The People at the Harris/Walz Debate Watch Party at the Mesa Convention Center Were Dazzled by the Vice President's Performance

The 550-person crowd at the Mesa Convention Center Harris/Walz Debate Watch Party definitely got their money's worth this evening.

In one of a hundred debate watch events across the Grand Canyon state, the 550 people repeatedly cheered the Vice President, jeered Mr. Trump, and applauded the ABC Moderators who, unlike the CNN team from the June debate, fact-checked numerous lies from the failed former President.

The crowd also benefited from a warm-up semi-rally from Vice Presidential Nominee and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz that juiced their enthusiasm.

From the beginning of the debate when the Vice President, pulling a Reagan, went across the stage and shook Trump's hand and making a point of telling him the correct pronunciation of her name to Mr. Trump's Global Carnage-Apocalyptic closing statement, she owned the failed former President. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRh6598RmHM

From the first question on the economy, Harris had the 550 attendees affection and cheers when she talked about her middle-class upbringing and her plans to institute an Opportunity Economy including designs to expand affordable housing and the child tax credit.

Also, from the very beginning, Trump had the contempt of the audience and jeers with his lies and lowest hits about inflation, the influx of criminal elements swarming across the border, and the decline of the country.

Among the lines, the Vice President said that generated the most applause and cheers were:

• "Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment and worst public health and the worst attack on our Democracy since the Civil War: You're going to hear from the same old playback coming from the pages of 2025. People want a President that will be a President for everyone."
• "Donald Trump has no plan for you because he is more interested in defending himself."
• After Trump said everyone wanted Roe v Wade thrown back to the states, the Vice President said the Trump abortion bans have caused doctors to fear getting prosecuted while women bleed in hospital parking lots while they are having a miscarriage. She said, "They don't want that." She said that Trump's position on abortion "was insulting to the women of America...and unconscionable."
• On Trump's tanking of the Congressional Border Security Bill, she said he, "Would prefer to run on a problem instead of fixing it."
• On Trump's crowd sizes when she skillfully baited him by saying he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter, windmills causing cancer, and people leaving his rallies early.
• Brought up all the Republicans, including members of his former staff and cabinet, not supporting him this cycle. 
• When Trump said that crime was up in this country, Harris said "I think this is so rich coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security, election interference, and being found liable for sexual assault."
• On Trump's continued divisiveness, she said the people are "Tired of the same old rhetoric. The American Public is tired of the same old playbook." Other comments from the Vice President along similar lines were "My values are about lifting people up and not beating people down," 
• When she brought up Trump getting $400 million on a silver spoon and going bankrupt six times.
• On Trump's role on January 6, 2021, comments on Charlottesville, and the embrace of the Proud Boys when she said "We're not going back. Let's turn the page... Stand for the country. Stand for our Democracy. Stand for the rule of law…Let's chart a course to the future and not go back."
• On the 2020 Presidential election results, when she said, "Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people…We can not afford to have a President of the United States who will try to upend the will of the people."
• On the perception of Trump from foreign leaders, "Foreign leaders are laughing at you and you are a disgrace."
• On the Israel-Hamas War, "This war must end immediately…we must chart a course for a two-state solution."
• On Trump's weakness and embrace of dictators, "He's trying to divide and distract that he is weak on national security and loves dictators like Kin Jong Un-People cheered when she said that these dictators all flatter him.
• "You're not running against Joe Biden. You're running against me."
• "If Donald Trump was still President, Putin would be in Kyiv with an eye on Poland and the rest of Europe." People cheered when she said Putin wanted Trump so he "could eat him for lunch." Later she said, "You adore strongmen instead of caring about Democracy."
• On Afghanistan withdrawal: Harris's position, "I agree with President Biden's decision…First time this century, American troops are not in an active combat zone."
• When it appeared she was about to call him something nasty but refrained, saying, "This…former President."
• On Trump questioning her racial identity, she said, "I think it's a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be a President who has spent his career trying to divide the American People." She Brought up his racist history as a Landlord and called for the execution of the Central Park Five and spread birther lies about Barack Obama."I think the American People want better than this…We don't want a leader who constantly wants everyone pointing fingers at each other…"I am not Joe Biden. I am certainly not Donald Trump. What I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country."
• When she praised John McCain.
• When she extolled the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. 
• When she discussed the trillion dollars of green energy technology investment through the Biden/Harris Inflation Reduction Act.
• In her closing statement when she said, "I've only had one client: the People, and I never asked what political party they were in...I will be a President for all of you." 

