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

[brucejoel99]

The Veepstakes isnt like it once was, most candidates,  ran for Prez and failed and show no interest in being Veep. Harris brings no electability to the ticket, she is from Cali and hasnt served longer than 2 yrs to bring anything like foreign policy to the table. She would bring experience to a cabinet position, but Biden or Bernie would be best to pick Yates, whom is from GA

Read the room. Harris’s exit has had major impact on this race. Biden needs to choose her. There is no one that balances the ticket AND brings major press, attention, and a fervent fan base to Biden like Harris.

And stop name dropping Yates. She has no interest in electoral politics and has said this a million times.

It's olawakandi. Don't question it. Just accept it.

[brucejoel99]

He said he would, if he could think of any. This is more of a backhanded slap at the GOP than anything else.

Of course, many take that completely out-of-context with their deliberate distortions.

[brucejoel99]

He said he would, if he could think of any. This is more of a backhanded slap at the GOP than anything else.

Of course, many take that completely out-of-context with their deliberate distortions.

Don't forget this the same man who wants to save the Republican Party--I don't think others are the ones reading the wrong context into this.

If Biden was at least somewhat competent, which it's clear he isn't, he wouldn't validate these questions with an answer in the first place.

lol k

[brucejoel99]

He said he would, if he could think of any. This is more of a backhanded slap at the GOP than anything else.

Of course, many take that completely out-of-context with their deliberate distortions.

Don't forget this the same man who wants to save the Republican Party--I don't think others are the ones reading the wrong context into this.

If Biden was at least somewhat competent, which it's clear he isn't, he wouldn't validate these questions with an answer in the first place.

lol k

You know I'm right and you don't like it otherwise you'd have an actual response.

Your asinine statement didn't deserve an actual response, but okay, if you really want me to tell you just how stupid & foolish it is:

A. Wanting the Republicans to rehabilitate so that they're a loyal opposition party isn't a bad thing.

B. Political partisanship or hyperbole aside, Biden is the most competent primary candidate when it comes to their capabilities of being President. You know I'm right. You just don't like him. Big whoop; he's still the most qualified candidate running.

C. As has been pointed out to you in the Biden megathread by both myself & RFKFan68, it made complete sense for him to "validate this question with an answer in the first place." As I said in that thread, the answer he gave was the perfect answer to the question of "would you choose a Republican?" It allows him to look bipartisan while signalling that the GOP is bereft of statesmen. But okay, if you wanna keep attacking him just to attack him, then go off I guess.

[brucejoel99]

I asked this a couple of days ago and got no answers, so maybe this time I'll be more lucky.
Which exactly are Klobuchar's apostasies that make her a "moderate" and anathema to the left-wing of the party?

Her biggest flaws are being boring and not particularly intelligent.

As somebody who hopes that they're considered by their brethren to be a decent human being, I don't know how to express my disgust with this characterization. Jesus f**king christ.

[brucejoel99]

I asked this a couple of days ago and got no answers, so maybe this time I'll be more lucky.
Which exactly are Klobuchar's apostasies that make her a "moderate" and anathema to the left-wing of the party?

Her biggest flaws are being boring and not particularly intelligent.

As somebody who hopes that they're considered by their brethren to be a decent human being, I don't know how to express my disgust with this characterization. Jesus f**king christ.

She couldn't name the President of Mexico, something that 90% of this site could do. And as Pete pointed out, she sits on the very Committee that deals with trade and such. Klobuchar is a light weight, a paper tiger.

Oh, give me a break! You don't get to go to Yale & then Chicago Law before then rising to become a major metropolitan area's District Attorney, your state's U.S. Senator, & a major candidate for President of the United States if you're "not particularly intelligent," & you know what? I think you know that. But no, one bad brainfart on the scale of a misstep that literally anybody & everybody can make & has made from time to time & all of that's just negated. Obviously.

Next you're gonna tell me that Barack f**king Obama himself was "not particularly intelligent" because of that one time where he said there were 57 states.

[brucejoel99]

I asked this a couple of days ago and got no answers, so maybe this time I'll be more lucky.
Which exactly are Klobuchar's apostasies that make her a "moderate" and anathema to the left-wing of the party?

Her biggest flaws are being boring and not particularly intelligent.

As somebody who hopes that they're considered by their brethren to be a decent human being, I don't know how to express my disgust with this characterization. Jesus f**king christ.

