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

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1263562668838879232

Given Klobuchar's history managing her Senate office, I'm not sure she'd be the best choice. Then again, she didn't face a lot of damaging attacks during the campaign, and she's definitely more ready to be President if something happened to Biden than say...Stacey Abrams (who apparently is openly campaigning to be VP). 

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/23/black-activists-joe-biden-amy-klobuchar-vice-president-275326

Amy Klobuchar performed abysmally among black voters in the Democratic primary. It’s haunting her now as Joe Biden decides on a running mate.

The Minnesota Democrat has the governing experience and ideological profile to mesh well with Biden, and she’s regularly appeared as a surrogate and a fundraiser for him, raking in more than $1.5 million for a single event she headlined. The pair have a warm relationship, trading phone calls when her husband was hospitalized with Covid-19 and they didn’t tangle publicly during primary.

But more than a dozen black and Latino strategists and activists warned in interviews that selecting Klobuchar would not help Biden excite black voters — and might have the opposite effect. Klobuchar would “risk losing the very base the Democrats need to win,” said Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, which promotes women of color in politics. They pointed to her poor performance among non-white voters during the presidential primary, as well as her record as a prosecutor in Minnesota.

It is currently unclear what impact activists will have on the vetting process.

I can think of several other reasons Klobuchar would be a bad running mate besides her policies as a District Attorney (Her treatment of Senate Staffers, her not being to the left of Biden politically, the fact that even though she's from Minnesota, she's less likely to be helpful in Michigan and Wisconsin than Gretchen Whitmer or Tammy Baldwin.)

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/24/democratic-vp-contender-val-demings-biden-black-voters-gaffe

Val Demings, a Democratic representative from Florida among contenders to be Joe Biden’s presidential running mate, has castigated Donald Trump for having the “gall and nerve” to use a gaffe by Biden as a weapon on the campaign trail.

Biden apologised on Friday, for saying that if African Americans “have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black”.

Does this attack/defense of Biden make Demings more or less likely to be Biden's running mate?

What are her liabilities in terms of winning a general election?

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1264557261021753344

The more I hear from Demings the more I like her she is going up on the people I would like to see as Biden's VP, she truly is an inspirational woman.

Young African Americans still wouldn’t be too keen on a literal cop being on the ticket. Well, young Americans period probably.

It really depends on her record. I'm not familiar with her time as the Orlando police chief, but if she pushed for reforms than I'd say being a literal cop would be an asset.

Being a police officer is no longer an asset in the Democratic Party as a whole. I wouldn't be shocked, if, assuming Demings isn't on the ticket, she gets a primary challenge from her left in 2022, from an anti-police activist.

[NewYorkExpress]

No Demings, Klobuchar, Abrams, Harris

Warren
Whitmer
Bottoms
Grisham
Quinn
Bustos

Should be the final shortlist. Period.

Uh who?

Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. She would be a good attack dog for Biden. The bottom line is that Biden is being smeared in a sense and he does not have the same physical energy he had in 2008 and 2012. Quinn would go dirty for his behalf and he needs an attack dog, Quinn can do that. Plus, a lesbian woman debating Pence would be poetic justice.

As much I think Christine Quinn would be an interesting choice...if Biden really wants an NYC politician, he should just pick De Blasio.

[NewYorkExpress]

No Demings, Klobuchar, Abrams, Harris

Warren
Whitmer
Bottoms
Grisham
Quinn
Bustos

Should be the final shortlist. Period.

Uh who?

Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. She would be a good attack dog for Biden. The bottom line is that Biden is being smeared in a sense and he does not have the same physical energy he had in 2008 and 2012. Quinn would go dirty for his behalf and he needs an attack dog, Quinn can do that. Plus, a lesbian woman debating Pence would be poetic justice.

As much I think Christine Quinn would be an interesting choice...if Biden really wants an NYC politician, he should just pick De Blasio.

Quinn is a brawler. She should have been mayor, not de Blasio. I like her personality. She would slam Trump everyday. I think she would play well in the Midwest. Who cares if she is lesbian? She is a brawler, now is not the time for Nicey Nice, this is war and Trump needs to be taken down to blows.

