WASHINGTON: Traditionally, American vice-presidents were considered so nondescript that Thomas Marshall, the country’s 28th VP, joked about two brothers, one who ran away to sea, the other who became vice-president: Neither of them was ever heard from again. In fact, the 17th US veep, Schuyler Colfax, is said to have died unrecognized on a railroad platform.
Times changed with adoption in 1967 of the 25th amendment to the US Constitution that made the veep lawful successor to the president if he exited mid-term due to death, disability, or resignation. So today, the title that Franklin Roosevelt’s first veep, John Nance Garner, said wasn’t worth “a bucket of warm spit,” is throwing up a mouthwatering debate involving running mates of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, JD Vance and Tim Walz, one of whom will be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
Both Vance, from Ohio, and Walz, from Minnesota, have midwestern roots. They were ostensibly picked to appeal to middle America by Presidential candidates who are from the east coast and west coast respectively. Once considered the political equivalent of lift operators, the veeps remit now extends to nationwide heavy lifting on policy matters, particularly domestic issues.
Clearly lacking policy chops and riding on sulfurous rhetoric, MAGA supremo Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will be “doing a personal PLAY BY PLAY of the Debate… between the Brilliant J.D. Vance and the Highly Inarticulate “Tampon” Tim Walz,” adding, “I hope that Cognitively Challenged, Lyin’ Kamala Harris, will be listening so that she can again show the World how she will make up false facts and stories in order to change around an administrative FAILURE!” Harris will be watching too despite her preoccupation with managing the devastating aftereffects for Hurricane Helene, which has provided the backdrop of some political showboating.
The debate, to be telecast on CBS at 9 pm EST on Tuesday, will last 90 minutes and have no audience, like with the presidential debate. But unlike the presidential debate, it will have no live fact checking from the moderators, leaving the candidates to duke it out on open mikes, with plenty of interruptions and fireworks expected.
While it is the only debate scheduled between the veep candidates, Harris is still pushing for a second debate with Trump. “ I know we will cheer on Coach Walz on Tuesday when he debates JD Vance. But their debate should not be the last word. I think Donald Trump and I should debate again. As they say here in Vegas, I’m all in. But it looks like my opponent is ready to fold,” she trolled Trump during a campaign stop in Nevada. On their part, Trump supporters who believe the former President had the worst of the first debate are hoping Vance will salvage some points for the Republicans.