He might be better than Obama in that regard. Obama was fantastic in prepared speeches. He was fantastic with informal settings like doing interviews with talk show hosts. In formal but unscripted talks like press conferences Obama was just ok. He knew the information and was able to communicate it but he also relied on a ton of verbal crutches and could ramble on a bit. I haven’t seen Pete nearly as much but in those hot seat moments I think he’s actually better than Obama at it.
As far as announcement timing. The news cycle is now own by the prisoners swap for the weekend. They’ll wait until Monday or unveil at the Tuesday event.
I still think there is a chance they would like to get it done earlier so it is one of the main things discussed on the Sunday morning news shows but you do have a point about the prisoner swap.
No. Then it will leak about whomever is traveling that day. Sunday morning at the latest.
This article says that Shapiro has canceled his own previously scheduled fundraisers for this coming weekend that we raising money for his PAC. I seriously hope he is not the final choice!
A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is among those being vetted as Harris’ potential running mate, confirmed the governor has canceled fundraisers in the Hamptons this weekend that were originally scheduled to raise money for his PAC.
“The Governor’s trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fundraisers for his own campaign committee,” Shapiro spokesperson Manuel Bonder said. “His schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend.”
Yep, I just saw that as well and share your hope he is not the choice.
This article details how pro-Palestinian groups are already gearing up to oppose Shapiro (gift link). I know Harris needs PA but I’m not convinced he can deliver. And the Democrats also need Michigan and Shapiro could cost them that so I don’t see how the tradeoff is worth it.
While he has a lot of plusses, of the finalists, I think he’s the only one who violates the first rule of picking a running mate, “Do no harm.”
NBC is reporting that six candidates have been interviewed and vetted, so the list may not have been narrowed down as much as we’ve been assuming.
On Thursday, the outlet reported that according to two sources familiar with the matter, the six contenders are Minnesota governor Tim Walz, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois governor JB Pritzker, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, Arizona senator Mark Kelly and transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg.
And like Shapiro, Beshear has also abruptly cancelled his plans for the weekend. The plot thickens…
Shapiro has been pretty nuanced about Gaza; there’s enough time for him to clean things for the vast majority of skeptics if he does end up being picked.
I don’t think Shapiro cancelling plans for Harris’s kickoff in Philly need signify he’s the pick. He is the Guv, he should be there.
I think that article actually makes me feel better about Shapiro. Despite that one extremely ill-advised comment about the KKK, he hasn’t really deviated from the Democratic consensus of “Israel has the right to defend itself, AND the Netanyahu regime is part of the problem, not part of the solution”. So really, the only reason to object to him wrt the issue is that he’s Jewish. But the hardcore anti-Semites aren’t going to vote for someone married to a Jew in the first place, so how many more voters will he really drive off?
IOW, the extent to which supporters of Palestinian human rights will be turned off by the ticket depends on Harris’ words and actions, not those of her VP candidate, who presumably is going to fully back her policies whatever they are.
Interesting to see Pritzker’s name suddenly in the mix. Apparently he interviewed twice this week.
I’d have no problem with him on the ticket, but if we’re looking at blue state Midwestern governors, Walz is still my guy.
Well, given it could cost Harris Michigan and put DJT back in the White House I would see it as an ill-advised choice.
I continue to be utterly baffled by JB Pritzker’s presence in this discussion.
Harris not taking a harder line against Netanyahu could certainly cost her Michigan. If she does take a hard line against Netanyahu, and Shapiro endorses that hard line, I don’t think his being Jewish is going to be a huge problem. It might even help with that portion of the Jewish vote that worries Harris might go too far in the anti-Israel direction.
Right now there is a brouhaha about whether the pro-Palestine “Uncommitted” delegates will be given a speaking slot at the Convention. I think the outcome of that argument will be a bigger factor in the Arab-American vote than the VP choice will.
He has a ton of support from labor unions, he got legislation through to keep libraries and schools from banning books, did a very good job during the pandemic with his policies helping Illinois outperform surrounding states, taken steps to seriously improve state finances and improved credit ratings as well as submitting balanced budgets and reformed police and firefighter pension funding while reducing their dependence on property taxes among other things.
He also does a good job making the Democrats case plus he’s good at getting under DJT’s skin.
Plus, he’s a REAL billionaire.
Having said that I don’t expect him to get the nod as their are other, better options.
Sure, but I think Walz has a more impressive record, plus has done it in a sort of swingish State, and he doesn’t look like a mob boss from central casting. Also, Pritzker is Jewish, if you think that matters. I’m a fan of the guy, but I just don’t see how he’s the best pick from this group.
This is “nuanced”?
In early April, after Democratic governors in other states had called for a ceasefire in Gaza, Muslim leaders in Philadelphia criticized Shapiro for his refusal to do so … Beginning in late April, Shapiro and his office repeatedly prodded campuses to “restore order” and take action against student protest movements such as Penn’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment …
… On May 9, Shapiro invoked student “safety” in demanding the encampment be shut down. Police shut it down the next day, arresting 33 people. In two different interviews, Shapiro seemed to compare campus ceasefire activists, many of whom are Jewish or students of color, to “white supremacists camped out and yelling racial slurs” and “people dressed up in KKK outfits …
His actual words are nuanced, yes, AFAICT. Words like calling Netanyahu “one of the worst leaders of all time.” And he didn’t compare ceasefire activists to the KKK, he said campuses shouldn’t tolerate white supremacism or the KKK, and they shouldn’t tolerate anti-semitism either. That’s a pretty nuanced and reasonable statement to make. Anti-semitism has indeed been on the rise lately, on campuses and elsewhere.