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

[Bidenworth2020]

Duckworth has not been vetted on a national stage, and we have no idea what could be hiding in her past. Not sure how anyone could come up with the conclusion that putting her on the ticket has "virtually no downsides"

Isn't this the entire point of vetting?

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Duckworth would be a great choice. She’s about as safe a pick as Biden could get—virtually no downsides.

If anything, FDR's presidency made putting disabled people on the ticket more feasible. Plenty of presidents/VPs have had serious health conditions in office, including some that were well known about at the time (for instance, Cheney's heart condition, which surely impressed voters by revealing that he possessed a heart to begin with).

[wbrocks67]

Duckworth has not been vetted on a national stage, and we have no idea what could be hiding in her past. Not sure how anyone could come up with the conclusion that putting her on the ticket has "virtually no downsides"

Isn't this the entire point of vetting?

What I'm saying is, for someone like Harris, Warren, or Rice, the public already knows about their past and it's been dealt with. Putting someone who has no national experience out there with stories that no one in the public knows about that could drive coverage for days makes no sense.

[South Dakota Democrat]

Duckworth would be a great choice. She’s about as safe a pick as Biden could get—virtually no downsides.

If anything, FDR's presidency made putting disabled people on the ticket more feasible. Plenty of presidents/VPs have had serious health conditions in office, including some that were well known about at the time (for instance, Cheney's heart condition, which surely impressed voters by revealing that he possessed a heart to begin with).

Haha loved this part.  Ever seen the movie Vice?  Christian Bale said his inspiration for playing Cheney was Satan...haha.

[The Right Honourable Martin Brian Mulroney PC CC GOQ]

I think people are overestimating how much Lujan Grisham can help with Latino outreach--she doesn't speak Spanish. The biggest advantage of a Hispanic/Latino running mate is if they can reach out to older and first generation Latinos who may not speak English or struggle with it. A running mate who can speak Spanish is a huge asset for any presidential candidate these days. But Lujan Grisham doesn't have that asset. She has a Spanish surname (at least half of it), but is that alone enough to significantly boost Latino turnout? I doubt it.

[Flo 2.0]

Duckworth would be a great choice. She’s about as safe a pick as Biden could get—virtually no downsides.

lmao friend this seems pretty ableist ngl

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

Duckworth would be a great choice. She’s about as safe a pick as Biden could get—virtually no downsides.

Cool to know that the centrist position on disabled veterans is that their disability is a “downside”

[HagridOfTheDeep]

My "fear" about Duckworth is that her inspiring story will be twisted so much that she's popularly thought of as "the affirmative action pick." Some voters are already feeling that way about Biden's pledge to run with a woman. I don't know if it would be an effective line of attack, and it wouldn't be a reason for me not to choose her, but it's something that's been on my mind. Disabled, Asian American, woman, new mother, war vet... Republicans are horrible people; who knows what they'll come up with.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

My "fear" about Duckworth is that her inspiring story will be twisted so much that she's popularly thought of as "the affirmative action pick." Some voters are already feeling that way about Biden's pledge to run with a woman. I don't know if it would be an effective line of attack, and it wouldn't be a reason for me not to choose her, but it's something that's been on my mind. Disabled, Asian American, woman, new mother, war vet... Republicans are horrible people; who knows what they'll come up with.

They'll do that with anyone who wasn't a big name beforehand unless there's a more effective attack line for the eventual VP pick. That leaves Warren and maaaaayyybe Harris (Michelle Obama is not accepting the job even if offered and HRC isn't getting the call despite occasional speculation in the beltway). It'll happen with Warren anyway because of DNAgate.

[MAPZZ]

Duckworth would be a great choice. She’s about as safe a pick as Biden could get—virtually no downsides.

Weird take.

[SteveRogers]

Duckworth would be a great choice. She’s about as safe a pick as Biden could get—virtually no downsides.

Lol wtf? Bronz, please explain this take in more detail.

[DisneyDem]

Duckworth would be a great choice. She’s about as safe a pick as Biden could get—virtually no downsides.

I have cerebral palsy. I am in a wheelchair. I hope her run for office one day. Tammy is an inspiration to me and I hope to see her on the ticket. You are being offensive AF

[Landslide Lyndon]

It just occurred to me but isn't it a bit weird that nobody ever mentions that Harris will also be the first Asian-American on a presidential ticket?

[Ferguson97]

It just occurred to me but isn't it a bit weird that nobody ever mentions that Harris will also be the first Asian-American on a presidential ticket?

She seemingly doesn't identify as mixed or Asian, and most Americans don't think Indians are Asians anyway.

[DisneyDem]

KLB just tweeted about the one-year anniversary of her endorsement of Joe. I had forgotten they came the day after the debate. In the tweet she talks about how she’s proud that she’s been with him since the beginning. do we think that’s enough active play or no?

[Ferguson97]

KLB just tweeted about the one-year anniversary of her endorsement of Joe. I had forgotten they came the day after the debate. In the tweet she talks about how she’s proud that she’s been with him since the beginning. do we think that’s enough active play or no?

