Better pick a great Vice-Presidential candidate--

[yellowwoodII]

It looks to me as though the media and other "powers that be" are pushing Joe Biden for our Democratic Presidential candidate.
Not because of any exciting idea he represents but because he's "safe."
He will be 77 in November. We are hoping that any candidate will have eight energetic years in front of him.
But, just in case, I think we should be thinking very hard about who his running mate will be.

[dlk]

1. It's Still Early in the Campaign

A lot can change between now and the election.

[prismpalette]

2. Biden

Totally agree , but Biden should not be running-his age. Elder statesman or adviser is a respected position and his experience could be invaluable for a much more vibrant candidate, I'm old too, nothing to be ashamed of except being Pres is a younger persons job. Trump will leave behind a quagmire and it will suck the vitality out of anyone. Biden does not look well nor does he speak with energy.

[Kahuna7]

5. Isn't Warren 70 or close to it?

C'mon.

[Demit]

6. She'll be 70 in June, Biden 77 in November.

Yes, she's entering her 70s and he's closing in on 80.

[Cha]

7. So? It's not a number.. it's

who the person is.

[Demit]

11. The fact that health declines with age is certainly something to consider.

Even though I was giving a literal answer to the poster's question, a president's health is a legitimate concern.

[treestar]

22. RBG is still going strong

and she's had health problems.

DiFi is still going strong.

Today with good health care and keeping your mind sharp by staying in the game, this is not a worry.

[highplainsdem]

24. I'd be careful of such arguments, especially if you're promoting a female candidate past middle age.

Someone might point out that statistics show older women are almost twice as likely as older men to develop Alzheimer's.

Arguments about the health of average individuals can cut a LOT of ways, and they're also pointless since we aren't discussing the population in general, but specific individuals.

Both Biden and Warren are in great shape for their age. The same goes for Sanders. And to some extent the same goes for Trump, though I don't think he's nearly as healthy as his doctors want us to believe, let alone as close to normal weight as he claims.

[Demit]

36. Not making any argument, just not dismissing it out of hand.

Age is a valid concern. You can look at your preferred candidate and decide that you're not worried. But you should give it some thought at least. We have a long campaign season in which to observe the candidates. That's what I'll be doing, anyway.

[elfin]

35. The main thing going against Warren isn't her age

It is a lack of geographic balance, which has been a traditional requisite for a choice. Plus, she so far isn't a rainmaker for big donations.

Yes, just two very cynical takes on the process of selection. Reality bites.

That is why Harris would make more sense in addition to balancing Biden with her high energy and prosecutorial qualifications. Often the VP choice becomes the "attack dog" in the general campaign.

The underlying assumption here is that his choice must be a woman or a minority. She is two for two.

[Butterflylady]

9. Biden doesn't look well? Doesn't speak with energy?

Wow I never thought I would see that coming! I don't know about anyone else, but he looks pretty dam good to me. I'm 72 and I can run rings around those a lot younger than me. I have a good friend who is 79 and she can make me look lazy.

[Skya Rhen]

31. He looks great to me, too. Very dashing - as always. For some, anyone over 30 looks old - SMH

[Cha]

10. Well, too bad. Biden is running

and a lot of people are happy about that.

[highplainsdem]

19. Biden's in great shape and speaks with great energy -- and with conviction and experience.

I know people in their 20s who are in a lot worse shape than Joe Biden, who's always been fit, brilliant, and very engaged in and committed to our society and political system.

[Kahuna7]

3. The media has not been pro-Biden. Just the opposite. They were pushing

Mayor Pete. Not Biden.

[dalton99a]

12. +1. Their corporate masters are doing great with the status quo, and they want another four years.

[marylandblue]

17. They were for a few weeks. Now Biden gets all the news because he just announced.

And Mayor Pete's surge has stalled. In a week or so, the Biden bump will stall, then Pete and others will have a chance to grab the spotlight. O'Rourke seems like he is retooling his campaign to generate his own surge. Warren seems to be just chugging along.

[crazytown]

43. Did Pete stall by coming second in the latest NH poll?

I wouldn’t bet the house on national polls.

