Commentary
By John A. Ostenburg
My working life was spent mostly in communications, both as an educator and a practitioner. As such, I watched the vice presidential debate from that perspective. As I have always taught my students, effective communication consists of two essential elements: style and content.
In writing, for example, style is essential for fiction writers because how they present a novel’s story is so very crucial to the imaginary situation they create; on the other hand, journalists and others who are conveying factual – and not imaginary – material are concerned about style but must be much more focused on content and its accuracy. Therefore, Based on that divide, I’d score Senator JD Vance as the debate winner on style – especially regarding creating fiction – and Governor Tim Walz as the definite winner on content.
So, if Tuesday night were an interview to select who should be the public relations spokesperson for a business, there’s no question that Senator Vance would get the job. He was smooth; he made it appear that neither he nor his boss are responsible for anything they have done or said before; he painted an altered though rosy picture of what they want to do in the future; he sugar-coated the product he was pushing while saying how bad the competition’s product is, primarily by fictitious and unsubstantiated accusations against it.
VP is NOT a PR Job
But Tuesday night WASN’T an interview for a PR job. It was a test of who is best suited to stand in line to take over if the President of the United States is unable to go forward, and the guy Mr. Vance would be standing next to would be in his 80s and is known not to exercise and to have a penchant for meals of red meat – especially cheeseburgers – and Diet Coke! The fundamental question, then, is this: do you want a slick PR guy standing next to the President, ready to take over? Or do you want someone who focuses on accuracy and content and would be prepared to take over?
I have nothing against PR people – I was employed in PR posts on a few occasions myself – but those of us who have been in the profession know the difference between the slick ones who will say whatever they think needs to be said to make everything look good – even if it means direct lies about the entity they represent – and those who make every effort to communicate accuracy, even if it occasionally requires admitting “We have egg on our face because we have egg on our face.”
Now, some will ask, “What do you mean by saying Vance is a slick one who makes things look better than they are?” Well, here are a few examples.
A Vice Presidential Candidate who doesn’t know who won the last election.
He said he doesn’t support a nationwide abortion ban, even though he is on record, in taped interviews, as saying that a nationwide ban is his preference.
He refused to answer whether Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, even though every court case has proven that Joe Biden won.
Further, he claimed that the Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, whom he falsely accused of eating their neighbors’ pets – he later admitted in a nationally televised interview that he made it up – are illegal aliens. At the same time, they are documented workers, many of whom were recruited to that region to take jobs that would help boost the local economy. Moreover, many are in the U.S. under a program that began during the Donald Trump administration!
He claimed that the primary reason for the current housing shortage in the U.S. is illegal immigrants, even though statistics clearly show that is not the case.
He claimed that Donald Trump led a bipartisan effort to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, but that was not the case. Trump repeatedly said – and continues to say – that his goal is to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Do I need to go on?
Vance: Slick PR with Lies, Tim Walz Leads with Experience
Smooth talker? Yes. Slick PR guy? Yes! Yes! Yes!
But I think what bothered me most about Vance’s performance was the way he blamed Kamala Harris for innumerable things that have occurred in the past! If you were a Martian who came to Earth only to hear the debate, you would go back to Mars convinced that Kamala Harris has been President (rather than Vice President) for the last several years and even ruler of the world! I’m surprised he didn’t accuse her of being responsible for Hurricane Helene. Oh, wait. HE DID!
Tim Walz may be a less polished talker than JD Vance, but he knows the difference between the truth and lies. Tim Walz may not be as smooth and slick as JD Vance. Still, he knows how to look at issues from an objective perspective, admitting that sometimes leaders may need to change their view of things – based on factual analysis – as he has done on gun control after listening to the parents of children who have been killed in school massacres carried out by people with guns that should not have been in their hands. Tim Walz may not have written a best seller, some of which have been criticized for their inaccuracy, but he spent years serving others as a teacher, coach, and member of the military. Tim Walz may not have JD Vance’s background as a venture capitalist. Still, he has years of experience as a member of Congress and governor of a major state who has implemented numerous programs that have benefitted his constituents.
I know which of the two I want in our nation’s second most important post. Do you?
John A. Ostenburg retired in 2019 after 20 years as mayor of Park Forest, Illinois. He previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives. Before becoming mayor, served seven years on the Park Forest municipal council.
