Friends, my latest article reflects my desire to start putting this coronavirus business behind us. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about the stupid virus, and the last thing I want to do is write yet another article about it. Maybe you feel the same way?
My latest piece is about Joe Biden's all-important choice as to who will be his running mate, and therefore who will potentially be our Vice-President and even our President, should Sleepy Joe kick the bucket, as seems increasingly likely. My pick for Joe is Kamala Harris. In fact, I believe I'm giving Biden some very solid advice here -- I always have the Dems' best interests at heart, after all -- but the good news is that he probably won't listen to me.
Anyway, check out the article, soon to appear at
Townhall:
Pick Kamala, Sleepy Joe
There is a
persistent myth in American politics that a superb running mate can
push a presidential candidate over the top, either in terms of the
popular vote or in the electoral college. There is precious little
evidence from history to indicate that this is so. Vice-Presidents
simply aren't that consequential in our system of government, and the
strengths and weaknesses of the presidential candidate himself (or
herself) therefore determine the outcome, along with external factors
like the state of the economy, war versus peace, natural disasters,
pandemics, etc.
What a running
mate can do, however, is to become a drag on the ticket. Sarah Palin
is the most famous example of a potential vice-president whose
missteps — and whose unfair vilification by the media — proved to
be a distraction from the messaging of, in her case, John McCain. And
that is the scenario that Joe Biden must avoid at all costs: a
running mate who adds to the long list of headaches, liabilities, and
burdens which his campaign already shoulders.
Presumably, Biden
and his key advisors feel that, because of the historically high
disapproval ratings of President Trump, what they need to do to win
in 2020 is avoid making horrendous mistakes. That may be slightly
optimistic, but no one can say for sure that this low-risk strategy
will not work. Step One, therefore, is to choose a running mate who
doesn't stink.
To that end, I
would like to suggest that Sleepy Joe shake himself awake long enough
to consider the attractions of California Senator Kamala Harris at a
potential vice-presidential nominee.
First, Kamala
Harris has the experience, intelligence, and gravitas to be a
credible President of the United States, if Sleepy Joe should someday
soon opt for eternal rest. This is key, because a selection like
Stacey Abrams, although exciting to some progressives, would leave
Biden open to the charge that he is thrusting a neophyte onto the
national stage and possibly even into the Oval Office. Voters would
perceive the obvious risk. Harris, by contrast, as a former
California Attorney General and as a sitting Senator, is ready to
roll.
Second,
Harris can plausibly claim to be both moderate and
progressive. Her record is long enough that it includes areas of
vulnerability, yes, but it is also multifaceted enough that Democrats
and liberals will be able to see in it what they want to see, which
will vary from voter to voter. Harris is also smart and wily enough
to pivot from the center to the left, and back again, as
circumstances demand.
Third, Harris has
proven that she can admirably fulfill one of the most important roles
that a running mate has: that of attack dog. Harris excels in this
regard. She made her only real splash as a presidential candidate by
viciously attacking the record of Joe Biden himself on the issue of
busing. Harris, however, had the good sense not to press those
attacks, because she (rightly) foresaw that Biden could emerge as the
nominee, and she did not want to jeopardize her political future. As
Biden's running mate, Harris would not be similarly demure. She would
be unleashed to savage Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and the whole GOP
over and over, while Biden smiled politely (some would say vacantly)
and played the role of unifier and Mr. Nice Guy.
Fourth,
Harris is black(ish), which means a lot in today's Democratic Party.
To mollify feminists, Biden already had to concede that his running
mate will be a woman (for some strange reason, he didn't specify a
non-man, which would have been more “woke”, but I digress). The
truth is that, if he chose a white
woman like Elizabeth Warren, he would still be seen as an agent of
white privilege by many leftist firebrands. A considerable portion of
the Democratic Party is, to be blunt, done with white people in
general. By picking Kamala Harris, Biden would demonstrate that,
although in the short term the party's standard bearer is a tired old
white guy, in the medium term the Democrats are ready to turn the
page in terms of race and gender.
It should go without saying that elevating Harris, a woman of color,
to the role of president-in-waiting will also provide the Democrats
with the opportunity to brand any and all attacks that Republicans
make against her as VILE RACISM! We know from past experience that,
the more nervous Democrats become about the viability (including the
mental capacity) of their candidates, the more likely they are to
fall back on charges of racism and sexism in order to motivate their
base. Given the glaring vulnerabilities of Joe Biden, we can expect
that the 2020 campaign will be the most grievance-laden and
“intersectional” of all time. Harris is ready to play her part.
So, Sleepy Joe, as you can see, the merits of Senator Kamala Harris
as a potential running mate are legion. If you want to win in 2020,
first do no harm, and choose a vice-president who will refrain from
tanking your campaign — that, after all, is your job. If possible,
choose a running mate who can add some dynamism and a little soaring
(or searing) rhetoric to your yammerings, but don't expect to win
because of the woman standing next to you. That just never happens.
If, then, you want to win, Sleepy Joe, choose Kamala. She'll give
you a fighting chance.
Since,
however, I don't
want you to win, please don't choose Kamala. Instead, I recommend
dusting off the reanimated corpse of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton
(whichever one agrees to undergo “gender reassignment” surgery
first gets the prize).
What could go wrong?