She couldn't name the President of Mexico, something that 90% of this site could do. And as Pete pointed out, she sits on the very Committee that deals with trade and such. Klobuchar is a light weight, a paper tiger.

Oh, give me a break! You don't get to go to Yale & then Chicago Law before then rising to become a major metropolitan area's District Attorney, your state's U.S. Senator, & a major candidate for President of the United States if you're "not particularly intelligent," & you know what? I think you know that. But no, one bad brainfart on the scale of a misstep that literally anybody & everybody can make & has made from time to time & all of that's just negated. Obviously.

Next you're gonna tell me that Barack f**king Obama himself was "not particularly intelligent" because of that one time where he said there were 57 states.

Obama obviously meant 47, and got confused putting it in the context of going to all 50.

Klobuchar is not ready to be president. And if you're this comfortable with someone who knows so little about our neighbors, you're part of the problem.

Way to address the actual substance of what I said.

If you're comfortable with haranguing a professional woman about a mere brainfart like it was a war crime, then you're part of a much bigger problem.

[brucejoel99]

I asked this a couple of days ago and got no answers, so maybe this time I'll be more lucky.
Which exactly are Klobuchar's apostasies that make her a "moderate" and anathema to the left-wing of the party?

Her biggest flaws are being boring and not particularly intelligent.

As somebody who hopes that they're considered by their brethren to be a decent human being, I don't know how to express my disgust with this characterization. Jesus f**king christ.

She couldn't name the President of Mexico, something that 90% of this site could do. And as Pete pointed out, she sits on the very Committee that deals with trade and such. Klobuchar is a light weight, a paper tiger.

Oh, give me a break! You don't get to go to Yale & then Chicago Law before then rising to become a major metropolitan area's District Attorney, your state's U.S. Senator, & a major candidate for President of the United States if you're "not particularly intelligent," & you know what? I think you know that. But no, one bad brainfart on the scale of a misstep that literally anybody & everybody can make & has made from time to time & all of that's just negated. Obviously.

Next you're gonna tell me that Barack f**king Obama himself was "not particularly intelligent" because of that one time where he said there were 57 states.

Obama obviously meant 47, and got confused putting it in the context of going to all 50.

Klobuchar is not ready to be president. And if you're this comfortable with someone who knows so little about our neighbors, you're part of the problem.

Way to address the actual substance of what I said.

If you're comfortable with haranguing a professional woman about a mere brainfart like it was a war crime, then you're part of a much bigger problem.

It's not a brainfart, it's a geopolitical question mark and should be treated as such

You know, I could respond to that "geopolitical question mark" remark by asking you how you think she was even appointed to serve on the Border Security & Immigration subcommittee in the first place if she actually didn't have a more-than-general understanding of Mexico & our situation therein.

But I'm not gonna do that.

I'm just gonna say that you should keep telling yourself whatever you need to say in order to keep justifying the unjustifiable. Meanwhile, the rest of us decent & sane people will be focused on the stuff that actually matters.

[brucejoel99]

Here's what Demings said a few weeks ago when asked about her openness to being Biden's running mate:

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/03/08/congresswoman-val-demings-addresses-presidential-running-mate-rumors/

“It is particularly an honor for me that my name would be mentioned for such an important position,” she said. “Is it a job that I want? I’m not seeking out any position. I love being a member of Congress, but if asked, I would consider it an honor to serve my country in such a special way.”

I don't think Demings is gonna get it, but I think she'd be very good. She's obviously not super well-known as a congresswoman, but she clearly commands respect in the caucus & would be a strong part of such a historic ticket.

[brucejoel99]

Clyburn not a fan of Stacey Abrams as VP.

https://www.ft.com/content/bd88f5c4-6dbe-11ea-89df-41bea055720b

I ask whether Clyburn thinks Biden will pick Stacey Abrams, 46, the African-American former minority leader of the House in Georgia and rising Democratic star, as his running mate to help woo younger voters in November.

“I doubt it,” he says. “There’s something to be said for somebody who has been out there.”

Clyburn does want to see a black woman on the ticket, though. And some Democrats believe that Biden, who has vowed to pick a woman, will also be under heavy pressure to repay Clyburn for his critical endorsement.

