The debate of two deputies

Focus on Israel, avoid talking about Ukraine

Conflicts in the Middle East made a significant difference to the debate. Shortly before the debate began, Iran launched a missile attack on Israel, so the first question asked the candidates what they thought the United States should do about it.

For one Republican, the opening was a gift, as it gave JD Vance an opportunity to accuse the Biden administration and the Democratic Party of being too restrictive in their Middle East policy, which the Republican said was “too soft on Iran.”

Republican vice presidential candidate, Senator JD Vance (left) and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Governor Tim Walz (right) participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on Tuesday in New York City, US. Photo: Getty

Democrats are trying to balance their traditional support for Israel with the interests of the pro-Palestinian left and those who sympathize with them. Democrats are particularly concerned about the presence of Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who supports boycotts and sanctions against Israel. In battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan, the Green Party’s Jill Stein often leads among Muslim voters, ahead of both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

The vice presidential debate once again showed the tendency of both sides to push the topic of the Ukraine crisis out of the pre-election context. During the hour and a half debate, not a word was said about Ukraine, despite the fact that a week ago President Vladimir Zelenskyy met with Donald Trump and Joe Biden to deepen the relationship between the two countries and the current situation on the battlefield in Ukraine.

But if for the Republicans, not mentioning the Ukraine issue can be seen as a political move, for the Democrats, removing Kiev from the agenda is an attempt to divert public attention from an issue that the Democrats themselves are struggling with.

Tim Waltz Loses Himself

During the debate, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Waltz seemed unconvincing, unprepared for the pressure. Mr. Waltz tried to maintain the image of a businessman from Minnesota, constantly appealing to voters with his experience as a governor. But according to American tradition, this approach did not help much, and even hurt presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

According to Reuters, Tim Waltz's "simplicity" is tied to Ms. Harris's reluctance to create a running mate of equal power, instead of popular Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who had previously been mentioned in American tradition as a potential candidate for the vice presidential position if Ms. Harris won.

During the debate, Tim Waltz appeared nervous and unsteady, leading to a number of “mistakes,” such as talking about “being friends with school shooters” (via Reuters) and “misleading” about his past. He said he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. The media quickly discovered that this was false, as was his statement about his time in the military.

JD Vance is not Mike Pence

In contrast to Tim Waltz, JD Vance has clearly learned from the failures of his running mate Donald Trump and soon turned the conversation to the past four years and other limitations and difficulties of the Democratic administration. At the same time, Mr. Vance completely escaped the unconvincing image of Donald Trump.

Political analysts say that the Ohio senator indirectly confirmed that he could not only be the second most powerful person in the US if Donald Trump wins the election, but also his successor. When the conservative press mentioned this, Mr. Vance showed himself to be the best in the debate, surpassing not only his direct opponent, but also Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Waltz shake hands during the debate. Photo: Reuters

According to Sergei Mikhailov, a leading expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, JD Vance stood out among the four politicians who participated in the debate. “The debate between the two vice presidential candidates was clearly much higher quality than the debate between Trump and Harris. Everything was constructive and positive, clarifying the key issues of the United States. JD Vance seems to be the most intellectual of the four, thoughtfully approaching the truly urgent topics of American politics. However, until recently JD Vance received a rather low rating among the debaters. In this regard, the swing measurements will play a decisive role,” Mikhailov told Izvestia.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Vasiliev, head of research at the Institute for the United States and Canada, stressed that Donald Trump had drawn conclusions from his first term, and that his bet on JD Vance as his running mate was not only because of Mr. Vance's dedication, but also because of creating an official backup plan for himself.

“Trump was burned in his first term as president when his pick for Mike Pence later denounced him for his involvement in the events of January 6, 2021. Now, Trump has chosen a character very similar to himself. At first, the media and political analysts considered this decision a mistake, but now we can say that JD Vance has shown himself to be a distinct political figure."

“In some ways, he is presenting himself as the ‘Trump of the future,’ but he may create his own variants of ‘Trumpism’ in the future. Moreover, the pre-election landscape may see various forbidden tactics. Trump has been shot twice. Now he has an excellent No. 2. The Democrats do not have such an option,” the expert concluded.

Obviously, it is difficult to accurately assess the impact of JD Vance's convincing performance in the debate on the overall situation of the US presidential election. However, the debate continues to show the increasingly deep polarization in American political and social life.

Ha Anh

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bau-cu-my-2024-chi-tiet-man-tranh-luan-giua-hai-pho-tuong-post315205.html