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

[politics_king]

If Biden chooses someone who's
1. NOT a racial/ethnic minority (like Harris, Rice, Demings, Duckworth, etc.)
2. NOT Elizabeth Warren

then who are the top 3 most likely?

Tammy Baldwin
Gretchen Whitmer
Gina Raimondo?

[politics_king]

Looks like Biden could once again end up sharing a ticket with a minority 4-year senator from Illinois, who lived in Hawaii and Southeast Asia, and would be the target of birtherism.

I see what you did there. lol

[politics_king]

Election Betting Odds have Rice and Duckworth trending upward and Kamala downward.

[politics_king]

Election Betting Odds have Rice and  worth trending upward and Kamala downward.

You should probably not buy Rice at that ridiculous price.

Lol it's suppose to say and Duckworth* I modified it.

[politics_king]

This is definitely not the hill to die on if I'm the Trump, Tucker & the GOP. They'll look foolish trying to attack her.

[politics_king]

Duckworth just seems like such the no-brainer pick. Much like Biden, it'll be hard to get the country to viscerally hate her. The same can't be said for Warren, Harris, or Rice, for obvious reasons.

Yep. Warren, Rice and to a lesser extent Harris will absolutely blow up FOX News on a nightly basis.

I could be wrong here but Harris should be able to swipe away any questions raised about her record as an attorney in the public space, Susan Rice really only has Benghazi and that wasn't her fault and I honestly think it would backfire on the GOP trying to harp on Benghazi, because no one cares about that anymore and for Warren, I think she would embrace the fight that the GOP would try to slap to her. Though at this point I think Biden picks a woman of color so you're down to Harris, Rice, Duckworth, Demings & Grisham really. I'm sure you could still float the Abrams & Bass' of the world but I think they could possibly snag an Administration job.

[politics_king]

Well after seeing Biden's speech today, he seemed to be leaning heavily into a Populist message and I think that will really hinder who he's going to pick for VP. This is a big month for the ones in contention to become the VP nominee. Things change week by week.

[politics_king]

Though at this point I think Biden picks a woman of color so you're down to Harris, Rice, Duckworth, Demings & Grisham really. I'm sure you could still float the Abrams & Bass' of the world but I think they could possibly snag an Administration job.

What about KLB? She seems more likely than Grisham, Bass and Abrams at least.

I forgot to add her. KLB is who I hoped he picked but I think she's lost all momentum. I still have a gut feeling he's going to pick Susan Rice.

[politics_king]

Though at this point I think Biden picks a woman of color so you're down to Harris, Rice, Duckworth, Demings & Grisham really. I'm sure you could still float the Abrams & Bass' of the world but I think they could possibly snag an Administration job.

What about KLB? She seems more likely than Grisham, Bass and Abrams at least.

I forgot to add her. KLB is who I hoped he picked but I think she's lost all momentum. I still have a gut feeling he's going to pick Susan Rice.

I hope Biden does not get blindsided by loyalty. She would be a diasterous pick.

I completely disagree. People keep saying they'll trash her for Benghazi, people don't care about Benghazi and especially the Black community could give a crap about Benghazi. If the GOP try to drum that up, it'll fall on deaf ears as the Trump Administration just lies about everything and Hillary Clinton was cleared of any wrong doing. The "Meh... What about her e-mail's though?!" wouldn't stick to Susan Rice either. Also, the working relationship with her and Biden is well documented and I think he'll be most comfortable with her by his side.

Kamala is the clear favorite to win the nomination and she'll be a great pick and I think the West Coast would be excited since Reagan was the last west coast politician to be held to such a high position in government. I think Duckworth would be a great choice as well, Warren would be a great choice, Demings would be a great choice since she's from a swing state and I don't think her Police Chief record would hurt her unless they found something in the vetting process and KLB is my choice but I don't see it happening but I think she could really win over swing voters for being a straight shooter.

Overall, unlike most people on this board, I don't think Biden could make the wrong choice right now. Even Grisham I think would be a great pick at this point. I trust the Biden team will pick who they think will work best with them and who is most ready for the job. That's why I think Susan Rice will be picked and she's done pretty good interviews with no gaffes so far except with the Far Left about the Draft, which is dumb. I support using the draft in the most extreme circumstance, I mean other countries mandate that you do 2 years of military service anyways, so I don't want to hear from the Far Left that it's UnAmerican, its quite the opposite.

