# Vice Presidential \[2020\] candidates **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 5, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976 "2020-03-05T20:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/81 "2020-03-07T04:58:45Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > For me, it’s not a matter of how charismatic or electrifying Klobuchar’s personality is. It’s mostly a matter of how Biden, at best, was well on his way to a 2nd place finish in a contested convention scenario. She changed the whole dynamic of the race by dropping out and endorsing Biden. Had she not done so, we would probably still be looking at a 5 person race right now rather than a duel between Biden and Sanders the rest of the way (yes, I’m ignoring Tulsi). My guess is that Biden promised her the spot, and to go back on that would be a disaster. Or, as they say in south, “you dance with the one who brung you.” Why do you think Klobuchar “changed the whole dynamic of the race by endorsing Biden”? How are you so certain that that was the main reason Biden surged and not, say, that South Carolina Black voters, desperate to get rid of Trump and thinking Biden was more likely to win than Sanders, went for Biden? Or that there was a backlash to Sanders’ nomination? She likely dropped out of the race and threw support to Biden for a very different reason than you’re suggesting: Klobuchar told her aides that she wanted to get behind Biden quickly — “it all happened in a matter of a couple hours,” she said — \*\*over fear that Sanders would lose badly to President Donald Trump \*\*if he won the Democratic nomination — **something she raised in debates earlier this year.** [bolding mine] [[source](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/02/klobuchar-to-drop-out-of-2020-campaign-endorse-biden-118823)] [A Minnesota newspaper](https://www.minnpost.com/national/2020/03/how-amy-klobuchars-campaign-for-president-went-wrong/) said Klobuchar’s decision to drop out and deliver her home state to Biden was for a very specific reason: > [@](#): > > Klobuchar finished in sixth place, with CNN’s Exit Poll placing her support from black voters in South Carolina at one percent. > > This is the moment her campaign says Klobuchar began to reevaluate whether they’d stay in the race. Klobuchar had a serious conversation with her campaign manager, Justin Buoen, about dropping out. I like Klobuchar. I’m just not convinced things unfolded as you speculate they did. ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/82 "2020-03-07T14:51:13Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Let’s be optimistic and say she runs for veep and loses. But she gets to campaign across the country, get a ton of local pols to get to know her and like her and campaign with her, she gets a night to debate the Dem nominee and be on all the networks. Then going into 2024 she’s going to be one of the better known Republican contenders. She’ll be able to make television appearances on the talk shows for four years bashing everything Biden does. Take this running mate gig and become an instant 2024 contender, win or lose. This is interesting. She might be best served being the VP candidate and Trump losing. She would get national exposure and not have any Trump baggage by the time 2024 rolls around. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/83 "2020-03-07T19:36:13Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Nothing for Joe Biden. For Sanders she would make the ideal running mate. She would make a terrible running mate. The pass she’s been getting on the cult stuff would be revoked the second she’s named as the VP candidate. [This](https://youtu.be/8GRNXTSwVVY?t=719) video would be on TV and social media 24 hours a day. America, even liberal America, is not ready for a vice president (and potentially a president, given Bernie’s age and health issues) who is a Hare Krishna. Not to mention the overt homophobia she’s exhibited in the past. No. Gabbard is and would be a nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/84 "2020-03-07T19:37:57Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > Biden’s Veep’s main task is to function after he croaks. Pick a candidate for that priority. > Back in the day, Brits named Duckworth and Costin started a race-car engine company. The firm is Cosworth. Their other option would have been Ducktin, which lacks a certain elegance. A Biden-Duckworth ticket… would their combo be called Bidworth or Ducken? I think Duckworth would be great not only on her merits but also to troll Republicans, both for needling Pence about not being alone with her, and making them all look like assholes when a small number of them will inevitably make fun of her name. There’s also the possibility of a “I prefer soldiers who didn’t get injured” moment. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/85 "2020-03-07T20:04:38Z")
Trump should dump Pence and run with Palin. It’s the kind of bat shit crazy thing he loves and the pair would draw huge crowds. The Evangelicals would kiss his feet. And it might win the election - Ignorance and rhetoric will always prevail over knowledge and logic. (Socrates dialogues) ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/86 "2020-03-07T20:36:35Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Trump should dump Pence and run with Palin. It’s the kind of bat shit crazy thing he loves and the pair would draw huge crowds. The Evangelicals would kiss his feet. > > And it might win the election - Ignorance and rhetoric will always prevail over knowledge and logic. (Socrates dialogues) They can go to Nome and look at Siberia together. Think: Trump Tower Vladivostok. (I’ve got to work Trump-Palin into a trampoline pun. Tramp-Paline - is that too subtle?) One advantage of Palin over Pence: NOBODY will attempt a presidential assassination. Okay, enough of the lords of disorder. Biden’s best Veep candidate is Michelle Obama but she’s too smart to suffer the slings and arrows of public office. Did any names leak from the Biden campaign while I wasn’t paying attention? ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/87 "2020-03-07T22:32:31Z")