Clyburn says there has been a lot of talk about Kamala Harris, the California senator who struggled in the Democratic primary. He says a “sleeper” in the race is Susan Rice, who served as national security adviser to Barack Obama. But he also stresses that “the bench of black women is much deeper than people think”.

While he believes Abrams does not have enough experience, he has his eyes on another Georgia politician. “There is a young lady right there in Georgia who I think would make a tremendous VP candidate, and that’s the mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms.”

TIL 10 years in city government makes one more qualified to be VP than 10 years in state government.

No doubt Abrams did or said (or more likely didn't do or didn't say) something that rubbed Clyburn the wrong way.

Yes, executive experience typically makes somebody more qualified for an executive position than non-executive experience.

[brucejoel99]

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/in-the-coronavirus-bunker-biden-thinking-a-lot-about-his-vp.html

What if we were locked in the coronavirus bunker 😳😳 & we were running mates 😳😲 haha jk 🤪🤣 ...unless...?

[brucejoel99]

Warren as Biden's VP makes a lot more sense than we initially realized. And if Biden's main concern is picking someone fit to do the job of President, her brand of competence is a strong reinforcement for that.

Yeah, there's a reason he promised her the vice presidency had he ran in 2016.

[brucejoel99]

Warren as Biden's VP makes a lot more sense than we initially realized. And if Biden's main concern is picking someone fit to do the job of President, her brand of competence is a strong reinforcement for that.

Yeah, there's a reason he promised her the vice presidency had he ran in 2016.

Wait, do you have a source on this?

Yes, from 2016.

[brucejoel99]

If it's Warren, she'll need to resign before the election so we can get a special election to replace her in time for the new (presumably Democratic, but who knows) senator to be sworn in in January.

My guess is that the MA legislature would quickly pass a bill mandating that the governor's appointment be of the same party as the resigning Senator in the event of Warren being picked.  And as the Democrats' hold super majorities in both houses there, they should be able to override a Baker veto.

Hopefully it further mandates that the Governor's appointment must be selected from a list of 3 prospective appointees submitted by the state party with which the outgoing Senator was affiliated (like in Hawaii & North Carolina) so that the Governor doesn't just appoint a Republican who says they're a 'Democrat.' In this case, it's Baker, so I don't actually believe he'd do something like that (unlike other Republican governors), but might as well be better safe than sorry.

[brucejoel99]

The criticism against black women that they are "cops" reminds me of 2007 when people were accusing Obama of not being "black enough".

And the criticism against Harris is every bit as stupid as the complaints against Obama were.

[brucejoel99]

538's discussion of the running mate choices: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/will-biden-choose-a-running-mate-based-on-electability-ideology-or-identity/.

TL;DR: they think it will be Harris.

And one can only hope that it's indeed her.

[brucejoel99]

538's discussion of the running mate choices: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/will-biden-choose-a-running-mate-based-on-electability-ideology-or-identity/.

TL;DR: they think it will be Harris.

I'm sure Bernie bros will be apoplectic reading that Harris is actually one of the most liberal senator.

Wait until you tell them that Bernie's literally worked with her on criminal justice reform in the Senate.

[brucejoel99]

The criticism against black women that they are "cops" reminds me of 2007 when people were accusing Obama of not being "black enough".

And the criticism against Harris is every bit as stupid as the complaints against Obama were.

Whether you like the criticism or not, it stuck with young black voters. And Demings was quite literally a police chief... so yeah, a cop.

And it's not a criticism against "black women", its a criticism against Demings and Harris. No one calls Maxine Waters, Ayanna Pressley, or Stacey Abrams cops. Law enforcement officers, be they DA's or police officers, are overwhelmingly unpopular among black voters under 30.

So while Harris and Demings may shore up old black people (an age group that already loves Biden and gave him the nomination in the first place over the objections of everyone else), they'll push younger ones further away.

It's an unnecessary risk when other potential VP's offer the same things Harris does without the downsides.

But it's still a stupid criticism that anybody with an iota of knowledge should be able to see through.

The AG under whom prison population fell became a "cop" that single-handedly started the mass-incarceration crisis. The woman who helped low-level drug offenders get jobs & educations became a racist who locked up black men for using pot. The woman who helped parents make sure their kids got to school became a Nazi who locked you up if your kid was late for class. The woman who helped homeowners get billions in relief from big banks became a corrupt puppet of Wall Street.

