Originally Posted by
tommy
OPK I agree with most everything you write on these boards, plus you're a Deadhead, but sorry I just don't see what Harris brings that Biden needs, and there are some serious downsides to her. The young people that Biden would like to get out to vote are not going to be happy with a former prosecutor, and she was the chief prosecutor of California, recently. I think the criticisms of her in that role are unfair, but they're there. Nor will those angry about George Floyd and the larger issues that awful event has highlighted, be real happy about a prosecutor. Then you have the fact that she is from San Francisco. The Willie Brown connection. Whether she is or not, she comes across to many as wine and cheese, big city elite. Ripe for attack from the right as a limousine liberal. Oh and California itself is in the bag, obviously.
Yes, she is of color. But for the love of God if Joe Biden needs to have an African-American on the ticket as the VP in order to win African-American votes, or even to motivate African-Americans to get out and vote, in this climate, with this opponent, then he has gigantic problems anyway. He simply has to feel confident that he will dominate the African American vote, even without an African-American VP on the ticket with him. That's not to say he should be complacent. He needs to continue to speak to the concerns and aspirations of those voters, but he has other constituencies that he needs to shore up much moreso than Af-Ams, in my opinion.
The rest of the field, in my view, shapes up like this:
Klobuchar: would've been my pick personally but I think the George Floyd atrocity in her state, when she was a former prosecutor in that very state, which by the way has a terrible history of police abuses against Af-Ams, essentially eliminates her. Too bad as she would've been excellent in those upper midwestern states that could essentially clinch this election for Biden. And she's clearly prepared to be President.
Warren: No way can you have two white Alta Cockers on the ticket, especially when one of them is easily viewed by many (and easily tarred by Trump) as a Bernie Sanders clone/socialist. I dont think she is that, but she is an easy target. Very polarizing person. Not a "lay up for an easy par" kind of candidate.
Lujan Grisham: Solid candidate, but what does she really bring you? Would help in Arizona. Fine. What else? Not in the midwest. What other swing states would she help in? And the bigger issue with her, to me, is this: the idea with her I suppose would be to generate excitement and turnout among Hispanic voters. That would be great for Biden if it happened. But what evidence is there that Hispanic voters will turn out in big numbers if a Hispanic candidate is on the ticket? Maybe they would. Maybe they wouldn't. But it's an awfully big risk to take. If she doesn't motivate Hispanic voters to come out in large numbers, there is a huge opportunity cost there. Big opportunity lost that another VP candidate might've helped in another important area or with another important constituency.
Abrams: Simply not experienced enough. Would she even be able to deliver Georgia? I'll believe it when I see it. I can think of a couple of positions in a Biden Administration that would be terrific for her, but not VP.
Demings: This one intrigues me. Yes, she is a former police chief. Some won't like that. Some will. But unlike Harris, she projects as closer to the ground, closer to the people. She's from the south. She's a beer and a BBQ. Harris is avocado toast and Chardonnay. And of course she's from the I-4 corridor. Many commentators are saying that if Biden can somehow untie the Gordian knot that is Florida, this race is over. I think it's safe to say that the Democrats would win California - Harris's state -- if they ran a trained seal against Trump. Or an untrained one.
I know there are others that are being speculated upon, like Susan Rice or the Mayor of Atlanta, and Biden could go there I suppose. (of course the pipe dreams are Michele Obama and Oprah. Pick either of those and the race is over.) Or he could otherwise go off the board.
But to me, if it's not going to be Klobuchar, it should be Governor Whitmer of Michigan. Biden wants to project, above all else, reasonable, middle of the road, adult, rational, and competent. That's the contrast he wants to draw. Whitmer brings that to the ticket. She has executive experience. She's ready to step in if necessary. And of course she clinches Michigan, and would put Biden in a very strong position in the other upper midwest states that, if he can win, leaves Trump with VERY little margin for error in the other swing states. Yes, she's white. That simply can't be a disqualifier. The object is to win the election. Yes she's taken some heat for how she's handled the virus and the shutdown and all of that. But from what I've read, she's actually gotten very high marks from Michigan residents, as a whole, on her handling of the whole issue. So what exactly would be the downside of Whitmer?
Summing up, again assuming Klobuchar is out, my preference list would be:
1. Home run Hail Mary either Michele or Oprah
2. Whitmer
3. Demings
And then a pretty big gap between them and everyone else.