Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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It's been the elephant in the room for me, something I've avoided looking at but here's info from the NY Times. Sorry if it's long.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. says he will choose his vice-presidential nominee the week of Aug. 3, and aides say the public announcement will come the week of Aug. 10 — ahead of the Democratic National Convention that begins the following week.

Mr. Biden’s search committee has completed thorough vetting reports on several candidates, and his campaign has conducted focus groups and polling to study the political strengths of the finalists. And Mr. Biden intends to conduct in-person interviews with the most serious contenders, though the exact circumstances are still unclear because of concerns about the coronavirus.

Some of the best-known candidates, like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, remain strong contenders. But there have been intensive lobbying efforts on behalf of several others who have risen in the vetting process as potential consensus candidates who could have broad appeal to Democrats and general-election swing voters.

Among those candidates are Susan Rice, the former national security adviser; Representative Karen Bass of California, who is getting a big boost from her colleagues in the House; and Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Iraq war combat veteran.

But it is tricky to game out the prospects of each candidate when the decision is ultimately expected to be made by just one person, guided by a distinctive sense of the vice presidency and a hunger for personal chemistry with his running mate — Mr. Biden.
Kamala Harris
Bio: Senator from California since 2017; former presidential candidate; served as district attorney in San Francisco and state attorney general.

How seriously is she being vetted? Very seriously. Harris, 55, has long been seen as among the likeliest candidates to be chosen.

Signature issues: Proposed cutting middle-class taxes; recently advocated policing reform; pushed a Senate bill to make lynching a federal crime; played a high-profile role in the confirmation hearings of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.

Relationship with Biden: Harris had a friendly relationship with Biden before they competed in the 2020 primaries, and Harris knew his late son, Beau, when they served as attorneys general. But Harris also attacked Biden more harshly than any other Democrat in the 2020 race, rebuking him in the first televised debate for having worked with segregationist senators to oppose school busing policies in the 1970s.

Pros and cons: Harris is among the best-known Black women in American politics, with appeal to both moderates and liberals. But she ran an unsteady presidential campaign last year and struggled with questions about her law-enforcement record. The way she and her advisers handled the 2020 primary left some in the Biden campaign with significant reservations.

On being considered for vice president: “I know that conversation is taking place in the press and among the pundits, and I’m honored to even be considered, if that’s the case.”
Elizabeth Warren
Bio: Senator from Massachusetts since 2013; former presidential candidate; former Harvard Law School professor and bankruptcy expert; architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

How seriously is she being vetted? Very seriously. Warren, 71, has been among the strongest contenders to be Mr. Biden’s running mate.

Signature issues: Has long criticized wealth concentration and corporate power; proposed plans to break up big companies, tax the extremely rich and use proceeds to fund new social benefits; recently called for investigations of how the Trump administration has distributed economic stimulus money and pushed a measure to strip the names of Confederate generals from military bases.

Relationship with Biden: Warren and Biden have a relationship of mutual respect, framed by significant ideological differences. When Biden was a senator and Warren a Harvard professor, they clashed in a Senate hearing over bankruptcy regulation. But when Biden was mulling a campaign for president in 2016, he met with Warren privately and considered the idea of asking her to run with him.

Pros and cons: Warren would bring sterling progressive credentials and a forceful economic message to Biden’s ticket. But she does not represent racial or generational diversity, and her populist record could unnerve some moderates.

On being considered for vice president: “I’m focused right now on this crisis.”
Tammy Duckworth
Bio: Senator from Illinois since 2017; served two terms in the House; former director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs; a retired Army lieutenant colonel and helicopter pilot who lost both legs in combat while serving in Iraq.
How seriously is she being vetted? Very seriously. Duckworth, 52, has been interviewed by the Biden team and she has been asked to submit documents for vetting.

Signature issues: Has been a prominent spokeswoman for her party on national security and the concerns of veterans and military families; championed policies to protect people with disabilities.

Relationship with Biden: Duckworth does not have an especially close relationship with Biden, but as vice president he backed her 2016 candidacy to unseat a Republican senator, Mark Kirk. Duckworth introduced Biden’s late son, Beau, as a speaker at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Pros and cons: Duckworth’s personal story could be powerful in a presidential campaign; she would be the first veteran on a national ticket since John McCain, and the first female veteran ever. She is a less prominent voice on some of the issues most central to the campaign, like policing and the economy.

On being considered for vice president: “I can push back against Trump in a way others can’t.”
Susan Rice
Bio: National security adviser and ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama.

How seriously is she being vetted? Very seriously. Rice, 55, has been among the candidates furthest along in the vetting process.

Signature issues: Closely identified with the Obama administration’s foreign policy breakthroughs, including the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement; recently called for statehood for Washington, D.C.

