Podcast / See How They Run / Oct 5, 2024

Did the Veep Debate Change Anything?

On this episode of See How They Run, Chris Lehmann and Jeet Heer discuss the Walz-Vance showdown.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Did the Veep Debate Change Anything? | See How They Run
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of See How They Run, D.D. Guttenplan is joined by Chris Lehmann and Jeet Heer to discuss the Walz-Vance showdown.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz greet each other ahead of a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024, in New York City.

Republican vice presidential candidate Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz greet each other ahead of a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024, in New York City.

(Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

This week’s election news was dominated by one thing: the vice presidential debate between Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance. The two met in New York on Tuesday for a surprisingly mild-mannered 90 minutes, and by the end of it, nobody could seem to agree on what it meant. Was Walz too soft? Did Vance let his extremist guard down? Did any of this even matter?

That’s where we come in. On this week’s See How They Run, we got our Washington bureau chief Chris Lehmann and our national affairs correspondent Jeet Heer on the line with D.D. Guttenplan to talk all things debate—what it signaled about the Harris and Trump campaigns, what impact it might have on the race, and what moments viewers will latch onto as we approach November. (One thing we did not discuss: whether Vance was wearing eyeliner. Some questions are made to be contemplated, not answered.)

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

D.D. Guttenplan

D.D. Guttenplan is a special correspondent for The Nation and the host of The Nation Podcast. He served as editor of the magazine from 2019 to 2025 and, prior to that, as an editor at large and London correspondent. His books include American Radical: The Life and Times of I.F. Stone, The Nation: A Biography, and The Next Republic: The Rise of a New Radical Majority.

More from The Nation

Donald Trump speaks to the press upon returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Bombing Iran Won’t Help the Protesters Bombing Iran Won’t Help the Protesters

Annelle Sheline on Trump’s embrace of chaos in the Middle East.

Jeet Heer

Young woman holding smartphone, with a computer-generated background.

Reimagining Our Relationship With Digital Tech Reimagining Our Relationship With Digital Tech

Paris Marx on some of the big themes that will move conversations he’ll be having this year like digital sovereignty and rethinking the value of the tech we admit into our lives.

Paris Marx

Trump, from Minneapolis to Caracas—Plus, How Capitalism Came to Communist China

Trump, from Minneapolis to Caracas—Plus, How Capitalism Came to Communist China Trump, from Minneapolis to Caracas—Plus, How Capitalism Came to Communist China

On Start Making Sense, Harold Meyerson on Trump’s efforts to overcome collapsing support, and critic John Powers talks about the new TV series “Blossoms Shanghai” by Wong Kar Wai....

Jon Wiener

Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan on January 13, 2026.

Can American Power Be Redeemed? Can American Power Be Redeemed?

On American Prestige: Shadi Hamid on American hegemony and whether it can be a force for good.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Donald Trump departs after speaking during a House Republican retreat at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on January 6, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Venezuela in American Politics—Plus, VA Housing for Homeless Vets Venezuela in American Politics—Plus, VA Housing for Homeless Vets

On Start Making Sense: John Nichols on the lack of support for Trump’s attack on Venezuela, and Mark Rosenbaum on the court victory that should end homelessness for disabled vets....

Jon Wiener

Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed Federal agents as they make their way into an armored car en route to a federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York City.

Venezuela, Latin America, and the Future of US Foreign Policy, With Greg Grandin Venezuela, Latin America, and the Future of US Foreign Policy, With Greg Grandin

On the latest American Prestige.

Daniel Bessner, Derek Davison, and Greg Grandin

x