# Biden's choice for vice presidential candidate **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 10, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505 "2020-04-10T15:04:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/301 "2020-06-28T23:24:31Z")
The results in this NYT poll a few days back actually surprised me some. [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/us/politics/biden-vice-president-voters.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/us/politics/biden-vice-president-voters.html) Most shocking was that 14% of “all registered voters” feel that Biden should choose a Black VP candidate while only 6% of Black voters in swing states do. That being the case here’s the case made for [Duckworth](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/opinion/sunday/tammy-duckworth-biden-2020.html?surface=most-popular&fellback=false&req_id=254420367&algo=top_conversion&imp_id=96994063&action=click&module=Most%20Popular&pgtype=Homepage). > [@](#): > > For the uninitiated: Duckworth, 52, is in the fourth year of her first term in the Senate, before which she served two terms in the House. So unlike several of the other vice-presidential contenders, she has ascended to what is conventionally considered the right political altitude for this next step. > > But it’s her life story that really makes her stand out. It’s the harrowing chapter in Iraq, yes, but also how she rebounded from it, how she talks about it. It’s her attitude. Her grace. … > > … Duckworth is neither progressive idol nor progressive enemy. That partly reflects a low policy profile that’s among her flaws as a running mate but could actually work to her advantage, making her difficult to pigeonhole and open to interpretation. Trump-weary voters can read into her what they want. And in recent congressional elections, Democrats have had success among swing voters with candidates who are veterans. … It’s a decent case. I’m not betting on her, but in terms of the number one criteria, being someone who could step into the job at a moment’s notice if god forbid something happened to President Biden? She is more than capable. OTOH streaming her for her speaking chops? [A bit stiff](https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/videos/watch/duckworth-slams-donald-trumps-reckless-iran-strategy). She would not be a liability (would not drive anyone away) though. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/302 "2020-06-29T03:56:16Z")
I’m only half kidding, but why not Oprah? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/303 "2020-06-29T04:20:37Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > OTOH streaming her for her speaking chops? [A bit stiff](https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/videos/watch/duckworth-slams-donald-trumps-reckless-iran-strategy). She would not be a liability (would not drive anyone away) though. Oh tut tut. No one sounds especially good when reading into the Senate record from a script. [Here’s a good one where she shows a bit of fire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJtD8hPUTcU), and she ain’t reading. I think Duckworth is among my top three hopes. (The other two being Warren and Demings). I just can’t put my finger on what I don’t like about Harris, but there’s something about her that just rubs me the wrong way. Frankly, I’d rather have any one of the others that are currently being vetted over her. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/304 "2020-06-29T05:26:36Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’m only half kidding, but why not Oprah? Because she’s not a politician? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/305 "2020-06-29T07:19:05Z")
Your point being? Because she is certainly a TV star (and one with a demonstrated history of being far more generous to her followers than the America-hating fuckstick). Anyway, my idea is that she would put Joe over the top in November, and on January 21, 2021, she would resign. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/306 "2020-06-29T07:36:37Z")
My point is, if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past 3.5 years, it’s that running a country is not an amateur talent show. Oprah’s a nice person, but she has as much experience in politics as I have heading a talk show. I wouldn’t want her as President any more than I’d want her piloting my plane or giving me a root canal. She’s just not qualified for the job. And having her resign after taking office is just dishonest. The American people have the right to choose their own Vice President, especially when she has a real chance of becoming President sooner rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/307 "2020-06-29T08:55:32Z")
After they voted Melinda Doolittle off American Idol, it’s difficult to make the case that “The American People” are even capable of choosing what singer to like, much less a VP. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/308 "2020-06-29T09:05:23Z")
a. Who? b. If you have any better ideas, I’d like to hear them. ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/309 "2020-06-29T09:29:56Z")
What is the over / under in days for, once Biden names the pick, that twitter starts demanding he pledge to resign after the 2022 midterms? ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/310 "2020-06-29T09:36:48Z")
> **[Oprah’s long history with junk science](https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/1/9/16868216/oprah-winfrey-pseudoscience)** > > She may be the most powerful crank enabler on the planet. Aside from her complete lack of relevant experience, Oprah has been a huge enabler of junk science over the years including anti-vax. She would be an atrocious choice at a time when it’s vital for the public to trust medical science including the eventual deployment of a vaccine which is probably the only way to end this crisis. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/311 "2020-06-29T10:34:09Z")
Thanks for that. Yes she is much better there. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/312 "2020-06-29T12:00:34Z")
Besides, I don’t like people who think they can start at the top. It smacks of entitlement. Oprah wants to be President? Then she should run for Congress, serve a few years, then run for Senator or Governor, serve a few more, and only then run for President. Put the hours in, like the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/313 "2020-06-29T12:22:45Z")
> [@Lantern2](#): > > Aside from her complete lack of relevant experience, Oprah has been a huge enabler of junk science over the years including anti-vax. She would be an atrocious choice at a time when it’s vital for the public to trust medical science including the eventual deployment of a vaccine which is probably the only way to end this crisis. That settles it, I’m voting for Trump if Oprah is in. I don’t want a leader who believes in junk science! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/314 "2020-06-29T12:35:02Z")
Thankfully, those don’t have to be the options. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/315 "2020-06-29T12:38:40Z")
Oprah, sadly, probably could win. But I wouldn’t want her to win. She’s fine as a TV show host (better, at least, at that job than Trump was). If she wants to advocate for Democratic politicians, I’ll thank her for that. But there’s no reason to believe that she’d be at all good at any aspect of the job other than getting elected. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/316 "2020-06-29T19:04:14Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > a. Who? > > b. If you have any better ideas, I’d like to hear them. > **[Melinda Doolittle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_Doolittle)** > > Melinda Marie Doolittle (born October 6, 1977) is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol. Prior to her appearance on American Idol, Doolittle worked as a professional back-up singer for, among others, Michael McDonald, Kirk Franklin, Aaron Neville, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Alabama, Jonny Lang, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Carman, and Anointed. > Doolittle was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Steve and Marguerite Duke Doolittle but considers Brentwo... ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/317 "2020-06-30T02:55:24Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > My point is, if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past 3.5 years, it’s that running a country is not an amateur talent show. Oprah’s a nice person, but she has as much experience in politics as I have heading a talk show. I wouldn’t want her as President any more than I’d want her piloting my plane or giving me a root canal. She’s just not qualified for the job. Gawd. Thank you! So exactly well said. I’m really discouraged to see how many people here don’t appreciate the importance of experience in doing the job. Biden has said again and again, his most important criterion is that his VP pick is able to step into the job of president on day one. //// I’m starting to think Susan Rice may be Biden’s pick. It is an excellent one if she is. There will be a lot of ‘Benghazis’ thrown around, but I don’t think they’ll land with any permanent damage under the circumstances. I know. Republicans can start clutching their pearls about how she and Bill Clinton met for 20 minutes in Rice’s plane in Phoenix once. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/318 "2020-06-30T14:24:21Z")
It’s definitely going to be a female POC. With Klobuchar dropping out using that reasoning, he’s going to look like a dick if he picks a white woman. I think we can safely eliminate Whitmer from the running. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/319 "2020-06-30T14:35:53Z")
I agree with you **Ashtura**. If it were not for that, I’d be rooting for Katie Porter. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/320 "2020-07-01T14:25:41Z")
There was a cop show awhile back set in the near future. A criminal defendant was being asked questions to determine if he was mentally ill. He calmly replied when asked his name, what day of the week it was, and when asked who was President, said, “Oprah Winfrey.” The detective said to the psychologist, “See? He’s fine.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505.md?page=17)