Being or not being a Lesbian has nothing to with it (and besides, if Biden wants to go there, Tammy Baldwin is the better choice). De Blasio has executive experience as Mayor of NYC, and he checks off a lot of boxes that progressives will look for in a running mate.

The only New Yorkers that would be better suited to being on the ticket with Biden are Gillibrand and Cuomo (and Biden wants to reach a bit, Kathleen Rice.)

[NewYorkExpress]

Guys don’t feed the troll.

Who are you accusing with that, Bronz or me?

No Demings, Klobuchar, Abrams, Harris

Warren
Whitmer
Bottoms
Grisham
Quinn
Bustos

Should be the final shortlist. Period.

Uh who?

Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. She would be a good attack dog for Biden. The bottom line is that Biden is being smeared in a sense and he does not have the same physical energy he had in 2008 and 2012. Quinn would go dirty for his behalf and he needs an attack dog, Quinn can do that. Plus, a lesbian woman debating Pence would be poetic justice.

As much I think Christine Quinn would be an interesting choice...if Biden really wants an NYC politician, he should just pick De Blasio.

Quinn is a brawler. She should have been mayor, not de Blasio. I like her personality. She would slam Trump everyday. I think she would play well in the Midwest. Who cares if she is lesbian? She is a brawler, now is not the time for Nicey Nice, this is war and Trump needs to be taken down to blows.

Being or not being a Lesbian has nothing to with it (and besides, if Biden wants to go there, Tammy Baldwin is the better choice). De Blasio has executive experience as Mayor of NYC, and he checks off a lot of boxes that progressives will look for in a running mate.

The only New Yorkers that would be better suited to being on the ticket with Biden are Gillibrand and Cuomo (and Biden wants to reach a bit, Kathleen Rice.)

Kathleen Rice is the former DA of Nassau County. I don't think that would vibe well.

Rice wouldn't be any worse of a pick than Kamala Harris (former DA of San Francisco, California Attorney General).

[NewYorkExpress]

Bronz.

Thanks for the clarification.

[NewYorkExpress]

This is not new, but in his interview with Dana Bash Biden reiterated the qualities he is looking for:

"I think the two most important things are you got to pick someone who's compatible with you, both in terms of your style -- and my style and Barack's (were) very different, but they were compatible, they work with one another -- and someone who in fact, you would want to be the last person in the room when you're making a tough decision," he said.

He also said he wanted to select someone "who will be loyal in the sense that whatever disagreements you have are between you and the president at that moment."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/26/politics/joe-biden-vice-presidential-search/index.html

Also from that interview, he says that the search committee has already interviewed "a lot" of the prospective candidates, and that they come from "every part of the country":

"There are women of color under consideration, and they're women from every part of the country -- so a lot of really qualified women that are ready to be president," the former vice president told CNN's Dana Bash, his first in-person sit-down interview since being sidelined from campaigning in March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He said the four-person group he appointed to vet potential running-mates -- former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, Delaware Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and longtime Biden aide Cynthia C. Hogan -- has "interviewed a lot of these people already." He did not say who had been interviewed.

Notice how Biden says „President“.

This means A) he’s stepping down during his term, or B) he’ll only serve one term.

Alternatively, Biden wants whoever his VP is to be as prepared as possible in case something happens to him in either term one or term two. Remember, he is pushing eighty already, and he hasn't actually said he'll serve only one term.

[NewYorkExpress]

If only Barbara Lee were a few years younger.

Barbara Lee is four years younger than Biden. That's maybe a year or two too old for VP consideration.

That said, I could easily see her as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development or Secretary of Transportation in a Biden Administration.

[NewYorkExpress]

Warren helps Biden the most (name recognition poll):

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=375486.0

Biden won't be picking a running mate based on name recognition.

I think Kamala Harris and Tammy Duckworth are the fronttrunners.

[NewYorkExpress]

No way Raimondo is being considered.

