David Axelrod: The key factor for Biden's VP choice

[brooklynite]

CNN

Now, facing the prospect of taking office in the midst of crises even more daunting than those that confronted Obama in 2009, my guess is that Biden will be seeking a partner who can similarly help him not only win an election but govern in what promises to be a whirlwind.

Vice presidential speculation is one of the favorite parlor games this time of the political season, and you will hear many theories about what Biden should do and why. But all the public knows so far is that the candidate will be a woman -- and that, among the contenders, four women under review are Black. Beyond that, there are other layers of considerations.

The Black community was essential to Biden's nomination. Black voters represent almost a quarter of the Democratic base in a country that is growing more diverse by the day. Motivating turnout among voters of color, which was less than robust in 2016, will be important to Biden's chances on November.

Beyond the short-term politics is the larger principle of racial equity at a time when the scourge of White privilege and systemic racism has been elevated to its rightful place in the public discourse, spurred by the grotesque killing of George Floyd. Naming a Black woman as his running mate would be a powerful signal of change.

[LakeArenal]

1. I just want the candidate that is totally compatible.

Just like Barack and Joe.

Hopeful for anyone he chooses tho.

[Laelth]

2. My money is on Karen Bass.

If you know little or nothing about her, that’s by design. She shuns the limelight, but she is a hard-working, behind-the-scenes liberal. She won’t upstage Joe, and her heart is in the right place—and it’s been there for a good, long time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Bass

-Laelth

[oregonjen]

6. Thanks for the link. I didn't recognize her name

but I do know her face. She’s occasionally interviewed on MSNBC. I like her!

[Laelth]

9. Make no mistake.

She’s “running” for VP, in her own, naturally-understated way, and she has a shot.

The California Republican Party gives her a 0% rating, and that’s awesome as far as I am concerned.



Besides. Biden-Bass has a nice ring to it.

-Laelth

[denem]

12. 'Biden-Bass has a nice ring to it.'

Biden Bass Build Back Better

[Demsrule86]

16. No, we need someone like Val Demmings or even Tammy Duckworth...they

will paint Bass as a socialist...you know it.

[brush]

3. David Axelrod always gets it. His last sentence is it in a nutshell.

"Naming a Black woman as his running mate would be a powerful signal of change."

[2naSalit]

4. I'm hoping for Susan Rice. ...nt

[BComplex]

11. Susan Rice is my very close second choice to Elizabeth Warren...who poles highest among blacks

for the vp slot choice.

[StevieM]

5. Axelrod just can't stop himself from taking a couple of subtle digs at HRC. (eom)

[dem4decades]

7. Motivating black voters in 2020 is a dig at Hillary?

[DonaldsRump]

8. What were the digs against HRC? n/t

[delisen]

10. Axelrod opposes systemic change.nt

[FM123]

13. I agree that naming a Black woman as his running mate would be a powerful signal of change.

[Doodley]

14. Susan Rice checks every box.

[andym]

15. Axelrod's bottom line is that there are 2 key factors: Biden's comfort and confidence

"In the next few weeks, Biden will be sitting down or zooming with a final list of contenders, whittled from a larger roster by intensive vetting and preliminary interviews by Biden's team. Those conversations will be more important than any political calculations. It could lead to a candidate of color -- or not. It could yield a nominee who is relatively young, or one who is older. But it almost certainly will produce the candidate with whom, in his gut, Biden feels most comfortable and in whom he has confidence as a partner for the years, and not just months, to come."