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Post by grant73 on Jul 27, 2020 8:40:16 GMT -8
My thinking is I want a VP ready to be President. Confident, experienced, able to reach across aisles, and in the event that Joe Biden fills out his four years, I want a VP who'll be favored for our 2024 nomination.
Criteria: 1. If she is a senator, a state which can easily vote-in a Dem replacement. I am for Harris on this.
2. Is she an AA? I think this is expected by most Dems. I am all in for an AA woman.
3. Is she from a battleground state? I think, along with many pundits, that this is no longer a vote-getting issue for VP.
4. Biden is 77. Is she ready to step-in to the oval office? I rank Harris on top among the 5 I have heard are on the short list. More below.
I like Susan Rice on foreign affairs but not in legislation or as an executive, e.g., Gov. or in Congress. I value Abrams somewhat for her House experience. I find Deming's experience as a police chief debatable.
5. If Joe is full-term, then which would be a strong 2024 candidate w/o much primary in-fighting? It depends on how active a VP she can be and what results and growth occur in the 4 years. This comes down to energy as VP and charisma with the public.
I think Harris and Abrams might be even, they both impress me If Rice can be as active as those two, she is quite charismatic (my opinion). Deming? Not quick thinking in interviews. Seems to have almost no charisma.
As seems clear (to me, lol) numbers 4 and 5 are the most vital. I hope he picks in this order:
Harris ... Tough S.F. prosecutor, tough AG, highly activist Senator. Hot.
tie: Abrams & Rice Both would be good campaigners. Impressive.
I don't want to hear that he's picked Deming. She's "deer in the headlights." Small-timer, imo.
If there is some other AA femme on his shortest list, I am open-minded, but I think the three on MY list would be superb as VP and as a 2024 candidate. I think Duckworth is impressive, and I've fallen in love with Atlanta's Mayor. But I am sticking with the three above.
As for a Biden 2nd term, he won't announce that but I predict it is a non-starter in his mind. "Lame duck issue? I seriously think the Democrats can get both houses this November (have posted this hope from the start), and who knows about 2022, yet with good performances 2021-2022 maybe both Houses stay blue?
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Post by mhbruin on Jul 27, 2020 9:24:59 GMT -8
We need someone who won't hurt Biden's chances this year and who could be an effective President.
Two things which you mentioned stand out for me.
1) Experience on the national stage. Untested candidates have a hard time when facing the national spotlight for the first time.
2) Legislative experience. Presidents who don't understand Congress don't get things done very effectively.
Something you don't mention is charisma. Leaders need to inspire. Technocrat President usually fail.
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lanz
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Post by lanz on Jul 27, 2020 9:41:59 GMT -8
This is a lose-lose proposition for Biden. If he doesn't pick an A-A, then many of them will foolishly sit out the election. If he does, then many on the center and center-right which he needs might defect.
He also needs to pick someone who has held a high position in government. When was the last time an elected VP hasn't been a governor, a senator or a cabinet member or other important position in the federal government? Abrams, Demmings, Bottoms, etc. comes nowhere close to any of these positions. Rice, Harris and Duckworth, barely. Warren might be the best choice.
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Post by grant73 on Jul 27, 2020 9:46:22 GMT -8
-- " . . . .you don't mention ... charisma." --
mh, You must have speed-read through the post, my friend. Though I did not include it as a category, I totally agree with you and did mention it twice below them; to re-state it, I find Harris, Abrams and Rice very likeable and, yes, possessed of good charisma.
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Post by spartacus on Jul 27, 2020 10:32:53 GMT -8
i prefer duckworth over harris, by a tiny bit, because her story is so damn compelling. my wish though is that Joe has some secret deal with Michelle Obama and he announces her at whatever virtual convention they have. he would annihilate tRump with M.O. as his VP.
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Post by mhbruin on Jul 27, 2020 12:06:02 GMT -8
-- " . . . .you don't mention ... charisma." --
mh, You must have speed-read through the post, my friend. Though I did not include it as a category, I totally agree with you and did mention it twice below them; to re-state it, I find Harris, Abrams and Rice very likeable and, yes, possessed of good charisma.
You put it nicely. It was lazy reading. |
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Post by mhbruin on Jul 27, 2020 12:28:46 GMT -8
This is a lose-lose proposition for Biden. If he doesn't pick an A-A, then many of them will foolishly sit out the election. If he does, then many on the center and center-right which he needs might defect. He also needs to pick someone who has held a high position in government. When was the last time an elected VP hasn't been a governor, a senator or a cabinet member or other important position in the federal government? Abrams, Demmings, Bottoms, etc. comes nowhere close to any of these positions. Rice, Harris and Duckworth, barely. Warren might be the best choice. Nice to see a new participant on the board. Welcome! |
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Post by blublood on Jul 27, 2020 13:54:38 GMT -8
When was the last time an elected VP hasn't been a governor, a senator or a cabinet member or other important position in the federal government? Abrams, Demmings, Bottoms, etc. comes nowhere close to any of these positions. Rice, Harris and Duckworth, barely. Warren might be the best choice. So glad you asked. I've done a little research. There have been 48 vice presidents. Only 2 (Ford, Rockefeller) were not elected. The vast majority of elected VP's fell into one of these categories: Senator, Governor, Speaker of the House, Cabinet-level position. I say "Cabinet-level" because CIA director is not officially cabinet, but is treated at that level. Interestingly, there has never been an elected VP who came from the military ranks, though of course there have been a number of presidents who did. Here, in chronological order, are the 8 exceptions: John Adams, 1789. Ambassador, revolutionary leader. George Dallas, 1845. 15 months a Senator; 2 years an ambassador; 2 years Pennsylvania's Attorney General. Yeah, I know. He WAS a Senator, but 15 months? He had not held any office in the 6 years prior to his VP nomination, so at the time of his nomination he was primarily a private-practice lawyer. Doesn't look like he got re-upped for any office. Not much of a resume but he sure got a lot of places named after him. Millard Fillmore, 1849. Six years in the U.S. House of Representatives. William Wheeler, 1877. Eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Chester A. Arthur, 1881. Chairman of the NY Republican Party.