I agree. I honestly have no clue how she won reelection, to be frank.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/499936-top-democratic-pollster-advised-biden-campaign-to-pick-warren-as-vp

One of the Democratic Party’s top pollsters gave a presentation to senior members of former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign earlier this month making the case that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) would provide the most upside as Biden’s running mate.

Stanley Greenberg, who advised the presidential campaigns of both former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore, presented a 14-deck slide to the Biden campaign detailing how the likely Democratic nominee needs to grow his support among young people and Democrats who did not support him during the primary.

I think Warren's unlikely in the sense that she'd overshadow Biden, but maybe Massachusetts is the place to go. How would you feel about putting Ed Markey on the ticket?

[NewYorkExpress]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/499936-top-democratic-pollster-advised-biden-campaign-to-pick-warren-as-vp

One of the Democratic Party’s top pollsters gave a presentation to senior members of former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign earlier this month making the case that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) would provide the most upside as Biden’s running mate.

Stanley Greenberg, who advised the presidential campaigns of both former President Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore, presented a 14-deck slide to the Biden campaign detailing how the likely Democratic nominee needs to grow his support among young people and Democrats who did not support him during the primary.

I think Warren's unlikely in the sense that she'd overshadow Biden, but maybe Massachusetts is the place to go. How would you feel about putting Ed Markey on the ticket?

Um, being from Massachusetts isn't the reason Warren is a good pick. so Markey as a compromise pick makes no sense.

Markey is boring old and white and a man

He's also 73, almost certainly not going to run in his own right in 2024/2028, clearing the way for a younger progressive (who probably will be female) like AOC or Ayanna Pressley.

[NewYorkExpress]

The Unexpected Case for a Susan Rice Vice Presidency

Joe Biden’s concern about the national-security impact of the coronavirus has led him to weigh picking the Obama-administration national security adviser Susan Rice as his running mate, according to several people who’ve spoken privately with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in recent weeks.

Rice is well known in Washington, but has a much lower national profile than most of the other women being considered, and comes with few conventional political upsides. She isn’t particularly likely to be selected, people inside the campaign say (some who have spoken about her with Biden see her as a more likely pick for secretary of defense or secretary of state), and Rice has told confidants that she knows that.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/05/biden-vice-president-susan-rice/612115/

Two Obama Administration officials on the ticket would probably turn off Independents, and in any event, if Biden were to pick any Obama cabinet member, I'd rather he pick either Hilda Solis or Julian Castro.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/08/biden-veep-search-304854

Wide-scale protests that have exposed deep racial tensions across the nation in the last two weeks are reshaping the contours of Joe Biden’s search for a vice presidential pick, sharpening the focus on an African American woman as his running mate and elevating the prospects of several candidates once viewed as longshots.

The campaign sees the outpouring of anger and emotion in the wake of George Floyd’s death as a watershed moment that has made the issue of a black running mate a top consideration, two sources familiar with the internal discussions say.


In the last week alone, two prospects who were initially not considered among the top tier contenders have suddenly burst into contention: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings.

[NewYorkExpress]

I wish Gillibrand were in the running.

Gillibrand actually would be a good pick, race aside, and I'd back her as VP.

[NewYorkExpress]

Biden said in 2008 that Obama was unprepared and that "the presidency is not something that lends itself to on the job training". Out of all the silly criticism of Harris the debate attack one takes the cake.

And at as it turned out Biden got to have his cake and eat it too. Obama picked him for VP, and he basically got proven right (largely thanks to the Republican Congress-if Obama had a Democratic Congress for eight years, we might be talking about one of the best post World War Two Presidents ever.)

[NewYorkExpress]

Karen Bass wouldn't be a bad pick, but Kamala Harris would be better in terms of winning the election (and if Biden wants a current/former Southern California Congressperson, Hilda Solis would also be a better VP pick.)

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/sen-tammy-baldwin-certainly-would-be-biden-s-running-mate-n1232275

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., confirmed that she would serve as Joe Biden's running mate if the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee were to ask her.

