Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 09:07
Tim Walz, the prototype of the common man, the neighbor next door, has gained enormous popularity among the public in recent months, greater even than Kamala Harris, Trump and JD Vance. He, propelled into the political sphere by his profile and the success of his book ‘Hillbilly’, in which he blames Appalachian workers in some way for the economic conditions that have impoverished them, has adopted the role of articulator. of Trump’s populism and his crusade against immigration.
A million-dollar audience, whose final figure will be known this Wednesday morning, had the opportunity last night to attend the first and only face between the two ‘seconds’ of the Democratic and Republican candidates. The meeting had a clear interest because one of them will be the vice president of the country. And until now they were not exactly two outstanding figures in American politics either. Walz, it is true, has been in the profession for 18 years, but his fiefdom has been Minnesota. Outside of there he is known for being the co-chairman of the rules committee of the Democratic National Convention. Vance, for his part, is a novice who just a year and a half ago made his debut as senator from Ohio, although his subsequent career has been brilliant.
Another reason of interest for the CBS program has been that perhaps this face-to-face is the last electoral debate of this campaign. While Kamala Harris’ team has accepted an invitation from CBS to confront her rival on October 23, Donald Trump announced that morning that he is still thinking about it, but in principle he will reject the gauntlet. «I beat Biden, then I beat her and I am not looking to do it again, much less in the future. The votes have already been cast and I am leading the polls,” the tycoon boasted in a message on his social network.
Walz and Vance have proven to have a stark contrast in personalities, character, and even style of masculinity. However, the two have remained moderate, focused on attracting crucial undecided voters who could tip the balance in the November elections.
Vance, with negative popularity numbers, especially among women, came to the debate with much more to gain than Walz, the jovial, easy-to-connect man, very popular among the electorate, especially the female one.
The Republican used his specialty, the quick ability to adapt to the environment of the moment. It is a very useful tool. Transactional. This is how he went from describing Donald Trump as the new Hitler a year ago to defending and flattering him without restraint in this campaign. Tim Walz, for his part, focused on the value that has led him to be chosen by Kamala Harris: a natural empathy with the realities of the middle class.
The Midwestern Cuts Tone
The only debate between vice presidential candidates has not been violent. Quite the opposite: the tone has been reasonably polite, Midwestern style. No cheap shots. What have viewers said about it? A review of social networks indicates that many expected a harsher exchange of impressions and have even described the dialectical duel as “boring.” But there is also an abundance of praise for moderation and positive impressions that, without the need for any fireworks, the dialogue has been “instructive.”
The final CBS survey appreciates this. Viewers offer similar support to Walz and Vance, praising above all the “positive” tone of the debate and the “reasonable” disposition of its protagonists. The Republican has registered 42% acceptance compared to 41% for his Democratic rival. 17% of those surveyed maintain that the debate ended in a tie. Curiously, the Minnesota governor caused more satisfaction among his fellow Democrats than Vance did among Republicans.
Despite the correction, hoax detectors have found a good handful of falsehoods. Above all, on Vance’s side, who, in the midst of his rhetorical ease, invented and distorted statements. Perhaps the most extraordinary has been his conviction that Trump was not defeated at the polls in 2020. The Republican has also displayed at times the ‘Gish gallop’, a technique used by Trump that consists of overwhelming the opponent with excessive bursts of arguments of dubious veracity, in such a way that it is impossible to address them in the time available. The technique worked at the beginning of the debate and placed Walz on the defensive, somewhat nervous and with a fast-paced speech.
The presenter and editor-in-chief of ‘CBS Evening News’, Norah O’Donnell, and the moderator of ‘Face the Nation’, also chief foreign affairs correspondent, Margaret Brennan, have been in charge of moderating the face-to-face. There are already opinions that attribute a good part of the responsibility in correcting verbal duel to their experience. They are great veterans of journalism. O’Donell has been in the profession for three decades, has won several Emmy Awards and interviewed every United States president still alive today. She was the first reporter to speak with Joe Biden after winning the last election and the first to have interviewed the four highest-ranking military women in the United States Army.
Brennan is considered a “measured” and solid journalist, who thoroughly prepares each of her programs. He has interviewed Joe Biden, Donald Trump and most senior figures in American politics. Outside the country, he has also had long conversations with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson or French President Emmanuel Macron, and covered historical events such as the nuclear deal with Iran, the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba or the war in Ukraine. The two moderators confessed last night that they had prepared for the face-to-face meeting as if it were a “final exam.” It involves “a lot of reading, taking notes, and talking to my colleagues about how to craft a smart question,” Brennan explained. Both stressed the importance of the meeting so that Americans could get to know the two candidates better.
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