Relationship with Biden: Rice served with Biden in the Obama administration for eight years, and their working relationship dates back to the 1990s when Rice was an assistant secretary of state and Biden was on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Pros and cons: Rice’s international experience would leave little doubt that she is ready for the most sensitive parts of the job. But she has never been a candidate before and the learning curve of a national campaign can be a steep one.

On being considered for vice president: “I’m humbled and honored to be among the extremely accomplished women who are reportedly being considered in that regard.”
Karen Bass
Bio: Representative from California since 2011; chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; former speaker of the California State Assembly.

How seriously is she being vetted? Very seriously. Bass, 66, joined the process later than some of the other candidates, but she has emerged this summer as a top contender for the vice presidency.

Signature issues: Has been a prominent figure in the House debate over police reform; introduced legislation on public health, student debt and foster care; leads a House subcommittee on Africa, global health and human rights.

Relationship with Biden: Bass and Biden do not have a deep relationship, but they appeared together at several events when he was vice president and Bass endorsed his candidacy in March.

Pros and cons: Bass has a longer legislative record — in Washington and California — than almost anyone else under consideration. She has a rich political record that has involved confronting civil unrest in Los Angeles and helping steer her state through the Great Recession. But she is little-known nationally and is only now receiving close scrutiny for aspects of her biography, including making multiple visits to Cuba under Fidel Castro.

On being considered for vice president: “I’m willing to serve my country in whatever way I am called upon.”
Val Demings
Bio: Representative from Florida since 2017; served as police chief in Orlando after a long career there as an officer.

How seriously is she being vetted? Very seriously. Demings, 63, has been interviewed at length and vetted intensively by the Biden team.

Signature issues: Has been an outspoken voice in the House on issues related to gun control and law enforcement; served as an impeachment manager in the Senate trial of President Trump.

Relationship with Biden: Demings and Biden do not have a longstanding relationship, but they campaigned together for Florida Democrats during the 2018 elections.

Pros and cons: Demings is a strong campaigner with a résumé that matches the moment, and she comes from a crucial part of the country’s biggest swing state. But she has not been closely vetted by the press and her experience in elected office is relatively brief.

On being considered for vice president: “I hope, regardless of how it turns out, that when boys and girls and young men and women around this nation hear my personal story and they’ve been told that they can’t make it for whatever reason, that they will be inspired.”
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Bio: Mayor of Atlanta since 2018; served two terms on the Atlanta City Council.

How seriously is she being vetted? Very seriously. Bottoms, 50, has been interviewed by the Biden team and she has drawn even closer review as her national profile has grown this summer.

Signature issues: Among the most prominent city leaders grappling with the coronavirus pandemic and answering the calls for police reform and racial justice; quickly called for the firing of the officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks and then announced new restrictions on the use of force by police; made criminal justice reform a major priority, including strictly limiting the use of cash bail.

Relationship with Biden: Bottoms was an early supporter of Mr. Biden in the presidential race, serving as a fiercely loyal campaign surrogate, even when he was down in the polls.

Pros and cons: Bottoms has cut an impressive figure during a national reckoning over race and policing, and she hails from a crucial political battleground. But her short time in high office could be an obstacle.

On being considered for vice president: “It’s going to be important for Joe Biden to have a strong V.P. who can help him heal our nation and lead our nation, and it’s going to be important to have a person beside him who can help him defeat Donald Trump.”
Gretchen Whitmer
Bio: Governor of Michigan since 2019; former Democratic leader in the Michigan State Senate; delivered the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union address in February.

How seriously is she being vetted? Somewhat seriously. Whitmer, 48, has acknowledged she has had contact with the Biden search team, but seems like a less prominent candidate than she was in the spring.

Signature issues: Ran for governor on a platform of rebuilding Michigan’s broken roads, raising the minimum wage and investing in education; has grappled with the coronavirus pandemic reshaping her administration, putting public health and budgetary challenges at the center of her agenda.

Relationship with Biden: Whitmer has described herself as having been friends with Biden for years, and he endorsed her campaign for governor in 2018. She returned the favor before the Michigan presidential primary in March.

Pros and cons: Whitmer is a popular young leader from an important swing state, who has played a major role in responding to the coronavirus. But she would not bring racial diversity to the ticket and she has faced Republican attacks at home for engaging in national politics.

On being considered for vice president: “I am making a little bit of time to stay connected to the campaign but the most important thing that I have to do right now is be the governor of my home state.”
Tammy Baldwin
Bio: Senator from Wisconsin since 2013; served seven terms in the House; the first openly gay person to win a seat in the Senate.

How seriously is she being vetted? Somewhat seriously. Baldwin, 58, has been interviewed by the Biden team and she is seen as a politically safe choice for the job.

Signature issues: Has championed universal health care for decades and other changes to the health care system; has been an important voice on trade and manufacturing, and a critic of China’s trade practices.

