# Harris VP choice as she is the official presidential nominee of the Democratic Party for 2024 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** kamala-harris\ **Created:** [July 21, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552 "2024-07-21T19:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 42
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/823 "2024-07-31T19:37:24Z")
Pete was already vetted to be Transportation Sec. Hopefully that was pretty deep. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/824 "2024-07-31T19:38:41Z")
If Kelly is out, that realistically leaves only Shapiro, Walz, and maybe Beshear. It improves the odds for Shapiro, and that’s not good in these times. It’s not just Arabs and Muslims that would be turned off. Shapiro was very critical of the student protests against Israeli actions in Gaza, so there go the votes of all those students and all those who supported them. Not that any of those votes are likely to go to Trump, but they’re votes that Harris could have had. > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I don’t think she’s necessarily announcing in Philly. That’s just where she’s kicking off her swing state tour next week. Or she may announce before. Anyway, the choice of Philly is because of the importance of PA. I’m sure at the time the location was chosen, no VP decision had been made and possibly still hasn’t. It almost certainly has nothing to do with Shapiro. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/825 "2024-07-31T19:41:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Big deal- that is so minor. Remember, that is a legit company. Yeah, it is, and it is definitely a double standard (I mean, Trumps shills for worse companies than this in his goddamned sleep). But it relates directly to one of the things Harris is going to use (and has used) against Trump. So why give him the ammunition? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/826 "2024-07-31T19:41:29Z")
I think Shapiro is the choice that could kill all that nice enthusiasm the Harris campaign has been getting, so of course, the world in the las 10 years or so has trained me to expect them to chose him. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/827 "2024-07-31T19:42:36Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > But it relates directly to one of the things Harris is going to use (and has used) against Trump. So why give him the ammunition? No one is perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/828 "2024-07-31T19:53:42Z")
Disappointing to see a Shaklee Vitamin shill, but it’s hardly a high crime compared to: - most things buried out there - even other MLM’s Shaklee, for one, does produce actual vitamins so you at least are getting what you buy. Their scam is: - claiming there vitamins are in any way better than store brand multivitamins - charging an outrageous cost for their product - and, of course, their MLM scheme My university science professor told us he was in a U of Michigan library and a student came up and had Shaklee vitamins. They took a Centrum and one of Shaklees and put them both in separate glasses of water. Shaklee vitamin disolved almost instantly, Centrum did not. My professor simply said, “If I get you two containers of Hydrochloric acid in a lab, which is what is in your stomach, what will happen when we put those pills in those glasses?” Student was very agitated. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/829 "2024-07-31T19:59:30Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Pete was already vetted to be Transportation Sec. Hopefully that was pretty deep. Both the White House and the Senate committee of jurisdiction conduct their own vetting of all Cabinet nominees, but the focus is on things like potential conflicts of interest, criminal and financial background checks, positions they’ve taken on Administration policies they’d be overseeing, etc. The kind of vetting you would want to do on a VP candidate is much broader. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/830 "2024-07-31T21:47:17Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Or she may announce before. Anyway, the choice of Philly is because of the importance of PA. I’m sure at the time the location was chosen, no VP decision had been made and possibly still hasn’t. It almost certainly has nothing to do with Shapiro. My guess is because the deadline is Wednesday the announcement will be several days before. They won’t have the new VP candidate under a tarp for a surprise reveal on Tuesday. It will already be known by then but that will be the first photo op together. Just a guess of course. Kamala has stopped taking my calls. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/831 "2024-07-31T22:03:16Z")
