Veepstakes

For some reason, Biden looks to be delaying the announcement of his vice presidential pick for another week. There has been furious leaks and character attacks on the leading candidates via Politico especially, so maybe he's re-setting the roster or waiting for things to cool down. It seems to be down to about four candidates.  I don't think Elizabeth Warren is in the running, because I think you need to worry about replacing her Senate seat. Also, I think she would prefer to be the "Lioness of the Senate" and have her fingerprints on the legislation that will need to be squeezed through a potentially narrow majority.

So that leaves three women most likely to be the Veep (in my mind). I think Biden is very much looking for someone to succeed him in 2024 - if not sooner. I can see a scenario where he wins a solid victory, signs some landmark legislation and steps down in 2023 so the Veep can run as an incumbent in the middle of (hopefully) a robust recovery. 

Susan Rice is clearly a candidate that Biden feels comfortable with as a person. She has never run for office before and has a history of impolitic statements. She suffers from the misogynistic double standard regarding "niceness." Apparently she has "sharp elbows" and doesn't suffer fools lightly. My guess is she winds up either at State or Defense.

Tammy Duckworth has the best personal story and the thinnest resume. Of the top three, she would be the one I'd be least thrilled to see takeover sooner in a Biden administration. Her personal story is compelling, she has shown the ability to take on Trump and she's clearly a "comer," but it's unclear if she's the safest pick for November or the riskier pick for January.

Finally, there's the presumptive front-runner: Kamala Harris. She has been vetted by the presidential campaign. She's charismatic. She has been pegged by Biden's BFF, Obama, as a rising star. She's won statewide office. She's actually both Black and Asian American. But there's been an attack campaign by fossilized old men around Biden like Chris Dodd and the odious Ed Rendell. She's "ambitious" - as if that were a sin for a man aspiring to the vice presidency. She played hardball in the primaries, and didn't apologize for it, which upset Dodd.

There are a host of other contenders: Val Demmings, Karen Bass, Keisha Lance Bottoms and a handful of governors. Demmings was a cop at a moment that's not a plus. Bass has said nice things about Castro, which doesn't help Florida. Bottoms has only been mayor for a few years. The governors will have to campaign while trying to fight a pandemic that Trump couldn't be bothered with.

In the end, I'd be more than fine with Harris as Veep, Chuck Schumer at Treasury or Chief of Staff so that Warren could be Majority Leader, Rice at State or Defense, Bottoms at HHS perhaps, Pete Buttigieg at State or Veterans Affairs.  That's a solid crew.  Certainly better than the grifters and cheats currently occupying those offices.