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

[Flo 2.0]

Not gonna lie, I do have a particular affinity for Demings when I was a (baby) volunteer in her 2012 campaign when I still lived in Florida *but* I am fairly concerned on if Biden picks her if that would alienate voters who are not looking to vote for a former police chief right now. Looking at it from a purely centrist perspective? It seems to make sense, but would that choice actually depress turnout overall for Biden? What do you lovely individuals think?

[Devils30]

Not at all, she would be a hit with blacks in the south and would get black churches in FL, GA, NC very excited. Her story is great.

The people she'd alienate are the hipsters in Brooklyn, Seattle and all of the places Dems don't need additional votes.

[YE]

Honestly I hope Whitmer and/or Duckworth are still in contention but of those six, only MLG or Warren are acceptable to me. I loathe the remaining four.

Um, why?

Also, if Biden chose one of those "remaining four", what would you do?

Harris I felt was overrated ever since she launched her presidential campaign. Much like HRC, I don't find her inspiring nor a unifer. Her main selling point (criminal justice) is an issue that I don't think Harris stands out given her record, while not as bad as some people make it out to be, as California AG. She's  basically the backbone of the #resistance movement, whose criticisms at times of the president have been a bit misdirected. Val Demmings is at least more inspiring but not particularly experienced and her low enforcement background doesn't maximize confidence. Lance Bottoms is someone I don't know a ton about but given how recent her rise to prominence has been and her overall lack of experience, I'm skeptical. And Rice brings nothing to the table quite frankly

In general, Biden's best off with someone who is competent and fairly inoffensive with at least some sort of appeal to the Sanders folks and the moderates at the same time (granted, no one fits this bill perfectly).

If Biden chose either of the four (and lets be real, it's going to be Harris with an outside chance of Warren), I still will support him obviously though. 

[Burke Bro]

Am I the only Democrat who isn't feeling the Demings or Bottoms hype? Like, I understand the strategy behind putting a black woman on the ticket. But seriously? They're way too inexperienced to be Vice President after four years of incompetence coming from the white house, some of which I would attribute to a lack of experience. I would much prefer someone who is a senator or governor to someone who's literally only been in congress for 3 years, or the mayor of only the 36th largest city in the country. If the Biden team is really insistent on choosing a black running mate, they should just get it over with and choose Harris rather than continuing to diminish their own credibility by seriously considering second-tier options.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Honestly I hope Whitmer and/or Duckworth are still in contention but of those six, only MLG or Warren are acceptable to me. I loathe the remaining four.

Um, why?

Also, if Biden chose one of those "remaining four", what would you do?

Harris I felt was overrated ever since she launched her presidential campaign. Much like HRC, I don't find her inspiring nor a unifer. Her main selling point (criminal justice) is an issue that I don't think Harris stands out given her record, while not as bad as some people make it out to be, as California AG. She's  basically the backbone of the #resistance movement, whose criticisms at times of the president have been a bit misdirected. Val Demmings is at least more inspiring but not particularly experienced and her low enforcement background doesn't maximize confidence. Lance Bottoms is someone I don't know a ton about but given how recent her rise to prominence has been and her overall lack of experience, I'm skeptical. And Rice brings nothing to the table quite frankly

In general, Biden's best off with someone who is competent and fairly inoffensive with at least some sort of appeal to the Sanders folks and the moderates at the same time (granted, no one fits this bill perfectly).

If Biden chose either of the four (and lets be real, it's going to be Harris with an outside chance of Warren), I still will support him obviously though. 

Fair enough. I don't support Susan Rice for VP...at all. I'm neutral on Demings and Bottoms being chosen. I support Kamala, I think she makes the most sense.

Of course, whoever he chooses, I'll still vote for Biden.

[Da2017]

Fair enough. I don't support Susan Rice for VP...at all. I'm neutral on Demings and Bottoms being chosen. I support Kamala, I think she makes the most sense.

Of course, whoever he chooses, I'll still vote for Biden.

I'm not feeling Rice. Watched an interview of hers. She is tough no nonsense, but the same can be said about Kamala. She does not have the warmth that Kamala or Demings does. Should not matter but it does. She is a lightning rod for the right on Benghazi. Something I'd avoid.

[Da2017]

Now that I think about it Rice is one of the if not worst pick. Benghazi. That's not something Biden should touch.

[Ogre Mage]

Throwing someone with no experience being a candidate for elected office (Rice) into the crucible of a presidential ticket strikes me as extremely risky and foolish. 

