.

Also I am SO tired of the goddamn illegal immigration argument. It's the only thing they've got and it's a bunch of absolute nonsense. I really wish Walz had done what Harris did and point out early in the debate that all Vance was going to do is point fingers at immigrants for every single issue without offering any solutions.

I think Walz has done well, but he has missed some opportunities to fact check easily disputable claims in a rush to get his points across.

I will say the moderators have asked some very direct and tough questions to both candidates, but it's a shame that the VP debate was where the actual tough questions were asked. Trump's questions were absolute softballs compared to Vance's.

[$iljanus]

Walz sounds very knowledgeable when it comes to housing.

[waitingtoconnect]

Also I am SO tired of the goddamn illegal immigration argument. It's the only thing they've got and it's a bunch of absolute nonsense.

Buts it working and it works, like it has in so many European and other western countries. And the Trump strategy is being copied in countries from Austria (where the far right used it to demonise legal immigration) to Australia (where pro-Hezbollah demonstrations by some led to the far right leader calling international students legally in the country illegal immigrants).

It also doesn't help that their have been high profile knife attacks by refugees all over Europe in the last few months and pro-Hezbollah demonstrations all over the world. In Austria, Taylor Swift had to cancel a concert due to a terrorist threat from a North Macadonian immigrant. Which if I were Vance I'd be pointing out.

The far right is winning elections using these arguments; sponsored by Russian trolls and the Maga movement. From Austria, to Germany, to Italy, to France, to the UK (Brexit), to Israel, to parts of Canada, to Sweden, to Australia...its not just America. Again if I were Vance I'd be pointing these things out.

In 2001, in Australia, a deeply unpopular right wing government used a boatload of illegal immigrants to turnabout a 20 point opinion poll deficit. Many of the strategists who helped win that election then went and consulted with conservative leaders in the UK, Europe and the US as consultants. Many of the talking points Vance is using, were used way back then.

[EvilHomer3k]

I just tuned in on the school shootings and housing. Some random thoughts. I think both answered well for their base. Vance is just beating the imigrant drum. Walz did a nice job of saying that you cant create housing on "federal lands" in areas like Minnesota. Anyone with half a brain should see through Vance's bullshit. I thought Walz did a better job on the gun question. Vance beat the hardening schools drum which really doesn't work (honestly its fucking stupid). Walz certainly doesn't look as polished but his points are good.

[hepcat]

If Trump was as disciplined as Vance is on the debate podium the polls might be a little different.

But I'm pretty sure Trump is going to Trump. I hope uncertain Republicans won't think that Vance will be the guy who'll keep Trump in check because he happened to not sound insane tonight.

MAGA wants Trump to act like Trump. Vance would actually be doing better right now with MAGAts by acting less like a statesman and more like an idiot with a grudge.

Also, the eyeliner on Vance is really distracting. It definitely won’t play well in Florida.

[$iljanus]

It was rather refreshing to have a rather polite debate. But yeah, Vance and his ilk still have no business being anywhere near the halls of government.

[EvilHomer3k]

I think Walz killed the Jan 6 issue. Vance didn't fumble it totally but just deflected and lied that Trump peacefully left the office.

[hepcat]

“I wanna answer your question because you did ask it.”

…er…that’s kind of how questions work anyway, J.D..

[YellowKing]

I saw an interesting comment on Twitter that Walz was doing a good job drawing Vance to the left on occasion, which will really piss off the MAGA crowd.

[hitbyambulance]

When Mike Pence decided to follow the law and certify the election, that's why Mike Pence isn't standing on this stage.

[hepcat]

Vance did succeed in coming across as mature and stable. Meanwhile, Walz came across as something more than a meme generating machine. Honestly, they both won in my view.

[EvilHomer3k]

Vance did succeed in coming across as mature and stable. Meanwhile, Walz came across as something more than a meme generating machine. Honestly, they both won in my view.

But did Vance come across as not having the most punchable face in politics?