CBS contributor says 'civility' during vice presidential debate was a 'mistake' for Walz

Civility between the candidates during Tuesday's CBS News vice presidential debate may have been a “mistake” for Democrats, according to a CBS contributor.

Former BET anchor Ed Gordon appeared on a CBS News panel discussing the first and only debate between vice presidential candidates Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Shortly after the debate concluded, panel members all remarked on how “cordial” and “surprisingly affable” the debate was.

Gordon suggested that kindness could backfire on Democrats seeking Walz to retaliate against Vance.

VICE-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE VANCE AND WALZ ENDS WITH BOTH CANDIDATES SEEING A “NEW” FUTURE

JD Vance and Tim Walz debated Tuesday evening in New York, a few weeks before the elections. (Reuters)

“I think the civility that we saw tonight may have been a mistake on the part of the Democrats, frankly. I've talked from the beginning about energizing this base. I was just in Ohio, and many Democrats were furious about what was happening in Springfield,” Gordon said. said.

He continued: “I think Walz missed an opportunity to really push racial insensitivity. There was a sense of trying to be affable…I think what we're going to see from this point on, It’s courtesy aside. And like we did, I said from this point on, we’re taking the gloves off, I think.”

There was a moment of controversy between Vance and CBS News moderators Margaret Brennan and Norah O'Donnell after they attempted to fact-check Vance's comments about illegal immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.

“Just to clarify for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio, has a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status, temporary protected status,” Brennan said.

A CBS News post-debate panel commented on the cordial behavior between Vance and Walz. (Getty Images)

This is despite CBS previously announcing that it would not allow its moderators to participate in live fact-checking or corrections during the debate.

“The rules were that you weren’t going to check the facts,” Vance reminded them. “And since you’re fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s really happening.”

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Moderators Margaret Brennan and Norah O'Donnell attempted to fact-check Vance during the debate. (Screenshot: Fox News simulcast of the CBS News vice presidential debate)

The moderators ended up cutting his microphone before moving on to another topic.

“Senator, we have so much to do, thank you very much for explaining the legal process,” Brennan said.

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