Biden VP news megathread (pg 286 - been selected, announcement could be today)

[Rookie Yinzer]

It’s going to be a Senator. This is not the time to be tinkering and trying new stuff. Just pick Harris, CCM, or Duckworth and let’s go win this thing.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Harris has an ideology out of line with most moderates, far left on social issues but centrist on economics with a heavy dose of identity politics.

What is identity politics? Acknowledging the very real consequences of racism and racial bias?

But crickets when identity politics focuses on fake white moderates in that proverbial diner in Bumblef***, Wisconsin.

[Rookie Yinzer]

I think there is little evidence Harris makes a difference, you saw how bad her campaign was. Biden should just pick whoever he thinks will help him win and then govern. If his heart is Whitmer, go there.

Yes, because Biden made it a real race with Obama in 2008 and he had no choice but to pick him. Just say you don’t like Harris and stop implementing fake metrics that no VP from a successful campaign could meet themselves.

[Rookie Yinzer]

https://twitter.com/dilemmv2/status/1258495164932374528?s=20

I think there is little evidence Harris makes a difference, you saw how bad her campaign was. Biden should just pick whoever he thinks will help him win and then govern. If his heart is Whitmer, go there.

I think she does. Black Democrats do genuinely like her, and I think she would have established enough of a foothold had Biden not run. With a large portion of African-Americans already strongly behind Biden, she had to compete for the educated white vote in an incredibly oversaturated field. It wasn't a question of "Kamala is a cop" and more of "We like you, but we trust the safe option more".

The more I think about Harris, the more bullish I am about her value on the ticket. I still think Pressley would be a better option, but she would be a fine nominee. I agree that her campaign could have been better (she could drop her "I misheard" excuse), and I'm not even going to try to defend some of the gaffes she's made, but she definitely brings value to the ticket.

This is purely anecdotal, but my family were the quintessential Biden voters. They trusted & supported him because he was Obama’s VP, stuck with him throughout the fall and summer when he kept flopping in the debates, briefly switched to Bloomberg in the winter when Biden collapsed, and came back to him after South Carolina.

They neither trusted nor liked Kamala Harris. Her white husband (unjustly so) only added to their dislike of her. This idea that Kamala would help with black voters, who already overwhelmingly like and support Biden, is one of the dumbest ideas to come of this cycle.

You're right. What you said was purely anecdotal.

I get you want Harris on the ticket for “balance”, but all evidence so far points to her not being the best pick. She and Warren are both well-known yet Warren seems to outpoll her, among both Blacks and Democrats at-large.

Warren got more coverage than Harris and went on to compete in contests. Those polls are about name recognition and Harris is still within the margin of error. Warren is not going to move any Black votes. Y’all are looking at polls and data, I’m thinking about who has legitimacy to enter Black spaces, especially in this time of social distancing. We don’t have time for people who have been extremely white-centered trying to rally the Black vote in the 11th hour.

[Rookie Yinzer]

snip

He said most experienced in their respective fields. Hillary Clinton was more experienced than the scrubs who ran in 2016 by leaps and bounds.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Biden goes back fairly far with Whitmer...endorsed her back in 2018.

It’s really not going to be her and 18 months is not “fairly far” in comparison to the other more serious options.

[Rookie Yinzer]

https://twitter.com/DaryonnJackson/status/1259683134989316096?s=20

[Rookie Yinzer]

Also from the article, for the people hoping Jill Biden would block Kamala:

And friends of former second lady Jill Biden — who as recently as March described Harris’ attack as a “punch to the gut” — said they’ve mulled ways for her to telegraph that it wasn’t a deal breaker for the California senator’s chances, perhaps by sharing her posts on social media.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Kamala is within the margin of error with Warren and Abrams, one of which ran in two dozen contests and got 10 million votes and the other who has NEVER had a bad story ran about her in MSM.

Kamala is hanging in with them after having to exit in December and a year long smear campaign. Kamala is the strongest and most battle tested. Period.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Has anyone thought about Tulsi Gabbard for VP? Popular among Republicans, woman of color, great biography. I know she’s not liked by a lot of the party, but isn’t that kind of the point? She would bring the other side in without alienating the base.

The base, and I mean the volunteer base of the Democratic Party who will GOTV are Black women. We need to cater to them not weak kneed Republicans. Screw Tulsi.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Has anyone thought about Tulsi Gabbard for VP? Popular among Republicans, woman of color, great biography. I know she’s not liked by a lot of the party, but isn’t that kind of the point? She would bring the other side in without alienating the base.

The base, and I mean the volunteer base of the Democratic Party who will GOTV are Black women. We need to cater to them not weak kneed Republicans. Screw Tulsi.

We actually don’t need to cater to them. They got their choice of nominee already. Throw a bone to another important part of the party so we can have a united front.

Hmm. Biden won white voters in the Midwest and I’ve seen folks be persistent that it be a folksy, authentic, aw shucks, gee golly wow white woman from Winnetka, Minnesota so....

Kamala has experience turning out and serving constituencies of Black, AAPI, and Latino* people (*votes Biden struggled w/ in some states). Kamala should be the pick.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Polls show 80% of Dems don't care about the race or identity of the VP nominee. Just pick the best candidate!

Black turnout goes up with Black candidates. They may not "care" if the VP is Black but they'll be more motivated to vote if it is.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Someone go check on Stacey Abrams.

https://twitter.com/PhilipRucker/status/1260581705456500744?s=20

[Rookie Yinzer]

I don’t see any evidence that Harris has a special appeal with minority voters. I do see some evidence that Klobuchar has some special appeal to Midwesterners. Harris definitely has more baggage. Klobuchar also passes the “ready to take over on day one” test more than Harris although I think both have sufficient experience considering the low bar set by Trump and Obama. My money is on Harris being the choice because identity politics are so important right now but Klobuchar is better.

