VP's don't ever tend to move the needle forward much...often even in their home states. It's more shoring up negatives on the Presidential candidate. Harris probably does the best at that...but then I would think simply replaying the Garrard take down of her would be a big factor. Like much of the negatives, though, I don't think they're going to matter much either. People have mostly made up their minds, and will just justify whatever they hear to fit in with that. In this case, there is potentially a VAST difference in ideological spectrum between the VP candidates though. Which is maybe why you don't hear much about Warren really being in the mix lately. That would play heavily in attacks on whoever they pick, and would likely resonate more than anything else.
Again, this is not your run of the mill election. People are legitimately concerned about electing the oldest president ever who is displaying cognitive issues. Im ok with Biden as president. He is just status quo. I dont want someone like Harris, a Hillary lite, which both have the same narcissistic tendencies as Trump as President. This is something people really need to understand; We should expect another massive outbreak come October with schools opening up in some states. We are going to get that winter uptick with sick people. If C19 is not on the downward trend, many people are not going to have the urge to get out to vote. I am not sure this mail in voting is going to go well either.
I thought the same thing.... But as I around and look at the malls, restaurants, parks and other places... I'm not so sure anymore... My wife and I were driving and we saw 3 parks that were packed... a water park that packed... Mall was crowded( both indoor and outdoor)... We were asking each other if there was a pandemic.... T_Man
This has all been projected. I've heard some suggest (similar to the Denmark experience) that we are not overly concerned with this behavior. For every X that is taking it casually, there is Y who is taking it very seriously. You do not see the Y's. You have to keep in mind that all major events are shut down. That is tens of thousands of people in each major city you are not seeing who might typically be out. I think we will see the absence at the booth.
To be fair, the reality right now is that the vast majority of the country knows very little about any of these people, except probably Warren. Even Kamala Harris dropped out before Iowa, so she wasn't too relevant except to the diehards paying attention early. Opinions may change once they actually learn things about the VP (good or bad), so I'd take these kinds of polls with a grain of salt - sort of like the head-to-head Presidential polls a year out.
Whitmer would be a solid pick if Joe's theme is "restoration and reconciliation". Up until recently, campaign themes were mostly signaled towards Middle White America. With her youth I can see Republicans diving deeper into what she stands for as the One Heartbeat Away presidential spare. It would take guts and hard promises to make sure Black leadership isn't outraged by this decision. I prefer Rice over Warren and Harris. Harris is my Senator and I still don't know what she stands for in terms of progressive values. Rice's past of heading the NSA is a minus for me, but she would bring some credibility back into statecraft. Her relative youth would also be attacked like Whitmer which I think would turn out as positives if her public vetting turned up nothing. I love Warren and what she has fought for, but she's 71. Sure, anyone can catch covid and bite it, but the thought of having the top two executives near or at 80 at the end of their second term. So everyone knows the aging process Dubya and Obama underwent... I image the effects of 2 entire terms for Biden and Warren would be like looking directly into the Arc of the Covenant.
Even though I badly want Warren to be the next president, this would be perfectly acceptable to me. A lot of days I think he needs to name a Black running mate because it's the right thing to do. Other days I feel the other way. I expect Biden's going through a similar kind of thing. In fact I think Whitmer was a stalking horse to find out how bad the reaction would be if he chose another white woman in Warren.
If you want some real fun today, search "Delaware flight" on twitter. There are private planes coming in from MA, IL, FL, MD (Kamala stuck around DC and her campaign was based in Baltimore), and South Bend, IN. That sounds a lot like he might be preparing to announce a cabinet along with his VP pick. These flights would be right for Warren, Duckworth, Demings, Harris, and Mayor Pete, whom he's already suggested would be in his cabinet. There was also a recent flight that started in ATL, which may indicate Bottoms too. If he decides to announce a cabinet alone with VP, it could be to soften the blow of picking a white woman though I still think the smart money is on a Black running mate.
It would be a bold move but I would be worried announcing a whole cabinet now might water down the affect the VP pick it also would mean he couldn't generate buzz about appointments later on in.
A couple more... Also flights from Maine (Rice) and CA (Bass). That means every single serious VP contender could be flying to Delaware today. Could be all one-on-one meetings but all at once? And what would Pete be doing there? I think the most likely theory is a cabinet announcement, possibly to mitigate the blow of choosing a white VP.
