A Brief History
On August 10, 2020, the people of the United States, notably those involved in the news media and those prospective Democratic or Independent voters that may or may not choose to give former Vice President Joe Biden the nod for President based on his judgement in choosing an appropriate Vice Presidential running mate, eagerly await Biden’s announcement about his choice for Vice President. Having already promised to choose a woman as his running mate, Biden has already demonstrated a disregard for choosing the “best available candidate” by eliminating all men from consideration. With many suitable women available to choose from, Biden can still make a selection that many people will find appropriate for the honor of being the first ever US female Vice President. Today, we list by rank order those apparent candidates we think are his best choices. Feel free to give us your opinions about these esteemed women and/or our rankings and comments. (Note: Our comments about number of marriages and taking the husband’s last name is not indicative of our preference or approval but is something we believe can have an influence on many religious or socially conservative voters.)
Breaking News Update: Joe Biden announced his pick for running mate on August 11, 2020, and it is Senator Kamala Harris! We are baffled and dismayed at the poor choice made by the former Vice President. Now we wait for the next polls that show how his choice has affected the prospective voters’ opinions.
Note: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris all reiterated on August 9, 2020, the false narrative that Michael Brown was needlessly shot by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer back in 2014, supposedly with his hands up, a falsehood that has been repeatedly debunked by investigators, including the Obama Administration Justice Department! Harris and Warren have even claimed Brown was “murdered” by the police, a reckless and inflammatory claim that is just false. By perpetuating such false narratives for their own political gain, these and other politicians have riled up the public against the police and incited protests that have turned violent, even to the point of injury and death let alone property damage. Such ill considered and disingenuous babble hurts the country and endangers good people, especially police officers trying to do a good job. Time to call them out and say STOP IT!
Digging Deeper
Recommended Choices:
1. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
As governor of Michigan, she has the highest level of executive experience of any of Biden’s contenders, and governors often have succeeded as Presidential or Vice Presidential candidates. Plus, she is from a swing state that Trump won last time, which could be critical for winning an election, especially one in the Midwest. She has a JD, indicating a high level of academic achievement. Whitmer does not seem to have any of the readily attackable traits some of the other candidates have in their closets.
2. US Representative from Florida, Val Demings.
As a congresswoman since 2017 and a former police chief (her husband also was a police chief), she is perhaps most likely to have at least some sympathy for police and support from those many citizens that still support the police and the rule of law. She seems morally upstanding with one marriage, a plus with those religious voters and moralistic types who cherish traditional values, unlike various others who have had multiple spouses, i.e. Warren and Whitmer, or Bass who is divorced. Demings also took her husband’s last name unlike Harris, Rice, Warren (who did not take current husband’s last name, but kept first husband’s), and Whitmer. Demings’s highest degree was a Master’s, so she is not as well educated as some others on this list, but she still has an advanced degree. Plus, Florida is a key swing state. With the tremendous pressure on Biden to choose a Black female as his running mate, we think Demings presents the most valuable vote getter of those African American women available. Regardless of her race, Demings presents a solid choice based on her background and experiences.
3. Former National Security Advisor and Ambassador Susan Rice.
A brilliant woman with a PhD and extensive international experience, Rice has experience working under two presidents (Clinton and Obama) and dealing with other countries as an ambassador. She also said that her parents taught her to “never use race as an excuse or advantage,” which is wise and just advice during the current atmosphere. Rice is far from a divisive or radical seeming choice, making her “safe” for both hard corps liberals and swing voters as well.
4. Senator from Illinois, Tammy Duckworth.
A senator since 2017, she was a congresswoman from 2013 to 2017. Thus, she has had a decent amount of federal government experience. She was also a combat veteran who was seriously wounded, unlike any of the other contenders who have no military experience, which gives her a degree of credibility as a potential commander-in-chief. She retired as a lieutenant colonel and served from 1992 to 2014. She also has a PhD and hails from a state from a different region than Biden (who lives in Delaware). As a person with Asian American heritage, Duckworth brings the possibility of electing the first Asian American to such high office.