How is Harris identity politics and Klobuchar is not?

The term is thinly veiled racism and don’t even get me started on “the low bar set by Trump and Obama” FOH. Trump wishes he had the credentials Obama had when he took office.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Black voters were the most open in the primary to Harris, even if they didn't vote for her. Many were stuck and decided to go Biden b/c he was the safe choice.

Biden needs to turbo charge turnout among minorities and college+ whites, and Harris checks off those boxes. Klobuchar does not. There is more upside to turning out those two blocs than for Dems to try with Klob to turn over more working class whites.

And once again, Biden + Klob would be *TOO* white, and honestly a slap in the face to the black voters who helped Biden win the primary.

It’s funny when I see takes like “Blacks are already have their choice” “Biden has the Blacks” “We need to focus on white people in the Midwest”

1, Biden won the working class white vote in the primary. Why do they get to have a pick that doubles down on their vote but not the bloc that will give Dems 90 percent in the fall.

2, Black voters were with Biden because he presented himself as the one to win the white vote. If Biden can’t secure the white vote himself why the hell did we pick him?

3, Joe Biden does not have the Blacks. Congratulations to him for crushing it in the Southern primaries but y’all know that the Southern Black primary electorate is old and rural. We need high AA turnout in the cities and suburbs and among younger votes. If we’re looking at someone who can help with that AND be ready on day one that’s Kamala.... y’all swear she is hated by Black people but after a year long smear campaign her favorability is on par with Warren who competed in two dozen contests and got 10 million votes and Abrams who the media has had a non-stop love affair with for 18 months.

[Rookie Yinzer]

I find it a little disappointing Rep. Nanette Barragan is never mentioned as vice presidential hopeful, although she would be a pretty good pick.

Literally who and why? With everything being virtual we need someone with significant name rec and who can raise money. There's no wonder why Harris and Klobuchar are the most likely right now.

Biden wants to pick someone who he likes and knows can govern on day one. He's not about to rock the boat with someone who is not battle tested. I truly think he's going to pick one of the aforementioned ladies. This is not the election to pick someone who needs time to get their feet wet.

[Rookie Yinzer]

If you think Kamala is going to win over voters your deluded. She was the Scott Walker of 2020. She went down like a Led Zeppelin long before Biden's campaign was revitalized by South Carolina.

Sir, please believe me when I say I really don't care what you think. Her being picked is not for you.

[Rookie Yinzer]

If you think Kamala is going to win over voters your deluded. She was the Scott Walker of 2020. She went down like a Led Zeppelin long before Biden's campaign was revitalized by South Carolina.

Sir, please believe me when I say I really don't care what you think. Her being picked is not for you.

I, my family, and my friends are in the demographic that’s supposed to be “motivated” and “excited” by her selection.

None of us are. We don’t dislike her, but the idea that she’ll turn out black voters just by looking black isn’t a thing.

Ok. I’m just as Black as you, and know Black women in my family and friend group that want Kamala so I guess we’ll just have to see.

ETA: And Kamala doesn’t “look Black” she is Black.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Ro Khanna doubling down on Warren as the VP choice with an op-ed in the Boston Globe today, saying that by choosing her Biden can "channel FDR".

https://twitter.com/BostonGlobe/status/1262454665989566477?s=20

She will be a distraction. She is a hard no.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Whitmer is the best choice. She is very charismatic and focused on the issues that matter. Biden needs this from his VP and Warren is too toxic to the middle, Harris is just not focused on non-urban issues.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kamala-harris-introduces-senate-resolution-saying-phrase-wuhan-virus-is-anti-asian

We can't be playing this game in 2020, there is way too much at stake to worry about political correctness like this.

You’re cherry picking to make a point. She has also in recent weeks sponsored bills to keep track of the racial disparities of Coronavirus (because Black and Brown people dying disproportionately does matter), making sure we have safe elections through her VoteSafe Act, and ensuring individuals get $2,000 a month while this crisis continues. But Ok.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Her background with Willie Brown and getting political appointments while dating him is just not flattering.

Another bad faith criticism? You can just say Kamala is not your cup of tea and keep it moving. The smears and misrepresentation of her work in the Senate is unnecessary.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Twitter is a cesspool. Nothing surprising about Klobuchar being vetted. Biden would be stupid to put all his eggs in one basket.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Just thinking how MI and WI both have Black Lietutenant Governors. Whitmer and Evers didn't already have the Black vote locked up by virtue of being the Dem nominee? Why didn't they need a white running mate? Biden is performing stronger with whites and older voters than Clinton, meanwhile he's running behind Clinton with Black voters from this point in 2016 and a pick to engage Black voters is dismissed as not being necessary. Things that make you go hmmm...

[Rookie Yinzer]

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1264202931991085056?s=20

[Rookie Yinzer]

It's amazing to me the collective freak out that I've seen on social media about the Klobuchar thing. You'd think that Biden just announced yesterday that she WAS the official VP pick. People don't seem to understand what vetting means.

But as others have said, even before yesterday, I always thought he would pick a woman of color for the VP, and I still think Kamala is it. She just makes sense.

Kamala has as much baggage with the black community as Amy does though. Literally any other black woman would be better.

"Baggage" with black Twitter accounts =/= baggage with rank-and-file black voters.

I will keep saying it: After a year of smears and misinformation Kamala’s favorability is in the margin of error with Warren and Abrams, one who got 10 million votes and one who has never had a negative story ran about her outside of conservative media. I want someone who can take the hits, filet Trump and Pence, and make it look effortless. I’m with Kamala.

And: “HeR cAmpAiGn iMplOdEd” didn't 2008 Biden drop out after a sh!t-tastic Iowa performance? Let that fake reason against Kamala go.