Vance vs. Walz debate leaves Americans with this big takeaway

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The largely civil and arguably quite informative debate between Democratic nominee Gov. Tim Walz and Republican nominee Sen. JD Vance on Tuesday night has underscored one thing. We need another presidential debate.

Both Walz and Vance stuck to familiar positions on the issues on the debate stage, whether it was on the economy, health care, energy or immigration. No new ground was broken, no dramatic changes in policy were unveiled. 

Still, the debate, in my estimation, was very important for a fundamental reason: it was civil, it was informative, and it included a surprisingly high degree of bipartisanship that has been noticeably absent from the 2024 presidential race. 

It is certain that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump watched the debate. And both, I am sure, concluded that their respective running mates did an excellent job in both underscoring their core positions as well as attacking their rivals.

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But most importantly, on Tuesday night there was a comment that I think both candidates underscored in their own way: That we can do better as Americans, we can solve our problems and provide leadership as people who disagree, and sometimes vigorously, but have a broader purpose beyond our narrow partisan concerns.

The nearly two-hour event underscored this key point: you can’t just run on joy and you can’t just run on bitterness about what has happened in the past.

This is not simply a homily. It’s much more. It is a large-scale call for a different kind of politics, even if implicitly made by both candidates, it is a recognition of the extraordinary challenges we face, both domestically and internationally, in the wake of Iran’s attack on Israel. And most of all, it underscores to me why both presidential candidates need to quickly accept the invitation of various news networks for another debate or more debates in the final 35 days of this campaign. 

It’s virtually certain that no minds were changed on Tuesday night.

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To be sure, the pundits will be vetting what the candidates said or didn’t say about immigration and abortion. Two topics on which they disagree vehemently. But the two vice presidential candidates were largely repeating and underscoring what their respective nominees have said and believe.

The key now is for the media to focus on what the American people want and require as this extraordinary race comes down to the finish line. The two presidential campaigns need to face off, at least once, if not more times, to discuss and debate their positions on the issues with a greater degree of specificity and precision than they have done previously.

The 2024 presidential race is now an effective statistical tie. This is especially true when one looks at the seven key swing states in this election. There is a degree of uncertainty about precisely where the candidates stand on the important issues facing our country after a raucous presidential debate last month that was more personally divisive than it was informative.

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For us to make an informed choice as Americans, we need to replicate what happened on Tuesday night with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The two presidential candidates need to tell us, in programmatic terms, what they will do on the economy, immigration, crime, health care, energy and, of course, on foreign affairs, a critical topic which did not get anywhere near the attention it deserved and required.

The level of dissatisfaction of the American electorate with the candidates and with the political process cannot be overestimated. We saw what the American people deserve but have not received until now in this presidential election.

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The nearly two-hour event underscored this key point: you can’t just run on joy and you can’t just run on bitterness about what has happened in the past.

Both vice presidential candidates were likable on Tuesday night. Vance had heretofore not been seen that way. On the debate stage, it was hard not to empathize with him, even if you disagreed with him. Likewise, Walz delivered as a likable everyman figure.

I came away from the presidential debate last month not wanting to have dinner with either Trump or Harris. After the V.P. debate, I wanted to get to know both candidates better.

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My takeaway from Tuesday night is that, for virtually the first time in this election cycle, Vance and Walz quietly acknowledged that the electorate requires something more before Election Day. It’s up to Trump and Harris to give it to them--in person--at least one more time, if not more. 

The country deserves no less. 

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Douglas E. Schoen has more than 40 years of experience as a pollster and political consultant. He served as an adviser to President Bill Clinton and to the presidential campaign of Michael Bloomberg. Schoen is founder and partner of Schoen Cooperman Research.