5. New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham.
As governor of New Mexico, she also has the highest level of executive experience, but like Whitmer, both have only been governors since January of 2019. She also has a JD, was married only once and took her husband’s last name (he is dead). She is ranked lower than Whitmer, though, because Hillary Clinton won New Mexico unlike Michigan and as such does not bring as much swing state pull. On the other hand, as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Lujan brings her Hispanic heritage to the table, making her attractive to those wishing to see racial/cultural diversity in our Executive Branch.
Not Recommended Choices:
California Senator Kamala Harris.
Harris has served as a senator since 2017 (so not as long as Warren) and has a JD. Harris previously served as District Attorney of San Francisco and as Attorney General of California, earning her credentials as a crime fighter. With African American and also Indian (of the Asian variety, not Native American) heritage, Harris presents a two for one cultural heritage proposition for those seeking to diversify the Democratic ticket. Her downside is that while upholding the law she earned the ire of Black Americans, especially insofar as prosecuting drug crimes, while eventually admitting to smoking marijuana, even joking about that drug use. Her love life is sure to raise questions among those more puritanical voters, as she carried on an affair with a much older married man who was her boss, giving her the appearance of “sleeping her way to the top” as he appointed her to promotions. Harris also was sharply critical of Biden during the Democratic debates.
Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren.
As a senator since 2013, she has therefore served in the Senate longer than some others on the list. She also received a JD. So, then why should Biden avoid selecting this incredibly whiny sounding legislator? Her Native American heritage claims do not pass the smell test. She claims she never used her alleged Native American heritage to get to school or get a job, and yet this blatantly White person has appropriated Native American status by putting her race (as in main racial identity) on applications as “Native American” and was even celebrated when hired as a professor for that alleged heritage. Her circus act DNA test infuriated real Native Americans and the incredibly tiny percentage of Native American DNA that she might have is questionable. Additionally, she is a prime offender when it comes to perpetuating racial myths such as “Hands up, don’t shoot!” which has been proven to be A LIE! (The so called witnesses to the Michael Brown shooting that at first claimed he had his hands up when shot later recanted when they testified under oath at the Grand Jury and made sworn statements to police. Plus, the autopsy showed Brown did not have his hands up, and the Obama Administration Justice Department found that Brown not only had just committed a strong arm robbery, but that he had also assaulted the police officer that ultimately shot him.)
US Representative from California, Karen Ruth Bass.
Although a congresswoman since 2011, which while serving longer than Demings, is still not as prestigious as serving as a senator. She does have a Master’s degree, but her downside is her past! She has previously been a supporter and proponent of Fidel Castro and his communist regime in Cuba and via her membership in the Venceremos Brigade has been associated with the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), a radical, virtually terrorist group. Bass is likely to have her past thrown repeatedly in her face and the face of voters should Biden pick her as his running mate.
Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms.
This Mayor of Atlanta since only 2018 is one of only a few on this list with actual executive experience. She has a JD and has been married once and took her husband’s last name. Her downsides include limited government experience only at the city level (city council and mayor) and cowardly, ignorantly, and/or dishonestly throwing police under the bus and thereby risking people’s lives. (Her negative, scathing comments about police have come without careful examination of facts and fair analysis, a factor sure to alienate many voters.) Also, she has tested positive for Covid-19, apparently along with other family members which means her and her family’s health could be an issue or distraction as she and/or any family members try to recover during a taxing campaign season.
Question for students (and subscribers): Who would you recommend as Biden’s running mate? Why? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Rice, Susan. Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For. Simon & Schuster, 2020.
Witcover, Jules. Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption. William Morrow Paperbacks, 2019.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by 1st Lt. Andrew Layton, U.S. Air National Guard, of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaking during the adjutant general change of responsibility ceremony in Lansing, Michigan on January 1, 2019, is a work of a U.S. Air National Guard member or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain in the United States. This Image was released by the United States Air Force with the ID 190101-F-VX133-049 (next).