Kos: For VP, my heart says Warren, but the times call for (Karen Bass) instead.

[theaocp]

My choice is California Rep. Karen Bass, the current chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and former speaker of the California Assembly, and a bona fide, unimpeachable progressive. The Los Angeles-area congresswoman checks off all boxes ideologically, and would be a capable leader if something happened to Biden.

And most importantly, Donald Trump has no idea who she is.

Remember, the more Trump flails, the more we win. If you give him a known target, he can build off existing attack narratives, giving the right-wing media machine easy ways to rile up and motivate their racist base.

But you give them someone who is as unknown as Bass, what do they do? They don’t have time to create entire narratives about her. They’ll just call her a “liberal extremist” and move on. But as we’ve seen, that’s not an attack line with any real salience outside their deplorable base. They’ll claim she’s one of the “squad” or other such nonsense, but again, it won’t land. They might attack her for being from California or Hollywood, but who cares.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/22/1962934/-Karen-Bass-for-VP#read-more

[Demsrule86]

1. How will she help us win senate seats in Georgia or Arizona...no.

[tritsofme]

16. I can't think of a single VP candidate in history who has had that significant of a positive impact

on a ticket. So I’m not sure how relevant this question is in evaluating VP choices.

[hlthe2b]

2. I like her, but the times call for someone tough as nails. Never more than now should the VP

be able to provide rapid-fire rebuttal and take the fight right back to Trump and his ilk, allowing Biden to continue to do so, but in a more measured approach.

I don't see Bass in that role. Warren, perhaps, but I think we need a woman of color and one with a long record of taking the fight to the RW. On that score, Kamala Harris seems the obvious choice. Not necessarily the only choice, but more suited to what we need right now. That said, Bass has a bright future.

[Andy823]

10. I totally agree with you. nt

[calguy]

3. I'm sure she's a fine Congresswoman

I can't see her on the ticket. She's not that well known nationally like Kamala Harris.

[BannonsLiver]

4. I love how everyone thinks they're an expert on what the times call for

[USALiberal]

5. True, I guess they do not realize Biden's team know what they are doing! nt

[Still Sensible]

6. I think one very real qualification has to be a

believable case that this person has a combination of skills, experience and wisdom to step into the role of POTUS.

It's fair to say that no one is really "ready" when they get there, but without some level of national experience it seems to me a much more difficult idea to buy into. Certainly a governor of a state would have executive experience the public could believe in, as history has shown, but legislative experience at the state level gives me doubts.

There are plenty of past examples to say this doesn't matter, Pence comes to mind, but the Trump cult didn't/doesn't care. Our side, and usually somewhat informed independents, care about the ability to actually govern.

Given Joe's age, I believe it is going to be a factor this time around.

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. ...and Bass has explicitly said she has no presidential aspirations. Nt

[bigtree]

14. that doesn't seem like a good thing to me

...the selling point that this leaves 2024 open (for Warren, maybe? ) is a limiting strategy.

The VP has a unique leg up in succeeding elections, so much that this is an invitation to an uncertain succession fraught with unnecessary opportunities for the opposition party.

[DarthDem]

8. No, they don't

She has insufficient gravitas and no statewide campaign experience. Kamala Harris, please.

[smirkymonkey]

9. Thank YOU!

I second this. Kamala all the way.

[Trumpocalypse]

12. How does she have insufficient gravitas?

She’s been in Congress 4 years longer than Harris. And Pelosi has no statewide campaign experience either. Would she have insufficient gravitas too? Would John Lewis, who also didn’t have statewide campaign experience?

[DarthDem]

13. No

Pelosi and Lewis garnered significant national stature for reasons other than being one of 435 members of the House of Representatives; one has been the Speaker of the House on two occasions (including her current tenure) and the other was a civil rights icon.

Rep. Bass is a very good member of Congress but she has virtually no name recognition with voters. That is why she has insufficient gravitas for the Vice Presidency and for the declared intention that Biden's choice be ready to take over on a moment's notice.

[Trumpocalypse]

15. What voters?

How do you know she has no name recognition? Bass is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and chairs several important committees.

And every VP may have to "take over at a moments notice" so it shouldn't be a greater concern for Biden than any other candidate.

[DarthDem]

18. Virtually Any, Outside Los Angeles and

Very active political followers. I know who she is and have for a long time. So, it seems, do and have you. But the chair of the CBC is not as highly recognized by the general voting population as a U.S. Senator, particularly one that has run for president. For a quick exercise, quick! Without looking, who were the three chairs of the CBC immediately before Rep. Bass? I know them but I bet almost any voter in key swing states does not.

(They are Reps. Cedric Richmond, G. K. Butterfield and Marcia Fudge.)

[Trumpocalypse]

19. And you proof of that?

[DarthDem]

20. Do you have proof of the contrary?

[Trumpocalypse]

21. Nice evasion

But you just admitted that you can’t prove what you wrote.

BTW I don’t think Bass is the best choice for VP, just that your reasons are not valid.

[DarthDem]

22. LOL, OK

What I wrote is an opinion. Opinions are actually no less valid when they can't be proven. In fact, sometimes the best opinions can't be proven. Sorry that rubbed you the wrong way. Cheers!

[Trumpocalypse]

23. Opinions should be based on facts

or they are not credible.

[PunkinPi]

25. Recent poll has Kamala as the #1 choice...

She's my pick as well.

[Hortensis]

11. She's a fine person, but this isn't a merchandising decision.

I think we need to consider that black may become overexposed and out of style long before the first term's over. Heck, every year fashion decrees "a new black."

"Woman" is worse. It wasn't a market leader even during the Year of the Woman and has been kicked under the bed and primaried off to landfills ever since. (Remember trying to sell Pelosi for office normally held by men in 2017, even though she'd already occupied it and was literally the only product that filled the need? Didn't matter. You couldn't give her away to many.)



A way of saying, maybe take Biden seriously when he says he wants a workmate who will be to him what he was to Obama. Not a white male instead of a black female: something MORE and really important to him but not necessarily voters.

[brooklynite]

17. Nothing in the story explains why Bass is a better vote getter.

[Doremus]

24. Meh. Elizabeth Warren for the win. nt

[PunkinPi]

26. LOL, Markos has been all over the map.

In 2019, he said, "Can’t imagine’ presidential ticket that doesn’t include Kamala Harris," then he went to Warren, then to Bass.

Source of his quote: https://www.msnbc.com/mtp-daily/watch/markos-moulitsas-can-t-imagine-presidential-ticket-that-doesn-t-include-kamala-harris-1433334851579