In the days leading up to Tuesday's debate, Democrats went out of their way to express nervousness about how Gov. Tim Walz would act.
This was an obvious effort to lower expectations in hopes that Walz would defy bleak expectations and look like an upset winner.
They couldn't lower expectations enough.
Waltz had occasional moments of clarity, but he continued to give rambling answers all night, filling up his allotted time without reaching a clear conclusion. The only thing he got was first place in the number of non-secteurs.
Voters who were looking for a point where they could say, “Oh, that's what this policy will do'' were left disappointed.
I know I was.
How often, Tim?
His opponent, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance, was a much smarter, more thoughtful, and more organized thinker on stage. His tone was pleasantly even, whether he was defending Donald Trump or attacking Kamala Harris.
Vance's performance was a boost to Trump and the Republican Party, as vice presidential debates are largely viewed as referendums on presidential candidates.
Meanwhile, Walz further cast doubt on whether she was ready to take office, which was a negative for Harris.
The difference in temperament was so pronounced that Waltz sometimes appeared bug-eyed, speaking rapidly with answers that often veered off course, as if his head couldn't keep up with his mouth.
“I became friends with a school shooter,” he said during his plea regarding school safety. His final, bizarre answer to a question about why he lied about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen massacre was: “Sometimes my fingers get crooked.”
Vance, by contrast, was calm, measured, and polite to a fault. He called the host by his first name and began some answers by saying, “I agree with Tim,” or by saying they had something in common, but this clearly gave off a civil and substantive tone. It was a movement to create something.
For MOD!
As expected, Mr. Vance had to contend with the host's bias, but CBS's Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan were far more interested in what Mr. Trump was saying and doing than what Harris was saying. — even though she's currently vice president.
On several occasions they tried to end Vance's time by suggesting that his statements were false, but they never did that with Walz.
My biggest problem is that even though the CBS poll introduced the main themes of the economy and open borders, saying a majority of Americans support Trump on both issues, At no time did he reveal the details of the investigation or highlight its significance.
Those two questions alone could and should have moved the night. Because these are almost always the issues Americans cite as most important.
But these two questions were posed in an obligatory manner because media snobs usually downplay the concerns of the little people in the flyover.
Not coincidentally, Walz was not asked the obvious follow-up question in either case: Why didn't Harris resolve the economy and border during her term as vice president?
The topic that impressed Vance the least was abortion. He sought to be humble, acknowledging that “too many people don't trust the Republican Party” on this issue and saying, “We have to do better to regain the public's trust.”
That may be a good starting point for an election campaign, but it is already too late to speak in sackcloth terms.
Walz succeeded in highlighting party differences on the issue, but said the Minnesota law he signed allows for abortion even if the full-term baby is born alive. Vance's claims could not be effectively refuted.
Vance quoted language he said was in the law, but Walz denied it but did not quote any actual language, leaving viewers to decide who won in the moment. There is a possibility.
If there is any lasting impact from this showdown, it may be further evidence that Walz was not the right pick for Coach Harris. He made a splashy appearance, but his silliness as a flannel-shirt-wearing Midwestern commoner was quickly exposed as more hype than fact.
Let's show you the record
The stripping came after a series of falsehoods about his military service came to light, including inflating his retired rank and falsely claiming he had served in a combat zone.
He never addressed the issue in a personal way, except to say in one interview with Harris, “My grammar isn't always correct.”
Naturally, the CBS duo never approached that matter or any other false claims he made regarding his services.
Nor was there a question about the long delay in deploying the National Guard during the 2020 George Floyd riots, which left large swaths of Minneapolis ablaze.
One area where Walz has faltered is among union voters, usually a major strength for Democrats. But recent polls show the Democratic ticket is only a 9-point lead over Trump and Vance, 10 points lower than Joe Biden's 19-point lead over Trump among union households in 2020. .
The Republican Party's rise is a direct reflection of both Biden and Harris' economic failures and Trump's fierce courtship of the working class. As part of that courtship, he chose Vance, author of “Hillbilly Elegy.”
As I wrote at the time, the Republican convention in Milwaukee could be mistaken for a Workers' Party rally.
Amid a steady stream of pro-worker speeches, Teamsters union president Sean O'Brien gave an impassioned speech about why the party should support its members' demands.
Usually a sure bet for Democrats, the union ultimately did not support it. A poll of union members found that 60% supported Trump and 34% supported Harris, underscoring a victory of sorts for Trump.
The trend is even more pronounced in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where 65% of union members support Mr. Trump, compared to just 31% who support Ms. Harris.
Much of it was based on Harris' radical record, which Walz was supposed to correct. He hasn't.
