The Number 2 Spot
We’ve talked before about Joe Biden’s search for a running mate. We were reminded of it again, not only because you heard the author of a new book titled “Do Running Mates Matter” yesterday on KXEL…but because current events have again played a perhaps disproportionate role in the process.
Recall that at this time in 2008, Biden was still licking his wounds from a second failed presidential effort, which ended the night of the Iowa Caucuses. Just as Barack Obama was selecting a running mate, the U.S. was involved in a foreign policy dust up with Turkey over bases there. Obama’s resume weakness was foreign policy, so he and his team opted for the more senior Biden because he had the foreign policy credentials Obama lacked. Had the choice been made even a month later, as the U.S. was sliding into an economic crisis, the choice likely would have been different. Timing is everything.
So it is again. Biden already boxed himself into a corner by saying he was going to name a woman as his running mate. Then came his comments suggesting African-American Trump voters “ain’t black”…and most recently, the sometimes-violent protests about race across the country. That has propelled the names of various African-American women to the forefront, most notably of late Florida Rep. Val Demings and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, as well as former presidential candidate and California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris.
In the end, folks will vote for Biden or Trump, not who the number 2 person is on the ticket. But Biden has suggested he may be a one-term president, and would be the oldest person ever elected to the office if he wins…so again, more focus on the VP choice. Besides, we don’t have much else to speculate on politically these days.
But the choice really doesn’t have to be made until the convention in mid-August, and history suggests the candidate would be smart to wait and let all the speculation and auditioning take place over the summer. Because who he selects in the heat of the moment in June may not be his best option in November.
