The Biden Veepstakes! [Updated: it's Harris]

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljJmrA3Nhe8]

Joe Biden @JoeBiden

'I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris
— a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate' 2:17 PM · Aug 11, 202

Just for the hella fun of it! He'd said he'd make his choice by Sunday, but: Tick-Tock, Dementia Joe!

The Miami Herald on July 31 had the Las Vegas Odds from bookie.com; here's their August 11, 2020 update: ‘Biden VP Pick Odds: Harris & Rice Top 2; Whitmer Rising Fast

"Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who early in the process was in the top tier of contenders to be Joe Biden’s running mate only to fall to +4000 as recently as Friday, has skyrocketed back into the top three, according to betting lines posted Saturday at British bookmaker Ladbrokes.

Whitmer’s sudden surge to +500 came a day after an Associated Press report that the popular Michigan governor had flown from Lansing, Michigan, to Delaware to meet with Biden. Those odds ticked back to +550 on Sunday.

California Sen. Kamala Harris remains the frontrunner to become Biden’s running mate at -110, down from -167, with Susan Rice, the former UN ambassador and national security advisor under President Barack Obama, second in the odds at +200, her all-time best. No other potential pick is close to the top three.

Harris has long been the favorite, but Rice was +2500 to be Biden’s running mate before reports emerged in June that she was one of six women seen as serious contenders. Joining Rice, Harris and Florida Rep. Val Demings on the list at that time were Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

California Rep. Karen Bass, who catapulted into the top tier of potential choices for Biden, has plummeted even further, to +3300 on Saturday."

The odds on the rest of the possibilities, including Michelle ma Belle Obomba, are included.

Also discovered while Bingling for his choice: ‘Progressives alarmed by Rice's vast financial investments; The multimillionaire VP finalist bought into the company that owns the Keystone XL pipeline project — and many other Democratic Party villains;, politico.com, August 7, 2020

“A Rice spokeswoman would not comment on whether she still holds stock in the company that owns Keystone.
Progressive activists have started circulating dossiers among themselves that raise concerns about Rice’s holdings and foreign policy record. Left-wing Democrats — many of whom favor Rep. Karen Bass for VP — also said in interviews this week that they worried about the toll of recent critical stories examining the California congresswoman’s statements and record and complained that Rice had yet to face similar scrutiny."
..................
Rice had so many investments that a full analysis of her assets was only publicly released once, in 2009, by the Center for Responsive Politics. It estimated she was worth between $23.5 million and $43.5 million."
..................
Despite the controversy surrounding the TransCanada investment in 2012, Rice clung to the stock and listed as much as $100,000 of it in her last public financial disclosure as she exited the White House in 2017 as national security advisor. She was appointed to that post after John Kerry beat her out as secretary of state in the aftermath of her handling of the attacks on the lethal attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya."

Included is this video from Aug. 6: 'The case for Susan Rice in Biden's veepstakes'

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEiVQylwN1s]

But oh, my; Benghazi, TransCanada multi-millions, ye gods and little fishes! Don't they pale beside her friendship with genocidaire Paul Kagame?

A Second Wave of Genocide Looms in Congo, with Susan Rice on Point; Susan Rice has abetted the Congo genocide for much of her political career., Glen Ford, blackagenda report, Nov. 28, 2012

“Rice has fought a two-front battle to protect Washington’s murderous clients, delaying publication of a UN Group of Experts report on Washington’s clients’ depredations in Congo, and at the same time subverting efforts within the State Department to rein in Uganda and Rwanda. Last week, Rice blocked the UN Security Council from explicitly demanding that Rwanda immediately cease providing support to M23 rebels who vowed to march all the way to Kinshasa, the Congolese capital.

Susan Rice has abetted the Congo genocide for much of her political career. Appointed to President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council in 1993, at age 28, she rose to assistant secretary of state for African affairs in 1997 as Rwanda and Uganda were swarming across the eastern Congo, seizing control of mineral resources amid a sea of blood. She is known to be personally close to Rwanda’s minority Tutsi leadership, including President Paul Kagame, a ruthless soldier trained at the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and mentored by Ugandan strongman (and Reagan administration favorite) Yoweri Museveni, who is believed to have pioneered the use of child soldiers in modern African conflicts."

And: ‘How Susan Rice’s Role in the Rwandan Genocide Predicted Obamagate;
A woman who can turn her back on genocide would hardly blink at spying on Republicans’, Tue May 26, 2020

Wanna Bet? Remember: Kamala (the lotus flower) Harris raised money for him.. Of course...you can just text him...and be the first one on your block to know!

@JoeBiden 17h

It’s an important choice, and I want you to be one of the first to know who I’ve picked as my running mate – text FIRST to 30330 to get notified when I’ve made my decision.

Share
up
27 users have voted.

Comments

vtcc73's picture

I read "...and I want to be one of the first to know who I've picked...." and it didn't even faze me in the slightest. I thought,"That's about right for Joe, you Shmoe." before I decided I'd better reread that last line.

up
11 users have voted.

"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."

wendy davis's picture

@vtcc73

in the 'susan rice in the Veepstakes' video, dementia joe said at the very end: "It's really important that the next president is able to do what barack did with me'. ooopsie.

