Last night, both Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made the country proud. In an era of constant vitriol and personal attacks, the vice-presidential debate was remarkably civil, respectful, and policy oriented. Gone were the bombastic hot takes that unfortunately permeate our political discourse. In its place was a conversation between two serious people about the future of the country. But beyond the refreshingly civil conversation, another remarkable development from last night's debate was the emergence of a new consensus on several significant issues.
For the first time in modern political history, both parties are openly campaigning for working-class voters and attempting to speak to their issues. One of the debate's biggest points of agreement was over the devastating impacts of bad trade deals. In a conversation concerning the validity of "listening to the experts," Vance responded by saying that experts "said if we shipped our industrial base off to other countries: to Mexico and elsewhere, it would make the middle class stronger. They were wrong about that."
He added, "they were wrong about the idea that if........