'They were a lot more civil'
Students gather at French Auditorium for vice presidential debate watch
The students gathered in the French Auditorium Tuesday for the Vice Presidential debate were a mix of nervous and excited. Some came ready to poke fun at the candidates following the entertaining presidential debate that took place earlier this semester.
Friends Evan Devenney and Nick Malish brought in a bingo board they made to see how many of their predictions would come true during this debate. It was half-full at the end.
“We've put a $5 bet on which way North Carolina goes,” Malish said. “We considered upping it because of the hurricane.”
Despite their lighthearted actions, the two students expressed worry over the outcome of the election, and Malish said he'd relax when the election was over.
The vice presidential debate watch was hosted by Central Votes and its audience included students from the School of Communication, Journalism and Media and the School of Politics, Society, Justice and Public Service.
Interim Provost Paula Lancaster arrived shortly before the debate commenced, as well.
“I sincerely hope it’s going to be an open and honest sharing of ideas,” she said.
Some of the issues emerging during the debate were climate change, reproductive rights, housing, immigration and the conflict in the Middle East.
Climate Change
While both Vice Presidential candidates, democrat Tim Walz and republican J.D. Vance believed climate change was real, Walz said that Donald Trump, Vance's running mate, called it a hoax.
Walz said that Kamala Harris would “move forward,” stating that climate change was real, and that farmers knew that. He also said that Harris would provide jobs and develop solar energy.
Vance said that America is buying many of its solar panel parts from China, the leading developer of solar energy.
He said he knows personally that Trump "put citizens first."
Both candidates said they would focus efforts on reconstruction after hurricanes, which scientists say will grow worse due to climate change.
Moderators Noral O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan said that 60% of Republicans under age 35 favor reducing the impact of climate change. Two-thirds of Americans say that America should prioritize adopting alternative energy sources like wind and solar, according to Pew Research Center.
Reproductive rights
Another topic that emerged in the debate was reproductive rights. In the past, Trump appointed judges who then overturned Roe v. Wade. This gave the decision to the states to decide.
Walz said that in his state of Minnesota, they protected reproductive rights. He said that he is pro-freedom and pro-choice nationwide.
“How can we, as a nation, say your life and your rights can be decided by geography?” he said. “I trust our women, and I trust our doctors.”
Dez Jenkins, a student watching the debate, agreed with Walz.
"I basically love the input," said Jenkins. "I'm like, yes! I know it should be up to the woman, what she does with her own body."
Both candidates said that they would provide resources for families with young children. They each also said they would create a flexible national program that allows paid-time-off to care for children.
Housing
Housing was another issue. Vance said that he would use federal land to create housing for U.S. citizens, or people he said “who deserve to be here."
Walz said that these are “really important pieces of land,” and he would refurbish houses instead.
Immigration
The Trump-Vance campaign has a plan to enact the largest mass deportation plan in US history, according to the moderators.
Vance said he didn't want people to become addicted to drugs that he said were crossing the border as well.
“I don’t want people with addiction to not have a second chance,” Vance said. He stressed the smuggling of fentanyl across the border. Vance said that it is because Harris let migrants past the border, calling them “illegal aliens” several times.
Walz said that Trump told his supporters to veto “the fairest and toughest bill” to handle immigration, put forth by conservative James Lankford. According to Walz, the bill had bipartisan support, including support by Kamala Harris.
Vance said Trump’s campaign would empower law enforcement to do their job. He said that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are filling the schools, hospitals and housing.
Walz said that America needed to stop “blaming migrants for everything.” He said that the government had to send state law enforcement to accompany children to school in Springfield. This was after schools began receiving bomb threats due to accusations made against Haitian immigrants who were US citizens.
Walz also said Trump told his supporters to veto the bipartisan border bill, so he'd have a campaign issue.
“The bill seemed to satisfy both sides of the aisle and there were reports that Trump said ‘don’t support this,’” Ed Hinck, communication and debate professor at CMU said. He added that Harris may be trying to bring the bill back.
Vance misinterpreted data on the number of criminals entering the country as well, making it look like it was a much larger number than the reality.
Additional comments by the vice presidents:
“I gotta say, you’ve got a hard job. You’ve got to play whack a mole with Kamala Harris’ atrocious economic record,"
“They have Ph.Ds, but they don’t have common sense," Vance said, about economists.
“If you need heart surgery, listen to doctors, not Donald Trump," Walz said in response.
Democracy
Walz called Trump and his actions “fickle” at least 3 times.
Walz talked about Jan. 6. and the storming of the Capital. He said that at the same time as the big attack, his son and dog had to be “rushed out (of their house) crying by police” to get away from protesters.
“Sometimes you really win, but Democracy’s bigger than any election,” Walz said.
Walz and Harris have each spoken negatively about Trump, warning he is a danger to Democracy. Walz said he was worried about how far Trump would go if he was elected again.
“It's really rich for Democrats to say Trump is the next big threat to Democracy,” Vance said. He said the true threat to Democracy was censorship.
Moderators quoted Vance’s previous words that Trump “could be America’s Hitler,” and asked if he had changed his mind.
“I was wrong about Donald Trump,” Vance said in response.
Three students watching the debate laughed at this statement.
“The reason we laughed is for someone to say that and basically to go back on saying that is pretty ridiculous. … He should be Trump’s running mate, let’s just say that,” said student Christopher Watson.
Thoughts on the debate
Avery Harbison, vice president of Central Votes, put together the event. They said the debates have been educational, but had their pitfalls.
“I think in the last debate, both presidential candidates were hesitant to share their full policy agenda," Harbison said. "They’ve both been, I think, intentionally vague.”
They said Harris’s vague language is a strategy in this case. They said Harris is riding as “kind of incumbent," and that she is focusing on causing negative feelings about Trump. Harbison said the presidential candidate might be focusing on that more than on her positive plans.
“Personally I would like to see both candidates lean more into the positive side of their policy," Harbison said. "No matter which side you're on … Because no matter what side someone is on, they can be creative with solutions."
According to data, the U.S. is becoming more polarized; meanwhile, more people identify as Independent.
“I think a lot of that has to do with the primary system of the United States and people are less engaged than they should be,” Harbison said. “So I think a lot of those middle-of-the-road views end up being left out.
“They were a lot more civil. I mean they still shouted plenty over each other, but they didn’t resort to really personal insults like previous debates.”
They said that this debate was much more positive than the presidential debate between Harris and Trump. They noted that the vice presidential candidates did still disparage their presidential opponents.
“I think both of them focused on the positives, too," Harbison said. "J.D. (Vance) talked about the American dream. Walz talked about moving forward. ... I think the American people will appreciate the civility."
