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Breaking the Rules Biden goes Big
Earlier this afternoon I was explaining to my mom why Joe Biden would not pick Kamala Harris as his running mate in 2020.
1. She is from California and would not strengthen his hand in key swing states of the upper Midwest or the Blue Wave states of Arizona, Texas, Georgia, and Florida.
2. As a senator she lacks leadership experience at the level of governor.
3. She hurt him badly in the debates with her attacks on his record on court ordered bussing in the 1970s.
4. As a black woman she would suffer double attacks from Trumpian conservatives.
5. She might play into “liberal white female” resentment that the top prize did not go to a white female.
6. Harris might make a better pick for Attorney General than Vice President.
My analysis was based on my decades of teaching political history and observing the usual rules of “Vice Presidential” selections. I also forgot the key lesson of history teachers; we are much better at explaining the past than predicting the future.
All of this begs the question, why did Biden and his team break so many rules of choosing a running mate?
1. He is acknowledging his age and wants someone who has been elected to state wide office in a major state and…
