With Joe Biden all but assured to be the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, the Biden VP stakes are ramping into high gear. Let’s take an updated look at who the VP selection might be — and might not be.
Politics
If Joe Biden is elected President of the United States, he will be 78 years old on inauguration day and the oldest POTUS in US history. With that said, it’s not a stretch to recognize that Biden’s choice is not to simply select a vice-president but to theoretically select the president who will replace or follow him.
At 78, Biden’s health and stamina to complete one term must be considered. Additionally, the possibility of Biden serving only a single term must also be considered. This elevates the Biden VP stakes to a level of importance that hasn’t been seen in modern politics.
So, let’s take an updated look at who’s likely in and who’s likely out.
ELIZABETH WARREN
Progressives are clamoring for Biden to select Warren as his running mate. However, the Massachusetts senator has 3 things working against her that will almost certainly prevent her from being the other half of a Biden ticket.
Joe Biden has made it clear that he wants someone who’s simpatico with him on policy and style of governing. Although he and Sen. Warren are pleasant with each other, they have frequently clashed for many years over policy and how to get things done. STRIKE 1. Additionally, Warren is a Democratic senator from a state with a Republican governor. With Democrats also attempting to retake the US Senate, the party would never allow Biden to remove a Democrat from the senate with a 99.9% chance that she would be replaced by a Republican appointee. STRIKE 2.
Finally, Sen. Warren is only a few years younger than Joe Biden. Not only does that negate the Democrats’ preference for a youthful VP choice, but it also jeopardizes the potential for a 16 year consecutive run of Democratic presidents (8 years of Biden then 8 years of Warren). STRIKE 3.
STACEY ABRAMS
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is on record as saying she expects to be elected President of the United States within the next decade or 2. Additionally, Abrams has been actively campaigning for the Biden VP stakes over the past week to anyone who would listen. However, for as likable as Abrams is as a person, she has one very important deterrent working against her: experience.
With his advanced age as a major factor, Joe Biden needs a VP who is ready and capable to serve as president on DAY ONE. He also needs a political partner with the knowledge and gravitas to assist him on such important issues as foreign policy, homeland security, and a post-COVID19 America.
Abrams’ highest elected political office is the Georgia state legislature. Although she served valiantly as the state minority leader, her level of experience for this moment in time doesn’t appear to match what Biden would need from a vice-presidential partner. STRIKE 1,2,3.
AMY KLOBUCHAR
Sen. Klobuchar of Minnesota has one very strong factor in her favor: she’s from a critical swing state that Joe Biden desperately needs if he wants to win the presidency. However, she also carries a powerful strike against her: Klobuchar ended her presidential campaign just before the Minnesota primary because internal data reportedly showed she was about to lose in her own state.
If Sen. Klobuchar couldn’t carry her own state in the primary, she probably won’t help much in the general election. STRIKE 1,2,3.
KAMALA HARRIS
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina is almost single-handily responsible for helping bring Biden’s fledgling campaign back from the dead and launching him onto a path that has him now poised to become the Democratic nominee. So, when Rep. Clyburn says he wants a woman of color as Biden’s VP, he’s very likely going to get it.
Sen. Harris certainly checks that box and more.
Kamala Harris is of black (Jamaican) and Indian (Asian) descent. Not only does she look like today’s Democratic Party, but the Howard University alum has the ability to ignite female, younger, and African-American/minority voters in a way that Biden can’t.
As a former presidential candidate herself, the former Attorney General for the State of California, and a respected current US Senator who serves on the Senate Budget, Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Intelligence committees, she certainly carries the experience and gravitas to serve as president on DAY ONE if needed. In fact, Harris is currently the highest-ranking elected African-American official in the country. She also has a long-standing personal relationship with Biden (despite their one-time clash as candidates during a Democratic debate).
A 55-year-old Jamaican-Asian woman with judicial, financial, security, and US intelligence experience via the Senate is not only the future of the Democratic Party but likely the perfect contrast to the 78-year old and white male Joe Biden. If selected, Harris would also be well-positioned to follow Biden and become not only the first female but the first Black female president in US history.
Sen. Warren, Sen. Klobuchar, and Stacey Abrams are reportedly on Biden’s list of potential running mates, as are Gov. Whitmer of Michigan, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (a Latina) of Nevada, and a few others. However, no one appears to check the most boxes than Sen. Kamala Harris.
Our prediction:Â BIDEN – HARRIS 2020 will be the ticket.
Wow DJ. As much as I dislike admitting that you’re probably right on this…..you’re probably right on this. Kamala checks all the boxes and therefore probably has a good chance of being Biden’s VP pick. However, if Biden doesn’t choose her it’ll be because he’s not sure he can trust her. She did try to stab him in the back during the primaries by implying that he’s a “racist.” The white man who agreed to be the VP of the first Afri-Amer President in American history. The white man who was incredibly loyal to that Afri-Amer President during the entire 8 yrs of Pres. Obama’s presidency. The white man who remains very close to Pres. Obama to this day. And yet, despite that really stupid move on her part, Biden may pick her anyway, feeling that he can trust her enough to be his VP, recognizing that she does indeed… Read more »