Among the lines that earned Mr. Trump the most laughs, boos, and jeers were:

• His continued false claims that the country is in decline, crime was on the rise and countries were sending their worst across the Southern Border. 
• His assertion that he had nothing to do with Project 2025 and saying he did a phenomenal job handling the pandemic and people did not give him enough credit for that.
• When he called Harris a Marxist.
• When he said Democrats promote abortion in the ninth month and said Walz was a bad Vice Presidential pick.
• When he took credit for appointing Supreme Court Justices to send Roe v Wade back to the states and lied when he said every legal scholar supported sending abortion back to the state.
• When he said Harris is bussing people and paying people to attend her rallies. Actually, Trump was talking about himself there. 
• The baseless assertions that Haitian Immigrants are eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio. Viewers were actually laughing along with Harris on that one. 
• His claim when he said Harris gender-affirming care for illegal immigrants.
• Saying he said he was a big fan of solar.
• Equated people on January 6 with the illegal immigrants that entered the country or rioters in Minnesota and Seattle. The audience jeered when he said he had nothing to do with January 6, 2021, and Blamed Nancy Pelosi and Mayor of Washington DC. for what happened.
• Citing Hungary's Authoritarian Viktor Orban as someone who praises his leadership. 
• On a plan to replace The Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, he said to much laughter, "You'll be hearing about it in the not-too-distant future."
• In his closing statement where he warned about World War Three and global carnage via nuclear war.

The audience really loved the fact-checking from the moderators when they pointed out Trump's falsehoods like:

• No state executes a baby at birth.
• There was no truth to the Haitian immigrants eating pets in Ohio.
• Crime was actually falling in the nation. 
• His not answering whether he would sign a National Abortion Ban and throwing his running mate under the bus.
• His not answering the question of whether he would do anything differently about his role on January 6, 2021.
• The results of the 2020 election.
• After nine and a half years, he still does not have a health care plan to replace the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.

Individual Reaction to the Debate.

Following the debate, several attendees offered their views on the debate. 

Arizona State Senator Eva Burch said:

"I'm proud of the VP. She drew the comparison that people needed to see. I think we saw more of the raving rhetoric from Donald Trump that we've grown to expect. I think she has proven herself to be worthy of this race and I hope for the best. 

Nora Nunez commented:

"I think the debate went really well for Kamala Harris. She was extremely articulate. She always had an answer and she just knew what to say about Donald Trump. I was a little disappointed that it appeared that the interviewers were allowing Trump to speak a little bit more than Kamala Harris."

LD Eight State House Candidate Janeen Connolly offered:

"I thought the debate went really well. It was kind of what I was hoping for, that Kamala would speak to the people. And it would be very, very clear that Donald Trump wasn't concerned about our concerns, but I'm really proud of the way she stayed on task in the way she considered normal debate decorum. I thought she really, really outshined the former president tonight."

Kelsey Files relayed:

"What I appreciate about the debate was Kamala Harris took the time to address Donald Trump for what he really is. One of the things that's really frustrating me about the past debates is all the niceties of the business as usual around Trump, but she took the opportunity to call him out for the lies. The moderators also took the time to fact-check him and set the record straight. That's something that the American people have not had in too many of these events. She got her points out. She outlined her plan and she countered and asked what his plan was, and he's never had a response for these things. And I just really appreciated that she took the time, effort, courage, and strength, to put her foot down and said the nonsense stops here."

Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said of the debate:

"I thought she did an incredible job. He was on defense the entire night. Many times from my perspective, it amounted to incoherent rambling on the former president's part. I thought she was clear. She was concise. She presented a forward-thinking plan on behalf of the American people. I'm confident she's going to carry Arizona and I'm confident she's going to be the next President of the United States.

On Trump coming across like we are all going to die tomorrow:

"It was the typical American Carnage American decline. It's just, as she said, we're not going back. It's time to turn the page from that kind of divisive negative leadership to forward-thinking and proactive leadership, that's going to be leading for the next 5, 10, and 20 years. We need Kamala Harris in the White House. With our next President, we cannot go back to the chaotic years of the Trump Administration."

To the crowd at the Mesa Convention Center, the debate was a great event for the Harris/Walz Campaign.

The endorsement from Taylor Swift following the debate was icing on today's cake. 

Both should only intensify the enthusiasm for the Harris/Walz Campaign as they head to the November 5 elections 56 days from now.