It’s doubtful there will be a debate this week between vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and JD Vance Equal attention will be paid to the debate between the nominees: Vice President Harris and former President Trump. But historically, the inclination between running teammates has often been more boxing. Too extreme. Even more fun to watch. And sometimes, more memorable.
It’s hard to say why the undercard might be more interesting than the main event. But in hockey, first-round playoff games are often better matches than the Stanley Cup Finals. I have long maintained that the American League and National League Championship Series are generally more competitive baseball than you may experience. world Series,
Maybe it has something to do with how the vice presidential candidates introduce themselves to the audience. They are not that famous.
“Who am I? Why am I here?” The late Rear Admiral James Stockdale quipped when independent presidential candidate Ross Perot chose him as his running mate in 1992.
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Stockdale’s folky line drew immediate laughter and applause from the crowd gathered that night in Atlanta.
Stockdale said in the middle of his lecture, “I’m no politician. Everyone knows that. So don’t expect me to use the language of Washington insiders.” future president clinton Running mate, then-sen. Al Gore, D-Tenn., and Vice President Dan Quayle.
When Gore and Quayle were feuding, their verbal skirmishes continued back and forth in front of Stockdale. He was mostly a silent spectator. At one point, while trying to understand a word from the sidelines, Stockdale suddenly said he felt as if he was in the middle of a “ping-pong” match.
Precedent suggests the vice presidential debate between Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Republican Ohio Senator JD Vance will be a more entertaining contest than the main event — its presidential counterpart. (Getty Images)
Later in the debate, moderator Hal Bruno of ABC News asked whether mudslinging tactics were “necessary” in the campaign. Stockdale replied that he did not hear the question.
“I didn’t turn my hearing aid on. Tell me again,” Stockdale requested Bruno, causing another scream in the audience.
Sometimes VP candidates must feel isolated from each other.
“The first time I met you was when you came on stage tonight,” then-Vice President Dick Cheney said to former Senator John Edwards, D-N.C., who was John Kerry’s then-running partner in the 2004 VP debate.
Running mates sometimes try to appear more pragmatic than those at the top of the ticket.
Former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin (R) shook hands and said, “Nice to meet you.” then senator biden On stage in St. Louis. “What can I tell you?”
Vice-presidential candidates often try to present themselves as more pragmatic than their presidential counterparts, for example: then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s heartfelt 2008 face-to-face with Delaware Senator Joe Biden. Congratulations. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The future president smiled and replied, “Whatever you call me.”
Mr. Biden tried to evoke an “oh, crap” lunchpail persona in the 2012 VP debate. He used casual language while conducting business with GOP vice presidential nominee and future House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.
Ryan said, “When we look vulnerable, our adversaries are more willing to test us. They are more bold in their attacks.”
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The future president retorted, “With all due respect, that’s a lot of nonsense.”
Palin tried the same thing, punctuating her responses by using phrases like “doggone it” and winking at the audience not once, but four times.
Vice presidential debates are often full of satirical humor.
Satirical humor is another major cause of vice presidential standoffs, such as Al Gore’s 1996 promise to avoid telling “warm and humorous stories about chlorofluorocarbon reduction” to rival Jack Kemp’s refusal to share football anecdotes. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
During his 1996 debate with GOP vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp, then-Vice President Gore promised, “If you won’t use any of your football stories, I’ll use any of your warm and humorous stories about chlorofluorocarbons reduction.” I won’t tell.”
Gore was known for his views on global warming and environmental policy. A former Congressman and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Kemp also played quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills in the American Football League before its merger with the NFL.
Many people will pay to be a fly on the wall during debate preparation. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is filling in for Walz during the session with Vance. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Vance plays during rehearsals with Walz.
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But you don’t even have to be a fly on the wall to have these debates. Sometimes a fly suddenly appears — and lands on former Vice President Mike Pence’s head. Such was the case when Pence debated Vice President Harris in Salt Lake City four years ago.
But Vice Presidential debates tend to be testy.
Aside from the fly, many people best remember the 2020 Harris/Pence debate, in which the vice president repeatedly declared “I speak” and urged Pence to wait his turn.
The fly that landed on then-Vice President Mike Pence’s head during a clash with then-California Senator Kamala Harris in 2020 was far from the ugliest thing to happen on stage that night. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The audience included Pence and Democratic VP nominee and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. I also remember them talking about each other during the 2016 debate.
The first televised VP debate in Houston in 1976 featured GOP vice presidential nominee and future Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan. World War IIThe Korean War and Vietnam were “Democrat Wars”. He then added that “Richard Nixon’s pardon is behind us. Watergate is behind us.”
The future Vice President and then-Senator responded, “I think Senator Dole has earned his reputation as a tough guy tonight.” Walter Mondale, D-Minn.
And future President George H.W. Bush drew the ire of female voters when he married the 1984 Democratic vice presidential nominee and Representative Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y. Appeared to be speaking kindly towards – the first woman to appear on a major party ticket.
Bush said, “Miss Ferraro, I want to help you with the difference between the embassy of Iran and Lebanon.”
“First of all, I want to say that Vice President Bush, I am almost disgusted by the protectionist attitude that you teach me about foreign policy,” Ferraro shot back.
Then-New York Representative Geraldine Ferraro accused her Republican opponent, outgoing Vice President George H.W. Bush, of unnecessary condescension in a dispute over foreign policy in a 1984 debate. (Photo © Wally McNamee/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
The Congresswoman said that by that time she had served in the House for almost six years.
But one zinger from the vice presidential debate is without a doubt one of the best lines in the history of American politics.
During the 1988 campaign, the press corps and some in the public mocked Quayle as Bush’s running mate. Due to his youthful appearance and frequent verbal mistakes, Quayle seemed unprepared for the job. Quayle was 41 years old at the time. But he had already served nearly eight years in the Senate and four years in the House. To compensate, Quayle often spent his youth looking like the late President “Jack Kennedy” who had captured the imagination of Americans.
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Compared to Quayle, the 1988 vice presidential candidate and Senator Lloyd Bentsen, D-Tex., presented himself as poised, stately and steady. Bentsen and his handlers were well aware of Quayle’s “Jack Kennedy” comparison. And so during the debate in Omaha, Neb., Bentsen waited for Quayle to fall into his trap.
“I have far more experience than many of the other people seeking the office of Vice President of this country. I have just as much experience.” Congress As Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency,” Quayle said.
Bentsen pounced.
Democratic Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen’s 1988 quip that Republican opponent Dan Quayle was “no Jack Kennedy” is commonly dubbed one of the most memorable one-liners in recent political history. (Photo by Steve Liss/Getty Images)
“I worked with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was my friend. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy,” Bentsen said.
The auditorium echoed with applause and slogans.
Quayle died staring daggers at his Senate colleague.
“It was really unnecessary, Senator,” Quayle said angrily.
Bentsen’s line has resonated for decades, being satirized on everything from Saturday Night Live to 30 Rock.
Just a historical footnote. JFK and Bentsen never served together in the Senate. But he was a member of the House during the same period in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
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Running buddies have two responsibilities. They must demonstrate that they are ready to step into the main job. And they should not affect the actual nominee. Yet in the vice presidential debates, one-liners often do just that.