Relationship with Biden: Baldwin and Biden do not have a deep relationship, but she served in the Senate during his second term as vice president and they campaigned together in both the 2012 and 2018 elections, when Baldwin was on the ballot.

Pros and cons: Baldwin would bring populist credentials and local popularity that could help deliver Wisconsin’s crucial Electoral College votes to Biden. But Baldwin is relatively little known nationally and many Democrats might object to an all-white ticket.

On being considered for vice president: “If he were to ask me to be his running mate, I certainly would.”
Michelle Lujan Grisham
Bio: Governor of New Mexico since 2019; served three terms in Congress and was chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; former New Mexico secretary of health.

How seriously is she being vetted? Pretty seriously. Lujan Grisham, 60, is probably the top candidate among the governors and she has been asked to submit documents for vetting.

Signature issues: Enacted sweeping clean-energy legislation and a minimum wage hike as governor; pushed for major liberal priorities like free public college; now heavily focused on containing the coronavirus outbreak and managing the damage of an economic recession.

Relationship with Biden: Lujan Grisham and Biden do not have a close relationship. He endorsed her candidacy for governor in 2018.

Pros and cons: Lujan Grisham appears to be the only Latina candidate under consideration, with the potential to give Biden a boost across the Southwest. She has a compelling story to tell about leading a state through a national crisis, but she is a lower-profile leader than many of the other candidates in the mix.

On being considered for vice president: “What I hope the Biden campaign continues to do is to look for not just a V.P. pick, but to be really clear in building a cabinet and an agenda for America, that these are folks who can run government.”
Stacey Abrams
Bio: Former Democratic leader in the Georgia House of Representatives before narrowly losing a race for governor in 2018; the leader of an advocacy group, Fair Fight Action, focused on voting rights.

How seriously is she being vetted? Not too seriously. Some senior Democrats are supportive of Abrams, 46, but she does not seem to be a priority for the Biden team right now.

Signature issues: Has championed voting rights; advocated for expanding health care at the state level during her time in the legislature and worked with then-Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, on criminal justice reform.

Relationship with Biden: Abrams and Biden do not have a longstanding relationship, but they met privately last year as Biden was weighing his decision to enter the 2020 race and his advisers were floating the idea of announcing a running mate during the Democratic primaries.

Pros and cons: Abrams is an agile political messenger with a strong national following. But the highest office she has held is state legislator, raising questions about her readiness.

On being considered for vice president: “I would be an excellent running mate. I have the capacity to attract voters by motivating typically ignored communities.”
Maggie Hassan
Bio: Senator from New Hampshire since 2017; served as governor there from 2013 to 2017 and was previously the Democratic leader in the New Hampshire State Senate.

How seriously is she being vetted? Not too seriously. Hassan, 62, agreed to be vetted by the Biden team but it is not clear that her candidacy moved much past that point.

Signature issues: Has focused on health care and drug addiction; as governor, expanded Medicaid at the state level, and in the Senate, sponsored large-scale legislation addressing the opioid crisis.

Relationship with Biden: Like most top Democrats in the crucial primary state of New Hampshire, Hassan has known Biden for some time. They are not especially close but he consistently praised her during visits to the state last year.

Pros and cons: Hassan has strong credentials as a governor and senator from a state Hillary Clinton barely won in 2016. But she is barely known outside New Hampshire. If she were elected vice president, a Republican governor would name her replacement.

On being considered for vice president: “I am not going to comment about his process, whatever that may be. My focus each and every day continues to be serving the people of NH in the US Senate.”
Gina Raimondo
Bio: Governor of Rhode Island since 2015; served as state treasurer; former venture capital executive; was chair of the Democratic Governors Association in 2019.

How seriously is she being vetted? Not too seriously. Raimondo, 49, has had some contact with the Biden team but she did not get as far along in the process as others.

Signature issues: Has made economic development her central cause, frequently pushing her party to adopt a more pointed message on economic opportunity and job creation; overhauled the state’s unstable public pension system, a political victory that yielded lasting bad blood with some labor unions.

Relationship with Biden: Raimondo and Biden are cut from the same ideological cloth, and Biden has campaigned for her in the past. But Raimondo endorsed a different moderate in the Democratic primaries: Michael R. Bloomberg.

Pros and cons: Raimondo may be more closely aligned with Biden in her political sensibilities than anyone else in the running. But she is viewed with distrust by the left and some important Democratic labor unions, and she is relatively untested as a national figure.

On being considered for vice president: “Let me just say this. I’m spending zero time on politics right now.”
https://www.nytimes.com/article/biden-v ... ines_guide

I have opinions who he'll pick, but I'll hold off for now.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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...more likely he goes full Dementia and has to step aside. Stress tends to make various kinds of Dementia progress somewhat more rapidly and he's already not hitting on all cylinders.