Adlai Stevenson I, 1893. First Assistant Postmaster; two years in the House of Representatives. May be the thinnest resume of any VP. James Sherman, 1909. Sixteen years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Charles Dawes, 1925. Ambassador to the United Kingdom. |
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dsc
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Post by dsc on Jul 27, 2020 15:01:42 GMT -8
i prefer duckworth over harris, by a tiny bit, because her story is so damn compelling. my wish though is that Joe has some secret deal with Michelle Obama and he announces her at whatever virtual convention they have. he would annihilate tRump with M.O. as his VP. No, no, no, no, no. HELL. NO.Ex-presidents and their family should just ride into the sunset following the changing of the guard. No dynasty please. The John Adams Jr and GWB presidencies were colossal failures. Sure, they can campaign and go on a speaking tour and gather some handsome fees, but they should cease direct political involvement. That is what the Clintons should have done, and they did not. They played no small role in giving us the Donald Trump presidency. |
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Post by spartacus on Jul 27, 2020 16:32:56 GMT -8
i prefer duckworth over harris, by a tiny bit, because her story is so damn compelling. my wish though is that Joe has some secret deal with Michelle Obama and he announces her at whatever virtual convention they have. he would annihilate tRump with M.O. as his VP. No, no, no, no, no. HELL. NO.Ex-presidents and their family should just ride into the sunset following the changing of the guard. No dynasty please. The John Adams Jr and GWB presidencies were colossal failures. Sure, they can campaign and go on a speaking tour and gather some handsome fees, but they should cease direct political involvement. That is what the Clintons should have done, and they did not. They played no small role in giving us the Donald Trump presidency. Everything i've seen about her and her husband said SHE was the smarter one. All that matters to me now is winning, though I'm sticking with the prediction I made many, many months ago, BLUE WAVE and Dem's win the WH, senate and expand the house. Still, she increases the chances so I'll take it. I also wouldn't compare M.O. to GWB or HRC. She's not an idiot like GWB and not as polarizing as HRC. |
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dsc
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Post by dsc on Jul 27, 2020 16:44:23 GMT -8
Everything i've seen about her and her husband said SHE was the smarter one. All that matters to me now is winning, though I'm sticking with the prediction I made many, many months ago, BLUE WAVE and Dem's win the WH, senate and expand the house. Still, she increases the chances so I'll take it. I also wouldn't compare M.O. to GWB or HRC. She's not an idiot like GWB and not as polarizing as HRC. I don't believe it will be the winning formula. What is the message? Let's replicate the success of the Obama era with Joe, Michelle, and Barak? If not, then what? With Obama back in the picture, it will be hard to talk about the future. |
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Post by spartacus on Jul 27, 2020 18:45:47 GMT -8
Everything i've seen about her and her husband said SHE was the smarter one. All that matters to me now is winning, though I'm sticking with the prediction I made many, many months ago, BLUE WAVE and Dem's win the WH, senate and expand the house. Still, she increases the chances so I'll take it. I also wouldn't compare M.O. to GWB or HRC. She's not an idiot like GWB and not as polarizing as HRC. I don't believe it will be the winning formula. What is the message? Let's replicate the success of the Obama era with Joe, Michelle, and Barak? If not, then what? With Obama back in the picture, it will be hard to talk about the future. she amps up the energy by a factor of a billion. "send us back to DC with a Dem Senate and House and watch us fix this mess!". works for me. but it just boils down to the math. she nets more votes than any of the others IMO. |
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Post by Admin on Jul 27, 2020 23:48:37 GMT -8
Just for the record, he came here only for the basketball videos. Surprised he found his way over to this side.
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Post by Born2BBruin on Jul 28, 2020 7:00:25 GMT -8
Here's a good article on the VP choices. Link: Politico - Biden's VP shortlist comes up short" As Biden conducts a series of interviews with a final list of potential running mates ahead of his August decision, his biggest concern is that there is nobody on his list with whom he has any previous deep relationship.
According to conversations with a dozen Democrats — a mix of elected officials, formal campaign advisers and outside strategists, most of whom were granted anonymity to share their candid assessments — Biden pines for a partner who could be to him what he was to President Barack Obama: a friend and confidant who subordinated his political interests to those of his boss.
The elusive hunt for Biden’s Biden has recently pushed Susan Rice into the top tier of candidates. As Obama’s national security adviser for his second term, Rice worked closely with Biden on an almost daily basis, making her the only potential running mate whom Biden knows so intimately.
But very few of the other candidates come close to meeting that test, which means that the one-on-one candidate interviews could be unusually important. A dark horse candidate who aces her oral exam with the nominee could end up as the finalist — and considering Biden’s commanding status in the race, as well as his age — the most likely person in America to be the 47th president." I think it comes down to Harris and Rice. I think Rice's lack of an elected office, and the political lightening rod of Benghazi weigh against her. There's rarely a perfect candidate on any hire list. Harris is the best of the bunch IMO. |
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dsc
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Post by dsc on Jul 28, 2020 7:14:49 GMT -8
I am seeing claims that Harris polls very poorly among minorities. Is that really true? I don't think Biden should pick an African American just to have an African-American, but it would be really bad if an African-American pick ended up costing him African-American support. An AA pick should be an icing on the cake, not a liability among AA voters.
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