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

[dirks]

Susan Rice has never held elected office. What is her purpose as VP? Foreign policy is what the State, Homeland Security, and Defense Departments are for.

Joe Biden has been absolutely mandated by his party to chose a non white woman as VP. He doesn't have a large field of credible candidates to chose from. She actually wouldn't be the worst choice for him. She comes across as measured and intelligent. That's enough. She will not be scrutinized in any way by the media and they'll immediate start the first woman president bandwagon once again.

[Devils30]

Susan Rice has never held elected office. What is her purpose as VP? Foreign policy is what the State, Homeland Security, and Defense Departments are for.

Joe Biden has been absolutely mandated by his party to chose a non white woman as VP. He doesn't have a large field of credible candidates to chose from. She actually wouldn't be the worst choice for him. She comes across as measured and intelligent. That's enough. She will not be scrutinized in any way by the media and they'll immediate start the first woman president bandwagon once again.

Don't rule out Biden being ahead of the media's game here. You'll definitely get this with Harris but I think with Duckworth they'd be less darlings.

[ηєω ƒяσηтιєя]

Susan Rice has never held elected office. What is her purpose as VP? Foreign policy is what the State, Homeland Security, and Defense Departments are for.

Joe Biden has been absolutely mandated by his party to chose a non white woman as VP. He doesn't have a large field of credible candidates to chose from. She actually wouldn't be the worst choice for him. She comes across as measured and intelligent. That's enough. She will not be scrutinized in any way by the media and they'll immediate start the first woman president bandwagon once again.

That last sentence is laughable and untrue.

[Meatball Ron]

If it's not Harris, I would be very pleased with Duckworth. Hopefully it's between these two.

They seem to be the most logical choices. I do tend to favour Duckworth a bit more though. Not out of her past, but I think because she brings a lot of upsides to the table electorally and likely is less ambitious than Harris. I might be completely wrong on this, but Harris seems like the type who desperately wants to be President at all costs, and that is not going to lead to a healthy working relationship.

Tammy is my strong second choice after Harris, but I don't agree with you that her relative lack of ambitiousness is an advantage here. With Biden as a transitional President (which he's openly said he wants to be), his VP pick should be a selection of the party's standard bearer in the future. That is not to say at all that Harris (or whoever) should expect / is entitled to an uncontested primary in 2024, but this is a fantastic opportunity to elevate a compelling new leader for the party. If Duckworth doesn't want to be that, then she might not be the right pick. If she does, I'm certainly open to and excited about that, but as you state, it doesn't look that way.

[indietraveler]

If people really think the VP pick is that important (it's not, unless Biden picks a Palin) then the clear and obvious choice is Duckworth.

[Real Texan Politics]

Current PredictIt top 4 for VP:

1. Kamala Harris (45 cents)
2. Susan Rice (21 cents)
3. Tammy Duckworth (16 cents)
4. Val Demings (10 cents)

Elizabeth Warren is number 5 on the list, but those 4 are the only ones with double digits (7 cents for Warren). Really if I had to bet on anything, I would just bet on it NOT being Kamala Harris at this point, though I wouldn't bet on any specific candidate right now.

[JG]

If it's not Harris, I would be very pleased with Duckworth. Hopefully it's between these two.

They seem to be the most logical choices. I do tend to favour Duckworth a bit more though. Not out of her past, but I think because she brings a lot of upsides to the table electorally and likely is less ambitious than Harris. I might be completely wrong on this, but Harris seems like the type who desperately wants to be President at all costs, and that is not going to lead to a healthy working relationship.

How is she desperate to be President at all cost? Because she dared to run for the Presidency? Did you say the same thing when Obama selected Biden as VP after he tried to run twice for the Presidency?

[Devils30]

If it's not Harris, I would be very pleased with Duckworth. Hopefully it's between these two.

They seem to be the most logical choices. I do tend to favour Duckworth a bit more though. Not out of her past, but I think because she brings a lot of upsides to the table electorally and likely is less ambitious than Harris. I might be completely wrong on this, but Harris seems like the type who desperately wants to be President at all costs, and that is not going to lead to a healthy working relationship.

