By Joseph Catena
Democratic Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas delivered one of the most memorable lines in vice presidential debate history. He excoriated a young and visibly nervous Dan Quayle when the Indiana senator defended his youth and told the moderators that he had as much experience in Congress as John F. Kennedy did when he sought the presidency.
Bentsen retorted: “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
Gulp and mic drop.
That quote stands as arguably the most pinnacle moment in Bentsen’s career. Never before or since has a vice presidential debate featured such consequence. And that was 1988. It was a huge win for Bentsen and the Democrats that evening. He was everything from distinguished to presidential. He was an iconic political figure – perceived as a moderate, even slightly right ideologue. He had luster and polish and numerous credentials.
And none of that mattered, Jack Kennedy quote and all. Even a respected, qualified leader of Bentsen’s ilk could prevent an electoral college landslide. Unfortunately for the Democrats, Michael Dukakis – not Lloyd Bentsen – headed the ticket. The liberal Massachusetts governor was weak and uninspiring. He lost by a whopping tally of 426 electoral votes to a meager 111. Vice President George H.W. Bush cruised to victory and captured 40 states along the way.
During the last 36 years, there have been nine elections worth of VP debates, and none have stood out. There was that strange moment in the three-way melee in 1992 when independent candidate James Stockdale lost power in his hearing aid in a gaffe-filled performance against Quayle and Al Gore. Other than that, it was among eight of those election cycles that had no bearing on who won the presidency. But the ninth time might be somewhat of a charm. In the latest vice presidential battle, J.D. Vance crushed Tim Walz. It just might be the extra boost Donald Trump needs to recapture the Oval Office.
Vance threw a near perfect game while in the spotlight. He was focused and poignant with his responses. He was gentlemanly while dismantling Walz and shutting down CBS moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan in the process. Vance’s shining moment came when Brennan decided to fact check him about the legal status of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. He coolly responded, “Margaret, the rules were that you were not going to fact check and since you’re fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on.”
As Vance stated his case, his mic was cut. Through it all, he kept his composure. There was no ranting. He proved his point, and it was quite obvious that the latest three versus one debate wouldn’t be enough to carry the Democrat this time around. Vance was masterful in his performance. His statesman-like demeanor and measured responses destroyed the critics’ depiction of him. Where was the ogre they said he was? Where was the woman-hating male chauvinist misogynist who hated childless cat ladies? Not only did the Ohio senator humanize himself from the baseless attacks by the left, he did something far more important: he showcased the successes of Donald Trump. He touted Trump’s presidential successes, while politely admonishing Harris for her failures. It was strictly business. In fact, Vance did a better job of speaking up for Trump than Trump did for himself during his sloppy debate with Harris. Regardless of what doubters may have perceived about Vance before the debate, they certainly had no proof of it afterwards.
Conversely, Walz was never pressed by his CBS friends about too much. They didn’t ask about why he let Minnesota burn for several days during the George Floyd riots. There were no inquiries about his false claim that he was in combat. Nary was a sound about his wacky gender-bending beliefs and demanding tampons be placed in boys’ bathrooms. Nor did the dubious duo point out Walz’s horrific governance during Covid-19, when he demanded his police force to shoot residents with paintballs if they dared to step outdoors on their own front porches and get fresh air. If they dared to ask him one or more of these questions, he surely would have been exposed as an out-of-touch loon. But they had to ask him something.
Then, Tim Walz had his Lloyd Bentsen moment. In reverse.
When questioned about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests, when he was really in Nebraska, Walz tried to simply dust it off. He spun and blathered. He talked about growing up in a rural Nebraska town of 400, where you went on bike rides with friends until the streetlights came on. He droned on about joining the National Guard and becoming a teacher, who traveled to China in the summer of ’89 and later started a program to take young people there. Then, he said it.
“I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I’ve not been perfect, and I’m a knucklehead at times…”
Money shot! Walz gave a near 450-word response (448 to be exact), and still never gave a straight answer. Even his media allies could not relent and had to ask again if he could explain the time and place discrepancy. In a much shorter response, Walz curtly stated that he “misspoke” and learned much about what is needed to be in governance from his China excursions.
The debate exposed Walz as a dolt to the millions of Americans who tuned in, and especially to those who still might be on the fence, as well as those who don’t know much about him. It truly exhibited his gross incompetence. It’s debatable whether or not Vance’s performance helped Trump gain any more voters. But Walz definitely didn’t help Harris and very well might have hurt her. In truth, Kamala Harris is a lot like Michael Dukakis. She is a coastal liberal with radical views that really don’t represent American values. But unlike the former Massachusetts governor, her running mate is even wackier than she is. He far from balances the ticket.
Plainly put, Tim Walz is no Lloyd Bentsen.