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

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

Demings would be an excellent Homeland Security Secretary. HUD is a bit ridiculous.

[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.

[Mr. Morden]

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

Yeah, this is new.  Previously, the prospective veeps were saying some variation of "Maybe they're vetting me, but I don't know anything about it."  Now we're getting "I can't talk about it", which suggests that the Biden campaign is talking to the veep candidates candidates directly and so they and their teams know who they are.  Thus, there's increased probability of who's on the list getting leaked.

Anywhere, here are Harris's exact words:

https://twitter.com/tperry518/status/1258503633693483010

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

I heard the interview, she says she will do all she can to help Biden get elected but she prefers to be Senator and wont turn down Veep, its Warren, Pressley and Kennedy wants that Senate seat

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/politics/biden-vp-vice-president-kamala-harris-amy-klobuchar/index.html?utm_term=link&utm_content=2020-05-07T21%3A40%3A06&utm_source=fbCNNp&utm_medium=social

Warren moves up as Biden gets closer to naming Veepstakes

[lfromnj]

Why do people think Warren will be a strong VP,pick, there is  like no other incumbent Democrat who actually ran behind Hillary Clinton in 2018, she literally had the exact same margin as Klobuchar!

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Why do people think Warren will be a strong VP,pick, there is  like no other incumbent Democrat who actually ran behind Hillary Clinton in 2018, she literally had the exact same margin as Klobuchar!

She beat Scott Brown in 2012 and she was leading the field of candidates before Bloomberg came into the contest.

Rs and conservatives love to criticize Dems Veeps, but the last three R Veeps didnt have appeal beyond the R base: Quayle, Cheney and Pence, that's why Bush Sr lost, Bush Jr barely won and Trump is losing in 2020

[Ogre Mage]

https://twitter.com/tperry518/status/1258503633693483010

The vetting team was announced last week so it makes sense the process is moving into a new phase of the veepstakes.  I think everyone expected Harris to be vetted by Biden's team.  It will be interesting to see who else gives a shifting answer to this question.

[Holy Unifying Centrist]

Why do people think Warren will be a strong VP,pick, there is  like no other incumbent Democrat who actually ran behind Hillary Clinton in 2018, she literally had the exact same margin as Klobuchar!

She beat Scott Brown in 2012 and she was leading the field of candidates before Bloomberg came into the contest.

Rs and conservatives love to criticize Dems Veeps, but the last three R Veeps didnt have appeal beyond the R base: Quayle, Cheney and Pence, that's why Bush Sr lost, Bush Jr barely won and Trump is losing in 2020

Beating a republican in a state where Obama won by 30 is not an accomplishment

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Why do people think Warren will be a strong VP,pick, there is  like no other incumbent Democrat who actually ran behind Hillary Clinton in 2018, she literally had the exact same margin as Klobuchar!

She beat Scott Brown in 2012 and she was leading the field of candidates before Bloomberg came into the contest.

Rs and conservatives love to criticize Dems Veeps, but the last three R Veeps didnt have appeal beyond the R base: Quayle, Cheney and Pence, that's why Bush Sr lost, Bush Jr barely won and Trump is losing in 2020

Beating a republican in a state where Obama won by 30 is not an accomplishment

As I stated before she has much more appeal than Quayle, Cheney or Pence, Biden is leading Trump anyways and Pressley is quietly talking to Harris since if Warren is picked, they will be simultaneously serving in Senate together.

Harris wanted to be Prez not Veep and on AL Shapirons  show she denied wanting to be Veep

[morgieb]

Why do people think Warren will be a strong VP,pick, there is  like no other incumbent Democrat who actually ran behind Hillary Clinton in 2018, she literally had the exact same margin as Klobuchar!

I think the argument is that she'd win over a few Bernie holdouts and she'd make the best President out of those being considered.

Weighted against that is that she would turn off Independents and she'd hurt Senate control (even if only for a brief period). So it's very risky TSTL.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Why do people think Warren will be a strong VP,pick, there is  like no other incumbent Democrat who actually ran behind Hillary Clinton in 2018, she literally had the exact same margin as Klobuchar!

