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In reply to the discussion: Joe Biden has committed to selecting a woman to be his Vice Presidential running mate. (POLL) [View all]judeling
(1,086 posts)Biden's main task is to win, after that the bigger the win the better, and then securing 2022 and the future (because we need more then just 2 years).
I do not see him picking Warren. The age issue even more then ideology plays against it. So while Warren would be the most popular choice in the Midwest blue wall states Klobuchar is the second and not that far behind. Absolutely locking down the Midwest allows Biden to play on a broader field.
While Harris showed during the campaign that she could deliver a devastating attack, she was not that good o defense and it appeared that her attacks needed preparation and she did not show great ability to at least appear to ad-lib and did not seem to be able to play defense. While Debate skills are not going to play a big part in the coming election the press interplay will. Again Klobuchar showed herself quite adept at that indeed many of the most devastating attacks came from her in what appeared to be an off hand manner. "There are three women on the stage' was perhaps the best attack of the cycle as it probably robbed of any momentum af a pretty good moment.
But for a more in depth discussion of the choices we must look at the actual political landscape and dynamic not the ones we wish were true.
This election is not about policy it is about Trump. This was true even before Covid-19 and is only more true now. The thought that any VP pick will energize our base more then just Trump is marginal at best. We are more united and determined then we have been for decades. 2018 showed the limits of a base election. Plenty for the House, short for the Senate. For a huge EC win and a comfortable chance at the Senate we will need more than the base. We are actually well on the way towards that.
Biden has already more then even upped I plus 65+ that alone put Fla. more in play. Trump is much more vulnerable with other demographics then people think. For big sweeping game changing wins we have to gain in Red America not win just gain. This is a zero sum game where what Trump doesn't get we do. Trump is slowly bleeding support with Farmers. Business, The Military, and Veterans. People need to understand that almost a third of Republicans are in play. While Trump shows pretty united Republican support on the topline the strong support is only around 60%. That means that there is actually room to grow there when any support he loses that we gain almost counts as double. To actually play offense we have to play on the Red side of the field, for that Klobuchar again is the choice.
To secure any gains long term we need to effectively govern right away. For that we cannot have ay major internal fights. Biden as already indicated the way he wants to go and that is broad and immediate. In this moment it will be quantity that will have a quality all its own. We have a tremendous amount of popular legislation backlogged in the Senate that could be freed quickly. But to do that we cannot allow the Republicans to go into deep opposition. Instead we need to exploit the Post-Trump divisions that will be exposed. Again Klobuchar is in prime position, not only does she understand the dynamics of the Democratic caucus as chair of the policy committee, she understands the dynamics of the Republicans. She has been one of the designated Republican whisperers for a decade. Joe has indicated he wants an Executive Officer for VP and Amy fits the bill perfectly.
So
On Defense she takes Minnesota off the board and helps secure the Blue Wall Midwest.
On Offense she plays better in Red America then any other candidate and with a Zero Sum game help with down ballot in the Senate.
In governing she would be an effective alter-ego whose pragmatism would blunt Republican opposition and force their reckoning to happen in 2022 as the party tries to determine what they are.
Trump attacking her from the left attempting to divide our base only makes her play better on the right and middle. Attacking her from the right flies in the face of her image and only helps her on the left.
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