Americans hoping to see fireworks during the Vice Presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were sorely disappointed. Nothing of consequence happened, and the 90-minute program felt more like a University Interscholastic League contest between two high school debate champions discussing boring policy.
The debate moderators – Norah O’Donnell (CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor) and Margaret Brennan (Face the Nation moderator and chief foreign affairs correspondent) – were fairer than the ABC News moderators on September 10. Still, O’Donnell tried to inject herself into the debate twice: once on climate change and again while repeating that judges ruled that Trump’s 2020 post-election lawsuits all went against him. Brennan appeared more even-handed to both candidates.
The debate started with a discussion of the explosive situation in the Middle East—and expectedly, neither Vance nor Walz deviated from America’s forsworn commitment to Israel. However, for what could be the last debate before the election, we noted several issues that were not raised at all: Ukraine, NATO, the longshoreman strike, spiraling deficits, the expiry of the Trump tax cuts, America’s $35 trillion debt, and inner-city crime.
Both candidates were well prepared, spoke fluently, and, often, elegantly. They were both congenial and respectful of each other, reflecting the highest traditions of Vice Presidential debates. They even agreed with each other numerous times.
Walz met the low bar set for him, speaking without memorized lines and seeming to speak extempore, while Vance failed to deliver the knockout performance expected.
After the biased Philadelphia debate, in which ABC News moderators were grossly unfair to former President Trump, he needed a home run performance from his running mate to say that his side won the debate. What Trump got was, at best, a second-base hit from Vance.
Vance talked about himself (we counted no fewer than six occasions when he tried to tell a personal anecdote about his mother, grandmother, wife, or children) and sounded almost like Harris when she often says, “I grew up a middle-class child when my mother raised my sister and me.” Even Vance’s opening remark to a question was a brief biography about who he was, taking away valuable time from the two minutes he was allotted to address the Middle East.
To win the debate and move the needle decidedly toward former President Trump, Vance had to do two things: Attack Kamala Harris’s record and defend Trump’s positions by speaking highly of Trump’s time in office. In both areas, we assess that he scored a B grade.
Attacking Kamala Harris. Vance had a golden opportunity to attack Kamala Harris for not holding a live press conference or speaking to a media outfit live without the assistance of a teleprompter. Vance never once mentioned that Harris’s positions are too liberal for most of America and failed to give examples of her Marxist ideology. Ari Fleischer, the White House Press Secretary for Bush 43, said this on X: “I’m surprised Vance isn’t quoting many of Harris’ positions from 2019 like banning fracking, confiscating guns, opposing all deportations, likening Border Patrol to the KKK and supporting taxpayer-funded sex changes for illegals.” Vance also never pointed out that Harris was cleverly trying to move to the middle and, therefore, was acting like a chameleon.
Regarding democracy, Vance kept attacking Harris’s position on First Amendment censorship, a relatively weak line of attack given that all the social media companies, in the wake of X’s takeover by Musk, are beginning to relax their trust and security policies. Even when Walz mentioned that a future President Trump would attack his political enemies, Vance never brought up the lawfare unleashed on Trump by Biden-Harris ever since they took office. It was a gross misstep by Vance.
Vance also had an excellent opportunity to clarify that the post-2020 election court cases were dismissed on technical grounds, not on their merits, but curiously let O’Donnell’s statement stand. Vance also failed to mention three crucial moments in American history that distinguish the 2024 election season from all others: The two assassination attempts against Trump, the never-ending attacks on him by Democratic Party members, and how Harris was selected to be her Party’s nominee but not elected.
Defending Trump’s record. While Vance spoke well of Trump’s economic stewardship, he didn’t adequately describe many of Trump’s crucial accomplishments. In December 2019, America became a net energy exporter for the first time. Trump was heavily focused on lowering the regulatory burden by requiring his agencies to retire two existing regulations for each new one imposed. Inflation was low, and Hispanic and African-American unemployment was the lowest in 50 years. Trump pressed NATO countries to pay up (something they are doing now). The Abraham Accords were a model of peace in a region that is now on fire. Russia was quiet, and North Korea was subdued.
VP debates are quickly forgotten, and breaking news events are happening far too rapidly for the media to stay on post-debate coverage for too long. The debate was a draw, and because the Trump campaign is winning on the economy, immigration, and foreign policy as the situation escalates out of control in the Middle East, the Trump campaign should be reasonably pleased.
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Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Iran Chief Of Staff Threatens To Hit All Israel Infrastructure If Attacked – Al Arabiya
Iran’s chief of staff vowed to hit infrastructure across Israel if its territory is attacked after Tehran fired around 200 missiles at its arch-foe, a barrage that Israel vowed to make Tehran “pay” for.
The barrage “will be repeated with bigger intensity, and all infrastructure of the regime will be targeted,” Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on state TV. The Revolutionary Guards said “90 percent” of the missiles “hit their targets” late Tuesday.
2. Netanyahu Says Iran Will Pay For Missile Attack, As Israel Sends More Troops To Lebanon – BBC
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran “made a big mistake tonight, and will pay for it” after Iran fired around 180 missiles at Israel.
