What's the sell for the VP slot?

[Prairie Gates]

I'm seeing a lot of "Who should Harris select as VP?" It's a good question, but let's also come at it the other way. What are the Harris campaign's selling points to get her top pick to accept the VP slot?

I'm being absolutely serious here. The election is at best a coin toss. None of the prospective candidates was expecting to be doing this even a month ago. If you do end up losing, Also-Ran VP Candidate is not exactly a pathway toward the next step in a political career. And, assuming a win, you're basically committing to 8 years as VP. Seriously, what's in it for an ambitious politico who has eyes on the ring? What's the calculus?

[Metaphorical]

1. Politics is a Strange Profession

You undergo a popular contest every X number of years, and if you are successful, you get to keep your job, otherwise you lose it to someone else who was just a little better at the game than you were. You spend a great deal of time making deals, meeting with your staff to draft legislation, and of course, pressing the flesh. If you're an executive such as a governor or president, any time an emergency occurs, it is your responsible to handle it, do it successfully, most people will not know about it, fail, and everyone knows.

The VP position is a crap shoot. Since 1980, we have had two VPs successfully become president - George HW Bush (to Reagan) and Joe Biden (to Obama), one near miss (Al Gore, who probably DID win Florida), and one failure - Pence. If Kamala Harris wins, then she would become the third successful VP to President transition, so the odds of becoming president from being a vice president are generally pretty good. (Truman, LBJ, and Ford round out the list in the post WWII era).

Admittedly, Harris is also facing a crap shoot at this time, because there are few real data points for a president retiring, though it can be argued that LBJ effectively retired in 1968 rather than seeking a third term. Biden is effectively dropping out after having secured the nomination, which is a different case.

So, as to the answer to your question, it's a bet. Harris walked away from a secure senate seat to take it, but Biden was even then an old man, and there was never any real question that she was being groomed as his successor. Harris is relatively young (59), in good health, and if successful, could be president for eight years. That's why the people that would be most likely to take the position are likely going to be in their early 50s, have executive, administrative and legislative experience, and are looking at advancing to the Federal level. Gretchen Whitmer, Pete Buttigieg, and Andy Beshear are all the right general age and at a solid point in their political careers when the VP slot would be attractive. I personally like Whitmer there, but all of them would be good candidates.

[Prairie Gates]

3. Pretty thoughtful

It's a weird situation for VP as well, I think. The catches are the short-timing of the decision and unexpectedness of the campaign, plus, of course, the downsides of losing, which are substantial. No VP also-ran has gone on to do very well.

[PeaceWave]

2. With Trump waging a war against women, swing for the fences. Pick a woman as VP.

I say this as a man. Make it historic. Make it epic. Make it something you do not just for your nation but for your daughters' futures as well.

[Prairie Gates]

4. I'm asking how you sell the ticket to a prospective VP candidate

Point taken, though.

[themaguffin]

5. There's a woman on the top of the ticket. It already is historic. I'm not saying don't do it, but I am saying that

it doesn't add, politically, anything to the ticket.

[honest.abe]

6. Making history, saving the country and likely to win.

No problem selling that.

[Prairie Gates]

7. Optimistic, but OK

I still think you have the weirdness of the short-notice, unexpected campaign.

[honest.abe]

9. Definitely some "weirdness" but also might view it as excitement and an amazing political challenge.

I am looking forward to it!

[Prairie Gates]

12. Definitely will be watching the polls closely over the next few weeks

Likelihood of winning will be a big concern to any potential VP candidate.

[boston bean]

8. A manly man from a swing state.

I am shellshocked with the misogyny in this country.

[Prairie Gates]

11. Again, I'm not asking whom to pick, but how you convince them to join the ticket

[JCMach1]

10. I have a very short list

Mark Cuban- indys on board, self funding, highly media savvy. Very available. Supported Biden 100%.

Mark Kelly- swing state, resume.


Andy Beshear- Gov., young, Red State.

Gretchen Whitmer- must win state Gov., strong, smart, popular.

Pete Buttigieg- young, media savvy, smart AF.

Honestly, I want to see someone outside of Congress. Literally, no Tim Kaine's. It needs to be a strong pick and seen as a savvy partnership: think Clinton/Gore level 2 heavyweights on a ticket.

I am onboard with anything but a weak pick, but I absolutely love the thought of how disruptive Mark Cuban would be on the ticket. You want to increase WM vote by 10-15%, add Cuban to the ticket. Cuban would net us a historic landslide.

And yes, I also realize party unity is going to be a sticking point whoever gets picked, but VP Harris has some real upside with this pick and needs to look outside of the box even to people like Gen.Milley.

[Prairie Gates]

13. It would probably be easier to convince a non-politician to join

Cuban is an interesting choice, because he wouldn't be that concerned about a loss, whereas a career politician might view it as a career killer.

[Celerity]

14. William H. McRaven, former 4 star admiral who was in charge of the op that killed bin Laden

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._McRaven

William Harry McRaven (born November 6, 1955) is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) from August 8, 2011 to August 28, 2014. From 2015 to 2018, he was the chancellor of The University of Texas System.

McRaven served from June 13, 2008 to August 2011 as commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and from June 2006 to March 2008 as commander of Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR). In addition to his duties as COMSOCEUR, he was designated as the first director of the NATO Special Operations Forces Coordination Center (NSCC), where he was charged with enhancing the capabilities and inter-operability of all NATO Special Operations Forces. McRaven retired from the U.S. Navy on September 1, 2014, after more than 37 years of service. McRaven was reportedly considered by President Joe Biden for appointment as Secretary of Defense before Biden nominated Lloyd Austin.

snip

Operation Neptune's Spear

McRaven is credited for organizing and overseeing the execution of Operation Neptune's Spear, the special ops raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. CIA Director Leon Panetta delegated operational and execution decisions on the raid to McRaven, who had worked almost exclusively on counter-terrorism operations and strategy since 2001.

According to The New York Times, "In February, Mr. Panetta called then-Vice Adm. William H. McRaven, commander of the Pentagon's Joint Special Operations Command, to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to give him details about bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and to begin planning a military strike.

Admiral McRaven, a veteran of the covert world who had written a book on American Special Operations, spent weeks working with the CIA on the operation, and came up with three options: a helicopter assault using U.S. Navy SEALs, a strike with B-2 bombers that would obliterate the compound, or a joint raid with Pakistani intelligence operatives who would be told about the mission hours before the launch." The day before the assault, President Obama "took a break from rehearsing for the White House Correspondents Dinner that night to call Admiral McRaven, to wish him luck".

[JCMach1]

15. Also a good possibility...