5800 expatriated amerikans ain't many, but there are many reasons those who might imagine it...can't do it.

up
8 users have voted.
vtcc73's picture

up
5 users have voted.

"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now..."

Shahryar's picture

sensible thing would be to pick someone who's a Senator or Governor or Congressperson who won't rile up the wingnuts. Rice "checks all the boxes" of the wrong type of pick. It also would show who's in charge: the faceless people behind the facade that's Joe. The clueless who think Pelosi is the right person for whatever she's supposed to be doing.

up
21 users have voted.

Wonder if anyone has posted odds on the female (and a woman of color) who in my view would be the best choice -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.

up
16 users have voted.

@JCWeb She's not the right kind of woman and the right kind of color for the Party poobahs.

up
10 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@Marie

if i might: what color is she?

on edit: is gretch whitmer a person of color?

up
3 users have voted.
earthling1's picture

@JCWeb
on the wingnut side because of her opposition to "endless war".
She would draw votes from both sides.
Of course she would not be a good little soldier for tptb.
IMHO

up
11 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

wendy davis's picture

@earthling1

the 12 democrats who'd voted Nay on this House appropriations bill:

“A $740 billion Pentagon budget is inhumane at any time,” said the group’s executive director, Stephen Miles. “In the midst of a pandemic—as people across the country struggle to make rent, to pay their bills, to survive a deadly disease—it should be unthinkable. Once again, the House has voted to put the interests of weapons manufacturers and war hawks over the wellbeing of people here and abroad.” The bill passed the House on Friday by a 217 to 197 margin, largely along party lines, with 16 members not voting.”">House Appropriation bill:

“A $740 billion Pentagon budget is inhumane at any time,” said the group’s executive director, Stephen Miles. “In the midst of a pandemic—as people across the country struggle to make rent, to pay their bills, to survive a deadly disease—it should be unthinkable. Once again, the House has voted to put the interests of weapons manufacturers and war hawks over the wellbeing of people here and abroad.”

The bill passed the House on Friday by a 217 to 197 margin, largely along party lines, with 16 members not voting.”

The bill passed the House on Friday by a 217 to 197 margin, largely along party lines, with 16 members not voting.”

Wanna guess which party lines? Yeppers, you’re correct:

“Only 12 Democrats voted against the measure while 217 voted in favor. All Republicans in the House either voted against the bill or did not vote. Read the full roll call here. [at the ‘passed’ link]

go figure.

up
6 users have voted.

@wendy davis

am I getting this mixed up?

https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-votes-ag...

thx

up
2 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@irishking

bill. but it's good that she voted against the NDAA.

up
2 users have voted.
Pricknick's picture

and they lose, she's done as governor. Even if they win she's lost all of my respect.
Anybody that sides with joe is a loser in my book.

up
12 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

@Pricknick I know next to nothing about Gretchen Whitmer.

Except that she is the Governor of a state Biden needs to win.

Rice and Kamala have no positives that I can think of. Other than checking off WOC box, of course. Positive for the Identity Politics enthusiasts. Not so thrilling for the rest of us.

up
15 users have voted.

NYCVG

Pricknick's picture

@NYCVG
was voted in on the get rid of currupt repugs movement.
She's been good on some issues but looks bad when she looks for power.
There's no way having her on the ticket changes my mind about biden.
There's actually nobody he could pick that would change my mind about voting third party.
Never biden.

up
14 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

@Pricknick i hear you.

My comment about Whitmer was about her bringing something to Biden more than the color of her skin.

As far as voting for Biden, I can't think of any VP pick that would get me on board. So I'm looking at it as a numbers problem that Biden will or won't solve.

up
10 users have voted.

NYCVG

I can't see Joe going beyond two years before he becomes a vegetable that can talk. Question is which of the choices will walk us into a nuclear war with Russia.

up
14 users have voted.

@MrWebster However, it would be a consideration in the minds of voters. As it was on the other side of the aisle in 1980 and 2008. (May even have been a factor in 1952.) In both of those years, the nominee (his team actually) focused on 'healing' intra-party divisions with the VP nomination and the VP had to be at least ten years younger than the nominee. The last criteria, solid enough that if needed he/she could step into the top job. Team Reagan had the easier job -- he was the right-wing crazy and the old guard preferred Bush. McCain needed to bring in the right-wing crazies -- he accomplished that but as he was crazy enough on his own, the ticket lost saner GOP voters.

up
5 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

The Twit is abuzz with a plane going from South Bend to Delaware tonight and people think it’s the bland Mayo Pete who is on it. Khive will blow a gasket if it ain’t Kambama Harris.

Rice would give us a hint at ByeDone's foreign policy. I don’t see what Harris brings to the table. Nor Bass, but she has been getting hammered on social media for things she did in the past.

Warren is busy making lots of money for Joe, but I doubt he’d pick her. It should be Tulsi or Nina .

up
9 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg Biden owes Mayo for cutting into Sander's primary support (which even now mystifies me), but he offers less to the ticket than Kaine did for HRC.