[President Johnson]

Susan Rice would actually be a good vice president once in office. I'm not sure how she'd do on the campaign trail, though. Benghazi shouldn't be an issue, but Republicans will make it one. That's why her selection wouldn't be the best in terms of politics. But she would absolutely be a good vice president.

[Ogre Mage]

Susan Rice would actually be a good vice president once in office. I'm not sure how she'd do on the campaign trail, though. Benghazi shouldn't be an issue, but Republicans will make it one. That's why her selection wouldn't be the best in terms of politics. But she would absolutely be a good vice president.

That's my concern also.  She certainly has the government experience to serve if elected.  But on the trail I really don't like the risk of a neophyte candidate.

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

Am I the only Democrat who isn't feeling the Demings or Bottoms hype? Like, I understand the strategy behind putting a black woman on the ticket. But seriously? They're way too inexperienced to be Vice President after four years of incompetence coming from the white house, some of which I would attribute to a lack of experience. I would much prefer someone who is a senator or governor to someone who's literally only been in congress for 3 years, or the mayor of only the 36th largest city in the country. If the Biden team is really insistent on choosing a black running mate, they should just get it over with and choose Harris rather than continuing to diminish their own credibility by seriously considering second-tier options.

If the Anti-Trump vote is so intense and Biden is a solid enough candidate, why does it matter who he picks for his running mate?

Experience-wise, do you know who our president is? Even the Mayor  of the 4th largest city in Indiana seemed more presidential than him.

I just feel this running mate contest is sending tons of mixed signals regarding its importance.Running mates matter very little and voters are gonna be chomping at the bits to vote against Trump. Yet at the same time, it apparently must follow a strict criteria of experience & credability points, lest they look bad in comparison to Donald f'n Trump.

I hate how it's almost a mandate that they must be a Senator. Biden seems to be playing around with that, or at least appearing to do so with Bottoms/Demings making the shortlist.

I kinda feel like the "Experience, aka a Senator" take is being used largely as a crutch by the "Must be Harris" crowd. Democrats are gonna turn out & vote for Biden no matter who his running mate is. But it can't be a big city Mayor or Congresswoman because reasons, must be a Senator. And gee, I wonder who that narrows it down to

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Am I the only Democrat who isn't feeling the Demings or Bottoms hype? Like, I understand the strategy behind putting a black woman on the ticket. But seriously? They're way too inexperienced to be Vice President after four years of incompetence coming from the white house, some of which I would attribute to a lack of experience. I would much prefer someone who is a senator or governor to someone who's literally only been in congress for 3 years, or the mayor of only the 36th largest city in the country. If the Biden team is really insistent on choosing a black running mate, they should just get it over with and choose Harris rather than continuing to diminish their own credibility by seriously considering second-tier options.

If the Anti-Trump vote is so intense and Biden is a solid enough candidate, why does it matter who he picks for his running mate?

Not for electoral purpouses, maybe (though thinking that the race in in the bag already would be a gross mistake), but he's almost 80, so somebody qualified should be picked.

[pppolitics]

Biden’s Vice-Presidential Search: Who’s on the List and Where It Stands

Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s advisers have conducted several rounds of interviews with a select group of vice-presidential candidates and are beginning to gather private documents from some of them, as they attempt to winnow a field that features the most diverse set of vice-presidential contenders in history.

The search committee has been in touch with roughly a dozen women, and some eight or nine are already being vetted more intensively.

Among that group are two contenders who have recently grown in prominence, Representative Val Demings of Florida and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta. One well-known candidate, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, has lost her perch as a front-runner. And some lower-profile candidates, like Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, are advancing steadily in the search process.

The New York Times spoke to an array of people who are familiar with the vice-presidential search and the activities of the Biden team, and the interviews yielded the fullest picture yet of the list of candidates Mr. Biden is considering, who is advancing and who may be fading, and the dynamics at play.

[...]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/13/us/politics/joe-biden-vice-president.html

[Del Tachi]

I still think the likeliest pick is Harris, but Demings has been impressing be so far.  I think KLB is still too green for the VP slot - she'd be a good DHS, Transportation or HUD secretary, though.

[Mr. Morden]

Biden’s Vice-Presidential Search: Who’s on the List and Where It Stands

Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s advisers have conducted several rounds of interviews with a select group of vice-presidential candidates and are beginning to gather private documents from some of them, as they attempt to winnow a field that features the most diverse set of vice-presidential contenders in history.

The search committee has been in touch with roughly a dozen women, and some eight or nine are already being vetted more intensively.

