Down To Two?

As the summer has wore on, with COVID-19 still dominating our lives, the biggest political question, which should be answered any day now, is who Joe Biden will select as his running mate. I saw an article the other day that says that insiders indicate he his down to two choices, Kamala Harris and Susan Rice.

Now, I have no idea if these insiders are correct, but there has been some interesting vicissitudes among the major contestants in this race. Biden himself stated he would pick a woman, and almost everyone agrees that he will pick a woman of color (although Elizabeth Warren's name is still bandied about). One of the prime contenders, Amy Klobuchar, removed herself from consideration, citing that a woman of color should be chosen. And to be more specific, it is thought that Biden will choose a black woman. Exciting the black voters is key to his victory, especially in the large cities of the rust belt, such as Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee, states he needs to win (not to mention the major cities of Ohio, which if he wins it's all over for Trump).

Over the last few months, after it became clear that Biden was the nominee, everyone and his brother has been handicapping the choices. Some names seem to have fall by the way side. Val Demings, congresswoman from Florida, has largely disappeared from the conversation, perhaps because she doesn't have a lot of experience and her police background, which one looked so promising, might now be a detriment. Keisha Lance Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta, had been highly ranked by some, but though Atlanta has more residents than some states, that may be too steep a promotion.

The latest name to rise and fall was Karen Bass, congresswoman from Los Angeles. She was seen as a conciliatory pick, as she expressed no interest in the presidency herself. A younger pick would easily be seen as an heir apparent, and given Biden's age, his obvious successor and perhaps a nominee herself in 2024. But Bass seems to have been done in by some innocuous comments she made praising Scientology (she is not herself a Scientologist). I'm not sure that amounts to a hill of beans, nor does her praise of Fidel Castro. The demographics of the Cuban-American in Florida has changed drastically over the years. They used to be automatic Republicans, but most Cubans today are long disassociated from the homeland, and are largely Democratic.

The only non-black candidate that seems to be in the running is Tammy Duckworth, who is Asian-American. A senator from Illinois, she is a combat veteran who lost two legs and an arm in Iraq. She is also a feisty politician, not backing down from insults by Tucker Carlson, and coining the name "Cadet Bone Spurs" for Trump. She would certainly be formidable, but I think Biden has to go black here.

So that leaves the two names I saw mentioned. Kamala Harris, senator from California and a former candidate for president herself, has been at the top of the list for most prognosticators. She has public recognition, and an impressive resume, but that could work against her. Biden's first priority should be to do no harm. Harris was criticized by those on the left for her aggressive career as a prosecutor. Tulsi Gabbard, who made almost no impact during the primaries, almost single-handedly derailed Harris' candidacy by bringing this up at a debate. Also, and I tread lightly here, is the notion that Harris is "not black enough." This could be because of her track record as a litigator, or that she has a white husband, or she just doesn't conform to what the image of a black woman should be.

The other candidate seems to be Susan Rice. She was Ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor to Obama. She has close ties to Biden. But! She withdrew her name from consideration for Secretary of State because of Benghazi. If she were chosen, the Republicans would once again squawk that name incessantly. I don't think the typical voter cares about that anymore (if indeed Rice did anything wrong). Also, she not only has never held public office, she has never run for it. Does she have the stomach for it? She may have considerable chops in foreign policy, but what are her views on domestic issues?

I really don't know what Biden should do. Again, the most important thing is to pick someone who will give Trump and his acolytes as little mud to sling as possible. Biden is well ahead in polls, he doesn't want to shoot himself in the foot at this stage. I suppose Harris is the safest pick, but something tells me it won't be her. We'll see.