During Baldwin's appearance on ABC's "The View" Thursday, co-host Whoopi Goldberg noted that “rumors are flying" that Baldwin has "been interviewed at length" to be Biden's vice presidential pick.

“Would you take it if it were offered? Does it scare you at all?” Goldberg asked.

Baldwin was quick to definitively answer a question that has followed her for months: “If he were to ask me to be his running mate, I certainly would."

Is Tammy Baldwin being vetted?

Would she make a good running mate choice (just ignore the implications of her Senate seat, and focus on winning this election).

[NewYorkExpress]

Duckworth makes a move.

The senator from Illinois, who lost both her legs as a helicopter pilot in Iraq and was awarded the Purple Heart, has placed a hold—Senate-speak for preventing a vote—on hundreds of military promotions, she told me. She’ll maintain that hold until she gets written confirmation from President Donald Trump’s defense secretary, Mark Esper, that he won’t block the anticipated promotion of Alexander Vindman, the lieutenant colonel who testified in the House hearings that led to Trump’s impeachment.

She should keep that hold up until Trump and Pence resign or until Biden is elected.

[NewYorkExpress]

KLB would be very smart to aim for GA-GOV

Bottoms isn't going to run against Stacey Abrams.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/23/politics/biden-vp-kamala-harris/index.html

CNN has been ranking the top contenders (in their opinion) for a while now.

Here's their current list:

10. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

9. Gov. Gina Raimondo (D-RI)

8. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA)

7. Rep. Val Demings (D-FL)

6. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)

5. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

4. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)

3. Fmr. Ambassador Susan Rice (D-ME?)

2. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D-GA)

1. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)

I think what's telling about this list is that Stacey Abrams, for example, is nowhere to be seen.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/27/kamala-harris-biden-vp-381829

When former Sen. Chris Dodd, a member of Joe Biden’s vice presidential search committee, recently asked Kamala Harris about her ambush on Biden in the first Democratic debate, Dodd was stunned by her response.

“She laughed and said, ‘that’s politics.’ She had no remorse,” Dodd told a longtime Biden supporter and donor, who relayed the exchange to POLITICO on condition of anonymity.




“Dodd felt it was a gimmick, that it was cheap,” the donor said. The person added that Dodd’s concerns about Harris were so deep that he's helped elevate California Rep. Karen Bass during the vetting process, urging Biden to pick her because “she’s a loyal No. 2. And that’s what Biden really wants.” Through an aide, Dodd declined to comment. Advisers to Harris also declined to comment.

....

Former high-ranking Democratic Party officials and elected officials have expressed concerns about her to the vetting committee in recent weeks, according to four sources who've spoken to the Biden vetting team.

The interviews for this article revealed a contingent of Democrats who are lobbying against Harris for VP — some privately, some openly. Several California Democrats who spoke to Biden's vetting team have shared glowing reviews of Bass, the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus and a former state Assembly speaker. Others touted Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who earned a Purple Heart in combat, and former national security adviser Susan Rice, whom they came to know though her connections to Stanford University in the Bay Area.

“I don’t think Kamala Harris has it in the bag,” said former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), reacting to the dozens of Democrats who believe Harris is the likely pick. Reid, who speaks frequently with Dodd, met with Harris recently and said he thinks highly of her.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/510128-kamala-harris-to-young-black-women-at-conference-i-want-you-to-be-ambitious

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who is in consideration to be former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate, appeared to respond to criticism that she was “too ambitious” on Friday while speaking to an audience of young Black women. 

"There will be a resistance to your ambition. There will be people who say to you, 'You are out of your lane,'" Harris said during a livestreamed conversation for the Black Women Lead 2020 conference, according to CNN.

"They are burdened by only having the capacity to see what has always been instead of what can be. But don't you let that burden you," she added. "I want you to be ambitious."

Sounds like an excellent message, should Biden follow through and pick Harris.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.npr.org/2020/08/03/897710253/police-reform-debate-elevates-black-caucus-chair-bass-profile-as-possible-vp-pic

NPR has a profile up on Bass, in reference to recent attempts by Democrats to write police reform legislation.