September 25, 2016 | No Comments
Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine said Monday night’s presidential debate will allow voters to really see “whether there’s depth, whether there’s substance, and whether there’s candor and truthfulness” in what Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump say.
“In a 90-minute format, not 20-second sound bites, there’s a real opportunity to hear somebody say something and then get into, ‘Is that actually true or not?'” Kaine said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” with John Dickerson. “So I think the debate issue, you know, obviously let it be an even standard for both. But that issue about specifics, answering those unanswered questions and checking people on truthfulness. That’s going to be very important.”
A day before the debate, Clinton and Trump are in a dead heat — making the debate a pivotal moment for the election. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll, 46 percent of likely voters said they would choose Clinton and 44 percent would back Trump, in a four-way race. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson was at 5 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 1 percent.
Kaine said that as he and Clinton have prepared for their debates, he has discussed with her “tone, and style, and how to effectively make your positive case.”
“What I expect to see her do tomorrow is certainly defend herself from what Trump may say but at the end of the day, paint this positive vision that really is what’s animating her to run for president,” Kaine said.
In regard to the narrowing gap between Clinton and Trump, Kaine said he believes the race is going to be tight until Election Day.
“I encouraged Hillary to run for president in April of 2014. And I told her, ‘Don’t believe any poll. You’re trying to do something that’s never been done. You’re the underdog till they call you the winner,'” he said. “So I think this thing’s going to be close right up to the end. We’ve got to make our case every day. The debates are a great way to do that.”