[politics_king]

Election Betting Odds has Kamala at 38%, Susan Rice at 17%, Duckworth at 13% and Demings close to 8%.

They also have the Senate flipping to the Democrats with a 52-48 majority.

[politics_king]

I think the promise to pick a woman might be a mistake cause honestly there are so many better choices that are men. And the women who would be good picks he clearly doesn’t want to pick.

Rice - Good in office but awful campaigner
Harris - She seems good but there’s baggage there
Warren - Too polarizing. Would scare off moderate GOP voters
Duckworth: I think this would be a disaster. They’re looking at the combat vet angle and nothing else.

I’m convinced Whitner would be the best choice but hey what do I know

If there's a critical mistake, it's this. There are plenty of women who could be strong VP candidates but most aren't being considered. I don't see how this problem would be much better if men were also in the mix.

Which women do you want him to pick that he isn't considering?

I don't know who he isn't considering, but the apparent non-vetting of Hilda Solis seems like a mistake and we don't hear much about e.g. Baldwin compared to Demings. I should revise my point - it's not that the best candidates aren't being considered, but that it seems they aren't being considered nearly as seriously as some really flawed ones.

Problem with Baldwin is the way the Senate is set up. We can't afford to lose her seat. If her seat wasn't as crucial she'd be my #1 choice.

Solis is another one I don't get why they're not looking at closer if people like Demings are though. Minority working-class female who's on the progressive side on the party? That sounds like a great fit.

The Governor of Wisconsin is a Democrat though and by current projections, the Senate is going to flip.

As for Hilda Solid, she would be an interesting pick but maybe she has her eyes on being Mayor of Los Angeles.

[politics_king]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/16/politics/biden-kamala-harris-2020-vp-keisha-lance-bottoms-elizabeth-warren/index.html

It's been a minute since this weekly article has come out, but I always find it interesting, it's changed somewhat and there's a major slip for Elizabeth Warren in this ranking system. But this is just an opinion piece so we always take it for a grain of salt.

Top 5
1.) Kamala Harris
2.) Keisha Lance Bottoms
3.) Susan Rice
4.) Tammy Duckworth
5.) Michelle Lujan Grisham

[politics_king]

I love Warren and strongly dislike Harris, but if I’m being honest, I kind of think taking either one of them runs the risk of overshadowing Joe. Thinking with my head instead of my heart they should be a three person Battle between rice, Duckworth, and bass. All three are acceptable to Lincoln project types, but have no obvious baggage with the left wing. All three unquestionably confident and ready to step in to the presidency but at the same time it still keeps the race about a binary choice between Trump and Joe.

Susan Rice would be huge gift to the right. She is easy to smear. If you look closely she has lot of baggage. On top of that she has never held elected office.

Honestly I don't see it. What's the baggage? Her son? Any of these women will be fine as VP. They're not gonna make it break the Biden campaign. None of these candidates are Sarah Palin.

[politics_king]

I'm sure the focus will be on the Senate & House to pass a new stimulus package in the next week or two. That should be the priority as it's crazy they're waiting to the last possible moment.

[politics_king]

Well you don't only lump Elizabeth Warren into this, you have to add Tammy Duckworth and Michelle Lujan Grisham as non-Black women that he's looking into. But, like I've said, who ever Joe Biden chooses as his running mate I will support them 100%. He's been running a great campaign and I really just want to get to November so we can vote Trump out of office and get towards the end of January to be finally over this nonsense.

[politics_king]

Election Betting Odds have Harris at 36%, Rice at 25%, Duckworth at 10%, Warren at 7% and Demings at 6%. Harris over the last couple weeks has dropped over 10% when she was pushing 50%. She will be on The Reid Out today at 7ET/4PT, usually these pundit shows are auditions for messaging. Duckworth did CNN this afternoon and did well.

I think you keep an eye on Bass because she's doing a lot of the Zoom Fundraising, I definitely think she'll get a Cabinet position. Like I continue to say, I'll be happy with whoever he chooses, but I still think he'll choose Susan Rice if this is really a ready to step in on Day One choice. I also continue to believe that Benghazi is overblown for Susan Rice, no one has still been able to mention any of the other "skeleton's" in her closet.

[politics_king]

Trump literally just said last week, "I don't care what the Military thinks." Literally said that. Now he's using Federal Agents to push his agenda. The fact that the DHS is going along with this will only empower Trump to try crazier things. Stephen Miller must be loving what's going on.