It's a stupid criticism, but a stark reminder that the left is just as vulnerable to misinformation as the right, & that makes me fear for the future of the left & the country as a whole.

[brucejoel99]

Why can't people just accept that Kamala Harris sucks and move on.

Because she doesn't.

[brucejoel99]

Why can't people just accept that Kamala Harris sucks and move on.

Because she doesn't.

She is very much a police statist and, more pragmatically, adds bugger all to Biden's ticket. If he wants to boost Black turnout, Abrams and even Booker are better bets (hypothetically in Booker's case, since I know Biden is going to pick a woman).

[brucejoel99]

Why can't people just accept that Kamala Harris sucks and move on.

Because she doesn't.

She is very much a police statist and, more pragmatically, adds bugger all to Biden's ticket. If he wants to boost Black turnout, Abrams and even Booker are better bets (hypothetically in Booker's case, since I know Biden is going to pick a woman).

What in the world makes you think Abrams and Booker would do any better than her with black turnout? I am so sick and tired of this Abrams obsession. She lost her only statewide race and has stated multiple times that she doesn't want to be Vice President.

Atlas seems to have a weird fetish for Abrams and hate boner for Harris and its just incredibly weird.

It's not just an Atlas thing, my guy. Nobody likes Harris, least of all the young voters Biden is going to need in November.

And Bruce, not gonna lie, I like your contributions a lot and agree with you 90% of the time, but rolling your eyes at me isn't a contribution, nor is it debate, nor is it changing my mind.

Anything I could legitimately contribute in response to what you said is stuff that I &/or other posters have said here time & time again. I'm not gonna repeat myself for the sake of just doing so. That's not debate, nor is it constructive. At least an eyeroll adequately expresses my thoughts/feelings rn.

[brucejoel99]

Biden says Whitmer is on his short list, and that the plan is to vet “between 6 and 10” candidates:

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/490570-biden-confirms-hes-considering-whitmer-for-vp

Biden, who has already vowed to tap a woman as his vice presidential pick, said Tuesday night he’s been considering Whitmer for the role for months, but that he is eyeing as many as 10 potential candidates.

“She made the list in my mind two months ago. There’s probably going to be a list, I’m in the process of, Brian, we’ll have it by mid-April, putting together an organization that will run the background checks…by the second or third week in April,” Biden told MSNBC host Brian Williams.

“I’ve thought about some of the women who I believe are ready to be president and I think I can work with and would be willing to work with me. It’s going to be somewhere between six and 10 of them.”

She wouldn't be a terrible pick in the classic mold of VPs: executive experience in a swing state, generally pretty popular, unlikely to take the spotlight from the candidate, but has a demonstrated track record of effectively criticizing the incumbent President. That being said, I think Michigan needs her for longer than 2 years.

If they pick her, I think it'd be a big signal that they're gonna make the COVID-19 response the focus of the campaign.

[brucejoel99]

I feel like people really understate the potential for Warren. He literally promised her the Vice Presidency in 2016 were he to run. That's obviously a significant indicator that Biden would be a-okay with somebody like Warren being his #2.

[brucejoel99]

I feel like people really understate the potential for Warren. He literally promised her the Vice Presidency in 2016 were he to run. That's obviously a significant indicator that Biden would be a-okay with somebody like Warren being his #2.

I don't see it. She has her own liabilities, and he really shouldn't be going with another septuagenerian.

Eh, I still think they'd definitely be a winning ticket, though. She'd energize the base with a progressive icon (or at the very least, if the fallout from her campaign's interactions with Bernie's is really that bad, somebody who's to the left of Biden) who'd probably get enough progressives excited enough to vote Biden come Election Day, they come across as very genuine & personable, & Biden's foreign policy/Washington expertise & Warren's economic knowledge would combine for a killer governing team post-election.

[brucejoel99]

Abrams says she'd be happy to serve as VP:

https://abc14news.com/2020/04/01/i-would-be-happy-to-serve-as-bidens-running-mate/

Wednesday on “MSNBC Live,” former Ga Democratic gubernatorial applicant Stacey Abrams addressed speculation she could be previous Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate.

Abrams explained she has not been in discussion with the Biden marketing campaign, but she is “very honored to be considered” and would be “happy to serve” with Biden. She also touted her working experience and how she has been an “effective leader.”

Yes, Stacey, we know.