I think the argument is that she'd win over a few Bernie holdouts and she'd make the best President out of those being considered.

Weighted against that is that she would turn off Independents and she'd hurt Senate control (even if only for a brief period). So it's very risky TSTL.

Dems arent concerned about what conservatives think about Warren, Quayle, Pence and Cheney doesnt outreach to anyone, they cant pick our Veeps. Warren was ahead in the primary before Bloomberg jumped into race. As far as Senate control, Dems lead in AZ, CO, KS, ME, MT and NC and GA, IA and SC are possible

[Mr. Morden]

Biden says that Demings is one of "close to a dozen" women who are "on the list":

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/496717-biden-says-ex-house-impeachment-manager-val-demings-among-potential-vp

Former Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) was on his list of potential running mates.

“She is one of a group of close to a dozen really qualified and talented women who are, are on the list," Biden told WFTV in Orlando. "We are just beginning the process."
.
.
.
Demings told MSNBC on Wednesday that she would be honored to serve as Biden's vice presidential pick.

"If asked, I would be honored to serve alongside Joe Biden and do everything in my power to get this country back on track, not just here in the nation, but around the world,'' she said.

[Mr. Morden]

The video of Biden's comments on Demings can be found here (skip to the 1 minute mark or so):

https://www.wftv.com/news/politics/tonight-exclusive-sit-down-conversation-with-presidential-candidate-joe-biden/B2CQH34M5ZGLRPB6IO5Z2XCY7I/

He says that "the background checks" on all the VP candidates will take about 6 to 8 weeks.

[OneJ]

If we're going to talk about Warren's electoral track record then it's only fair to bring up Harris' as in 2010 she only defeated the Republican by 0.8%.

Regardless, talk about who'd be a good running mate based on their electoral record isn't really helpful since voters aren't going to vote for the running mate, but instead are voting for whoever's at the top of the ticket.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

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.

My point is we don’t NEED a vp to “rally the Black vote” or “enter Black spaces”. Biden is already well-liked and trusted among older and female Black voters, and Obama on the trail helps with both those groups and younger Black voters. The main arguments for Kamala and Abrams have been them shoring up a group of voters that don’t need shoring up.

He needs to focus on picking someone who’d make a competent president, an effective governing partner, and a good debater. Harris and Warren both fit this criteria, but Warren has the added benefit of *maybe* helping with the left and being old enough not to be seen as front runner in 2024 (which is a major boost in my eyes).

I know Biden probably wants to choose a successor, but I don’t think most Democrats want him to. He got the nomination this time because we faced an existential threat and needed him as a caretaker President. We’re not electing him to shape the party in his image.

[Ogre Mage]

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.

My point is we don’t NEED a vp to “rally the Black vote” or “enter Black spaces”. Biden is already well-liked and trusted among older and female Black voters, and Obama on the trail helps with both those groups and younger Black voters. The main arguments for Kamala and Abrams have been them shoring up a group of voters that don’t need shoring up.

He needs to focus on picking someone who’d make a competent president, an effective governing partner, and a good debater. Harris and Warren both fit this criteria, but Warren has the added benefit of *maybe* helping with the left and being old enough not to be seen as front runner in 2024 (which is a major boost in my eyes).

I know Biden probably wants to choose a successor, but I don’t think most Democrats want him to. He got the nomination this time because we faced an existential threat and needed him as a caretaker President. We’re not electing him to shape the party in his image.

I think almost all Democrats want to defeat Trump and hold the White House.  If that means picking a VP who is likely to run for president in the future, so be it. 

[Landslide Lyndon]

When Obama picked Biden everyone thought that he was too old to ever run for president again.
And yet here we are.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

When Obama picked Biden everyone thought that he was too old to ever run for president again.
And yet here we are.

And we’re not necessarily better off. Biden and Bernie effectively shut out every other candidate in the race. We’ll not have had anything near a wide-open primary in 16 years come 2024. I’d prefer a candidate secure the nomination on their own strengths (Obama ‘08, Clinton ‘92) than on de-facto incumbency (Gore ‘00, Clinton ‘16, Biden ‘20).

