Policy Debate Highlights: Immigration, Abortion, and Trust Issues

Senator Vance effectively softened his image and connected with middle-class Americans during the policy-rich debate.

### Key Takeaways from the Policy-Rich Debate: Immigration, Abortion, and More
* 🎤 The debate featured a range of policies including **immigration, abortion, foreign relations, housing, and tax**, making it a **significant event for policy enthusiasts**.
* 🏠 One key point raised was the impact of immigration on housing prices, with a particular focus on blaming **Kamala Harris for allowing "millions of illegal aliens" into the country**.
* 👩 The discussion on abortion highlighted concerns about **women's health care** and the implications of **unplanned pregnancies** on their lives and futures.
* 💬 Senator Vance was noted for **softening his image** and effectively addressing **middle-class issues**, despite having an **underwater approval rating**.
* 🚨 The debate also touched on illegal immigration, with a proposed approach to **deport criminal migrants** and **protect American workers' wages**.
* 📊 Vance’s polished performance contrasted with Governor Wall's initial discomfort, particularly on foreign policy, although he found his footing discussing local issues like **solar panel production**.
* 🗳 A pivotal moment occurred when the candidates were asked about the 2020 election results, highlighting **ongoing tensions regarding election integrity and democratic processes**.
* 🤝 Despite their differences, the debate revealed a **surprising number of agreements** between the candidates, allowing them to **reintroduce themselves to the American public effectively**.

the stage is set. Governor, Senator, thank you for joining us. This debate was policy-rich: immigration policy, abortion policy, foreign policy, housing policy, tax policy. If you're a policy person, this was your debate. First of all, Tim just said something that I agree with. We don't want to blame immigrants for higher housing prices, but we do want to blame Kamala Harris for letting in millions of illegal aliens into this country, which does drive up costs. We're pro-freedom to make your own choice. We know what the implications are: women having miscarriages, women not getting the care, physicians feeling like they may be prosecuted for providing that care. A lot of those same economists attacked Donald Trump's plans, and they have PhDs, but they don't have common sense, and they don't have wisdom. Both vice presidential candidates were mostly civil with each other, but they did focus their attacks on the presidential candidates, Harrison Trump. We have a lot to get to. I believe Senator Vance wants to solve this, but by

standing with Donald Trump and not working together to find a solution. It becomes a talking point. I agree with you. I think you want to solve this problem, but I don't think that Kamala Harris does. Senator Vance came into this debate with an underwater approval rating. More Americans don't like him than do like him. He did a really effective job of softening his image, of speaking right to Americans, of talking about middle-class Americans and the issues they face. And in that respect, he had a very good debate. We've got to do a better job at winning back people's trust. So many young women would love to have families. So many young women also see an unplanned pregnancy as something that's going to destroy their livelihood, destroy their education, destroy their relationships. And we have got to earn people's trust back. Vance went out of his way to make Trump's bumper sticker policies seem more digestible to the American people. So we've got 20-25 million illegal aliens who are here in the country. What do we do with them? I

think the first thing that we do is we start with the criminal migrants. About a million of those people have committed some form of crime in addition to crossing the border illegally. I think you start with deportations on those folks, and then I think you make it harder for illegal aliens to undercut the wages of American workers. Vance's performance was very polished. He's a very good public speaker. He's, you know, this is what he does best. And W at times seemed very folksy. He misspoke on several occasions. His performance could be a little bit halting at times and uneven. I've tried to do the best I can, but I've not been perfect, and I'm a knucklehead at times, but it's always been about. Governor Wall seemed the most uncomfortable when the debate began because it began with the question about foreign policy, which is not his strong suit. Iran or Israel's ability to be able to defend itself is absolutely fundamental. I think he really felt incredibly comfortable when he was

talking about Minnesota, we should be making more of those solar panels here in the United States of America. We in Minnesota passed a Paid Family Medical Leave. In Minnesota, we've enacted enhanced red flag laws, enhanced background checks. One of Walz's strongest moments of the debate came at the end when Senator Vance was asked whether, if he was vice president for Trump in the first term, if he would have done what Vice President Pence did, which was to certify the election results. This was a threat to our democracy in a way that we had not seen, and it manifested itself because of Donald Trump's inability to say he is still saying he didn't lose the election. I would just ask that, did he lose the 2020 election? Tim, I'm focused on the future. Did Kamala Harris censor Americans from speaking their mind in the wake of the 2020 COVID situation? That is a damning non-answer. This debate had many differences of opinion, but it was striking how many times they agreed with

each other. Much of what the senator said right there, I'm in agreement with him on this. And I think that Governor Walz and I actually probably agree that we need to do better on this. And I think that might be one of the things this debate is remembered for, because neither of these candidates were very well known. It did offer a big opportunity for both of them to reintroduce themselves to America. Sh [Music]

Vance vs. Walz Highlights: VP Candidates Spar in Policy-Heavy Debate | WSJ

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The Wall Street Journal

The debate covered various policies, including immigration, abortion, foreign relations, housing, and taxes.

The candidates focused on blaming Kamala Harris for illegal immigration and its impact on housing costs.

Senator Vance aimed to soften his image and connect with middle-class Americans, while also addressing the challenge of gaining trust from young women facing unplanned pregnancies.

Addressing Criminal Migrants and Debate Performances

The focus is on deporting criminal migrants who have crossed the border illegally.

Vance is a polished public speaker, while W's performance is more folksy and uneven.

Governor Wall struggles with foreign policy questions but becomes more comfortable as the debate progresses.

Minnesota's Progressive Policies and Political Debate

Minnesota is focusing on increasing solar panel production and has passed a Paid Family Medical Leave policy.

The state has also enacted enhanced red flag laws and background checks.

The debate highlighted differing opinions on Trump's election loss and Kamala Harris's actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, with candidates often agreeing on various issues.

Reintroducing Candidates: A Shared Agreement

The speaker agrees with the senator's points and believes both he and Governor Walz share a common goal of improvement.

The debate provides a significant opportunity for the candidates to reintroduce themselves to the public.

The speaker suggests that this shared focus on improvement may be a memorable aspect of the debate.