It's Kamala Harris

Yesterday Joe Biden tapped Kamala Harris as his running mate, ending months of speculation with the choice that everyone thought he would make. The instant analysis is that Biden is a man who thinks he is ahead, and sticking to his promise of naming a woman, with the added pressure to pick a black woman, went with Harris.

I think it's a good choice. While Harris is the first black woman on a major ticket (as well as the first Asian, due to her Indian mother) this surprised no one. By running for president herself, even though her candidacy didn't make it to the first primary, she's fairly well known. There also aren't a lot of negatives associated with her like some of the others.

However, that won't stop the Trump machine from lobbing brickbats. Last night, Fox News devoted several hours of running her down. The main thrust of the argument seems to be that she's a radical. Actually, that will help her with the Bernie Bros of the world  She does rank as one of the most progressive senators in the chamber. Ranked by how often she votes along with the Trump administration, she ranks 99th out of 100. No less a liberal than Michael Moore sang her praises today on Facebook, saying that she checked off all the Bernie Sanders boxes.

The left argument against her is her zealous record as a prosecutor while Attorney General of California, but this is complicated issue, as she was doing her job and created programs for inmate that would help educate them. She has also recently been active on the issue of police reform. This should make the Republicans wary of going there.

The other thing pointed out, by both sides, is that she severely criticized Biden during the debates, practically calling him a racist by pointing out his praise of segregationist senators, his opposition to busing, and his crime bill. But this is politics. Biden, during his run in the 1988 primaries, said Barack Obama was too inexperienced. That didn't stop Obama from picking him as running mate. It says a lot about Biden that he's letting bygones by bygones. The main focus here is defeating Trump.

Everyone on the left is looking forward to Harris, a shrewd interrogator, taking on Mike Pence in the vice-presidential debate. The joke going on around is whether Pence is allowed to take the stage with her, given that he is never alone with any other woman except his wife.

I sit here picturing Harris taking the oath of office, perhaps from Ruth Bader Ginsburg.