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

[Morning in Atlas]

I regret to inform you all that the #KHive is having a normal one again. In an attempt to build hype around Harris, one user (referred to as The Editor to protect them from doxing) has spent their quarantine editing her Wikipedia page.

Many of the edits are attempts to scrub Harris's page of any negative content. Most of their edits have revolved around Harris, with a few scant anti-Bernie edits as well. Generally, they've attempted to use Wikipedia to push their own political beliefs. Inconvenient truths about Harris's record were scrubbed, along with an attempt to remove the diversification of Bernie's support base in 2020. Again, no links because the account uses The Editor's real name.

It later came out that The Editor has been suspended multiple times on Twitter for harassing Bernie supporters. Their first suspension was actually for wishing death on Bernie himself (along with anti-Semitic comments). As someone who's been on that hellsite for far too long, The Editor is one of the most toxic KHivers on Twitter. Just a really, really nasty human being.

Along with that, they were apparently a volunteer leader in the campaign. Interestingly. I'd love to see the anti-Bernie cabal's reactions to a volunteer Bernie candidate being involved in half the stuff this f***er was involved in.

[wbrocks67]

Yeah, once and for all - comparing the KHive to Bernie Bros is just being disingenuous. Some of the KHive can get crazy but there not even 0.00000000001% the amount of Bernie Bros out there and have not spread even a fraction of the vitriol the Bernie Bros have. That's just fact.

[Devils30]

For all of the Harris vs Warren hype, exactly why wouldn’t Biden just pick neither and go with a third option that’s got much more widespread appeal?

[DisneyDem]

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?

Gretchen Whitmer

Tammy Baldwin

Kirsten Gillibrand

I would put Baldwin ahead of GW based on recent reporting. Also she has the added benefit of technically being a minority, because she’s A member of the LGBT community

[Bidenworth2020]

I regret to inform you all that the #KHive is having a normal one again. In an attempt to build hype around Harris, one user (referred to as The Editor to protect them from doxing) has spent their quarantine editing her Wikipedia page.

Many of the edits are attempts to scrub Harris's page of any negative content. Most of their edits have revolved around Harris, with a few scant anti-Bernie edits as well. Generally, they've attempted to use Wikipedia to push their own political beliefs. Inconvenient truths about Harris's record were scrubbed, along with an attempt to remove the diversification of Bernie's support base in 2020. Again, no links because the account uses The Editor's real name.

It later came out that The Editor has been suspended multiple times on Twitter for harassing Bernie supporters. Their first suspension was actually for wishing death on Bernie himself (along with anti-Semitic comments). As someone who's been on that hellsite for far too long, The Editor is one of the most toxic KHivers on Twitter. Just a really, really nasty human being.

Along with that, they were apparently a volunteer leader in the campaign. Interestingly. I'd love to see the anti-Bernie cabal's reactions to a volunteer Bernie candidate being involved in half the stuff this f***er was involved in.

Although I have made my positions clear about online supporter bases before, this is really something I would not want involved with the Biden campaign.

[DisneyDem]

What exactly is the argument against Barbara Lee? She’s old but not that old and healthy by all Available accounts. She endorsed KH in the primary but hasn’t backed her for the ticket as far as I can tail. I just think you’re not gonna find anybody else who can unite both The KHive . And rose Twitter. And I’ve yet to hear an argument against her that doesn’t reek of ageism

[wbrocks67]

For all of the Harris vs Warren hype, exactly why wouldn’t Biden just pick neither and go with a third option that’s got much more widespread appeal?

how does Harris not have widespread appeal?

[Devils30]

Being part of the urban woke left.
Having an overly combative personality that is not terribly likable.
A SF socialite with a story that is not even close to Duckworth or Demings in terms of appeal.

[JG]

Being part of the urban woke left.
Having an overly combative personality that is not terribly likable.
A SF socialite with a story that is not even close to Duckworth or Demings in terms of appeal.

I don't think Harris should be VP, but writing off a sucessful and accomplished female lawyer as a socialite is not a good look.

[Comrade Funk]

Being part of the urban woke left.
Having an overly combative personality that is not terribly likable.
A SF socialite with a story that is not even close to Duckworth or Demings in terms of appeal.

So many dog whistles

[Rookie Yinzer]

Being part of the urban woke left.
Having an overly combative personality that is not terribly likable.
A SF socialite with a story that is not even close to Duckworth or Demings in terms of appeal.

All of this is a figment or your imagination.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Being part of the urban woke left.
Having an overly combative personality that is not terribly likable.
A SF socialite with a story that is not even close to Duckworth or Demings in terms of appeal.

She grew up in Oakland to immigrant parents and went to an HBCU (Howard University). That doesn't seem like a "socialite" to me.

Nice dog-whistling here. *interesting*

[Devils30]

I'm just parroting what I expect the GOP to do against her. It's A LOT easier to run someone without that baggage in Duckworth. And you're forgetting the Willie Brown board appointments is really not a flattering story.

[NYSforKennedy2024]

ThEyRe TrYiNg To HiDe HeR pAsT

[Landslide Lyndon]

I'm just parroting what I expect the GOP to do against her. It's A LOT easier to run someone without that baggage in Duckworth. And you're forgetting the Willie Brown board appointments is really not a flattering story.

I don't think Trump is the right person to accuse a woman of fooling around.