What a mess.

VooDoo
Tyrants disarm the people they intend to oppress.

I am sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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I expect Biden MUST pick a WOC or he seriously risks losing. "Oh, just another White man ultimately picks another White woman!" and disappoints the back-bone of the Democratic Party, Black women. Even Duckworth and Grisham as WOC may be risky.

Plus "the Law of Unintended Consequences" must be allowed for. The DNC is hanging on picking up 4 Senate seats, assuming Jones loses in Alabama. Picking Warren means Baker replaces her with a Republican, upping the ante to 5 they MUST pick up. Then there's "She's from Massachusetts and doesn't care about the South or Mid-West" (despite being from Oklahoma) Just another NE elitist. To them. And that's despite the fact I think she'd be a TERRIFIC VP, experienced in elections, experienced in establishing and running a government agency, with broad, imaginative ideas.
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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Whomever gets chosen, I may critique policy, but I will avoid attacks to the person. I think the future lies in policies as opposed to the person who may or may not discuss about that policy.

on edit, though, I'll be likin' a good ol' attack dog.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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Like her or not, I suspect it's going to be Warren. Biden's already got the black vote lined up, it's progressives he's trying to nail down. All accounts are, they've been chatty the past few months, and personal chemistry counts for a lot. Baker can play games with the appointment, but only so far: MA requires a special election no more than 160 days after the vacancy.
https://ballotpedia.org/Filling_vacanci ... .S._Senate

If the Senate looks like Warren would make the difference, she could always say thanks but no thanks, and keep her old seat. The process for replacing a VP is already established, thanks to Agnew. That's how we got President Ford.

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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ZenArcade wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 7:26 pm
eelj wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 5:41 pm I don't see Nina Turner on that list. She would get the youth vote out in force.
This Nina Turner?: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nina-tur ... cfec49ecd5

I think Biden is more likely to choose Tina Turner.
Now I could get behind that choice. Throwback to Ike days?
To be vintage it must be older than me!
The next gun I buy will be the next to last gun I ever buy. PROMISE!
jim

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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That's the thing - do they fear Warren in a VP slot, where she's effectively nerfed until and unless Biden croaks, more than they fear her in the Senate, crafting legislation to put on his desk? More than they fear what Trump will do with another four years of quarters like the last one?

They'll start pushing her for VP because they really don't want her in Treasury.

I've had Harris on my bingo card for AG all along, but I'm curious about how well Demings could swap in, on either role. She hadn't been on my radar before impeachment, but I feel like she's got credibility. On the other hand, my initial guess stands. Biden is a people person. He wants someone he likes, trusts, and respects. He wants the relationship he had with Obama. He's going to pick Warren.

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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I like Duckworth. She'd be a solid pick, especially going for the center. We saw how well tacking to the middle worked for Clinton/Kaine, though. I've got her on my bingo card for SecDef.

Anyone in the slot is going to get brutalized on social media. All of the main contenders can give as good as they get. My concern, and what I hope Joe is thinking, is less about getting votes and more about doing the job effectively. His VP should be able to handle half the job from the start, because it's going to be overwhelming trying to fix everything. If he picks Warren, she has a plan for all that. Hand her domestic policy while he works on foreign relations and rebuilding the executive. Demings and Rice are the other all-rounders, in my book, but Rice has never run for anything, and that's a huge strike against.

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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VP running mates are picked for different reasons, the candidate could be from a must win state or region. Or the candidate represents a wing of the party or had also run for the WH, like Reagan's selection of George HW Bush. Someone who also ran has been on the hustings in different states, competed in primaries and debates and been scrutinized by the press. I think Biden's pick will come down to Warren or Harris. Harris has negatives. Warren represents the left wing of the party which is still uneasy with Biden and she was a strong candidate during the primaries and debates. In MA IIRC a special election would take place to fill Warren's seat, so Charlie Baker would not get to fill it with a Republican. My guess is Biden selects Warren.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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Either Warren or Harris works for me, but then so does anyone Biden may pick. I expect he may surprise us, but hope he isn't too far off the wall in his pick ala a Sarah Palin.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... r-BB16fPZG
"Being Republican is more than a difference of opinion - it's a character flaw." "COVID can fix STUPID!"
The greatest, most aggrieved mistake EVER made in USA was electing DJT as POTUS.

Re: Biden's list of potential VP candidates

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Off the wall hasn't worked for anyone. Quayle also comes to mind.

Current gossip has it down to Harris and Rice, with the GOP salivating over the thought of Rice. No electoral experience, possibilities for tying her up with Senate subpoenas from here to Doomsday over ... Benghazi, again?

At this point, I think Duckworth is probably the "off the wall" option. I'm worried Harris is too polarizing. But with the Kansas Senate out of the cards, Warren's stock probably dipped a bit.

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