There is no way in hell that Trump will replace Pence. There’s nothing to be gained from it, and a lot to lose. Pence was a major strategic asset to him in 2016 winning the Bible Belt and he knows this. Pence is the PERFECT foil to Trump. Trump is all emotive, Pence is an unreadable brick wall. Trump is a secular womanizer from New York, Pence is an uptight Christian from the “heartland.” Trump is a totally flamboyant character, Pence is the “gray man” who fades into the background, keeps his eyes and ears open and his mouth shut. It’s why their pairing has been so successful, politically speaking, for both of them. And Pence will be well positioned to run in 2024, regardless of who wins this time around. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/88 "2020-03-08T03:53:40Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Does the US system not produce charismatic female leaders. Like Thatcher or Merkel. Or Indira Gandhi or Benezir Bhutto? I have tremendous respect for Merkel. Smart. Determined. Principled. Compassionate. In charge. Charismatic? No, I think not. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/89 "2020-03-08T13:13:31Z")
Harris endorsed Biden. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/90 "2020-03-08T13:38:38Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Does the US system not produce charismatic female leaders. Like Thatcher or Merkel. Or Indira Gandhi or Benezir Bhutto? Presidential candidates have typically held a major statewide office (obviously there are some notable exceptions), and women only started being elected to statewide offices in large numbers about 25 years ago. When Thatcher, Gandhi, and Bhutto were winning their first elections, there were next to no women in high-level US politics. I don’t think it helps that our cabinet is not a part of a traditional path to the presidency, or that political parties choose their candidates up and down the ballot in primaries open to the general public. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/91 "2020-03-08T18:15:24Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Presidential candidates have typically held a major statewide office (obviously there are some notable exceptions), and women only started being elected to statewide offices in large numbers about 25 years ago. When Thatcher, Gandhi, and Bhutto were winning their first elections, there were next to no women in high-level US politics. > > I don’t think it helps that our cabinet is not a part of a traditional path to the presidency, or that political parties choose their candidates up and down the ballot in primaries open to the general public. Good point about Cabinet. Note that all four of **AK84** ’s examples come from parliamentary systems. You don’t need to win state-wide or national elections to work your way up the parliamentary system, just your local constituency. That makes entry to political office easier. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/92 "2020-03-08T18:51:58Z")
Although it can’t be ignored that two of those four came from really well-established political families. Doesn’t mean the premiership was handed to them, but Gandhi and Bhutto certainly benefitted from that sort of background. Thatcher and Merkel both came from much humbler beginnings. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/93 "2020-03-09T01:26:09Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > For Bernie she’s one of the few Democrats who is also not part of the establishment. She would **tick off the boxes** of being young and a woman while avoiding the box of being mainstream. My bolding. In addition to boxes, she would “tick off” a hell of a lot of voters, too. If Sanders were to choose Gabbard as his running mate it would convince me that he was trying to get Donald Trump reelected. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/94 "2020-03-09T01:49:18Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > If Sanders were to choose Gabbard as his running mate it would convince me that he was trying to get Donald Trump reelected. A candidate who has so far gathered 2 delegates seems an inappropriate veep choice unless the goal is aiding Tramp and Putin. But let’s brainstorm. Russian agents deliver hallucinogens to DNC members who reassign superdelegates so the Sanders-Gabbard combo gains the Dem nod. Defeat is assured. America is great again. But wait - hacked vote-counting machines give S&G a startling victory! Alas, Dems are reduced to only 30% of House and Senate seats and most state offices. Do Trampistas arise to overthrow the dirty socialists? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/95 "2020-03-09T03:23:11Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Tangent: Look, I like AOC but she’s a first-term Congresswoman. I know she gets both left and right riled up for different reasons, but let her actually get a handle on the job she’s basically just started before we elevate her to higher things (whatever they might be). And she’s not old enough to be president, should the worst happen. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/96 "2020-03-09T03:24:15Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Nothing whatsoever. > > Good god, I certainly hope nobody seriously entertains the idea of putting Tulsi on the ticket. > > She’s gotten a massive pass from the media on a bunch of stuff, but that benign neglect won’t last if she’s the VP pick. She’s a non-white, non-Christian woman (Hindu), which in itself doesn’t qualify her for anything, politically. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/97 "2020-03-09T03:27:47Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > However, if they really want a woman VP, here’s a name nobody seems to have brought up: Dianne Feinstein. The only problem with her is, she’s from California, and usually the VP choice is from a state that the party needs help winning. Then again, that would “disqualify” Kamala Harris as well. And she’s 86 years old. This is not a typo. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2020, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/98 "2020-03-09T04:04:50Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > She’s a non-white, non-Christian woman (Hindu), which in itself doesn’t qualify her for anything, politically. Tulsi is Hindu like the Nation of Islam is Muslim. Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/99 "2020-03-09T16:10:02Z")
Booker endorsed Biden today. I guess eventually almost all the dropouts will endorse Biden. Probably Warren too. Anyone who ran and wants VP slot or cabinet job will have to endorse Biden. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2020, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976/100 "2020-03-10T04:59:53Z")
I’m moving Tammy Baldwin back into my number one spot over Harris. Of the must win hang in the balance states Wisconsin is the one that Biden currently loses to Trump, narrowly. 2 points delivered there by a native daughter VP candidate, could be the election. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vice-presidential-2020-candidates/848976.md?page=6)