Whitmer would at least cement flipping MI. Although Trump is polling poorly enough in MI that it's not likely that he'll carry for a second time anyway.

Of the three states that flipped in 2016 - MI, PA, WI - Trump is currently polling best in PA; still losing but by a smaller margin. Trump's number in FL and PA are similar, but curiously Biden's number in FL are better than his in PA. Is there anyone out there that can get Biden over the top in both those states?

up
2 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@Marie

up
2 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg broke it.

up
8 users have voted.

@snoopydawg Corporate Pete. McKinsey graduate.

Hideous choice on every level.

up
5 users have voted.

NYCVG

Harris actually did start strong in the early phase of the primary process. Then voters had the opportunity to hear her speak and check out her record. Eek! She was out before IA.

Rice has zero campaign chops; hence, all her foot in the mouth statements.

If Joe's team wants to go with a woman, she better be someone that ordinary people can envision in the top job and not have a gender gap larger than Biden's, preferably smaller than Biden's. Whitmer could be that woman, but it wouldn't be based on any solid data.

up
5 users have voted.
Roy Blakeley's picture

@Marie a flexible politician like Obama, or Hillary Clinton or Biden. She would be influenced strongly by the security apparatus. Rice, on the other hand, is an integral part of the security state.

up
13 users have voted.

@Roy Blakeley of an insincere, unprincipled pol who just says things for their ad hoc political advantage. Strong words against Biden over busing -- Hey c'mon, that was just a debate. M4A? She was all for it before someone convinced her there might be greater political advantage in being in favor of a substantially more watered down version. She exudes slick pol.

Correct about Rice. But none of that will hurt her with establishmentarian Biden as he has similar views, though perhaps overall slightly less hawkish or knee-jerk interventionist.

Ultimately, unless Biden pulls out a major surprise, the VP pick this cycle won't matter much. It's all about another 4 yrs of Mad King Donald, Donald's botching of the Covid response, Donald and the disastrous economy. Oh, and also, perhaps most importantly, whether there will be any USPS still capable by Nov to process more than a small % of the tens of millions of incoming mail-in ballots.

up
8 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@wokkamile

and i sure do individual states are deciding/have decided how to arrange mail in votes.

up
5 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@JCWeb @Marie
Is Whitmer white? I think Biden is too coward to choose a white VP, because he is just too white for himself to not choose at least a someone who resembles a 'personof color' to make good for that.

Sorry, I am so racist, but helas, it happens even to the best of us /bitter monring sacrasn of an overheated, exhausted mind.

I want none of the above.

up
3 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@mimi
I show my true ugly colors in public.
[video:https://youtu.be/Td0essDvm0k]

I decided she is beyond race and a very beautiful woman.

DE

Bloomberg QuickTake News
477K subscribers
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced additional steps to combat racism, declaring it a public health crisis as the state confronts what she called systemic inequities highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Democratic governor also created an advisory council of Black leaders and asked the state health department to make health equity a major goal.

"We have a lot of work to do to eradicate the systemic racism that Black Americans have faced for generations. That's going to take time," she said at a news conference Wednesday updating the public on the COVID-19 outbreak.

Black people account for about 39% of Michigan's nearly 6,500 confirmed and probable deaths related to COVID despite making up 14% of the population. In cases where race and ethnicity are known, the infection rate among Black residents is 14,703 per 1 million, compared to 4,160 for white residents.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

My favorite candidate would be raceless and genderless and would look like snoopy. Wink

up
4 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@mimi

gives biden some extra BLM chops then?

this from the Gaffe Man slayed me, though. Biden says Latinos are ‘incredibly diverse,’ UNLIKE BLACK VOTERS, 6 Aug, 2020 note to joe: when you've dug yourself into a hole...quit digging!

up
6 users have voted.
mimi's picture

@wendy davis
and frankly have given up. And either racial or gender issues can go to hell in my mind.
I am on strike when it concerns those two.

Cheers, keep on doing what you are doing, You are doing good. At least I can see that, even if I don't understand much.

up
7 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@mimi

up
1 user has voted.

@Marie someone with " a gender gap larger than Biden's".

re Rice, "campaign chops" won't be much of a consideration given the virus situation. Virtual campaign coming up -- except for Donald running around to a few cherished national monument sites to make himself feel he's actually among the Great Ones.

Debate chops would be a much stronger factor. Not much prepping needed for her, at least compared with a few other short listers.

Otherwise, this will be a highly scripted virtual campaign. She'll check the Woman and POC boxes, the Can Easily Be Seen As President box, and the Known Quantity Who Can Easily Partner With Joe box, so at least two box points ahead of most other contenders.

up
1 user has voted.