[marylandblue]

50. In an NH poll two weeks ago, he was 11%, today is at 12%

Meanwhile, Biden jumped and Sanders fell, as Biden stories dominated over Buttigieg stories. Maybe it's more of a pause than a stall, but not unexpected, since he lost the spotlight, at least temporarily. Presumably he will try to grab the spotlight back in the next few weeks. Maybe the transparent plot against him will help him.

I would look at South Carolina polls in the next few weeks. He's going there soon, and has to do well there to have any credibility.

[ginnyinWI]

4. And it's a year and a half until the election.

I hope he eats his veggies and gets his exercise. He looks good, though, for his age.

[Cha]

8. It might look that way now.. But

the US M$M has an ugly habit of tearing the Democratic frontrunner down.. if nothing else to make sure of a "horserace".

They manipulate and manufacture whatever scenario helps their bottom line. They're not reporters.

[BluesRunTheGame]

13. Prediction: He'll choose a centrist.

Probably Klobuchar.

Since the mid/late 80’s all of our VP picks have been centrist/DLC types. Even a couple of them to the right of that. The “money people” don’t like lefties.

[USALiberal]

14. Harris is a better VP pick. Nt

[BluesRunTheGame]

16. I agree. She'd be a much better choice.

I’ll be really surprised if that happens though.

[marylandblue]

18. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he picks her.

He needs an enthusiastic black vote. Harris or Abrams I would think.

[BluesRunTheGame]

29. Either of those would be great but...

Joe is old. His VP pick stands a pretty good chance of moving up. The ‘powers that be’ carry a lot more weight than any particular voter block. There will be a lot of pressure on him to make a choice that protects their interests. Also, Joe himself, despite his ‘working class’ persona has a long history of working toward the benefit of the wealthy/powerful. I don’t foresee him choosing anyone to his left.

[marylandblue]

33. Harris is really a moderate campaigning on leftist themes.

She can reassure them in a smoke-filled room.

[Buckeyeblue]

15. I don't think he'll be the eventual nominee.

[Kahuna7]

20. Who do you think will be the nominee? nt

[Buckeyeblue]

37. I don't know.

I just don't think it will be Biden or Sanders. I don't think it will be Pete either.

I could be wrong.

[doompatrol39]

21. Hey, why not.

I mean if he doesn't win it will just be blamed on petulant liberals and young people anyway so what's the harm? Pragmatic, safe centrism can never actual fail on it's own merits it can only be failed by dirty, whiny leftists not clapping loudly enough.

Besides, I'm sure those throngs of rust belt centrist voters who I'm told are super excited by Joe (because.....reasons?) are going to be out there stuffing envelopes, getting out the vote, canvassing, making phone calls and everything else.

[treestar]

23. Beto because

that poll posted here showing how close it is - Texas may be possible to get.

[USALiberal]

27. A female minority VP brings more voters. Nt

[treestar]

44. Electoral votes are the ones needed though

unfortunately. Who can win the swing states is the question.

[USALiberal]

46. Women are in swing state. Nt

[nolabear]

26. A President is not just a President. It's an administration.

First, yes, he’s 76. But he’s an honest man and I believe he’ll actually let us know how his health is. He’s sharp as a tack and I suspect at 76 he’s more put together than George Bush was on his best presidential day and that monster in the WH in his entire pathetic life. And a healthy 76 comes with associations, experience, a sense of history and possibly a sense of urgency to do things right.

He can use all those things to replace the cutthroats now in key positions of power with smart, forward thinking, effective leaders that can undo a lot of harm with their own networks and vision. He will certainly pick a VP that will share his hopeful and intelligent vision. We don’t ever only get an individual when we elect a president. In this case we’ll get many things that can heal us and get us on a path toward success.

[LakeArenal]

28. "Pushing Biden" because he is "safe"..

Ummm.... Because he’s the public favorite?
Because he’s the most qualified nationally and globally?

I think candidates at 6% or less are the ones being pushed on me.

