As we gear up for Tuesday night's vice presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz, I thought it might be a good idea to set a baseline of expectations by looking at debates of the past that have yielded memorable moments. There have been some doozies.
Vice presidential debates are rarely make-or-break occasions for presidential campaigns, but they do provide insight into what voters can expect from the person who will end up "one heartbeat away" from the presidency. This showdown between Vance and Walz does seem to have extra significance attached to it, particularly because Walz has only been on the national scene for a few months now, and everything we've seen from him so far has been cloaked in lies and twitchy leg kicks. The man is an odd duck. He's also reportedly very nervous about debating Vance. This should make for some good viewing.
Here's a look back at some previous memorable moments in vice presidential debates.
2020 - Mike Pence vs. Kamala Harris
AKA, The Fly Debate. Pence was a seasoned politician and sitting vice president who was facing off against the woman who hadn't -- and still hasn't -- received a single presidential primary vote, yet the most memorable thing about that night was the fly.
During tonight's vice presidential debate, a fly sat atop Mike Pence's head for about two minutes https://t.co/6nnYOUj3ww pic.twitter.com/mG5KSRV0ie
— Variety (@Variety) October 8, 2020
The fly was so black and Pence's hair was so white. Policy may have been discussed that night, but luckily for Kamala, no one remembers.
2012 - Paul Ryan vs. Joe Biden
AKA, The "Malarkey" Debate. If you'll recall, the big takeaway from the Mitt Romney debates with Barack Obama was the phrase "binders full of women." It was Romney's inartful way of saying he had many qualified women ready to serve in his administration, and the media pounced. When it came to vice presidential debates, we saw the beginnings of that famous Bidenism: "malarkey."
It came after Ryan criticized the Obama administration's handling of foreign policy matters, to which Joe replied, “With all due respect, that’s a bunch of malarkey.”
‘With all due respect, that’s a bunch of malarkey.’ — Flashback to when Joe Biden went head to head with Paul Ryan in 2012 pic.twitter.com/4o3iVTG3EN
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) September 25, 2020
Little did we know back then how tired we'd get of Bidenisms like this.
2008 - Sarah Palin vs. Joe Biden
AKA, The "Can I Call You Joe?" Debate. It was primetime for hockey mom Sarah Palin, who also happened to be the governor of Alaska. She took the political world by storm when John McCain named her as his running mate, and her conservative values caused a media meltdown. Remember when they went through the trashcans outside her house in Wasilla, hoping to find something to use against her?
Anyway, the memorable moment from her debate against then-Senator Joe Biden was just how nice and normal she was that night. Her youth was striking compared to DC-insider Biden's appearance, and her folksy ways, which endeared her to many voters, gave birth to mockery, demonization, and Tina Fey's infamous portrayal on SNL.
2008 Vice Presidential Debate
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 7, 2020
Sarah Palin: "Nice to meet you."
Joe Biden: "It's a pleasure."
Palin: "Hey, can I call you Joe?"
Biden: "You can call me Joe."
Palin: "Thanks."#debates pic.twitter.com/3Wy7u4UNic
We learned something that night: the left sure doesn't like conservative women.
1988 - Dan Quayle vs. Lloyd Bentsen
AKA, The "You Are No Jack Kennedy" Debate. It was Senator Dan Quayle, running mate to George H.W. Bush, against Senator Lloyd Bentsen, vice presidential pick of Michael Dukakis. It was my first time voting in a presidential election -- and I was a poli sci major! -- so I remember tuning into the young guy vs. old guy debate.
The moment of the night came when Quayle, in an attempt to deflect the idea that he was too young and unprepared to serve as vice president, said that he had "as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency." Bentsen, who at that point had been in DC since time immemorial, shot back:
"Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy."
There wasn't any coming back from that for Quayle. I met Dan Quayle a few years later -- after Bush/Quayle soundly defeated Dukakis/Bentsen -- and can confirm that, yes, the doe-eyed look was real.
1992 - Dan Quayle vs. Al Gore vs. James Stockdale
AKA, The "Who Am I? Why Am I Here?" Debate. It was three times the fun back in 1992, as George H.W. Bush faced both Bill Clinton and Ross Perot in his bid to be reelected. Perot had picked as his running mate retired admiral James Stockdale, a Medal of Honor recipient who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for seven years. Stockdale was no politician, which became clear at the vice presidential debate.
Stockdale's infamous opening statement at the debate -- “Who am I? Why am I here?” -- was meant as a lighthearted way to introduce himself to the audience, but history records it as the mumblings of some doddering old guy. Later in the debate, he asked for a question to be repeated because he didn't have his hearing aid turned on.
Unfortunately for Stockdale, the thing most people remember from that night was a guy fiddling with his hearing aid, saying, "Who am I"?
Tonight's showdown between Vance and Walz is sure to give us some more memorable moments, whether it be Walz jazz-handing his way through the softball questions he's sure to get or Vance's no-nonsense way of handling the media. The wine is chilling and the popcorn is popping.
RedState will be liveblogging tonight's debate, so be sure to join in the fun!
