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Yes, childless cat ladies will be asked, but so too should be a question about accepting the election results, writes John Casey.
Sometimes, or all the time, it’s hard to believe that Republican Vice Presidential nominee Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance went to Yale’s law school. Then again, Sen. Ted Cruz went to Harvard.
This week, former President Donald Trump called the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz a “moron.” But it’s Vance who really comes off as a moron.
The reason is that every time he opens his mouth, Vance comes off as clueless, albeit dangerous. After Trump picked him in July, I wrote about how poisonous — and “weird,” to borrow from Walz — Vance is.
Walz has been leading the “weird” charge, referring to Vance, former President Donald Trump and the Republican party as “weird" at every campaign stop. And Vance has been leading the “weird” charge on the Republican side, with a never-ending list of weird utterances
Most of Vance’s weird barbs are usually aimed at women in some way or another. Interestingly enough, two women will be moderating the debate tonight, Norah O’Donnell, anchor of CBS Evening News, and Margaret Brennan, host of CBS’ Sunday show Face the Nation.
So yes, O’Donnell and Brennan do have a vested interest in getting to the bottom of Vance’s misogynistic rhetoric; however, my guess is that they will try their darndest not to look jaded, but that should not stop them from talking about the character of the nominees.
I suspect that as the moderators, O’Donnell and Brennan, will probably stick to the issues, like the economy, what’s going on in the Middle East, and immigration. And that’s valid, but viewers are looking for something more meaningful. A whooping 87 percent said they will be watching the debate to learn more about the candidates, according to a CBS News poll.
Yes, issues are what people want to hear — to an extent. But from a ratings point of view, and to assuage voters longing to know more about Vance and Walz, a debate centered on morality seems to be the order of the day.
That said, here’s what should be asked of JD Vance tonight since he overwhelmingly has more character flaws than Walz:
Trump’s reprehensible comments about Harris run unabated — few in the Republican party call him out for being atrocious, especially for what he said on Saturday about Harris being impaired and disabled.
On Sunday, ABC News Martha Raddatz asked Minnesota Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, who is playing Walz in Vance’s debate prep, if he agreed with Trump’s assessment about Harris mental acuity, or would he denounce it. Of course, Emmer refused, obfuscating as the rest of Trump’s acolytes do when he does something that is indefensible.
Vance needs to condemn this, outright, but chances are he won’t, and it’s likely that O’Donnell and Brennan will pick up where Raddatz left off, trying to get Vance to say Trump is wrong.
Vance won’t, because if he does, he’ll incur Trump’s wrath. And the fact that he won’t will send a message to the crucial block of undecided, moderate, and independent voters that the Trump/Vance campaign is not about the issues, but about below-the-belt personal attacks that have zero room in a presidential campaign.
There’s no way for Vance to win with this question. He’s either on Trump’s side or the voter’s, and he’ll choose the waffling “neither.”
I know what you’re thinking! I have had enough of cat ladies, jokes, memes, reels, and any and all manner of cats and ladies, but, it has to be asked specifically because of all the jokes, memes, reels, et. al.
When I spoke to Sarah Longwell, the executive director of Republican Voters Against Trump, she told me there’s a high level of animosity toward Vance by the numerous focus groups she conducts. “Swing voters hate him. I haven't seen as much disdain for a candidate since Mike Pence refused to certify the 2020 election, I mean, the swing voters just don't like Vance,” she said.
And she added that the childless cat lady comment, “really broke through.”
So that’s why this question will be asked, and more because the moderates will be looking to give Vance a chance to explain himself.
My bet is that he will deflect the question by joking about it, and that strategy should go over as well as his “joke” about Mountain Dew being racist.
The childless cat lady saga is baked into the American psyche. There’s no way for him to walk away from this one, and joking about it will just underscore his insensitivity.
Many veterans were dismayed that Vance broke an unwritten military code of conduct by not criticizing a fellow veteran’s service to the country. But, that just shows how desperate and deranged the Trump/Vance campaign is.
In the grand scheme of things, I don’t think this question will come up; however, if it does, it gives Walz and opportunity to talk about all of the veterans, generals and high-ranking officers in particular, who have endorsed Harris, most recently retired Army General Stanley McChrystal, who endorsed Harris in a New York Times op-ed last week.
This question will be asked because any of us who feels super-strongly about someone like that doesn’t just flip a switch, do a 180, and suddenly become their number one fan, especially if that person is Donald Trump.
I know several people in my life who tolerated him, voted for him, but now disdain him, but I know of no one who reviled him like Vance did, and now adores him. You talk about weird? Vance’s switcheroo defies logic.
And try as he might, there’s no one on Earth who will accept his explanation for his abrupt turnabout. Anyone with a functioning mind will understand that he just wanted to suck up to Trump, get on his radar, and become his running mate.
I have no idea, nor am I going to offer one for the sake of saying something, about how Vance answers this question. And it will be asked because this is so glaringly dishonest.
This question, too, will be asked. Guaranteed. And equivocate as he might, there’s no way Vance wins on this answer. Say “no” and America thinks he’s the next insurrectionist. Say “yes” and Trump will ask for his hanging. He’ll him-haw around, but either way he digs himself a hole.
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