[Bradshaw3]

30. Media "pushing" Biden the way they have been pushing Pete?

If anyone has a right to complain about media coverage it ain't the males in the race.

[Kahuna7]

42. I don't think they're pushing him. I think after all the negative treatment

they've given him, they're loathe to report the positive developments like his 24 hr. haul and the super impressive poll numbers out today. They don't have a choice. They can't continue to bleat out every day... 'has his time passed? Is he out of step with the younger, more progressive base?'

[Bradshaw3]

47. The OP said they were pushing him

Not me. I don't think the media gets together and chooses a candidate; just think sometimes they are not very good at their jobs, or are looking for horserace, ratings, drama, the new thing.

You're right, the easy thing to do with Biden is a trope about being out of touch, whether it's warranted or not.

[AirmensMom]

32. If it's Biden,

or Mayor Pete, I like the idea of Kamala as VP. If it's Kamala or Warren, I like Mayor Pete for VP. But really, we'd be in trouble if we had 2 old white men on the ticket.

[Merlot]

34. We have no say in who is VP would be IF he gets the nomination

I have no confidence that Biden will pick a woman, or anyone else who isn't a white man.

[Demit]

38. He might pick a woman (remember Stacey Abrams?) Hopefully he'll ask first.

[Merlot]

39. That Stacey Abrams thing was a PR stunt.

"Hopefully he'll ask first" is ironic.

[Demit]

40. Heavily ironic.

[treestar]

45. Why?

I don't see that. He served as VP for a black man!

[Merlot]

55. I think he plays it safe.

Who he served as VP for has nothing to do with the choice he would make.

I think he goes for a Bullock, Inslee, or Hickenlopper - nice, safe choices.

Castro was supposed to be one of Hillary's top picks for VP, instead we got the "safe" choice. Ican see Biden doing the same thing.

[treestar]

57. Why is safe always bad in itself; it may be what we need

at this point.

[Doreen]

41. I have not played the age card

but I must admit that is one of the reasons I want either Biden/Harris or Biden/Buttigieg.

[JI7]

48. nobody is pushing him. even when he was silent and not in the race

he was polling high.

announcements always bring attention so he is getting a bump from that.

Pete was getting attention but even that was becsuse he was making himself available to media.

Sanders did the sneer but his appearances just didn't go well.

[TwilightZone]

49. "media and other "powers that be" are pushing Joe Biden"

There's no basis for that assertion. Biden has been leading in polls since well before he announced so it would seem that, so far, Democrats are the ones who prefer him.

The "media is picking out candidate" meme doesn't really work when the candidate they are "picking" happens to be the one with a significant lead in about 95% of the polls thus far. You should probably retire that one for a while.

[mainstreetonce]

51. I still like Abrahms as a VP

Does anyone have another name of a female who is not a current candidate ?

Preferably,young,minority,and not a Senator.

Any suggestions?

[Hekate]

52. Kamala Harris works for me. And by the way, it's not that Joe's "safe" but that he can ...

...pack a whale of a wallop on Trump, and already has. Think about that.

[Desert grandma]

53. I like Biden

I think he may very well end up being the eventual nominee. People like me support him, not because he is "safe", but because we think he has the experience and the stature needed to repair all of the harm that the Orange Buffoon has done to the country. If he does not pick a female as VP, I think he might go for someone like Julian Castro who would energize Hispanics and perhaps help deliver Texas. In the end, the nominee will choose someone he/she can work well with. We had the A team with Obama/Biden.

[brooklynite]

54. Why should we think about it?

That’ll be the choice of the nominee, whether you like the choic or not.

[Midwestern Democrat]

58. Well, there's safeguards - the convention delegates don't have to suspend the rules and nominate the

Vice President by acclamation - if the Presidential nominee chose a very controversial choice for VP - for example, someone who opposed abortion rights - he'd probably be told by the power players in the party to choose someone else or run a real risk that the delegates would refuse to suspend the rules and reject his choice in a roll call vote.

[Demsrule86]

56. The media trashed Biden when they learned he was really gettig in...some still do.

His Mom lived to be over 100 and had all her faculties