Or Lieberman and Nelson wouldn’t have bent at all and there would be no ACA, period.
Wishing doesn’t always make it so.
Well said.
Good politicians always do this. It’s the only way to actually get things done. You have to work within the confines of the politics of the moment and make allowances for people who think in ways very different from you. Since Biden has been on the front lines of this for decades, his compromises are more obvious than any made by a Vermont senator who simply sits on the sidelines flinging spitballs, confident in the luxury of never needing to compromise on anything.
Right. George Washington was once a general…for the redcoats.
Oh, nuanced. So he spoke at Strom Thurmond’s funeral. What sort of “nuance” was there besides to call him a racist?
Bullshit. She didn’t call him racist.
Look, I’ve been one of the biggest Biden bashers here, although at this point I’ve accepted that he’s going to be our guy. Whatever happened at Strom Thurmond’s funeral is for all intents and purposes irrelevant right at this moment. Biden has been able to make alliances with important black leaders and generate the support among that community that is crucial. Thurmond died in 2003. 2003 might as well be 1803, so much since then has changed.
Look, I’ve been one of the biggest Biden bashers here, although at this point I’ve accepted that he’s going to be our guy. Whatever happened at Strom Thurmond’s funeral is for all intents and purposes irrelevant right at this moment. Biden has been able to make alliances with important black leaders and generate the support among that community that is crucial. Thurmond died in 2003. 2003 might as well be 1803, so much since then has changed.
I’m equally certain it will be neither, and here’s why: Biden made a specific point to state right at the point of his big reveal that he will appoint a black female to the SCOTUS if he gets the chance. He made this clear so when he picks a white female running mate, the black women in the Democratic caucus, who are the backbone of the party, understand he fully recognizes their importance – but it won’t be with a VP pick.
Smart.
That perhaps unreformed white supremacists shouldn’t have been normalized and celebrated. Thurmond never fully renounced his earlier white supremacist views.
This is ridiculous. Not only did she not call him racist, she also went out of her way to explicitly say she didn’t think he was racist so there could be no doubt about it.
She said the exact opposite of what you are claiming. It’s right there in the transcript.
And a SCOTUS appointment would be more significant/longer lasting effect.
Some might think the VP slot would potentially launch that person into the Presidency, but that really doesn’t work any more - if it ever did. HW Bush got a single term, but otherwise the sitting Veep doesn’t really move up (Ford, Humphrey, Nixon all lost - LBJ won an election, but special circumstances). I guess Biden would be a bit of an exception if/when he wins (except for sitting out the last election (and the Nixon precedent)), and that he’ll likely only serve one term might help whoever is Veep to have a better shot at taking over.
Exactly.
Harris’s skills and experience would be wasted as a vice president, especially when we have so many other talented women who will do the job most ably.
I think Harris might also be a fit for AG. Not only does she have the chops, but the epidemic of conservative heads assplodin’ would be beneficial to the body politic.
Possible, but I will bet she wont be Veep.
If I’m Harris I’d rather be VP than AG.
Being VP would be historic for one. It also allows an expansion of your work since you’ll be dealing on domestic policy agenda and foreign policy agenda. I don’t see the point in deciding to become a legislator after two decades of law enforcement positions in California only to return to law enforcement before your first senate re-election. She could have been an AG option without seeking a Senate seat but seeking it means she wanted a change in direction.
And when the one guy who is higher up the totem pole to you is 77 years old then naturally the delegation of power will be even more greater.
I posted this list nearby. Of presidents’ previous political jobs we have:
15 Veeps (9 successions)
11 Governors
6 Senators
4 Generals
3 Cabinet Secretaries
2 Representatives
2 Ambassadors
1 President
1 no office
The best way for a Veep to take office is for their predecessor to die or resign. I’ll group Veeps like this:
Successors:
Tyler finished WH Harrison’s one term.
Fillmore finished Taylor’s one term.
A.Johnson finished Lincoln’s second term.
Arthur finished Garfield’s one term.
T.Roosevelt finished McKinley’s second term and won on his own.
Coolidge finished Harding’s first term and won on his own.
Truman finished FD Roosevelt’s fourth term and won on his own.
LB Johnson finished Kennedy’s one term and one on his own.
Ford finished Nixon’s second term.
Followers:
One-term president John Adams was Washington’s VP.
Two-termer Jefferson was Adams’ VP.
One-termer Van Buren was Jackon’s VP.
One-termer Taft was T.Roosevelt’s VP.
One-termer GHW Bush was Reagan’s VP.
Standalone:
Nixon was Eisenhower’s VP and won two terms on his own.
When Biden wins, he’ll be another Standalone.
So nobody is troubled with the idea that Biden has pledged to select a woman as his running mate and nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court? If any business in the country made a similar pledge (e.g. the next lawyer in this firm will be a black woman) it would be in violation of the law.
He should select the best person for the job. If that happens to be a black woman or a white man, then that is who he should select.
The best person for VP now is a woman (so is the best for prez for that matter, but that was OBE). It’s ridiculous we haven’t had a woman on either position yet. Optics and perception is part of these most public of positions, and it’s entirely appropriate to pledge to try and rectify this. “The best person for the job”, for stuff like this, is just an excuse to always pick a white man. If you want to go outside the box, you actually need to go outside the fucking box.
In other words, to get more diversity, you have to actually take positive action to get more diversity. It doesn’t happen in its own, because everyone is just human and has their own biases, whether they recognize it or not.
And further, he might have already picked someone and he’s just giving us a hint.
It sounds positively reaganesque to me.
Are you troubled by it?