In the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical about presidential politics “Of Thee I Sing,” one of the funniest running gags is how the fictional vice-presidential candidate, Alexander Throttlebottom, is so unimportant that nobody can quite remember his name. Even when he shows up for a meeting with the top of the ticket and campaign advisers, he goes unrecognized. This was in 1932, decades before Lyndon Baines Johnson was famously told that the job of vice president wasn’t worth a “bucket of warm piss” — only to find out differently after John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. When vice presidents are used as a window dressing or perhaps to attend the funerals of foreign dignitaries or cut ribbons on big tax-funded public works projects, they can seem inconsequential. Yet history shows all that can change in a heartbeat.

On Tuesday evening in New York City, U.S. Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Republican and Democratic vice presidential picks, respectively, square off for a 90-minute debate hosted by CBS. Americans ought to pay close attention. While VP debates past have been notable mostly for gaffes and put-downs (Admiral James Stockdale’s puzzling opener of “Who am I? Why am I here?” in 1992 comes to mind as does Lloyd Bentsen’s withering “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy” directed at Dan Quayle in 1988), the circumstances in 2024 are markedly different. Two recent assassination attempts directed at former President Donald Trump, the fact the Republican nominee is 78 years old (already beyond the average male life expectancy of 74.8 years for U.S. men), and how Vice President Kamala Harris essentially succeeded Joe Biden in July when he announced he would not run again make that point. And then there’s also the matter of how Harris and Trump are not expected to debate again — the Democrat’s slam-dunk win in their first foray in Philadelphia on Sept. 10 having seemingly closed the door on a rematch.

Walz and Vance will arrive in the Big Apple with some baggage, of course. Vance has stirred the pot with past remarks about “childless cat ladies,” about abortion (that it isn’t acceptable even in cases of rape or incest), that he once referred to his running mate as “America’s Hitler” and, most recently, that he agrees with Trump’s assessment that vice presidential candidates don’t matter much. Walz has chiefly been criticized for how he has described his military service (or at least failed to correct how others have described it). One expects that on the debate stage, Walz will at some point refer to his GOP opponents as “weird,” a favored putdown, and Vance will characterize Walz and Harris as socialists or perhaps communists or Marxists to continue a well-worn campaign theme. None of this will likely prove enlightening.

Instead, what we would hope to hear from the two men is how they are prepared to assume, if circumstances warrant, the most powerful office in the nation. Regurgitating campaign talking points is one thing, but Americans need to know that one or the other is prepared to deal with the myriad responsibilities of the office. Do they have a good grasp of the issues? Can they work with others? Do they have a vision for the future? And do they have the interpersonal skills to lead? Moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan may provide some fact-checking, but they won’t be in a position to provide character-checking. That’s up for the viewers to assess. And it’s not hard to appreciate the importance of that quality given the challenges this nation faces from climate change (and climate-change deniers) to inflation, affordable health care, gun violence, immigration and drug addiction.

Will the VP candidates swing the vote? It’s not difficult to imagine a scenario where that happens. This election looks to be that close. And if it comes down to a handful of swing states — which is exactly where it may be headed — those cat ladies may make the difference or it might be energized MAGA supporters who are comforted by the Ohio senator’s far-right views, even as Trump seems interested in softening some of his. Or maybe it will be women rallying behind the historic Harris-Walz ticket who feel their personal freedoms threatened by what a second Trump term could mean for a U.S. Supreme Court already dominated by conservative appointees.

No, we can’t promise any music or jokes like a Broadway show, but as New York theatrical experiences go, it’s likely to prove entertaining and, hopefully, enlightening.