[CellarDoor]

When Obama picked Biden everyone thought that he was too old to ever run for president again.
And yet here we are.

And we’re not necessarily better off. Biden and Bernie effectively shut out every other candidate in the race. We’ll not have had anything near a wide-open primary in 16 years come 2024. I’d prefer a candidate secure the nomination on their own strengths (Obama ‘08, Clinton ‘92) than on de-facto incumbency (Gore ‘00, Clinton ‘16, Biden ‘20).

You can call it de-facto if you want, but the three candidates listed (Gore, Clinton, Biden) were also the most experienced candidates in their respective fields.  Like it or not, experience is a strength. 

[Ogre Mage]

If Biden wins the next four years will also be an opportunity to evaluate the performance of whomever the Vice President is.  President Biden will unquestionably give her some important things to do.  If she is incompetent and corrupt in her duties, I trust Democratic voters will take notice of that if she tries to run for president.  If she does well then she has a legitimate case to make for herself.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

It's a tossup between Klobuchar and Warren

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

When Obama picked Biden everyone thought that he was too old to ever run for president again.
And yet here we are.

And we’re not necessarily better off. Biden and Bernie effectively shut out every other candidate in the race. We’ll not have had anything near a wide-open primary in 16 years come 2024. I’d prefer a candidate secure the nomination on their own strengths (Obama ‘08, Clinton ‘92) than on de-facto incumbency (Gore ‘00, Clinton ‘16, Biden ‘20).

You can call it de-facto if you want, but the three candidates listed (Gore, Clinton, Biden) were also the most experienced candidates in their respective fields.  Like it or not, experience is a strength. 

Actually it’s usually a weakness. This is the only cycle since probably ‘68 where experience has been a positive.

[Orwell]

When Obama picked Biden everyone thought that he was too old to ever run for president again.
And yet here we are.

And we’re not necessarily better off. Biden and Bernie effectively shut out every other candidate in the race. We’ll not have had anything near a wide-open primary in 16 years come 2024. I’d prefer a candidate secure the nomination on their own strengths (Obama ‘08, Clinton ‘92) than on de-facto incumbency (Gore ‘00, Clinton ‘16, Biden ‘20).

You can call it de-facto if you want, but the three candidates listed (Gore, Clinton, Biden) were also the most experienced candidates in their respective fields.  Like it or not, experience is a strength. 

Actually it’s usually a weakness. This is the only cycle since probably ‘68 where experience has been a positive.

Was HRC really the most experienced candidate? She spent 8 years in the Senate and then 4 as SoS sure that seems like a lot but Biden was a Senator for 36 years and then Vice President for another 8 years, Gore was a Congressman for 15 years and then VP for 8. Not to mention his service in Vietnam and his political father. In 2016 Bernie was a Congressman for 25 years and then a Mayor for 8 years before that, O'Malley spent 8 years as Mayor and 8 years as Governor, Chafee spent 8 years in the Senate, 4 years as Governor, and 6 years as Mayor, and was also the son of a prominent politician.


If you want to compare that to the least experienced Democratic nominees since 1968, before their nomination.

George McGovern, US Representative from South Dakota 4 years, US Senator from South Dakota 9 years, Director of "Food for Peace" 2 years, WW2 Veteran

Michael Dukakis, 9 years as Governor of Massachusetts, 8 years in the Massachusetts State Assembly, US Army Veteran

Jimmy Carter, 4 years in the Georgia State Senate, 4 years as Governor of Georgia, Navy Veteran

John Kerry, 2 years as Lt. Governor of Massachusetts, 19 years US Senator from Massachusetts, Vietnam Veteran

So the only Democratic nominee since 1968  that HRC had more experience then was Jimmy Carter, but if you exclude legislature time then Dukakis as well.

[2016]

It's a tossup between Klobuchar and Warren

Warren will not be picked...wishful thinking on your behalf.

More likely it's a Toss Up between Klobuchar, Harris and Abrams.