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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAmy Klobuchar is Joe Biden's most logical pick for vice president
Former vice president Joe Bidens general-election message is clear and, for a Democrat, oddly nostalgic: He wants a return to an idealized vision of pre-Trump politics. He believes politicians from both parties can achieve concrete improvements for everyday people without burning the system down or changing it radically. Its a smart message, tailored to win over the anti-Trump majority, and it just might allow Biden to take back some of those famous Midwestern Obama-to-Trump states.
If Biden wants to use his vice-presidential pick to amplify that message rather than broadening it, theres an obvious choice who agrees with his theory of change, can offer insight into the states he needs to win and ultimately can help him govern: Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Klobuchar easily surpasses the minimum requirements for the job. Shes been in the Senate for over 13 years. She ran a strong campaign for president in 2020, ultimately placing third in New Hampshire and proving she can deal with the rigors of a general-election campaign. And in her nearly year-long presidential campaign, no reporter or rival campaign found a major scandal or damning opposition research, other than stories about her being a tough boss and, like Biden, changing her stance on race and policing issues.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/15/amy-klobuchar-is-joe-bidens-most-logical-pick-vice-president/
theaocp
(4,241 posts)Reminds me of Kaine.
question everything
(47,486 posts)Oh, forgot, he was not a Presidential candidate.
But, perhaps, you did not follow the campaigns so far.
Klobuchar will bring the Midwest, the rural, many Republicans mostly, is not a "coasty" like Harris and Warren.
Wh
Mandeville
(35 posts)she already has a plan
PufPuf23
(8,785 posts)Warren was my original first choice in the POTUS primaries.
BTW Warren was a guest on Samantha Bee last evening.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)Sure, it's a step forward for one to be a woman, but Biden is 77 and Warren is 70. We need a much younger VP that hopefully is also a person of color. A woman would be a plus.
His age was the major reason I did not support Biden from the beginning. Now, of course I will support and vote for him, but I wish one of the younger, extremely talented Democrats who ran had made it to the top.
As a Boomer, I was very happy to have a young man as President for eight years and hope to see a young woman as President soon. I also want the Presidency to be as diverse as this country is. And I think that every President should be younger than I am going forward.
Elizabeth Warren is valuable to the country as a Senator or would make a brilliant member of the Cabinet, if we can spare her from the Senate.
question everything
(47,486 posts)Baltimike
(4,146 posts)mitch96
(13,911 posts)I think she would be great.. Biden step down after two years and then let her run the ship for two.. Then get re elected for four more.. Six total would fix tRumps disasters...
m
ebbie15644
(1,215 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)And had not run for POTUS.
ebbie15644
(1,215 posts)Klobuchar excite the base? she doesn't. Turnout by people of color is necessary, does this move the ball? no it doesn't
treestar
(82,383 posts)the base does not require being "excited" by the VP. Now we are demanding to be excited by the VP too? Aren't our lives exciting enough yet?
gibraltar72
(7,506 posts)USALiberal
(10,877 posts)harumph
(1,900 posts)Dem2
(8,168 posts)I think she's a good choice.
monmouth4
(9,708 posts)Mosby
(16,318 posts)monmouth4
(9,708 posts)Eyeball_Kid
(7,432 posts)Tough, sensitive, brilliant, POC, aggressive advocate for the less fortunate. If nominated, and elected, there is little worry that the Democrats Senate count will suffer. Amy is also a great candidate, but is needed more in the Senate, IMO.
Mosby
(16,318 posts)Val Demmings would be a much better choice.
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)and energize the African American vote.
MrsCoffee
(5,803 posts)And where have we heard that shit before? Oh yeah, Hillary had lots of baggage. Yet she won the election in 2016 and the only thing that kept her from office was treason.
Ill take Harris and her baggage any day.
marble falls
(57,102 posts)Response to marble falls (Reply #42)
Mosby This message was self-deleted by its author.
Mosby
(16,318 posts)I'm not bashing anyone. Harris did quite poorly in the primary, others did much better.
marble falls
(57,102 posts)Tribetime
(4,699 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)replacement will be a Democrat.
Yavin4
(35,441 posts)This is the big problem for me right here. There is no such thing as working with Republicans on anything. We know for sure that they won't work with any Democratic president on anything. Why are we playing this stupid game again? We have to eviscerate the Republicans before we can rebuild this nation.
Joe, we have to rebuild this nation, and we have to do it without the Republicans. To build, you need an architect, and that's Warren.
WhiteTara
(29,718 posts)Horse with no Name
(33,956 posts)We need a POC. My pick is my favorite Stacey Abrams. I love her!
