Photo: KENA BETANCUR / AFP / Getty Images
By Chris Ryan
Today's politics can very often be defined by the term, 'Expect the Unexpected' and that can certainly be said of Tuesday night's Vice Presidential debate.
U.S. Senator J.D. Vance and Governor Tim Walz were remarkably cordial the 90-minute affair.
Yours truly and most other pundits were expecting this to be all about insults, info-tainment and an effort to turn your opponent into a meme.
Instead this was an evening where 'Miss Manners' would've given a nodding approval to the candidate's behavior.
If you were looking for Walz to bring up anything he's said on the campaign trail about couches, accusations about migrants eating pets or anything else you left disappointed.
He didn't lean across the lectern and say, "Hey bud, you wearing eyeliner?"
Conversely, Vance didn't take the opportunity to question his counterpart, military man to military man, about claims of stolen valor and didn't pounce as Walz stumbled about after getting caught in a fib about Tiananmen Square.
Instead they discussed policy, and that was shockingly and refreshingly dull.
But, if we're being honest, that's exactly what Americans need, and I would like to believe, want. But, I'm not sure that's the case.
The politically romantic nerd in me believes that informed conversation brings about informed voter decisions. I prefer the ten-point plan over the ten-second soundbite.
However, Donald Trump changed the political world and the way debates are done, but not in the way that you think.
Trump gave the media and the general public want they wanted. He didn't drag us here against our will, he was just much more bombastic and effective in delivering what we were looking for.
We used to look for "breakout moments" in debates, now memes, reels, etc. The problem was that politicians are generally not good actors and most are only decent communicators.
Trump was the unpredictable ringleader who could demean and embarrass his opponents, all while drawing the ire to the opposition. He is the villain to some and the hero to others, all at once.
Most politicians are extremely risk adverse and insanely cautious. They wonder how every little word or statement will play with their various donors, the focus groups, the demos they want to hit.
Trump just doesn't seem to care--much.
He makes his opponent(s), the moderator, the viewers, everyone, a bit uneasy.
Where's this thing going?
That type of chaos is intriguing to many, even if they won't admit it.
In 2020, America had grown tired of the act, and the perception of competence exhibited by Joe Biden attracted enough swing voters who were ready for a dull, reliable leader.
But, the world seems so chaotic right now, and Trump and his chaos has largely been normalized, perhaps even excepted by many Americans.
So it begs the question, will debates like Tuesday night simply be a reminder of how things used to be, or do we crave a more civilized discourse?
Only time will tell.
Chris Ryan is the host of New Hampshire Today on iHeart NH's news/talk stations from 6-9a weekdays. His "Trail Bites" column drops each Wednesday afternoon.