Tammy is my strong second choice after Harris, but I don't agree with you that her relative lack of ambitiousness is an advantage here. With Biden as a transitional President (which he's openly said he wants to be), his VP pick should be a selection of the party's standard bearer in the future. That is not to say at all that Harris (or whoever) should expect / is entitled to an uncontested primary in 2024, but this is a fantastic opportunity to elevate a compelling new leader for the party. If Duckworth doesn't want to be that, then she might not be the right pick. If she does, I'm certainly open to and excited about that, but as you state, it doesn't look that way.

I think Duckworth at her age is also good in terms of giving Biden the option of running in 2024 if he feels up to it. I have no doubt if he's popular and still feeling strong that he won't want to give it up after a term.

[Roll Roons]

If it's not Harris, I would be very pleased with Duckworth. Hopefully it's between these two.

They seem to be the most logical choices. I do tend to favour Duckworth a bit more though. Not out of her past, but I think because she brings a lot of upsides to the table electorally and likely is less ambitious than Harris. I might be completely wrong on this, but Harris seems like the type who desperately wants to be President at all costs, and that is not going to lead to a healthy working relationship.

Tammy is my strong second choice after Harris, but I don't agree with you that her relative lack of ambitiousness is an advantage here. With Biden as a transitional President (which he's openly said he wants to be), his VP pick should be a selection of the party's standard bearer in the future. That is not to say at all that Harris (or whoever) should expect / is entitled to an uncontested primary in 2024, but this is a fantastic opportunity to elevate a compelling new leader for the party. If Duckworth doesn't want to be that, then she might not be the right pick. If she does, I'm certainly open to and excited about that, but as you state, it doesn't look that way.

I think Duckworth at her age is also good in terms of giving Biden the option of running in 2024 if he feels up to it. I have no doubt if he's popular and still feeling strong that he won't want to give it up after a term.

I really hope he doesn't. I'm sorry, but someone should really not be running a presidential campaign at 81. Especially given the extreme stresses of the job. He should just win, focus on cleaning up Trump's mess, and then (try) to hand it off to his VP. He will still be seen as a good president, even if he's not Washington/Lincoln/FDR tier.

[Devils30]

I'm not saying he will run in 2024, I'm just saying it keeps his options open.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

The thing I don't understand about Duckworth not being part of the intellgentsia -- she went to GWU for international affairs and has a PhD for chrissakes. Yeah it's not Ivy League but she's very much still part of the beltway/academic fabric.

[Devils30]

The thing I don't understand about Duckworth not being part of the intellgentsia -- she went to GWU for international affairs and has a PhD for chrissakes. Yeah it's not Ivy League but she's very much still part of the beltway/academic fabric.

It’s not an Ivy League degree nor is she a lawyer. I don’t think anyone would lump that in with Yale Harvard or Stanford.

[Mr. Morden]

Not sure if this has already been posted, but in this story about Duckworth from last week:

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

There's this quote from Biden:

On Tuesday, Biden said his potential vice-presidential picks include “a number of women of color. There are Latino women. There are Asian.”

I guess this is consistent with other reporting that Duckworth and Grisham are or have been on the list, since it's not like there are many other Asians or Latinas who it could realistically be.

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

Duckworth just seems like such the no-brainer pick. Much like Biden, it'll be hard to get the country to viscerally hate her. The same can't be said for Warren, Harris, or Rice, for obvious reasons.

[Devils30]

Duckworth just seems like such the no-brainer pick. Much like Biden, it'll be hard to get the country to viscerally hate her. The same can't be said for Warren, Harris, or Rice, for obvious reasons.

Yep. Warren, Rice and to a lesser extent Harris will absolutely blow up FOX News on a nightly basis.

[politics_king]

Duckworth just seems like such the no-brainer pick. Much like Biden, it'll be hard to get the country to viscerally hate her. The same can't be said for Warren, Harris, or Rice, for obvious reasons.

Yep. Warren, Rice and to a lesser extent Harris will absolutely blow up FOX News on a nightly basis.

