Hello, happy Tuesday! With 34 days until the election, the vice presidential debate begins.

The candidates are JD “Mad Dad” Vance and Tim “Rad Dad” Walz.

Prize: American Men's Heavyweight Champion.

We've all seen their stupid acts before, but this is their only outrage in the election season to see what they're capable of and who they are. This is our first real opportunity as a nation. As my colleagues Jim Rainey and Seema Mehta have written, a quarter of Americans have never heard of either name. According to my unscientific research, the remaining 75% wish they had never heard of at least one of them.

Yes, we know their details – we know some rants and some cringe-worthy X clips, their endless texts asking us for money. We know them as we know them. Seurat's pointillist paintings You don't have to press your nose to the point, but it doesn't make much sense. But now it's time to step back and look at the big picture.

Please don't say you're not interested. When Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced off (I'm referring to when Harris beat Trump), it was pure stress for all of us.

But Walz/Vance is pure fun. In fact, vice presidential debates rarely determine the outcome of an election. So even in this close race, the stakes aren't as high as in the main event. But the potential for insane interactions to occur is off the charts, like “Real Housewives” levels.

Let's talk!

raging bull hockey

The biggest challenge for J.D. Vance is to emerge as the person next to Waltz. The Minnesota governor has a down-home charm, honed by years of experience in politics. Its authenticity is both appealing and well-practiced.

But Vance always reminds me. Anger from “turning it inside out” movie. Haitian? They piss me off! woman? Do they make me angry? donut? anger!

Ohio Republicans have honed the image that the MAGA base likes: angry about it and willing to fight. And I would say so – Trump's mystical charisma, or at least not the confusion of hate, is blatantly mean and shockingly racist.

But there will be no audience, friendly or otherwise, at the debate. Just a big, quiet room where you threaten to deport someone darker than toast and they don't loudly agree.

As much as anything Waltz says or the host asks, this quiet room of ruthless neutrality will be Vance's greatest enemy. Because it's hard to sustain anger and revenge and make it look good without a supportive audience. You end up looking like a toddler throwing a tantrum at the supermarket.

Rumor has it that Vance is a smart guy and likes to argue. But here's the thing: Tonight's debate is not about winning policy points. It's a pure likability contest. We want charm. I want ginger. I want a few “Oh, damn!”

And that's a tall order for Vance.

Some politicians know how to work a crowd. They are spot on and know exactly what their audience will feel. And politicians like Vance need the crowd, their approval and validation, more than the crowd needs him.

Without that, my guess is that Vance would have a hard time understanding how viewers and their cats perceive him from the living room.

easy rider

Tim Waltz gives off a Jeff Bridges vibe in Joel and Ethan Coen's film The Big Lebowski. But he'll have to demote the White Russian and get tough in the debate with J.D. Vance.

(Merrick Morton/Gramercy Pictures)

Despite Walz's bubbly personality, he faces a battle of his own on Tuesday night. Like Vance, he has no experience on the national stage. He will have to put aside some of his amiability to launch attacks and fend off attacks.

In terms of movie analogy, Waltz seems a little like the guy from “The Big Lebowski.” Just having fun and managing Minnesota. But he wants his rug back, and that means democracy.

Walz is most comfortable on set, where he can shake hands and joke with people. He is a teacher and coach at heart, and he has proven that he can give just as many passionate speeches at half-time.

The media has speculated that he may be nervous approaching the issue and unable to handle Mr. Vance's Yale Law argumentation skills. As for me, I think any guy who carries himself in front of a classroom of teenagers is fine. And I think anyone who can make Vance look awkward, which apparently a lot of people do, will do just fine.

But winning this means rolling with the punches and taking them. This will be a chance for Walz to show he's more than just a coach, he's also a player.

But what do they talk about?

Likeability aside, they have to fill 90 minutes. In one of the worst abdications in recent journalism history, CBS, which hosts the debate, said its moderators would not fact-check either candidate. Honestly, I can't believe that CBS thinks it's okay for journalists to just smile and nod while candidates lie, but those are the rules.

Instead, if you're watching on CBS (CBS only), a QR code will pop up every time a candidate lies, and you can follow it to fact-check on the CBS website, giving you a “second screen experience.” It can be achieved. The New York Times reportedthat's selfish and lame.

So expect Vance and Waltz (mainly Waltz) to spend a lot of time pointing out fabrications, fraud, deceit, and general frivolous flaming.

Other than that, the following is expected:

• Project 2025: As they say, Mr. Vance will likely deny that the book has anything to do with Trump or the campaign, despite the fact that by Sunday he had six connections to the book's authors.
• military service: Vance served in the Marine Corps for four years, including six months in Iraq as a military journalist. He will almost certainly blame Walz, who served 24 years in the National Guard, for retiring before his unit was deployed to Iraq. This could be the perfect place for Mr. Vance to attack Mr. Walz personally, and it would certainly require a strong reaction from Mr. Walz.
• health care: Trumpworld has been claiming that Harris and Walz want to abolish “private health insurance,” and I say, “Yes, please.” But for many, this is such a serious threat that we can expect Medicaid and Medicare expansions to be treated as taking away choice.
• inflation: Vance will be taking a tough, hard look at milk and egg prices, something viewers may relate to.
• abortion: meow.
• Immigration/Springfield: At a recent rally in Wisconsin, in the context of “eradicating immigrant crime” and “deporting illegal aliens now,” President Trump said that immigrants are coming into his kitchen, “cutting their throats,” “killing them in cold blood.” He claimed to be a person. Alarmingly, a recent PPRI survey found that nearly one-third of Americans agree that immigrants who enter the country illegally “taint our nation's blood.”Hitler quotes used by President Trump). Among Republicans who support Trump, that number jumps to 67%. So expect Vance to go there — it won't be that unpopular.
• Trump/Harris: At the end of the day, Vance and Waltz take to the stage to represent their boss. So expect attacks on Harris and Trump, two men fighting to prove they're the right choice and the right kind of people for the job.

What else should I read?

Must read: Ted Cruz rebrands for close race in Texas
Are you serious?: Want to find out? VP Debate viewers simply scan the code.
LA Times Special: 4 takeaways from the first debate of the 2026 California gubernatorial election.

stay golden,
Anita Chhabria

PS: Trump is shilling cryptocurrencies again. Honestly, there's no need to joke. That in itself is a joke.

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