# 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:** 30
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/581 "2020-08-04T13:32:05Z")
Exactly. Turning _Senator_ Warren into _Vice President_ Warren is essentially exiling her to the waiting room. And if President (hypothetically) Biden lives through his term, then what? Will he run for a second term? Would he be elected to a second term? Assuming Warren could win the Democratic primary, could she win the general election? Who would the Republican nominee be? Would she be too old to run? Making Warren the Vice President is neutralizing her. Forever. Far, far better to name her to an important cabinet post, or just to leave her in the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/582 "2020-08-04T13:48:57Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Making Warren the Vice President is neutralizing her. Forever. Far, far better to name her to an important cabinet post, or just to leave her in the Senate. Leave her in the Senate. She has more power there than she would as SecTreas or VP. I still think Harris is the best play. Young (relatively - youngest person currently being considered), progressive voting record, even the “she’s a cop” may be beneficial when the ticket responds to the “they want to abolish all the police” attacks. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/583 "2020-08-04T13:56:30Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > What’s wrong with the grandparents taking charge for a while? Your subseq remark suggests you are joking, but while I (generally) respect my elders, I am wary of placing them in the most demanding situations. While a president SHOULD delegate, I prefer a president who has the physical/mental energy to treat it as a pretty demanding, full-time job. I’m not sure how many 70 yr olds I know that are as fit/competent 24/7 as a reasonably fit 50-yr old - or even 60. And that goes down pretty rapidly over 70. Sure - have older folk as advisors, or in more predictable 9-5 roles. But pass the torch for the #1 position for the younger folk. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/584 "2020-08-04T15:31:23Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > youngest person currently being considered Susan Rice is a little under 1 month younger 😉. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/586 "2020-08-04T16:08:05Z")
Which means Harris was alive for nearly one month before Rice was born…? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/587 "2020-08-04T16:11:47Z")
Oh, poop… I misread myself… I thought they said older not younger. ---
**Author:** ![Dagobian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dagobian/32/4143_2.png) [@Dagobian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dagobian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/588 "2020-08-04T16:21:35Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > will be automatically deleted in 876000 hours unless flagged) Hmm, feels like I should flag this. A hundred year span for the mods to check this deletion out, to make sure it’s kosher, just seems too short. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/589 "2020-08-04T23:15:21Z")
That “876,000 hours” presumably is a pre-programmed response. I’m curious about who it was that did the programming. That’s a mighty deliberative individual. As for Biden’s delaying the announcement–yes, I agree the campaign is floating bits of info about some of the candidates, with a view to finding out what matters and what doesn’t. That, or they’re still hoping that Michelle (Obama) will reconsider. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2020, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/590 "2020-08-04T23:27:45Z")
> **[Bass honored US Communist Party leader in unsurfaced remarks](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/510576-bass-honored-us-communist-party-leader-in-unsurfaced-congressional-remarks/)** > > Rep. Karen Bass (D) inserted remarks into the congressional record in 2017 honoring a member of the Communist Party USA, the latest revelation surrounding the California lawmaker as she emerge… I just don’t think Biden needs this kind of potential headache on the ticket. We need to bring moderates and disaffected Republicans on board, not scare them off. I think Bass is just a PR nightmare. Demings or Duckworth. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/591 "2020-08-04T23:59:21Z")
I’ve been hoping for Duckworth as Veep for ages - not just because she’s a woman and a minority (although those qualities will annoy Trump) but because she’s already demonstrated that she can win an ass-kicking contest with no legs. Her getting the Senate to change the rules on breastfeeding was a victory that might appear trivial but required a considered change of culture in an institution that does not change its culture easily, and she’s held her own in public exchanges of barbs. I really don’t see the appeal of Rice - she’s certainly smart and experienced but even setting Benghazi aside I’m not seeing much charisma. Abrams I still hope to see one day in the Georgia governor’s mansion, helping to clean up Kemp’s mess. Warren is better off in the Senate as noted (although she was one of my preferred candidates for President). Harris and Biden don’t seem well-matched even if you ignore the debate attacks; they seem to rub each other the wrong way. And I don’t know enough about Bass and Demings. My Trumpist FIL posted a message on Facebook today stating that the insidious Democrat plan is to pick a hard-left VP choice so that Joe, who is suffering from dementia, can step down immediately and the new president will implement, I dunno, Marxism and rainbows and that sort of shit. It was the usual combination of nonsense and paranoia one sees from Trump supporters on Facebook these days. I’m not seeing any hard-leftists in the likely candidate list but maybe Joe is secretly planning to pick Raul Castro as a running mate. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/592 "2020-08-05T00:01:21Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I really don’t see the appeal of Rice - she’s certainly smart and experienced but even setting Benghazi aside I’m not seeing much charisma. I have no objection to Duckworth, but Rice is good too. Very smart, experienced, and a good speaker. She oozes competence. It’s a nice contrast to our current mess. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/593 "2020-08-05T00:07:57Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > It’s a nice contrast to our current mess. A hatrack would be a nice contrast to our current mess. It’s not a hard bar to clear. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/594 "2020-08-05T00:26:30Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > … I really don’t see the appeal of Rice - she’s certainly smart and experienced but even setting Benghazi aside I’m not seeing much charisma. … The VP candidate doesn’t need to be super charismatic; no one is voting specifically because a VP candidate inspired them. They do need to create confidence that the country would be in competent adult hands if they were called to serve out the rest of a term. It is great when they are someone who can help the president in office. And not provoke much R turnout or suppress much D turnout or make swing voters have second thoughts about the top of the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/595 "2020-08-05T00:33:20Z")
I dunno, ISTM the Florida Cubans who are not single-issue antiCastrist voters tend to be _apathetic_ and do not necessarily identify with the other immigrants. Remember, _they_ were welcomed with open arms. > [@MandaJo](#): > > More profoundly, I think the reason we have such a crisis of leadership is that with our “never too old” attitude about the presidency, deeply ambitious politicians see younger peers as competition, not mentees. There are those who would say that a disappointing part of the Obama years was that they did not reshape the Democratic Party machinery to create _many future Obamas_ all the way down to school boards, instead it kept attritting state-level offices while waiting for another “historic first” shot for the top. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/596 "2020-08-05T01:47:25Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Bass honored US Communist Party leader in unsurfaced remarks > [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/510576-bass-honored-us-communist-party-leader-in-unsurfaced-congressional-remarks](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/510576-bass-honored-us-communist-party-leader-in-unsurfaced-congressional-remarks) That’s it. Three strikes and she’s out, in my book, at least. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/597 "2020-08-05T02:03:21Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > > [@Gyrate](#): > > > > … I really don’t see the appeal of Rice - she’s certainly smart and experienced but even setting Benghazi aside I’m not seeing much charisma. … > > … I’ll add that there is more risk to VP candidate being extremely charismatic than less so. You don’t want the top of the ticket to be looking tepid in comparison. They can be smarter maybe, meaner definitely, but they can’t be much more inspirational than the top dog. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/598 "2020-08-05T04:19:40Z")
And this is precisely why Rice is the best choice. I could accept that Duckworth is also a good choice. Warren will be better in the Senate and won’t be willing to be in a secondary position. Bass has to be ruled out because of the Cuba stuff and Scientologly apologia in my opinion. She is far too much of an easy target. VP choice should be the one that does the least harm. IMHO that is either Rice or Duckworth. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/599 "2020-08-05T04:29:59Z")
Except Rice will be tied to Benghazi and Hillary Clinton mercilessly for the next three months if she’s the pick. Talk about an easy target. Do we really want to hand the Trump campaign a suitcase full of familiar talking points and attacks? ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/600 "2020-08-05T05:01:32Z")
Rice - 4 Amercians killed in Benghazi Trump - 165,000 Americans killed by Covid-19. The rebuttals write themselves. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505/601 "2020-08-05T06:03:08Z")
I think the world of Susan Rice. She would make a fine Vice President. Her weakness is not the Benghazi garbage, however. Or rather, it’s not her only weakness. It’s also Trump endlessly harping on about how she “unmasked” Michael Flynn and no doubt “framed” him. Best for Biden to pick Harris for Veep. She’s practiced at debate, would make hamburger out of Pence, knows how to campaign, is young and energetic. Biden can appoint Susan Rice as his National Security Advisor after he wins the election and watch the MAGA heads explode. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505.md?page=29) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bidens-choice-for-vice-presidential-candidate/851505.md?page=31)