Would unite the party and sweep Trump aside.
No Joe?
Then go fuck yourself Biden.

up
15 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@Battle of Blair Mountain

up
6 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

delaware might not be srsly in the Veep sweepstakes, but being offered jobs in his transition team. had to look up Mayo Pete, but his early endorsement would earn him a job in a biden presidency i'd think. (loads of guesses out there which position/s, though.)

i'm guessing the Lotus Flower, but if i were to place a bet, i'd take Michelle Ma Belle. as a longshot, one buck would get ya $1200. ; )

he also loves and owes AOC bigtime, for her campaign rally star power, as well as his Green Newish Nuclear Deal. she'll want to serve in his administration (EPA according to business insider, someone had claimed treasury, as a jest i hope) especially as she's being groomed for a 2024 run for the Oval Office.

i'd seen on the msn page rolling thunder that the Big Banks have given him triple the bucks (close to a million) they've given MAGA man, even though his EO cutting the corporate tax rate by some whopping percentage (40%, i checked) served them...quite well. but yanno, they say DT just might be a bit too socially divisive. you remember jamie dimon dropping a knew for nine minutes to honor the assassination of george floyd. it's likely he didn't sport a kinte cloth stole like nancy and friends though.

by the by: Did the congressional Ds squawk at that move off his?

up
3 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@wendy davis

july 29 miami herald and one portion i'd clipped before going to bookie.com for updates:

"California Sen. Kamala Harris is the favorite to become Joe Biden’s running mate, according to Vegas betting odds.

Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was photographed on Tuesday holding a note with Harris’ name on it. There were also talking points including “Do no hold grudges” and “Great respect for her,” USA Today reported.
Harris’ odds went from -134 to +125 before shooting back up to -200 on Wednesday, according to Bookies.com."

i hadn't thought much about 'the note', nor had i clicked into the USA today link, but it's kinda a wowser:

WASHINGTON – Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was captured Tuesday holding a note with Sen. Kamala Harris' name printed across the top with talking points, including, "Do not hold grudges."

The other talking points about Harris were: “Campaigned with me & Jill.” “Talented.” “Great help to campaign.” “Great respect for her.”

The does "not hold grudges" talking point may be reference to the clash between the two at the first Democratic debate, when the former California attorney general went after Biden, who was considered the front-runner for most of 2019, on his civil rights record.

She went on to criticize his opposition to school busing in the 1970s, telling the story of a girl in California who was part of just the second integrated class in her school.

"That little girl is me," Harris said in a moment that went viral.

She enjoyed a short-lived bump in the polls from the moment but according to some outlets, other Democrats have been lobbying against her for the vice presidency in part because of lack of trust following that moment.

Harris challenged Biden over remarks he made at a fundraiser in which he touted his past successes working with Republicans to get legislation passed, citing his ability to work with segregationist Sens. James Eastland and Herman Talmadge.

"It was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and careers on segregation of race in this country," Harris, who is African-American, told Biden during the debate.

According to POLITICO, former Sen. Chris Dodd, who is a member of Biden’s vice presidential search committee, was stunned by Harris' attack, reportedly saying, “She laughed and said, ‘that’s politics.’ She had no remorse."

Those comments have drawn criticism, especially from Democratic women, who say Harris is being held to a standard that wouldn’t apply to a man.

Since that moment, the relationship between Biden and Harris has become considerably more friendly, with Harris passionately endorsing Biden for the presidency, and becoming a surrogate for his campaign by appearing and headlining virtual fundraisers and events.

OTOH, we have no idea if it's actually biden who'll decide who his Veep will be but i guess dr. biden's advice will be key. say if she wants to keep his confusion at a low level, she might want to reconstitute part of the familiar faces from the obomba/biden team: rice, kerry, sam power, (i reckon not timothy geitner), lol.

up
4 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

Max Blumenthal: "Susan Rice Is A Servant Of Empire" (12 min)

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6y7oXHLTak]

Great comment below the clip...

If the 2020 Presidential debates were held on an Ocean liner and it sank, who would win? ....
The People!

up
13 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

wendy davis's picture

@Lookout

alright. only have time for 7 mins so far, but rice as red-baiting cubano karen bass?

makes sense, as does marco rubio right-wing venezuelans, but hell, nothing on rice mugabe?

on edit: finished, glad he had the viagra story.

i'd give pluto's republic three links about rice i'd seen recently on twitter; this is one, sorry i don't have time to unwind any of it (but at least i remembered when and where it was!):

on edit: i'll unwind some of it soonish.

Susan Rice: Being Attacked for All of the Wrong Reasons
, Sean Fenley / November 20th, 2012 dissident voice

i'll finish max later: Pwer-to, not porto rico, israyel, not isreeel, comrades. ; )

up
5 users have voted.
Cassiodorus's picture

finally brings us to the dead end of "better vote (D) because the (R) is worse"?

America chases the Almighty Buck while the edifice of whatever that buck could possibly buy crumbles before its eyes.

up
8 users have voted.

"I'm starting to believe that they want Donald Trump to get elected." -- Compton Jay

wendy davis's picture

@Cassiodorus

the most famous doctor on the planet, knows and uses vaccines (and eugenics) globally, knows how to block out the sun with geo-engineering, loves monsanto, controls the svalbard Doomsday seed vault...he's the prefect choice.

hmmmm...of course, Boss Tweet could dump pence and choose him, too. but i did see a thing in the bing cache saying the Great Orange should tap...Nikki Haley!

up
7 users have voted.

The potential Biden administration will be a disaster. To be fair, they'd be walking into a really bad situation with the country being as it is. But I don't think repeating the Obama years technique of blaming the previous administrations while doing nothing to change things is going to work out well for long term political prospects.

