As the Democratic field narrows, who should be on the shortlist for V.P.?
Hint: it’s not who Joe Biden’s talking about
Former Vice President Joe Biden shocked Democratic activists everywhere when he revealed he would consider a Republican to be his running mate. The statement unleashed a firestorm on Twitter, even though New York Times columnist David Leonhardt argued that the comment was just an easy way for Biden to show his openness to people of both political parties.
In reality, Biden has mentioned a laundry list of people he would consider as his running mate. The latest is reportedly Beto O’Rourke, although my guess is that this rumor was floated by Beto himself. He seems intent on doing anything to avoid running for Senate again.
Beto, of course, would be a horrible choice. I can only imagine the optics of two white privileged guys running as the Democratic ticket. So much for the Democratic party looking like America.
But never fear. People are getting frustrated with Biden’s unwillingness to commit to a V.P. candidate at this time, but that’s exactly the position he should be taking at this point. He can worry about his V.P. pick after he (or someone else) has won the primaries.
Biden’s flailing around on this question does point to two legitimate concerns with his candidacy, however. First, he is incredibly undisciplined as a candidate. He seems to say whatever comes into his mind at the time regardless of the potential ramifications. To some, that might seem like a positive trait. But then he says things that make his look stupid, as when he said that “poor kids” are just as bright as “white kids.” Trump might not be able to understand the implications of that statement, but the rest of us can.
