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JD Vance received praise for his debate performance. Don't fall for it

Posted on by Kennedy
JD Vance received praise for his debate performance. Don't fall for it

Aside from a polite, mostly polite presentation, JD Vance is still nothing more than an apologist for Trump's vile policies.

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Senator JD Vance's good acting is all the rage these days, but don't let that fool you.

It's just that, acting.

He really hit the jackpot in Tuesday's matchup with Gov. Tim Walz with a performance so smooth and effortless that you could almost miss what he was saying.

I join the chorus today in this polite and elegant 2.0 version of Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate versus the gruff young senator who lamented that America is run by “childless cat ladies” and called Haitian immigrants in Ohio pet-eating barbarians .

Republicans heaped praise on Vance for outdoing Walz, Kamala Harris' running mate, declaring him the “CLEAR winner” of the debate.

Beneath the friendly facade lies the meanness of politics

Walz seemed a little restless and less polished at the start. Again, I applaud the camaraderie between them and their respectful behavior.

But don't let Vance's gregarious style on the stage of America's political theater fool you.

Underneath it all, there remains the same Vance who champions Trump's outrageous dehumanization of immigrants, lies about a stolen election, and is brazenly preparing to accept the election results this year only if they win.

Just wait and see how long it will take for Vance to get back to his old self.

When asked about the rumors that Haitians in Ohio eat cats and dogs, Vance did not repeat the lies he had previously eagerly spread, even though local authorities debunked the whole thing.

He sidestepped the question of Trump's inhumane family separation and instead blamed it on the current administration, while stoking fears that immigrants would take jobs from local workers and ruin everything.

The continued blaming of all problems on immigrants

The nastiness of the Trump-Vance policy could not be glossed over by his polished words.

“The people I am most concerned about in Springfield, Ohio are the American citizens whose lives have been destroyed by Kamala Harris’ open border,” Vance said. “It's a shame.”

And he promised to “make it harder for illegal immigrants to undercut the wages of American workers.”

The Trump-Vance campaign is promising a massive crackdown on immigration, including carrying out the largest deportation in U.S. history. That didn't change on Tuesday evening.

Walz, meanwhile, tried to deflect the attacks by saying immigration has become a “topic of conversation” that “dehumanizes and denigrates other people.”

Walz, like Harris did when she ran against Trump in September, criticized Trump for rejecting a bipartisan bill that would have helped secure the southern border and begin repairing a broken immigration system.

On abortion, Vance acknowledged that Republicans need to regain women's trust, but did not say that he and Trump regretted the Roe-Wade decision, which unleashed a flood of stricter bans at the state level. He also expressed no support for abortion rights measures on the ballot in Arizona and other states.

That means they haven't lifted a finger to give women the freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies.

Politeness is just a brief distraction from what is at stake

Vance also sidestepped questions about whether he agreed that Trump lost the 2020 election, downplayed Trump's role in inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection to overturn the results, and said he was focused now focus on the future.

Boaz: The big moment in the Vance-Walz debate on Tuesday

In a rare moment of reason and reconciliation, he said he would accept the November 5 election results.

“We will shake hands after this debate and after this election. And of course I hope we win, and I think we will win. But if Tim Walz becomes the next vice president, he will listen to my prayers, my best wishes and my help whenever he wants it.”

Walz didn't buy Vance's “damn non-answer.”

“America, I think you have a really clear decision in this election about who will honor this democracy and who will honor Donald Trump,” Walz said.

What America got Tuesday night is the kind of civility some of us have been craving. But don't be fooled. Nothing has changed in terms of content.

Elvia Díaz is an editorial editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach them at 602-444-8606 or [email protected]. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter), @elviadiaz1.

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