An Eagerly-Awaited Vice Presidential Debate

I found this debate to be much more interesting than the Presidential debate because they spoke a lot about their solutions and ideas to solve issues instead of simply putting down the other side.

Of course, there was still partisan rhetoric, but from the very beginning, both Vance and Waltz answered questions directly and made their positions on issues clear.

The Bingo Card

Prior to the debate, a few of my classmates and I made “debate bingo cards” with words or topics we thought would be brought up.

So while the debate was great to watch, my bingo card suffered a little – I had prepared for a debate as heated as the Presidential one, and so I put things like “weird” and “antifa” on my card, and none of that was brought up.

What about Trump and Harris?

It was also interesting to see how the respective VPs played a part in each of the Presidential candidates’ campaigns. Both Vance and Waltz brought something new to the table – Vance being a more well-spoken, younger politician supporting Trump, and Waltz with his long career and knowledge of how to appeal to undecided voters both make the race very different.

Who Won?

I think Vance won the debate because he was the better speaker – he seemed more confident and prepared, and oftentimes he took conservative viewpoints and made them seem like common sense. I found myself thinking “that makes sense” when he explained his policies, even ones I disagreed with. With Waltz, it was harder to follow him, and next to Vance, it was clear who the better debater was. 

It was refreshing, however, to see them shake hands at the end and reach agreements on certain issues like gun control.