ARE VP HOPEFULS READY FOR CLOSE-UP?

Who is going to win the vice presidential debate tomorrow night?

While the vice presidential debates can be interesting to political junkies, they don’t usually amount to a hill of beans. However, this is not your mother’s or father’s presidential race. Unlike previous White House contests, Hillary Clinton’s running mate, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, is in a must-win situation. The Democrat ticket cannot afford a mulligan. According to a recent AP-GfK poll, only 36 percent of Americans have confidence in Clinton’s health. That means only one in three voters thinks she is well enough to serve. That places an extra emphasis on Kaine.

Confidence in Clinton severely eroded after the video of her passing out was exposed. If most voters question her health, then Kaine must look far more presidential than Donald Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. A Kaine calamity in the debate could send polls swirling even further down. Hence, he has to win tomorrow.

What’s the likelihood Kaine will be victorious in the debate? It’s not looking good.

Last week he was the lone vote in the Senate upholding President Obama’s veto of the bill allowing families of 9/11 victims to sue foreign countries involved in the attack. That vote is indefensible.

However, that’s probably not his biggest problem. Kaine will have to be able to spin all of the Clinton major scandals with a straight face. That’s a tall order. While Kaine is a Democrat and a lawyer, the web of lies Hillary has created will take a world-class liar to defend.

Here are a couple of likely questions: Sen. Kaine, where was Clinton the night of the Benghazi attack? Was her response to Congress — what does it matter — appropriate? Please define for the viewing audience what “pay to play” is. Have you ever made $100,000 trading cattle futures? Did Clinton jeopardize national security with her email scandal?

Not only will Clinton scandals trip up Kaine, but so will Pence. He’s a good speaker and has been under fire for months as Trump’s running mate, so a debate will seem like a walk in the park. Pence previously served in Congress so he knows the lingo and the issues.

His mission will be twofold — relentlessly go after the Democrat ticket and point out that Kaine has served in elected office since 1994 so he is not an agent of change. The problem will be trying to fit all the lines of attack into one debate.

Personally, I’m hoping Kaine channels Ross Perot’s 1992 running mate, Admiral James “Why am I here?” Stockdale, for his performance.