I could be wrong here but Harris should be able to swipe away any questions raised about her record as an attorney in the public space, Susan Rice really only has Benghazi and that wasn't her fault and I honestly think it would backfire on the GOP trying to harp on Benghazi, because no one cares about that anymore and for Warren, I think she would embrace the fight that the GOP would try to slap to her. Though at this point I think Biden picks a woman of color so you're down to Harris, Rice, Duckworth, Demings & Grisham really. I'm sure you could still float the Abrams & Bass' of the world but I think they could possibly snag an Administration job.

[TrendsareUsuallyReal]

Duckworth just seems like such the no-brainer pick. Much like Biden, it'll be hard to get the country to viscerally hate her. The same can't be said for Warren, Harris, or Rice, for obvious reasons.

Yep. Warren, Rice and to a lesser extent Harris will absolutely blow up FOX News on a nightly basis.

I could be wrong here but Harris should be able to swipe away any questions raised about her record as an attorney in the public space, Susan Rice really only has Benghazi and that wasn't her fault and I honestly think it would backfire on the GOP trying to harp on Benghazi, because no one cares about that anymore and for Warren, I think she would embrace the fight that the GOP would try to slap to her. Though at this point I think Biden picks a woman of color so you're down to Harris, Rice, Duckworth, Demings & Grisham really. I'm sure you could still float the Abrams & Bass' of the world but I think they could possibly snag an Administration job.

Harris's problem is the perception of her as only caring about being president for the sake of being president. Duckworth gives off no such vibe. Also, Republicans have tried to tie every Democrat for the past 50 years to the extremists in places like San Francisco, and while it might not stick as well to Biden, the fact that he's an 80 year old dude a heartbeat away from giving a San Franciscan the presidency could scare people if Harris is the one taking the reigns. People might not think such voters exist that would be open to voting Democratic, but they do.

[politics_king]

Well after seeing Biden's speech today, he seemed to be leaning heavily into a Populist message and I think that will really hinder who he's going to pick for VP. This is a big month for the ones in contention to become the VP nominee. Things change week by week.

[wbrocks67]

Duckworth just seems like such the no-brainer pick. Much like Biden, it'll be hard to get the country to viscerally hate her. The same can't be said for Warren, Harris, or Rice, for obvious reasons.

Yep. Warren, Rice and to a lesser extent Harris will absolutely blow up FOX News on a nightly basis.

I could be wrong here but Harris should be able to swipe away any questions raised about her record as an attorney in the public space, Susan Rice really only has Benghazi and that wasn't her fault and I honestly think it would backfire on the GOP trying to harp on Benghazi, because no one cares about that anymore and for Warren, I think she would embrace the fight that the GOP would try to slap to her. Though at this point I think Biden picks a woman of color so you're down to Harris, Rice, Duckworth, Demings & Grisham really. I'm sure you could still float the Abrams & Bass' of the world but I think they could possibly snag an Administration job.

Harris's problem is the perception of her as only caring about being president for the sake of being president. Duckworth gives off no such vibe. Also, Republicans have tried to tie every Democrat for the past 50 years to the extremists in places like San Francisco, and while it might not stick as well to Biden, the fact that he's an 80 year old dude a heartbeat away from giving a San Franciscan the presidency could scare people if Harris is the one taking the reigns. People might not think such voters exist that would be open to voting Democratic, but they do.

Says who? People in this thread like to create perceptions that do not exist in reality.

[wbrocks67]

If it's not Harris, I would be very pleased with Duckworth. Hopefully it's between these two.

They seem to be the most logical choices. I do tend to favour Duckworth a bit more though. Not out of her past, but I think because she brings a lot of upsides to the table electorally and likely is less ambitious than Harris. I might be completely wrong on this, but Harris seems like the type who desperately wants to be President at all costs, and that is not going to lead to a healthy working relationship.

How is she desperate to be President at all cost? Because she dared to run for the Presidency? Did you say the same thing when Obama selected Biden as VP after he tried to run twice for the Presidency?

Yeah that comment is truly gross and sexist. How dare a black woman want to be president!

[GoTfan]

If it's not Harris, I would be very pleased with Duckworth. Hopefully it's between these two.

They seem to be the most logical choices. I do tend to favour Duckworth a bit more though. Not out of her past, but I think because she brings a lot of upsides to the table electorally and likely is less ambitious than Harris. I might be completely wrong on this, but Harris seems like the type who desperately wants to be President at all costs, and that is not going to lead to a healthy working relationship.