As noted, Biden lasting four years seems a stretch. So if you're his VP, you're probably going to end up as the unelected president. That's never been a good situation, at least not that I can recall. You'd be taking over on a bad situation which won't have been repaired in any manner. And, at the end of your term, you'll be facing a Republican who, I can almost bet, will be a socially acceptable version of Trump.

I guess if you just want to say you sat in the power seat and want to position yourself for the post-presidency grift, it wouldn't be bad. But I don't think people like Harris and Warren have their sites set that low. I think they want the whole package. They're likely delusional enough to think this will get them there, but I don't agree.

FWIW, I think Biden himself wanted Buttiedge or Klobachar, in that order, but neither make the cut for various IDpol reasons. It seems like the Dems are trying to McCain him with the VP pick, but they are too factional to rally around one pick like the Repubs did with Palin. In the end, I couldn't care less who it is except I'm ready to stop hearing about it.

up
12 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

wendy davis's picture

@Dr. John Carpenter

the fun of it, amigo, as i've voted Green for the past four presidential cycles. but on a lark, i did check into who won the Libertarian Party nomination (not the bloke who calls himself Vermin Supreme, as it runs out), but Jo Jorgenson. : )

by my lights, any The Presidency is one of those jobs applying for which should immediately disqualify a person. ; ) but given the likelihood of biden not being able to serve four years in any event, the vice-presidency won't likely 'just amount to a pail of warm spit'.

up
10 users have voted.

@wendy davis if you want the job, that should disqualify you immediately. Smile

up
5 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

@Dr. John Carpenter
If Biden wins (a big if) as soon as Trump is gone there will exist no reason for Biden. Given that, and the impossible mess of the pandemic, the economy and unresolved social issues and endless wars they are stepping into a patch of quicksand surrounded by landmines. Within one year the American people will be fed up with a feeble Biden admin and will despise the entire Democrat cabal, Nancy, Chucky and the whole cast, and the people will vote in an all Republican Congress. In my opinion all of his candidates are people that you are going to love to hate. Think about it.

up
8 users have voted.

Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

@Dr. John Carpenter LBJ got elected to his own term and his biggest problem was the Vietnam War which he pretty much started though a little bit of that goes on JFK.

up
4 users have voted.

is now a month old, and in things like the VP race, it's probably at least 2 weeks past its sell-by date.

The scuttlebutt in the past 10 days has been that it appears to be down to Kamala or Rice, Rice or Kamala. I haven't seen Gov Whitmer mentioned except to fill out a longer short list. Although, imo, Biden could make a number of worse picks, including Rice and Kamala.

It was a tactical mistake for Biden to publicly announce it would be a woman. He could have kept this angle private, and so made the public search look less awkward and artificially constrained. His second mistake was to allow the process to focus so substantially on a WOC. All along, non-black female possibles have been an afterthought in the public guessing game. As all this has gone unchallenged by the Biden camp, it makes it all the tougher to turn around suddenly and announce a non-black pick, say Gov Whitmer, Liz or Gov Grisham of NM. It would very likely upset a number of prominent black pols -- among them Rep Clyburn -- who would feel greatly disappointed, maybe a feeling too of being misled.

Iow, I think Biden has backed himself into now having to go WOC. I lean towards anticipating a Rice pick. Mostly bc fewer negatives than Kamala and some of the other black women.

up
2 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@wokkamile

you mean, but at the top of the OP w/ hyperlinks:

The Miami Herald on July 31 had the Las Vegas Odds from bookie.com; here's their July 9, 2020 update: ‘Biden VP Pick Odds: Harris & Rice Top 2; Whitmer Rising Fast’

hope that helps.

up
6 users have voted.

@wendy davis to the "July 9 update" part, a month ago. Anyway, didn't look further as I don't do Vegas odds. Nor Nate Silver odds. No one should after 2016. And the numbers seem funny and upside down to me, a bit head-spinning for someone who never gambles -- sorry, "someone who refrains from the enjoyment of occasional gaming activities".

Anyway, I'd imagine Whitmer is no higher than #3 on his short list. If she is picked, Biden will have many many phone calls to make to soothe over a number of influential black pols.

up
2 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@wokkamile

it was their Aug 11 update. kinda late but i'll try to change it. i'd hoped that was what would make it fun: los Vegas betting odds. and no, the punters don't always get it right. doesn't really matter where any of them are on 'his list'

up
6 users have voted.
OzoneTom's picture

If the Durham investigation report is released and/or charges brought between now and November, or even between the election and inauguration:

Trump’s Hail Mary vs Biden? Hail Durham; Hail Barr! Or will Biden Hail Dunn-Bauer?

