Their personae could not be more different: the elitist Yale-educated former venture capitalist who thinks government is a tyrant because only he knows the most righteous way for you to live your life versus the lifelong public servant with faith in Americans and their ability to make their own choices.
Tonight’s Vice Presidential debate between Democrat Tim Walz and Republican James David Donald Bowman Hamel Vance, the man steadfastly against a person’s ability to change how they refer to themself, pits not just two different visions for the nation against each other, but also matches two very different communication styles and two divergent visions for the nation that, frankly, fall in favor of the Democrats in the fight for votes.
The contrast between the two will be obvious from the outset. Vance will preach to the crowd from the pedestal of Peter Theil’s creation, pontificating on what’s best for American women, America’s families, and America’s businesses–and none of it involves migrants or LGBTQ people, who are destroying the already decimated American carnage. Vance knows what’s best for you, what you need to fear, and what you must do to protect yourself from The Threat, and he won’t hesitate to tell you.
Walz, on the other hand, will employ the skills he honed in endless classrooms tamping down the straight-B student who believes he should be teaching the class. His times as a senior NCO in the military taught him how to cow a subservient rank with vocal tone. Being an educator, he’ll break complex concepts into simple, bite-sized data packets. He’ll respect the audience, not talk down to them. But he needs to make key, stinging points to undermine Vance along the way. For example:
Slaying the Savior of the Working Man: “JD, we know you don’t understand what it’s like to live within a family budget. You made your wealth working with the venture capitalists in Silicon Valley; you enjoyed cocktails during leisurely lunches, not sandwiches at your desk in a 20-minute break. Your entire political career is financed by billionaire Peter Theil; your wife made millions working for people like him. You personally have a greater net worth than me and my running mate combined, and your running mate claims to be 400 times wealthier than you. It’s hard to take your claims about understanding the struggles of working Americans seriously when you don’t even know the price of eggs or the value of a paycheck.”
Downing the Protector of American Virtue: “You keep demonizing the LGBTQ community. You admitted that you spread lies about the Haitian refugee community in Ohio. You want people to target migrants across the country. That’s not leadership. Victimizing people to gain power isn’t what leaders do. JD, you spent too much time in that glass tower office in Silicon Valley. I was in a classroom listening to the LGBTQ kids you demonize cry because they were bullied, or they were depressed because they felt isolated. You don’t think those kids, or kids of immigrants, or any child you don’t personally deem worthy should get an education or health care. That’s wrong. That’s not the way America works. We treat everyone with dignity and respect in this nation, and they work to keep America great.”
Undermining Trump as the archetype of American Victimhood: “Vice President Harris and I–along with all our Democratic colleagues–condemn any political violence. This is the United States of America; we solve our differences at the ballot box. We have repeatedly spoken out against violence and the epidemic of gun violence, but we’ve been blocked by Republicans at every turn. I welcome a conversation with you, JD, about how to keep guns out of the hands of unstable people like the two men–both Trump supporters, I understand–who threatened Mr. Trump. Maybe we’ll have that question in this debate. But to a larger issue, you demand civility in this campaign, but JD, you called your running mate ‘America’s Hitler’ and a ‘douchy celebrity.’ You said Donald Trump is a total fraud who exploits people–you were right about that, by the way. Your running mate continues to incite anger and hatred instead of inspiring openness and hope. He’s talking about having a violent purge with no punishment. He says he will jail journalists, politicians, entertainers and anyone who opposes him. The violent rhetoric you decry comes from you and your side, JD, and you need to condemn it here and now.”
Knocking down Trump’s tariffs as a panacea: Walz will have to teach math to people. “Trump’s tariff plan, which is the only thing he’s explained he’ll use to pay for everything from tax breaks to free IVF to free overtime pay, simply adds more expenses to families’ bills. Think about it: if the cost at your local grocer or diner goes up 20%, they pass that along to customers. They don’t eat it; they make YOU pay for it. That’s what importers will do to you, and you’ll end up paying the money Trump says China would. It’s like when Trump said Mexico will pay for the Wall: Mexico never sent a cent.”
The trick for Walz will be to explain complicated things simply, and that’s where the teacher’s expertise will shine. Vance’s elitism shines through when he tries to explain concepts, either simple or complex; Vance simply thinks people are dumb who don’t know what he does or believe what he believes. Vance’s weird attempts to sound and seem “normal” will appear abnormal, while Walz’s natural avuncular charm will shine through. Television will amplify that to millions in what could be the most-watched VP debate in history.