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Shameless Media Tries to Spin Walz's Deer-in-the-Headlights Look as a Good Thing

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Most Americans got their first, raw look at Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on the debate stage Tuesday night, but now the media is helping spin his appearance as a good thing.

The vice presidential debate saw Walz and his opponent, Republican vice presidential candidate and Sen. J.D. Vance, square off on several heated topics.

One thing both viewers and experts noticed were the eyes of Walz — and how they seemed to flare up at times over the course of the debate.

A body language expert wrote for Politico that Walz’s deer-in-the-headlights look was actually a sign of the progressive governor’s “passion.”

Joe Navarro said he is “a body language expert with over 50 years of experience,” 25 of which were spent working with the FBI.

“I’ve used my expertise in the endlessly subtle science of nonverbal communication to help ferret out spies and put away criminals,” Navarro wrote.

But on Wednesday the former FBI expert turned his “skills” toward analyzing the vice presidential debate.

“Walz’s wide eyes showed his passion,” Navarro wrote.

The general public seemed to disagree, saying the windows to the governor’s soul were more akin to “crazy eyes” than anything hinting at passion.

Navarro offered another explanation for Walz’s bug-eyed expression.

“When Walz felt especially passionate about something, he’d open his eyes wide as saucers. Eye-popping can sometimes be a sign of surprise, but for Walz, it simply revealed his emotional intensity,” Navarro wrote, pointing to Walz’s debate exchange covering abortion.

Related:
Tim Walz Called 'Bitter' After Viewers See His New Reaction to Kamala's Loss

The body language expert said Walz’s expression has roots in the very dawn of humanity.

“Early humans would have made such facial gestures to communicate strong emotions, like ‘danger is close,'” he wrote. “For Walz, it gave extra weight to his feelings and held our gaze.”

Walz’s Charles Manson-like gaze was not the candidate’s only action that won a glowing assessment in the Politico article.

Did Walz lose the debate?

When Walz pointed at the camera, Navarro said it was “like Uncle Sam in those old ‘I Want You’ posters” and secured viewer’s attention despite the potential accusatory nature of the gesture.

Navarro also wrote Walz’s furrowed brow was a bold and powerful way to say, “No way, that’s not right, and I am going to challenge you on this.”

Vance’s “precision grip” and the placing of his hand over his heart were noted by Navarro, who also warned the candidate’s beard could be seen by many as “negative, conveying aggression and opposition to feminist ideals.”

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Jared has written more than 200 articles and assigned hundreds more since he joined The Western Journal in February 2017. He was an infantryman in the Arkansas and Georgia National Guard and is a husband, dad and aspiring farmer.
Jared has written more than 200 articles and assigned hundreds more since he joined The Western Journal in February 2017. He is a husband, dad, and aspiring farmer. He was an infantryman in the Arkansas and Georgia National Guard. If he's not with his wife and son, then he's either shooting guns or working on his motorcycle.
Location
Arkansas
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Military, firearms, history




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