Ex-Colleagues See Durham Dropping Bombshells Before Labor Day

Anything that involves any White House personnel could splatter on not ony Joe Biden but also his V.P. pick, giving the Trump campaign a two-fer.

up
8 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@OzoneTom

the RC politics one is 2 L 2 read 4 now 4 me, but oooof! let the chips fall where they may, mr. durham!

up
6 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@OzoneTom

of Russia Gate right now and the information that has been released is damning for both the dems and Biden and his son. Then there will be the Durham investigation, but a few articles have said that Durham hasn't questioned the key players yet. If that is true then it's going to be as big a disappointment as Fitz-Mas and the Mueller report. Plus there is the 90 day before an election rule that the dems said Comey broke when he wrote his letter to congress telling them that the NYC FBI office found most of Hillary's emails on Weiner's laptop. Weiner was the husband of her BFF Huma Abedin. Ooop. Problem there was Comey and Strzok knew they had them for well over a month, but refused to look at them until the office said they would go public.

I am thinking it's 50/50 on whether the Durham investigation delivers on anything. The swamp protects its creatures.

up
13 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

wendy davis's picture

@snoopydawg

i know that you know this issue inside out, and can rattle off all the players names and parts off the top of your head.

up
5 users have voted.
usefewersyllables's picture

dem convention is about to start. Be still, my beating heart. I have been waiting 4 years since I didn't watch it last time. I will absolutely go out of my way to not watch it again this time. Oh, what a list of speakers: imagine the soaring rhetoric! Oh, imagine the joy of the wall-to-wall political ads for hours and HOURS straight! I swear, this will be the absolute peak of my "Nope-didn't-watch-that" season.

Oh, the anticipation. Somebody wake me up when it's over, willya?

up
16 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

wendy davis's picture

@usefewersyllables

when it's over! B there, or B square! srsly, will it be a Virtual Convention by Skype instead? yanno, social distancing and all? but balloooooons! there must be red white & blue balloooooooons falling from the ceilings!

only one i ever watched was the first time Barry O'bomba was on the national stage...and boy bowdy, did i tell mr. wd: that one's already runnn' for Prez!

up
6 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@usefewersyllables

the Twitterverse:

I’ve got to be honest I kind of expected to speak.
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) August 11, 2020

up
7 users have voted.

@usefewersyllables not watching, my head would explode and the yelling would be intense. What a sick farce it will be. I respect those who can manage themselves to watch it, far stronger people than I am.

up
7 users have voted.

Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Angela Walker is a labor organizer, Socialist, reservist and a bus and truck driver. She is Howie Hawkins running mate. She's a real person unlike the political hacks that you are looking at.
#neverTrumporBiden

up
9 users have voted.

Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

wendy davis's picture

@The Wizard

Meet Angela Walker:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccy5JJOH4A8]

i can go OT, can't i? ; )

up
11 users have voted.

held by many white swing voters, it's worth noting that Harris has by far the lightest complexion of the black contenders.

up
3 users have voted.

up
4 users have voted.
Lily O Lady's picture

@wokkamile

upset all day.

up
8 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

wendy davis's picture

@wokkamile

i've updated the OP with video at the top and:

Joe Biden @JoeBiden

'I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris
— a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate.'

2:17 PM · Aug 11, 2020

up
5 users have voted.

@wendy davis Does "fighter for the little guy" mean throwing them in prison and doing everything to keep them there? Probably, in DemSpeak.

up
8 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@MinuteMan

Twitter account, but yes: 'fights for the little convicts, and negotiates higher pay as private prison laborers'. remember in oregon, prisoners were 'paid' to roust homeless camps, toss all their worldly goods into dumpsters? #WhatABurn.

up
5 users have voted.
thanatokephaloides's picture

@wokkamile

It'a Kamala. Per CNN new break.

four more years.....

Bad

up
3 users have voted.

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

wendy davis's picture

@aliasalias

and black; thus, a more pale face. hella more telegenic than rice, for instance.

'Copmala'; good one.

and no, nate; i don't think it makes her the 2024 presumptive nominee. as i'd said, (and see the convention schedule): AOC will shine like Obomba did!

ooops; it was written by harry bacon, jr.

up
4 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

(don't we wish...)

up
7 users have voted.

@wendy davis San Francisco Liberal (which is true) would work equally well for him in those key states that Biden-Harris have to flip. This might make that harder than it was yesterday.

up
4 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@Marie

comment as correctly analytical, may i say i don't give a fig whether or not they flips them...or not.

i'm a socialist, anti-imperialist, and vote Green. (and i know you know that, this is just for the record.)

up
8 users have voted.

@wendy davis to comment on GOP primaries and presidential tickets, and have never voted for a Republican. Analyzing candidates and political parties is part of being a political junkie. It's also informative as to what is possible for third party candidates -- so, far very little.

up
4 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@Marie

your comment is simply a correct analysis. as to this:

It's also informative as to what is possible for third party candidates -- so, far very little.

and why is that? imo, because 'leftists' have been continually herded back into the D party,
'where all the best social movements...go to die'. oh: but 'our revolution', etc.

up
10 users have voted.
Cassiodorus's picture

@wendy davis Nobody in their ranks was tearing their hair out and saying "Omigod if you vote for Perot Clinton is going to WIN! When in doubt, scream and shout, run around in circles, PANIC!"

Nobody.

Oh but if you call yourself a "Leftist" you must consistently vote for (D) Presidents so you can defend them throughout their terms while they give the store away to the Republican Party.

up
10 users have voted.

