Is this the Democratic Ticket...? |
But Twitter, which has been insane lately (let's be real-it's gone off its axis with everyone overreacting to news as if it's landmark when it's really mundane) was chastising Biden's selections. How dare he consider vetting these people? "I am walking from the ticket if he doesn't pick Candidate X!" and other such comments. So I'm going to break it down here, as best I can, because it feels like either people are new to the political vetting process or smart people are trying to sway the masses to their preferred candidate(s) rather than be honest about what the vice presidential process looks like, and what the nominee ultimately will mean for the success of the Biden ticket.
...or is this the ticket...? |
You'll notice right off that there are some names missing there, and I don't think anyone should read too much into that. Though a lot of the vetting process is cloaked in secrecy & rumor, it does seem that roughly 8-12 people are initially considered & given the vetting process treatment if history is an indicator, at least to some degree. It would be pretty odd for Biden to not consider more candidates, and indeed it's probable he will. Frequently named figures like Sens. Kamala Harris (CA), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Tammy Baldwin (WI), & Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), as well as House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (GA) and National Security Advisor Susan Rice (ME) are probably going to show up as rumors in the next week or so, as the Biden camp (or these politician's respective camps) try to test balloon their names in the mix. It's also worth noting that the Democratic Party has a weird history of floating a random name late-in-the-game that ended up being considered seriously last minute (In 2016 it was NATO Commander James Stavridis, in 2008 it was Rep. Chet Edwards, in 2004 it was Rep. Lee Hamilton & Sen. Sam Nunn and in 2000 it was the return of Sen. Bill Bradley as a genuine option), so look out for some mayor or former administration official high-ranking military official to be a part of the conversation (Lori Robinson, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Hilda Solis, & Michelle Howard are my current wild card bets). As hard as it is to believe in a presidential election that has now been going on for years, we're still relatively early in the process, and it's worth remembering that only one of these women will be given the job of Joe Biden's running-mate, and most of them ultimately won't be seriously considered for the position. Biden will likely get this down to 2-3 names in the end, to the point where they have been vetted so thoroughly that they should seriously consider the idea that they're going to get a call.
...or perhaps this is the ticket...? |
Second, it's a good time to actually vet the candidates, and a wider pool is probably smart. None of these candidates have been on a national ticket before, and with the possible exception of Elizabeth Warren in 2016, none of them have seriously been considered for this position in the past. We don't know, therefore, what might come up in a vice-presidential vetting process, and could disqualify them (it's worth noting that because of the secrecy surrounding the process, it's probable we will never know what might have disqualified someone). But these are accomplished, longtime public figures-there are hundreds of past speeches, votes, public statements, newspaper editorials...you name it, it's probably going to be reviewed by someone, and that takes time. The months of public speculation, gossip, and swirl keeps Biden's name in the papers, but it also gives researchers time to do their jobs.
...or maybe this is the ticket? |
So if you're on Twitter suddenly having a panic attack that Biden is vetting someone as moderate as Klobuchar or Hassan, you need to relax and check yourself. This is how the process works. He should not just be considering the one candidate you have your heart set on-that's foolish, that's playing a bad hand. It's not gaining any of the press that might come from a dozen or so initial candidates to consider, and it's assuming your favorite candidate doesn't have skeletons in their closet. Klobuchar & Hassan are sitting US Senators from swing states with long resumés & Biden would be foolish not to consider them for his ticket. If they might help his campaign, and if he finds that they'd make the best ticket to beat Donald Trump through his vetting, that's what this is supposed to do. And if you want to get mad then, get mad. But right now, while the Biden campaign is working hard to get through to find the right running-mate, don't confuse some of the public speculation for reality, and don't be so obtuse as to think that every candidate that is going to be publicly vetted should meet a specific, rigid criteria, as that's a terrible way to look at how to win a campaign.
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