Veep Debate: Five Big Reasons Why Vance Won

Now that the dust has settled on this week's vice presidential debate we can take a closer look at the event and consider what happened and its ramifications. In the aftermath, there's very little doubt that Vance clearly bested Walz. In fact, even most liberal outlets have admitted that Vance had the edge as Walz seemed uncertain of himself, confused at times and even somewhat rumpled.

So, how did this happen? It wasn't an accident. Simply put, Vance was better prepared, more adept, more self-assured and a lot quicker on the uptake. Here's how Vance did it:

1) He played against type. Vice presidential candidates are often chosen to be attack dogs and many assumed Vance would fulfill this role. Indeed, the liberal media reinforced the notion that Vance would go negative and get nasty. From the outset, they painted this bearded pol as the villain. But Vance surprised them all. He was civil, cordial and downright friendly while still making his point, over and over again.

2) He gave his opponent space to flub. Vance seemed relaxed and almost laid back. This may have thrown Walz off and left the door open for Walz to flub, which he did in short order. Even when this happened, Vance did not go out of his way to point it out. He simply left Walz's stumbles lay there for everyone to see while he remained on message.

3) He was human and three-dimensional. Because Vance did not seem canned or over-prepared, he came across as more human, more real. He even paused at times to tell us about himself, recounting relevant episodes in his life. This lent him credibility and made his arguments all the more effective. 

4) He wasn't a crybaby. Let's face it: the moderators weren't fair. They were out to snag Vance and their questions, followups and asides made that obvious. They tag-teamed Vance. But this former Marine didn't complain about it. He remained polite and focused on the mission at hand. He did what he had to do.

5) He looked like the future. Without appearing like a novice, Vance nonetheless gave us a refreshing view of a smart, confident, natural young leader who could be in command of events while remaining kind and even self-effacing. This was like a breath of fresh air -- something people have been longing for. Vance went a long way toward restoring our confidence in tomorrow. He's got a bright future and, after watching him, we're thinking maybe the nation does as well!