Ask them what they call a carbonated beverage. Walz has been on a lot of shows. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/832 "2024-07-31T22:08:51Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I think Shapiro is the choice that could kill all that nice enthusiasm the Harris campaign has been getting I have the same fear. I hope that Netanyahu’s escalations in the past few days – killing high-level leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah, another journalist in Gaza, and innocent civilians in Lebanon, with Iran now vowing direct attacks on Israel in retaliation – have highlighted what a political liability a militant like Shapiro would be in these troubled times. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/833 "2024-07-31T22:20:52Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I think Shapiro is the choice that could kill all that nice enthusiasm the Harris campaign has been getting . . . The enthusiasm is only of political use if it gives the candidate freedom to pivot the center with [Sister Souljah moments](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Souljah_moment). So enthusiasm for Trump allows him to [jetison the previous hard-line GOP anti-abortion](https://apnews.com/article/republicans-abortion-party-platform-trump-rnc-5561e857c5501df9864ab8ca666d8bc5) platform position. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/834 "2024-07-31T23:07:35Z")
Enthusiasm is also of political use if it gets people to vote. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/835 "2024-07-31T23:09:29Z")
Exactly, Netanyahu surely would count a couple of well placed massacres as an investment to ensure a Trump victory. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/836 "2024-08-01T00:03:05Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Enthusiasm is also of political use if it gets people to vote. Yes, but if lazy Republicans see Democrats being uniformly enthusiastic about Harris, those Republicans are more likely to believe Trump’s claims that Harris is far left, and then will vote. Of course you do not want a mass defection of Democrats away from Harris. She probably shouldn’t pick a veep that Democrats really cannot stand, like, say, Kyrsten Sinema. But if there are a few extreme Democrats saying we shouldn’t vote for the Harris ticket, because of her rather normal veep pick, Trump’s claims about her being an extremist will fall flat. Background here is that Kelly and Shapiro have highly overlapping views on the conflict in question: [Shapiro has had the back of the Muslim and Arab community in the face of Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism (July 31, 2024)](https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/shapiro-arab-muslim-communities-pennsylvania-20240731.html) And: [Protests oustide Sen. Mark Kelly’s office planned in Phoenix for meeting with Netanyahu (July 24, 2024)](https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/protests-oustide-sen-mark-kellys-office-phoenix-meeting-netanyahu) So the loss of enthusiasm, if Harris picks Shapiro, will be among a small vocal group outside the mainstream AKA the far left Trump accuses Harris of being beholden to. As seen in this thread, the great majority of those who are now enthusiastic about Harris will be accepting of (within reason) whomever Harris picks. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/837 "2024-08-01T00:14:15Z")
Well. I must be pretty special. Earlier today I received an email directly from Kamala, telling me that she wants me to be on the list that will be the first to know when the news breaks when she announces her VP selection. And all I have to do is opt in to receive texts from her re-election committee. Oh, and another donation would be welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/838 "2024-08-01T00:27:24Z")
I don’t think the group that would lose enthusiasm is so small, but I guess we’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/839 "2024-08-01T00:34:53Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Well. I must be pretty special. > > Earlier today I received an email directly from Kamala, I was on a call with her a couple of nights ago! She and Sterling K. Brown. (and probably another ten thousand people) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/840 "2024-08-01T00:38:08Z")
Be sure to let us know first ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/841 "2024-08-01T00:39:44Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > She and Sterling K. Brown. I’m not sure. Are they residents of the same state? ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2024, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552/842 "2024-08-01T02:20:47Z")
It’s got to be Walz, in my opinion. The first rule of picking a VP is for the choice to do no harm. It’s unlikely that the choice of VP actually helps in any significant way, according to fivethirtyeight. Picking Kelly potentially costs a senate seat. Picking Shapiro may make Israel and Gaza more of a political problem. It could perhaps still be Beshear. I think it will be Walz if Harris thinks they’d get along well enough. > [@hajario](#): > > No. > > Again, Pete hasn’t even been vetted. He is not in consideration. > > It will either be Walz, Kelly or Shapiro and the location is irrelevant. Where is this info coming from? I’ve heard that the campaign has been very tight lipped about it. This is a process that normally takes months being compressed down into days. Are they really publicly eliminating people when the vetting can’t possibly be done and their presumed top picks could still blow up in their faces? > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > and being weird. Apparently Walz started the whole “they’re weird” thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harris-vp-choice-as-she-is-the-official-presidential-nominee-of-the-democratic-party-for-2024/1004552.md?page=43)