[politics_king]

After thinking about it a bunch I really think Duckworth is the best choice to be vp Harris just seems like a huge mistake the more I think about it with Duckworth their is literally no downside

No Susan Rice is the only big mistake. Can't believe the hype she is getting lately.

I'm still waiting on why she would be a big mistake. I only hear, Benghazi! Like that's a real political issue and she wasn't Secretary of State when it happened.

[politics_king]

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

Top 5

1.) Kamala Harris
2.) Keisha Lance Bottoms
3.) Susan Rice
4.) Tammy Duckworth
5.) Elizabeth Warren

My pick has still been KLB this whole time for who I would choose, I'm surprised she's still high up there on this particular list.

[politics_king]

Where’s all this Karen Bass hate coming from? She’s more qualified than Demings and KLB, yet a lot of the posters pushing those 2 are tearing her down.

She's older than those two. In the end, age is a big negative to some people, especially if Biden is looking for a potential successor.

Karen Bass went on to say she wouldn't seek the Presidency if she became VP. You could have an open door in 2024 again, I think Biden is seriously considering two-terms if he feels up to it and wins two elections.

[politics_king]

The Post still has Warren as the best non-Harris pick:

https://twitter.com/cliftonicwater/status/1286659160046571520

I'd like to add it's not just about what percentage of people say they'll support Biden, but enthusiasm for the ticket from those who supported a more progressive candidate and how genuine Biden's policy proposals (in which there are things for progressives to like) are seen. With Warren on the ticket, it definitely adds credibility to the notion that he'll actually try to do the things he lists.

Honestly, it sounds like Biden is really going to put Warren at least in his cabinet. If he does pick Karen Bass to really bring the whole party together that's good. If he picks Kamala Harris, that's a great pick too, she's really been pushing more progressive bills while being a Senator. Susan Rice will be a good pick, even though everyone thinks Benghazi would somehow become a campaign issue. I'm still in the KLB camp, but I think she'll end up being a cabinet pick. Just reading the bickering around here is crazy and the Bernie Bros list is ridiculous but that's what hardcore fanatics are like.

[politics_king]

The Post still has Warren as the best non-Harris pick:

https://twitter.com/cliftonicwater/status/1286659160046571520
I'd like to add it's not just about what percentage of people say they'll support Biden, but enthusiasm for the ticket from those who supported a more progressive candidate and how genuine Biden's policy proposals (in which there are things for progressives to like) are seen. With Warren on the ticket, it definitely adds credibility to the notion that he'll actually try to do the things he lists.

Honestly, it sounds like Biden is really going to put Warren at least in his cabinet. If he does pick Karen Bass to really bring the whole party together that's good. If he picks Kamala Harris, that's a great pick too, she's really been pushing more progressive bills while being a Senator. Susan Rice will be a good pick, even though everyone thinks Benghazi would somehow become a campaign issue. I'm still in the KLB camp, but I think she'll end up being a cabinet pick. Just reading the bickering around here is crazy and the Bernie Bros list is ridiculous but that's what hardcore fanatics are like.

Something tells me KLB has her eyes on the Governorship in 2 years.

She has a lot of options, run for a 2nd term for Mayor, run for Governor or run for the Senate in 2022. I don't think she'll get the VP nod, though a cabinet position could be interesting for her. Let's say she runs for Governor and wins then along with the Dems having more Governors than the GOP, I could see her as the Head of the NGA if she was elected Governor of Georgia.

[politics_king]

KLB would be very smart to aim for GA-GOV

Abrams is getting another shot at GA-GOV in 2022. KLB should go for GA-AG.

I think Abrams would be a great Senate pick. She'll definitely energize the down ballot selections voters.

[politics_king]

I'm going to assume he's down to a Final 4 of Harris, Rice, Warren & Bass. They'll probably start the interview process tomorrow with each person and then make a decision over the weekend. Might lay low too while the Senate & House have a tug-of-war over the Phase 4 package which should be done this week if the Senate can get their heads out of their collective butts.

[politics_king]

I wonder whether Joe Biden will ask Obama for his advice and private, and which recommendation he'd make? I would have to assume he'd like Kamala.

I personally think Obama would tell him to choose Susan Rice. At the end of the day, Biden has to go with his gut and who he wants to work with everyday.