WhiteTara
(29,718 posts)I don't think she is nearly strong enough to handle the republicons after Joe has some horrible medical condition and she's on her own. No. Kamala Harris is ready to take the reins of government and lead it to a better world for ALL of us, not just the wealthy and powerful. Of course, JMHO and I hope I didn't offend.
comradebillyboy
(10,154 posts)either one. Warren is OK but we really need somebody under 60 on the ticket.
exboyfil
(17,863 posts)Would any bring another state besides those three into the fold (Florida or Georgia). In a campaign where experience and competence is going to be emphasized, you might not be able to go with Abrams or Demings. Of course for Demings it could be argued that she has significant executive experience (Chief of Police of a mid size city is a pretty big job). Ideally she needs more than two terms as a Representative though.
Abrams was a big fish in a small pond (minority leader of the George state House of Representatives for six years). She does have an employment history outside of the government. She has no executive experience.
Klobuchar does has limited executive experience (County Attorney). She has been in the Senate for 13 years and a Ranking member of a committee. Obviously she has midwest appeal.
Harris does have a stronger resume than Klobuchar given her state AG experience. She hasn't been a Senator as long though. I don't think she is as appealing in the midwest.
DFW
(54,403 posts)Amy Klobuchar has been in the Senate long enough to know the ins and outs of relations with Congress, which would be especially helpful if it were with a Senate with Elizabeth Warren as majority leader.
She is smart, is not a grandstanding tooter of her own horn, and, as you pointed out, has a LONG time in the Senate, with the accompanying experience in fields such as foreign policy, ecology, and economic policy. That sets her apart from relative newbies such as Warren and Harris, neither of whom I like for the job anyway. I do discount having run a presidential campaign as a marketable asset. Anyone with enough money and a little charisma can do that.
A "yeah, she seems just fine" candidate with big smarts and the sly modesty not to shove them in people's faces when the situation does not warrant it is an asset, too.
My ideal VP pick would have been the same as my first presidential pick, namely Jay Inslee of Washington State, but since Joe Biden has stated categorically that he would pick a woman as his VP, then the credentials of the women available are what we need to scrutinize.
Warren is out for me for a number of reasons, but an obvious one is that I don't want that 180 day window (or however long it is) of time when her Senate replacement would be a Republican, possibly being the difference in letting Moscow Mitch--if he survives the election--continue on as Senate Majority Leader at a time when we need to start damage control on day 1.
Harris, with her famous zeal as a prosecutor for getting convictions with less than thorough regard for whether or not there was sufficient evidence to justify a conviction, bothers me a lot. Let her have AG and turn her loose on the Trumpanzees. I have other issues with her as well, but none so detrimental as the weakness of being able to be portrayed as someone who went for unjustified convictions of the possibly innocent. Our base doesn't need to hear that about someone on our ticket, especially if the Republicans get to "expose" it first, and we have to do damage control afterward. A presidential campaign that needs to do major damage control on part of its ticket is already ⅔ of the way to losing.
There are others with less of a public profile. Their major weakness is, well, lack of a profile. If Biden makes his pick early, they have time to build one up--and the Republicans have more time to tear it down, so there is no margin for error. That's a job for the vetting committee.
Klobuchar is white--some people won't like that. She is not known as far left--some people won't like that. She has not taken any notably far left positions on anything that would satisfy strong supporters of Sanders and Warren--supporters of Sanders and Warren won't like that, either.
For Klobuchar, as with anyone else under consideration, it will all come down to which of the pro factors, when added up, outweigh the con factors--if indeed they ever do. First, the vetting committee needs to do its job, and then Biden's inner circle needs to do its job. Not just the ideologues, but the number crunchers, too. Guys like David Simas, who behind the scenes did so brilliantly to put Barack Obama in office.
It won't be our rants that constitute the deciding factor, I'll let you all in on that one right now.
HarlanPepper
(2,042 posts)But I have a question. If you have concerns about Harris conduct as a prosecutor why put her in the AG spot? That seems counterintuitive.
DFW
(54,403 posts)I want one of the first orders of business of a Biden Administration to be the pursuit of criminal activity by the whole Trump gang. For that, considering the wall of resistance they will put up, we NEED an overly aggressive prosecutor, and that will have to come from the AG's office coordinating the campaign. I do NOT want her giving input into the writing of defendants' rights when it comes to people of little to no financial means to hire attorneys to defend themselves. However, to go after the Trump gang, as numerous and as mean as they are, we NEED an overly zealous prosecutor, and since Harris is comfortable in that role, I'd be happy to give it to her for the first few years, maybe even the whole four year term.
HarlanPepper
(2,042 posts)Makes a lot of sense. Very solid reasoning and I think it would be fun to see her in that role.
I think in the end hell pick someone that did not run in this cycle as his VP.
DFW
(54,403 posts)Foreign policy, economic chops and environmental awareness are absolute musts, but there are surely a few women out there that could fill the position that fit the bill. I'm nowhere near up on who they all could be, but you can be sure that Biden has a VP vetting committee already up and running and going over every name mentioned here and probably ten others.