Among that group are two contenders who have recently grown in prominence, Representative Val Demings of Florida and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta. One well-known candidate, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, has lost her perch as a front-runner. And some lower-profile candidates, like Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, are advancing steadily in the search process.

The New York Times spoke to an array of people who are familiar with the vice-presidential search and the activities of the Biden team, and the interviews yielded the fullest picture yet of the list of candidates Mr. Biden is considering, who is advancing and who may be fading, and the dynamics at play.

[...]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/13/us/politics/joe-biden-vice-president.html

Yeah, to summarize, that NYT name checks 11 different VP candidates (and then there’s something of an asterisk for Abrams and Hassan, who are a 12th and 13th option, since it’s not clear if they’re really in the mix), using slightly different language to describe where they are in the process, though it’s not totally clear to me if the distinctions are meaningful, or just a flourish of how the story was written:

“Have been interviewed at length by Biden’s team”:
Baldwin, Harris, Warren

“Have also been interviewed and asked for documents”:
Duckworth, Rice

“Have been elevated” into contention by recent events, and have “spoken with the vetting team”:
Bottoms, Demings

“Have also had conversations with the members of the vetting team”:
Whitmer, Raimondo, Grisham

“Is also still under consideration” but her chances have receded:
Klobuchar

“Agreed to be vetted”, but “has not been actively pursuing the job and is not seen as a major candidate”:
Hassan

Unclear what her status is, since several people “insisted she was still in the mix”, though she denied that she’s been contacted:
Abrams

And then….were asked to be vetted and either declined, or else initially said yes but then dropped out:
CCM, Shaheen

[Mr. Morden]

Some tweets on the story:

https://twitter.com/alexburnsNYT/status/1271796934441926662

https://twitter.com/alexburnsNYT/status/1271807522740060160

[Sir Mohamed]

Susan Rice would actually be a good vice president once in office. I'm not sure how she'd do on the campaign trail, though. Benghazi shouldn't be an issue, but Republicans will make it one. That's why her selection wouldn't be the best in terms of politics. But she would absolutely be a good vice president.

That's my concern also.  She certainly has the government experience to serve if elected.  But on the trail I really don't like the risk of a neophyte candidate.

I dunno. Rice is far from my 1st choice due to lack of experience in running 4 office, but does anyone care about Benghazi any longer? It's 8 years ago and has been discussed during HRC's run over and over again. Most people are tired of the issue. The few still making a big deal out of it won't vote for Biden anyway.

[Mr. Morden]

A couple of other notes from the NYT story:

Ms. Harris, who was already a leading prospect, appears to have lifted herself further in recent weeks with her advocacy for policing reform. But three Democrats in regular contact with top Biden officials said they still frequently expressed unease about Ms. Harris because of her rocky turn as a presidential candidate and her blistering attack on Mr. Biden in the first debate last year.
.
.
.
The fact that someone has been interviewed for vice president does not necessarily mean she is among the top candidates, and it is somewhat customary for presidential candidates to put a few close allies on their short list as a kind of reward for their support. People briefed on the search also said it would be premature to assume anyone has been eliminated as a candidate simply because she may not have moved as far in the process as others.

Jennifer Palmieri, who advised Hillary Clinton during her 2016 hunt for a running mate, said it made sense for the search committee to screen a large number of candidates to give Mr. Biden flexibility in his decision. The search, she said, should function “outside of the day-to-day political ecosystem” that thrives on fleeting conventional wisdom.

[dunceDude]

Every single name in discussion rn is better than Tim Kaine.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Glad Duckworth is still in the running; she's the best pick at this point by a country mile.

[Devils30]

Take away from NYT article: it could be Harris, Warren or Demings, or Amy, Whitmer, Lujan Grisham, or Rice, Bottoms or Raimondo. In other words, team Biden isn't leaking anything and doing a good job keeping everyone guessing.

[dunceDude]

Take away from NYT article: it could be Harris, Warren or Demings, or Amy, Whitmer, Lujan Grisham, or Rice, Bottoms or Raimondo. In other words, team Biden isn't leaking anything and doing a good job keeping everyone guessing.

Agree minus Amy. It's just not going to happen for her.

[Bidenworth2020]

Duckworth is still in the running 😎😎😎

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Yeah Biden should take someone from IL and it's safe Dem. No.

[Ferguson97]

Yeah Biden should take someone from IL and it's safe Dem. No.

There isn't really any evidence that picking someone from a swing state helps them win.

Trump: picked Pence, Indiana is safe R.

Obama: picked Biden, Delaware is safe D.

Bush: picked Cheney, Texas/Wyoming is safe R.