I was all ready for an old-fashioned seventh-grade playground fuss fight, and a vice presidential debate broke out instead.

There was no name-calling, no disparaging comments, no zingers, no one-liners. At one point, the two men involved in what I believed would be a junior varsity version of the main attraction were actually kind and decent to each other. It reminded me of what decorum and restraint and civility looked like from people who are considering running the country and what a damn snoozefest.

For worse or for worser, former President Donald Trump changed us. Hes changed the way people campaign, hes changed the rhetoric and the entire political landscape. And, as such, I wanted blood on Tuesday when Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance went face-to-face with his Democratic counterpart, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

I wanted to hear about allegations that Vance has allegedly been intimate with a couch. I wanted Walz to make an emo or goth joke about what appears to be Vances eyeliner. I wanted Vance to pounce on Walzs claim that he misspoke when he claimed he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests . And we got nothing.

Both men were restrained; so restrained that they couldve flatlined during the debate and I dont think viewers wouldve known the difference, because both men just werent ready for politics post-Trump.

And I know that was by design.

Vance did the heavy lifting of trying to appear to be the calm to Trumps storm and to present himself as less of a weasel and more affable and concerned. And he didnt do a bad job at it except we know who he is, or at least who hes been in the past versus who hes trying to present himself as now.

I think former Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan explained it best in 2022 when he read Vance to filth during a debate for changing his stance toward Trump.

Tim Ryan: You called him Americas Hitler.

JD Vance: Thats not true.

Tim Ryan: That is true. And then you kissed his ass. And then he endorsed you. And you said hes the greatest president of all time.

Trump later asserted during a rally that same year in Vances state, JD is kissing my ass he wants my support so bad, CNN reported .

But the important thing to remember from Ryans brutally honest takedown and Trumps demoralizing jab, both at Vances expense, is that Vance still beat Ryan for his congressional seat and in Vances inexplicably smoky eyes, the ends will always justify the means.