How is she desperate to be President at all cost? Because she dared to run for the Presidency? Did you say the same thing when Obama selected Biden as VP after he tried to run twice for the Presidency?

Yeah that comment is truly gross and sexist. How dare a black woman want to be president!

*sigh* Take your time and read it again.

All I said was that an ambitious VP might not be the best thing. That's it.

[Lord Halifax]

Though at this point I think Biden picks a woman of color so you're down to Harris, Rice, Duckworth, Demings & Grisham really. I'm sure you could still float the Abrams & Bass' of the world but I think they could possibly snag an Administration job.

What about KLB? She seems more likely than Grisham, Bass and Abrams at least.

[JG]

If it's not Harris, I would be very pleased with Duckworth. Hopefully it's between these two.

They seem to be the most logical choices. I do tend to favour Duckworth a bit more though. Not out of her past, but I think because she brings a lot of upsides to the table electorally and likely is less ambitious than Harris. I might be completely wrong on this, but Harris seems like the type who desperately wants to be President at all costs, and that is not going to lead to a healthy working relationship.

How is she desperate to be President at all cost? Because she dared to run for the Presidency? Did you say the same thing when Obama selected Biden as VP after he tried to run twice for the Presidency?

Yeah that comment is truly gross and sexist. How dare a black woman want to be president!

*sigh* Take your time and read it again.

All I said was that an ambitious VP might not be the best thing. That's it.

Except that anyone who ends up Vice-President is ambitious. To reach that level of power means you have to be an ambitious person.

[DisneyDem]

It’s not that ambition is bad. It’s bad coupled with a little tangible goals or principles . She straight up lied about her record. She straight up lied about the person that said the R word at her rally. It just leaves the impression that she just wants the power as opposed to Abrams Warren or even Rice who articulate WHY they want that power. Restoring voting rights, rebuilding the middle class, and restoring American leader ship respectively. Not saying Harris doesn’t care about those things, but it doesn’t come across as clearly

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

If it's not Harris, I would be very pleased with Duckworth. Hopefully it's between these two.

They seem to be the most logical choices. I do tend to favour Duckworth a bit more though. Not out of her past, but I think because she brings a lot of upsides to the table electorally and likely is less ambitious than Harris. I might be completely wrong on this, but Harris seems like the type who desperately wants to be President at all costs, and that is not going to lead to a healthy working relationship.

Tammy is my strong second choice after Harris, but I don't agree with you that her relative lack of ambitiousness is an advantage here. With Biden as a transitional President (which he's openly said he wants to be), his VP pick should be a selection of the party's standard bearer in the future. That is not to say at all that Harris (or whoever) should expect / is entitled to an uncontested primary in 2024, but this is a fantastic opportunity to elevate a compelling new leader for the party. If Duckworth doesn't want to be that, then she might not be the right pick. If she does, I'm certainly open to and excited about that, but as you state, it doesn't look that way.

I think Duckworth at her age is also good in terms of giving Biden the option of running in 2024 if he feels up to it. I have no doubt if he's popular and still feeling strong that he won't want to give it up after a term.

I really hope he doesn't. I'm sorry, but someone should really not be running a presidential campaign at 81. Especially given the extreme stresses of the job. He should just win, focus on cleaning up Trump's mess, and then (try) to hand it off to his VP. He will still be seen as a good president, even if he's not Washington/Lincoln/FDR tier.

Biden might not be capable at 81 and most people would not, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to be a president or even campaign for the job in one's 80s. "Superagers" are more common than the name suggests, particular in the upper echelons of politics (it's the people who can competently run for office when over 90 years of age who are freaks of nature). Some are lucky enough to be both mental and physical superagers and plenty of what's kept politicians younger is ageism/"electability" declining with age as opposed to genuine inability to do the job.

If Biden is still capable of being president as president at 81, that will be apparent from his day-to-day handling of the job so electability should be less of a problem (the ageing population has also helped him in this regard - I don't believe a 77 year old would have been especially electable as a non-incumbent president 20 years ago). If he is still capable, why shouldn't he run again? A number of politicians have managed this sort of task in far more centralised states.