by Kevin Kelton

Show me that voter. Show me that guy who is now thinking, “Hm…I was going to vote for Hillary Clinton. I prefer her positions and her values, and I think she’d make a better president than Donald Trump. But now that she might be in less-than-perfect health, I think I have to vote for Trump. Because, should Hillary die in office, God forbid that Tim Kaine becomes president!”

Really? Do you really think that voting logic exists? I mean, sure, I guess in a country of 330 million people, there might be a handful of voters – even several dozen – who could come to that warped conclusion. Because any crazy thing you can think of will probably occur to some idiot someplace.

But really, does anyone in the news media or in politics really think that there is a treasure trove of leaning-Hillary voters out there who would have to toss a coin to decide whether to vote for Donald Trump or Tim Kaine?!

I think it’s just the opposite. I think that if, heaven forbid, Hillary Clinton were to use her health as a reason to withdraw from the 2016 campaign and Kaine got elevated to be the Democratic nominee for president, he’d wipe the floor with Trump.

Kaine, current Democratic senator and former governor of Virginia, is almost Hillary Clinton’s political doppelgänger. Their stances on major policy positions are identical. They are both experienced “establishment” candidates committed to extending the ACA, progressive tax reform, judicious but tough foreign policy that will defend our allies and interests abroad, smart trade deals, environmental protections, taking on the NRA, and appointing highly qualified liberal justices to the Supreme Court. And they both enjoy the confidence of President Obama and Vice President Biden.

The only thing about her that he lacks is her high disapproval numbers and issues of trust.

So who would look at those two men and think, “You know, I really liked Clinton more than Trump during the campaign, but now that she’s been elected and is too ill to serve, I really would’ve preferred Trump to Kaine.”

No one, that’s who.

Okay, maybe not no one. Maybe there’s a guy out there who really hated Tim Kaine in high school. Or maybe one of his many jilted lovers would object to seeing him ascend to the presidency. But then, would those people be planning to vote for him for vice president in the first place? I think not.

If anything, Kaine would probably bring some currently disaffected Gary Johnson and Jill Stein voters back to the Democratic ticket.

Come on, let’s get real here. This whole kerfuffle isn’t about whether Hillary Clinton is healthy enough to become president, or what would happen if a Vice President Tim Kaine ascended to the presidency. It’s not about her medical history or coughing fits or a pneumonia. And it’s not about her “transparency” over them, either.

It’s about finding fresh fodder to whip her with. The media and the GOP just love to beat up on Clintons, and with the email scandal fading fast, they are all salivating like Pavlov’s dogs at the chance to flog her over a new scandal de jour.

But it’s all, excuse my french, b.s. In an election between two polar opposites like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the longevity of the candidates is the very last issue that counts. Because I can guarantee you that 99.9999% of pro choice, pro voting rights, pro union, pro gay marriage, and pro civil liberties voters in this country would rather have a death-bedded Hillary Clinton or presidential successor Tim Kaine appoint Antonin Scalia’s replacement than Donald Trump at the peak of his physical prime.

Trump wants to build a wall between America and Mexico. We want to build a wall between Trump and the Oval Office. And if that wall is Tim Kaine, we are absolutely fine with that.

Kevin Kelton is the co-host of the “A More Perfect Union” podcast and founder of the Facebook political debate group, Open Fire.

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