She's on the DNC 2020 platform committee or something like that so I doubt it's her

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

It just occurred to me but isn't it a bit weird that nobody ever mentions that Harris will also be the first Asian-American on a presidential ticket?

She seemingly doesn't identify as mixed or Asian, and most Americans don't think Indians are Asians anyway.

Yeah, this. She identifies as a Black woman.

Also, most Americans when they hear the word "Asian" think of people who are of East Asian & Southeast Asian ancestry (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, etc).

It's the complete opposite in the UK. Most British people when they hear the word "Asian" think of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, etc).

It has to do with history. Most Asians in the US are of East/Southeast Asian ancestry and the US has been much more involved in East & Southeast Asian affairs (Commodore Matthew C. Perry opening up Japan, Boxer Rebellion, annexation of The Philippines, rebuilding Japan after WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Nixon opening up mainland China, etc) than in South Asia. Most Asians in the UK are of South Asian ancestry and the UK colonized basically all of South Asia/the Indian subcontinent.

[Former Crackhead Mike Lindell]

Fun facts! If picked, Harris will neither be the first female vice presidential nominee - Farrero ('84), Palin ('08) - nor even the first non-white one - Curtis ('28), Lieberman* ('00)!

* Lieberman is white

[Ferguson97]

It just occurred to me but isn't it a bit weird that nobody ever mentions that Harris will also be the first Asian-American on a presidential ticket?

She seemingly doesn't identify as mixed or Asian, and most Americans don't think Indians are Asians anyway.

Yeah, this. She identifies as a Black woman.

Also, most Americans when they hear the word "Asian" think of people who are of East Asian & Southeast Asian ancestry (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Filipino, etc).

It's the complete opposite in the UK. Most British people when they hear the word "Asian" think of South Asians (Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, etc).

It has to do with history. Most Asians in the US are of East/Southeast Asian ancestry and the US has been much more involved in East & Southeast Asian affairs (Commodore Matthew C. Perry opening up Japan, Boxer Rebellion, annexation of The Philippines, rebuilding Japan after WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Nixon opening up mainland China, etc) than in South Asia. Most Asians in the UK are of South Asian ancestry and the UK colonized basically all of South Asia/the Indian subcontinent.

Americans call them "Desi".

Fun facts! If picked, Harris will neither be the first female vice presidential nominee - Farrero ('84), Palin ('08) - nor even the first non-white one - Curtis ('28), Lieberman ('00)!

Lieberman is white...

[Rookie Yinzer]

Fun facts! If picked, Harris will neither be the first female vice presidential nominee - Farrero ('84), Palin ('08) - nor even the first non-white one - Curtis ('28), Lieberman ('00)!

Lieberman is a white man.

[Oryxslayer]

Fun facts! If picked, Harris will neither be the first female vice presidential nominee - Farrero ('84), Palin ('08) - nor even the first non-white one - Curtis ('28), Lieberman* ('00)!

* Lieberman is white

Go thing you edited this, or else I would call you out for an antisemitic dog-whistle, even though I don't like Lieberman as a politician.

I think it's telling though that Biden is looking to pick a female VP to appeal to his average voter, whereas Farrero and Palin were selected to add a jolt of uniqueness to struggling tickets. Times change.

[politics_king]

KLB just tweeted about the one-year anniversary of her endorsement of Joe. I had forgotten they came the day after the debate. In the tweet she talks about how she’s proud that she’s been with him since the beginning. do we think that’s enough active play or no?

She's on the DNC 2020 platform committee or something like that so I doubt it's her

I don't think Joe Biden can really make bad choice right now out of the top contenders. If it was my personal choice, I would pick Keisha Lance Bottoms but that's just me personally, just something about her and the way she carries herself I really like. But Harris, Demings, Warren, Duckworth or even Rice, I'm good with.

[DisneyDem]

The New York Times had a great piece yesterday on Duckworth. It pointed out that she is a moderate, but she wears it on her sleeve less then say Klobuchar or Coons, so she could be a pick that everyone could be on board with.. And I really don’t think it matters that she’s on the platform committee. All evidence indicated she’s still being vetted.

[Badger]

Just pick Kamala to help ramp up the turnout. An African American woman would be a great addition to the ticket, but demings, and especially bottoms and Abrams, are all minor Leaguers.

[Ogre Mage]

It just occurred to me but isn't it a bit weird that nobody ever mentions that Harris will also be the first Asian-American on a presidential ticket?

She seemingly doesn't identify as mixed or Asian, and most Americans don't think Indians are Asians anyway.

Actually she does identify as a member of the APIA community.  This is from Harris's "Action for API Americans" on her (old) presidential campaign website:

As a member of the APIA community, Kamala understands firsthand the unique and wide-ranging concerns facing the rich tapestry of ethnicities, languages, and cultures that form this diverse community. Kamala knows our country is stronger for this diversity and will fight for equal opportunity, access to justice, and human rights for all API Americans.

How she'll do it ...

https://kamalaharris.org/policies/apia-action/

As for the fact this is not discussed, Asian-Americans have long been rendered invisible in the media.

This is a puff video piece with Kamala Harris and Mindy Kaling cooking masala dosa:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz7rNOAFkgE