Iran said the barrage was in response to Israel’s “aggressive acts”, including the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Meanwhile, Israel says it’s sending “additional forces” to its ground operation inside Lebanon, which began earlier this week.
3. U.S. Says It Helped Israel Shoot Down Iran Missiles – BBC
President Joe Biden said the U.S. “actively” supported Israel’s defense at his direction. He said he had spent the morning in the Situation Room – the White House hub handling serious national security issues.
President Biden said the U.S. was “fully supportive” of Israel after Wednesday’s assault. In a Pentagon press briefing, Maj Gen Patrick Ryder said two U.S. Navy destroyers fired the interceptors at the missiles, which the U.S. believed were all launched from Iran.
4. U.S., Britain, Australia Sanction Russia-Based Cybercriminal Group Evil Corp – UPI
It also was announced that the U.S. Department of Justice had unsealed an indictment charging one Evil Corp loyalist allegedly connected with his use of BitPaymer ransomware that targets victims in the U.S.
Evil Corp is a cybercriminal organization responsible for developing and distributing Dridex malware, officials said.
5. IAEA Says Grossi To Visit Belarus – RFE/RL
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, will visit Belarus, hold “high-level meetings” in Minsk, and visit the country’s nuclear power plant in Astravets, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement.
Grossi and his team will assess the “progress in addressing the findings of an IAEA operational safety review in 2021,” the statement said, adding that Grossi’s trip comes as the agency “is focusing on ensuring nuclear safety and security in the region.”
6. China Celebrates 75th Birthday But Uyghurs And Tibetans Chafe Under Beijing’s Rule – RFA
President Xi Jinping marked the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday with a glowing review of the Communist Party’s achievements since late supreme leader Mao Zedong founded the country on Oct. 1, 1949.
But the day held a very different meaning for Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Hong Kongers who have felt Beijing’s iron grip on their lives and societies. Many held protests in cities around the world.
7. China’s Xi Congratulates Ishiba On Being Elected Japan’s New PM – Kyodo News
State-run media reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory message to Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
China Central Television reported that Xi said in the message that he wants to promote “strategic and mutually beneficial” bilateral relations and strive to build constructive and stable ties.
8. Mark Rutte Takes Over As NATO Chief – D.W.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has officially become NATO’s secretary-general after a handover ceremony in Brussels. He takes over from Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, who has led the alliance since 2014.
In his first press conference as secretary-general, Rutte called on allies to “significantly increase defense spending” to meet NATO’s challenges. He said an end to the conflict in Ukraine “is vital for peace and security in Europe. ”
9. Julian Assange Makes First Public Address Since Release – D.W.
The WikiLeaks founder said he had “pled guilty to journalism” following a June plea deal that granted him freedom.
Speaking before the legal affairs and human rights committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, Assange addressed the protracted legal battle that had defined his life for over a decade. “I am not free today because the system worked,” Assange told lawmakers from 46 countries. “I am free today after years of incarceration because I pled guilty to journalism.”
10. South Korea To Attend NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting For 1st Time – Yonhap
South Korea and three other Indo-Pacific partners of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will attend the upcoming defense ministerial meeting for the first time later this month, NATO’s chief said.
New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the defense ministers of South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, collectively known as IP4, were invited to the meeting scheduled for Oct. 17-18 in Brussels.
11. French PM Scraps Divisive New Caledonia Electoral Change After Months Of Unrest – RFA
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said in his inaugural address to the national assembly that plans to “unfreeze” the electoral roll would not be sent to the joint meeting of parliament for ratification.
Critics of the amendment said the enfranchisement would have given the vote to tens of thousands of French immigrants to the Melanesian island chain and created a significant obstacle to the autonomy aspirations of indigenous Kanak people.
12. UN Honors Translators For Aiding Dialogue, Information Flows Across Language Barriers – RFA
The UN marked the seventh International Translation Day on Monday, paying tribute to translators and interpreters for keeping dialogue going and information flowing and calling for greater focus on translating indigenous languages.
The UN established International Translation Day in 2017, choosing Sept. 30 to commemorate St. Jerome, a priest from Italy famed for translating the Bible into Latin from Greek. He died on the day in 420.
13. Synthetic THC May Decrease Agitation In Alzheimer’s Patients – HealthDay News
A synthetic form of the active ingredient in cannabis helps reduce agitation in people with Alzheimer’s, new research shows.
Synthetic THC (dronabinol) also gave patients’ caregivers a boost, according to findings presented at a meeting of the International Psychogeriatrics Association in Buenos Aires.
The findings may encourage the families of the 7 million Americans who have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Nine out of 10 develop behavior problems; agitation is the most common, affecting 4 in 10.
14. U.S. Breast Cancer Deaths Declining, But Disparities Among Races Remain – HealthDay News
Overall, death rates due to breast cancer have dropped 44% since 1989, saving about 517,900 lives since that time, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates. Yet, some alarming disparities remain.
Death rates for American Indian and Alaska Native women haven’t changed for the past 30 years, according to the new report. And breast cancer incidence continues to grow – rising 1% a year between 2012-2021. Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic women.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