That's why I said that Sen. Klobuchar is "a" logical pick, but not the only one. The predictable posts are up as to why some people JUST KNOW that their favorite will be Biden's pick, and we're all idiots for not recognizing it. I'm content to be one such idiot for a while. I'm betting that I'm not alone, there.
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,356 posts)Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)Even worse than Tim Kaine.
Klobuchar comes from a solid blue state and doesnt help flip a swing state. She more centrist than Biden so she wont help attract progressives to the ticket. And she wont help energize the African American vote.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)She is not going to inspire anyone to get to the polls. I'm sorry, but she will be a drag on the ticket. We need someone who is more progressive and preferable African American. I like Kamala. She is charismatic, well-spoken, intelligent and highly qualified. Joe needs someone who will add a spark to his ticket and Amy is NOT that person. Kamala can get people excited to vote.
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)and wont help flip any swing states. Her record as a prosecutor wont help attract progressive voters to the ticket. There are other women of color who are better choices, none of whom accused Biden of being a racist on national television.
Greybnk48
(10,168 posts)I say Kamala or Elizabeth. They excite people.
Edit: I'm a Wisconsin voter, but in general, I'm much more liberal than my neighbors. My 30 y/o kids don't like Amy. They like Warren, Kamala and Abrams.
MFGsunny
(2,356 posts)Link below is a good start for considerations.
https://www.vox.com/2020/4/14/21209668/joe-biden-vice-president-running-mate
Also, David Byler, the author of the Washington Post opinion cited in the OP, indicates he, too, will offer up more than just one analysis for VP pick.
Besides being READY ON DAY ONE (in terms of actual experience or whiz-fast learning curve competency) AND being JOEBIDEN to Biden ::
I would also want the VP pick to be pragmatic if possible in terms of 1) added-value to the over-all Presidential and Electoral College victories, BUT 2) NOT take away any current DEM Senate seats such that that seat would still be a DEM appointment.
Yea, I know ...............
All the hoops folks are jumping through to ignore the obvious.
Harris will be his pick. All the bullshit propaganda thrown at her here has been ridiculous and means nothing in the real world.
Biden/Harris is the team we need to heal this country and move us forward. Cant wait to see Obama out on the campaign trail with them.
WhiteTara
(29,718 posts)Mosby
(16,318 posts)Your opinion is not supported by the facts.
TeamPooka
(24,229 posts)But then he did just fine as Obamas vice presidential candidate
Happy Hoosier
(7,314 posts)She is certainly qualified, and would do a good job, but I think we have better choices.
jxla
(201 posts)"This piece is the first in a series where I make the strongest possible case for various possible Democratic vice presidential picks. Im starting with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and will make the case for others in the coming days."
Ace Rothstein
(3,163 posts)I don't see the appeal, at all.
Bayard
(22,099 posts)Harris, Abrams, and Deming do not have enough experience. As much as I like Warren, she's not much younger than Joe. Susan Rice does not have the right kind of experience.
I'm thinking one of the governors would be the best choice.
DFW
(54,403 posts)I couldn't believe what a disappointment Kathleen Sibelius was in the Obama administration. Considering the disaster that was Kansas when she left, it was all the more a shame that she was taken from the governorship there to go to Washington. Obama lost small time, and Kansas lost BIG time.
Arazi
(6,829 posts)Bayard
(22,099 posts)But she was born in Thailand.
Arazi
(6,829 posts)mvd
(65,174 posts)Klobuchar is experienced, but not sure she would balance the ticket well. May be like Kaine, as someone noted.
Mosby
(16,318 posts)I like her, Whitmer, Demings and Amy.
mvd
(65,174 posts)Another Tammy, Tammy Baldwin, would also be good.
Arazi
(6,829 posts)Bayard
(22,099 posts)I thought that was an iron-clad Constitutional requirement.
JI7
(89,251 posts)Arazi
(6,829 posts)She has an American parent so she's a "natural born citizen" per our laws
budkin
(6,703 posts)NO.
Marrah_Goodman
(1,586 posts)I hope he picks someone that can bring a bit more enthusiasm to the ticket.
Behind the Aegis
(53,959 posts)Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Baldwin
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)The most boring, uninspiring candidate ever. You could not pick a worse VP candidate.
Celerity
(43,408 posts)Cheers
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Though I still think it's going to be Grisham
Celerity
(43,408 posts)ibegurpard
(16,685 posts)I just don't see what she brings to the ticket. She doesn't complement Biden in any way that might better attract a constituency with which he may have soft support. The idea that a person can single-handedly deliver a state or region that the top of the ticket might have trouble with is, in my opinion, no longer a factor... if it ever was.
I think Elizabeth Warren complements him the best... my main concern with her is that in four more years she will also be quite old and i'd like to see us hand off to someone younger. She's also not a woman of color. I'm not worried about her senate seat... a special election would be called to replace a temporary appointment. They wouldn't even fill out the remainder of her term.