"I'm starting to believe that they want Donald Trump to get elected." -- Compton Jay

@Cassiodorus was not exactly enthusiastic about Preppy Bush who they didn't consider a true conservative and culturally even less so. So no wonder they were willing to run the risk of a Clinton win with a Perot vote.

up
4 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@Cassiodorus

designations still baffle me, i admit. were perot voters 'the right'? i'd forgotten about him, but didn't he lose in the main after being labelled a racist for having used the term 'folks' or 'those folks', i.e.: charged with racist dog-whistle politics?

heh; did he run as a libertarian or an indie? sorry,, too lazy to look it up. "all ya gotta do is just lift the hood, and tinker around with the engine a bit", or close to that. yanno, folksy, conman man, and so on.

in his 'Biden picks former law-and-order prosecutor Kamala Harris to be his Democratic running mate' this a.m., patrick martin wrote something that seems right, but that i'd never considered. (it's a great historical exposé, as well) see what you all think:

Those celebrating the elevation of a black woman to the presidential ticket seem to forget that only 12 years ago an African-American man, Barack Obama, was elected to the presidency. Despite the claims that the first black president would be a transformational figure, Obama proved to be a thoroughly reactionary defender of Wall Street and the CIA. He bailed out the banks and the stock exchange, forced auto workers to take wage cuts, continued the wars of George W. Bush and added new ones, including Libya, Syria and Yemen.

this is the part i'd meant:

The disappointment and disillusionment in Obama’s empty promises of “hope” and “change” found expression in the shift of significant sections of the working class, white and black, away from the Democratic Party, leading first to the Republican takeover of Congress—the House in 2010, the Senate in 2014—and then the election of Trump in 2016.


Kamala Harris, then California Attorney General, poses for a photo with U.S. border patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border fence in 2011 (Photo: Office of the Attorney General of California)

he also has a brief narrative of the DLC/DNCC (whatever) tanking bernie sanders in favor of biden...guess i hadn't followed that story very well.

Hellary, by the by, is thrilled with Joe's Lotus Flower choice! but hearing that caused me to remember that i actually lost a couple female friends for NOT voting for 'I'm with HER': the first female president.

up
7 users have voted.

@wendy davis an Indy, but definitely attracted libertarian types as he promoted the view that gov't was excessively wasteful and incompetent. He did get 19% of the PV in 1992, though no EC votes, which was one of the best 3d party efforts ever.

I have seen reports that he pulled as many votes from the right, and thus Poppy Bush, as from the left and Clinton, so his presence on the ballot was a wash. My take, briefly, is that to the extent he was more aggressive against incumbent Bush, he helped drive down enthusiasm and turnout among Rs and so helped Clinton a bit more.

As for Kamala and her pro-law enforcement past, overall in the national electorate, but not with many progressives, she is not going to be hurt by perceptions she was too soft on LE misconduct -- politically, she erred on the right side -- and most AAs will forgive her. In fact, little of her prior record will be greatly debated or matter much in the final vote in Nov. Few will care to go into the weeds of what the VP pick did 10 yrs ago. Most voters will be interested to hear what she says about how Biden/Harris would handle the virus emergency and how they would get the economy running again. After that, they would be interested in her suggestions about police reform and the like.

up
3 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@wokkamile

and your opinions on biden-kamala's place in the voters' minds )or what's left of them).

up
1 user has voted.

@Marie seems rather tame and outdated. Worked for the Goopers in the 80s, back in the Taxachusetts days and when they knew Dem libs were running scared from the label, but is rather shopworn now and wouldn't pack much of a punch.

No, Donald will go all Radical Leftie on Harris, with plenty of Socialist! thrown in. Maybe some Communist! for good measure. Donald and the GOP party hacks will have Harris as leading the BLM Rioters in the streets of "our beautiful cities".

up
4 users have voted.

@wendy davis every time I see some right wing smear ad, I have to remind myself it’s not a parody and that’s really how these people see their targets. I also get a little sad that we can’t have politicians who actually are radical leftists.

up
6 users have voted.

Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

wendy davis's picture

@Dr. John Carpenter

"Not the Onion"? now as far as 'radical leftists', i can't think of any, can you?

up
6 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

she doesn't seem to be on the convention schedule.

up
6 users have voted.

As many have noted, Senator Harris adds nothing to this ticket in terms of swing state votes.

One possible explanation is that the Democrats are not worried about votes. As I have argued before, rather than a being a bunch of idiots, they are a gang of criminals. Democratic Party Now -- Stupid or Crooked?

In 2016, just about everybody on the internet noticed how Hillary Clinton neglected to campaign in several states that wound up going to Trump by tiny margins of the reported vote. Back then, before election day, I figured that she was campaigning so badly because she "knew" the election was in the bag, exactly as the primary against Sanders was in the bag.

That interpretation I believe is a better explanation of Russiagate than simple panic at losing a close, but legitimate, election. Like Robert Shaw in The Sting, Hillary and her crew could not very well claim that Trump just cheated better than they did. So they hoked up a tale drawn from the latest fairy tale concocted by The Intelligence Community -- pointing the nuclear button pushing finger at PUTIN!

