An article in Politico was widely ridiculed on social media for trying to explain away the terror-filled panic in the eyes of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) during the debate Tuesday.
‘These are the eyes we see when a deer is caught in our headlights.’
Many viewers commented on the scared look and demeanor Walz expressed in his debate against Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, but Politico tried to spin it as a good tactic.
“Yes, Vance’s beard matters,” declared a Politico post from FBI body language expert Joe Navarro.
“Vance is the first White House wannabe to wear facial hair in 80 years. Research indicates that voters see beards as more masculine. That can be positive to some. But to others, especially women, it can be negative, conveying aggression and opposition to feminist ideals,” the post asserted.
On the other hand, “Walz’s wide eyes showed his passion,” he continued.
“Eye-popping can sometimes be a sign of surprise, but for Walz, it simply revealed his emotional intensity — like during an exchange about abortion. The dynamic and emphatic facial motion grabs the viewer’s attention. For Walz, it gave extra weight to his feelings and held our gaze.”
Screenshots of the bizarre spin were posted to social media and went viral.
“FBI needs better body language deciphers or ones who have been in the middle of our country & know how people assess emotion. Ain’t no one in the middle of the country who thinks these eyes mean passion These are the eyes we see when a deer is caught in our headlights,” responded reporter Salena Zito.
“I think that Politico is completely correct here. I have a beard for that exact reason: to convey a sense of aggression and toxic masculinity,” replied author Ari Mendelson.
“Who comes up with this BS?” read another response. “He showed his true beta male persona, and sounded panicked the whole debate …”
“Not sure what drugs they gave Tim last night to calm his high energy, anxiety, and focus.. But, when he wasn’t taking notes like Vance was schooling him – his eyes told you everything,” said another critic.
Others found a previous post in which Politico described the beard on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a symbol of wisdom.
Pundits immediately after the debate admitted that Vance came off much better than the panicked Walz, but those on the left tried to ease their pain by claiming no one watched the debate and it wouldn’t matter to voters.
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