[Devils30]

No, but I just think of it like this from Biden's perspective.

Is this my best option? I don't believe someone who stabbed him in the debate and has a whole entourage of DC political advisors backstabbing each other is the best person to have as the #2.

[Landslide Lyndon]

No, but I just think of it like this from Biden's perspective.

Is this my best option? I don't believe someone who stabbed him in the debate and has a whole entourage of DC political advisors backstabbing each other is the best person to have as the #2.

A bit overdramatic, aren't we?

[Devils30]

Nope, you know exactly what I'm talking about. She took a pretty big swing at him and Trump can use it in ads.

[Andrew Yang 2024]

Prediction: Warren
Who I think it shouldn’t be: Harris
Wild card: Demmings

[South Dakota Democrat]

For all of the Harris vs Warren hype, exactly why wouldn’t Biden just pick neither and go with a third option that’s got much more widespread appeal?

My thoughts exactly.

I think a governor would make a good pick, since they've been leading the fight against covid, and Biden doesn't really need someone with deep congressional connections since he has that himself.  Only problem is that there are very, very few Democratic female governors to choose from.  I don't think there's any question that if Stacey Abrams had won the Georgia governorship in 2018, she'd be a strong, if not the leading, contender for VP.  So that pretty much leaves Whitmer, Raimondo, and Grisham, all of which have problems and aren't necessarily the ideal choice.

Another thing is that we tend to view VP as a zero-sum game.  In actuality, those who are not chosen for VP could well be chosen for a cabinet post or some job in the administration that may be more powerful than being VP would actually be.  I think Harris would be a top contender for AG, for instance, and Warren a top contender for treasury secretary.  Susan Rice would also make a great SoS.

That being said, though, I really like Warren.  There's some downside in terms of scaring off moderate voters, but I think a very solid number of them would probably find a reason to defect in the end anyway.  I think she'd be very on-message, would maul Pence in the VP debate, and would trigger the right wing (which isn't necessarily a bad thing...could get Trump and company even more off-message than usual).

I like Susan Rice and think she passes the Ready to Be President on Day 1 Test easily.  She hasn't run for office, but she's clearly very articulate and capable.  Also, her not having held elective office may not be such a bad thing, as she doesn't have any votes to attack.  She does bring some baggage with Benghazi, but I think that, by and large, Americans are tired of hearing about that.  See my comment from above about Warren - Rice probably triggers the right, but that may not be such a bad thing.  This would clearly be a governing pick, though, and probably wouldn't add much electorally.

If I was advising Biden, I'd probably tell him to pick Duckworth.  War hero, willing to take the fight against Trump (nicknaming him Cadet Bone Spurs, etc.).  I don't think she does anything to scare off moderates, and she might actually bring more into the fold.  I also think her military background serves as a great contrast to the bounty-gate scandal. 

[Xing]

I’d still bet on Harris, but I’m hoping for Duckworth or Warren.

[DisneyDem]

I think it’s rice.

[Ogre Mage]

Being part of the urban woke left.
Having an overly combative personality that is not terribly likable.
A SF socialite with a story that is not even close to Duckworth or Demings in terms of appeal.

   

[ultraviolet]

No, but I just think of it like this from Biden's perspective.

Is this my best option? I don't believe someone who stabbed him in the debate and has a whole entourage of DC political advisors backstabbing each other is the best person to have as the #2.

A bit overdramatic, aren't we?

Yeah, can we end this Biden/Harris debate attack thing? They were running against each other what did you expect was going to happen?

It doesn’t have anything to do with how good of a VP she would be.

[Ogre Mage]

The Atlantic has a short profile on Duckworth's VP chances.  She's definitely been trying to raise her profile in the last month:

Tammy Duckworth is up for a big promotion: Joe Biden’s advisers are vetting her to be his running mate. In the meantime, she’s focused on protecting the promotion of another lieutenant colonel.

The senator from Illinois, who lost both her legs as a helicopter pilot in Iraq and was awarded the Purple Heart, has placed a hold—Senate-speak for preventing a vote—on hundreds of military promotions, she told me. She’ll maintain that hold until she gets written confirmation from President Donald Trump’s defense secretary, Mark Esper, that he won’t block the anticipated promotion of Alexander Vindman, the lieutenant colonel who testified in the House hearings that led to Trump’s impeachment.

Duckworth isn’t seen as a likely Biden pick at the moment. She’s not particularly well known, and doesn’t have some politicians’ natural smoothness in interviews and other appearances. That sort of camera readiness is more important than ever in a pandemic campaign, given how much of voters’ exposure to the vice-presidential nominee will come via TV appearances on Zoom.

Duckworth is working hard to boost her VP chances, helped along by events—starting on June 1, when law enforcement violently dispersed protesters so that Trump, escorted by Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, could march across Lafayette Square and be photographed holding up a Bible outside St. John’s Episcopal Church. She blasted that action as a “misuse” of the military.

Now Duckworth says that Trump is proving “incompetent” in his response to Russia reportedly paying the Taliban bounties to kill American soldiers ... she likely hopes these recent events might earn her a closer look as a potential vice president. Biden is clearly disturbed by the reports about the Russian bounties, accusing Trump of an “absolute dereliction of duty.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/07/tammy-duckworth-biden-vice-president-running-mate/613753/