Politico's Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy wrote an incredibly damaging article Thursday about Gov. Tim Walz's (D) performance in Tuesday night's debate.
The article suggests that Democrats are panicking following Walza's debate performance against Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), whose debate performance was widely praised among media elites.
Obtaining on- and off-the-record statements from Democrats, Hill, and McCarthy did all of the following: torpedo Waltz's political future:
Tim Walz was supposed to cut through the political nonsense and speak frankly to the American people about a Republican party they don't relate to. But instead, some Democrats were alarmed by his performance in Tuesday's debate, arguing that he was unable to exploit his opponent's weaknesses.
Despite days of debate preparation and weeks of harsh criticism of former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, Walz succinctly explained why Vice President Kamala Harris would be a better president. They say they sometimes had trouble making their case. Some Democrats were depressed when Walz, clearly nervous, stumbled over his words. Mr. Walz's representatives at the night's debate also seemed a little surprised by the governor's politeness.
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And in a moment that upset Democrats, Walz actually said in a way that appeared unprepared to respond effectively to why he previously claimed he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests. It was not the case, but he gave a vague answer. Strategists and some Democrats said this was an unforced, self-inflicted mistake that would be useless, at least late in the campaign.
“That's not the picture or discussion you want,” the strategist said. “[JD] Vance accomplished a lot. ”
“It was definitely more friendly than I expected,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). politikonoted that there was “a tremendous amount of pressure” on Walz, who appeared outside the league.
“Could he have been a little tougher? Certainly,” a Pennsylvania Democratic strategist said of the debate. “But he spoke about the facts, he provided the truth, and he offered an optimistic vision of what Kamala Harris will do.”
Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris are not used to negative reviews.
The Media Research Center revealed on Monday that CBS News, which hosted the debate, reported 85 percent positively on the Harris-Waltz ticket from July 21 to September 27, but Trump vs. Vance. Tickets received 81 percent negative press coverage.
More than 43.15 million viewers watched the debate on 15 networks, according to Nielsen ratings. The debate had the fourth lowest ratings of the 12 vice presidential debates held throughout the presidential cycle.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter for Breitbart News and a former RNC war room analyst. he is the author of politics of slave morality. Follow Wendell “×” @WendellHusebø or society of truth @WendellHusebo.