Impossible to prove and, better, blowing up the planet if it were somehow proven to be true -- that preposterous tale lives on today even as it remains a proven loser with the public.

The only way to make sense out of the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden is that their party has no intention of winning the most votes. That is decided in a Mad Magazine Spy vs. Spy type of battle that the general public is not allowed to know about. Hacker vs. hacker or perhaps a simpler kind of "vote" among the Biggest Dawgs, the decision will not be made by the citizens who cast ballots.

Today's selection of Harris is another exhibit in my Call Me Paranoid, I Don't Give a Shit case against the fraudulence of American politics.

Conspiracy Theory? I don't give a shit. If the counting of the votes mattered to anybody in power, it would not be so laughably easy to hack the voting process.

up
17 users have voted.

I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

@fire with fire visions of a landslide win, and that's exactly how they campaigned. Lots of time spent in FL and NC. Didn't ignore PA, but even as HRC conserved her energy, she was still out and about in OH that had been lost at least a couple of months before the election.

Trump never gave up on NH (and remained ticked off that he lost it) and only gave up on CO and NV relatively late in the campaign. He fought for PA and WI -- which should have been long-shots for him, but he only needed one of the two to win.

up
6 users have voted.

@Marie nut for Ds to crack in the presidential, and usually they end up banging their head against the wall with only a bad headache to show for it.

If HRC had been smarter -- and she was never in hubby Bill's league as a political natural -- she wouldn't have picked the lame, do-no-good Tim Kaine for her VP. He added nothing in the states she needed in the D firewall. The lack of enthusiasm in the cities in those states, the suboptimal minority voter turnout, was due in important part to her taking the AA vote for granted with her white bread VP pick. She needed an excitement factor added to the ticket in 2016 more even than the aging Biden needs one now.

up
5 users have voted.

@wokkamile Yes, it can be a tough state for Democrats, but my point is that in 2016 it was gone long before election day.

The number one criteria for HRC's VP was her comfort level and that he would defer to her star power and not challenge that. IOW act like Biden did in '08. Who HRC really wanted on her ticket was Bayh, but he was out of office and running to reclaim an IN Senate seat. Unlike Obama in '08, HRC had no weaknesses or shortcomings; so, her VP only had one major task, not lose the VP debate.

up
4 users have voted.
TheOtherMaven's picture

@Marie

that a large percentage of the electorate hated her guts; that she had no Electoral College strategy; that the more the voting public saw and heard of her, the less they liked her; and that she very publicly collapsed at the 2016 9/11 ceremony, raising questions about her overall health and fitness which have never been laid to rest.

up
15 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

@TheOtherMaven She had negative polls and scandalmongering by the oppo up the wazoo as 2016 unfolded. Much had been started decades before when she was FL as the GOP sought to brand her as an evil witch pulling the strings at the WH, maybe knocking off Vince Foster, who of course knew too much.

By contrast, Obama was very likable out of the gate, had no years of negative publicity leading into 2008 to overcome, and his main negative in that campaign, Rev Wright, was a tempest in a teapot for 2 weeks, and overall he handled it fairly well. A non-issue in Nov. And he benefitted from a suddenly teetering economy in the weeks leading up to Nov. And an opponent who looked weak and rudderless on the economic issue, and who had put the embarrassing Sarah Palin on his ticket out of pure desperation.

In 2012, with general satisfaction, no wars, economy growing again, re-elect was rather easy. No wonder he carried even OH both times.

up
5 users have voted.

@TheOtherMaven Obama's weakness was his thin political record and short-time in federal office. Biden, who has been around for ever, balanced that. Carter made a similar choice with Mondale (but not nearly as old as Biden was in '08) but in that instance it also included a demographic region and constituency.

No potential VP for HRC could minimize her personal shortcomings. At least not if that person was comfortable playing third fiddle to HRC first and Bill second. And she and her team had no idea that her shortcomings could hobble her so much in MI, PA and WI that have been 'blue' for a very long time. Even Gore and Kerry won all three.

Strategically, Pence was a smart move; a dozen years in the House, four years as governor, and rock solid with the fundies. AndAnd:

The Indiana governor -- once a self-styled "Rush Limbaugh on decaf" radio host -- was in full talk-radio mode Tuesday night.
Kaine, meanwhile, should switch to decaf.

I'm not defending the Kaine pick, merely explaining what led to it. It added nothing but did no damage either.

up
5 users have voted.

@Marie posts here why Kaine actually hurt HRC. Bc he added nothing and did nothing to rev up enthusiasm for the ticket, esp among AAs, while she had options of a more dynamic pick who could have checked the excitement and AA appeal boxes.

Not really a question of picking someone to overcome HRC's own shortcomings. Just boosting enthusiasm and turnout sufficiently, not massively, to keep the Blue Wall intact.

Kaine was a lousy pick and thereby Hillary squandered the opportunity to put the election away. We can all speculate why she chose him. My take is she feels more comfortable with the moderate type, but more importantly felt a bit overconfident about the election and so didn't feel a need to cater to the Bernie wing or worry about AA turnout.

up
6 users have voted.

Pages