The first of October held many exciting promises for the upcoming season, including the chance to witness the U.S. Vice Presidential debate live on CBS News.
While this election season’s prior presidential debates have shown exhilarating, wild clips and much uncivil disagreement between candidates, this debate appeared to be a breath of fresh air in terms of civility. Both candidates were able to say their piece with refreshingly few interruptions. It was in this debate that the words of current Democratic V.P. nominee, Tim Walz, truly shined.
As the 41st and current governor of Minnesota, Walz used many examples of bills enacted under his leadership during the live debate. Doing so gave further insight into the Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s potential policies and their effectiveness. This included moves on Walz’s part that dealt heavily with reproductive rights, immigration, climate change and the conflicts in the Middle East, all of which are heavy-hitting topics on this year’s ballot.
He claimed his defense for a bill passed in his state that protects the right to an abortion, stating that Minnesota has effectively “restored Roe V. Wade.” He also made true his claims that women should be able to access this form of healthcare no matter where in the country they may reside, opposing the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s stance on leaving the decision to the states. Walz stated in his speech dedicated to his ideal surrounding reproductive care, “the rights to your own body should not be based on geography.” For many of the questions posed to the Democratic candidate, he had evidence backing his claims which proved his ability to pull through on his promises to the people.
While mostly on the defense from claims made by the Republican V.P. candidate, JD Vance, Walz was able to both stand his ground while also appealing to middle-class America. He gave an extensive background on his experience in teaching, governing and his time in the military, extending outreach to Americans of all kinds. The genuine passion and relatability to the common man behind his words dedicated to the future of America could be felt all across the country.
While both candidates were able to maintain a respectful repertoire with each other, even agreeing with one another at times, Walz did not need his mic cut as Vance did. Both candidates were given clear time limits on their responses and Vance jumped at the opportunity to try and steal more time than he was allotted to further his point, resulting in both mics being cut and a short takeaway from the debate commencing as the mediators recollected themselves. Walz sticking to his time was yet again another example of his professionalism in the field.
All in all, this Vice Presidential debate was one for the books, cementing itself as the first in this country’s history. It is clear that of the two candidates debating, Tim Walz was the man of the hour, using mediation, compassion and solid fact-checked evidence to support his stances if elected as vice president this coming November. His ability to appeal to a wide variety of voters during these divisive times should overjoy those rooting and sending in their ballots for the Democratic campaign this election season.
Kara Montagano can be contacted at
kmontagano@kscequinox.com
