Tim Walz fell so far short of the mark, it called into question the judgment of Kamala Harris in choosing him for her running mate.
As the candidates for vice president took the stage in New York on Tuesday night, the state of North Carolina was under water, Israel was under siege, the American supply chain was under threat of disruption by an East Coast port strike and the American people were under the impression that there was a leadership void in the White House.
In other words, the conditions existed for Ohio Senator JD Vance to stick it to the incumbent party, represented by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
And Vance delivered in spades. From the opening bell, Walz was nervous, overmatched and out of his depth, especially when dealing with foreign policy matters such as the ongoing attacks on Israel.
Walz simply wandered into the wrong bar. And as the night wore on it became evident that Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, made a lousy choice. Somewhere, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — perhaps the most talented young communicator in the Democratic Party and the running mate that Harris should have chosen — must’ve been laughing hysterically (or screaming into a pillow).
On issue after issue, Vance delivered smooth, well-constructed arguments while Walz often answered haltingly, like an online video struggling to buffer on a slow Wi-Fi connection. There hasn’t been a vice presidential candidate this out of his depth since Adm. James Stockdale delivered his famous “who am I and why am I here?” line in the 1992 campaign.
Vice presidential debates don’t often leave a lasting impression.
