Veep’s

They Will See We’re Strong

President Biden opened his heart to us last night.  After all of the nonsense about the diabolical head of the “Biden Crime Family”, and then the “enfeebled Biden” who doesn’t even recognize his own wife; we saw the real man.  He is (no eulogies yet) a man who spent his entire life striving for the Presidency. But he’s also a man who spent his entire life serving our country.  And, when those two goals came into conflict, he chose the Nation over himself.  

As he said, “…the defense of democracy is more important than any title…it’s not about me, it’s about you.”  He will continue to serve. He will to try to save our democracy; until that last moment when he leaves a letter in the Resolute Desk for his successor, and walks out of the White House with his head held high.  He’s earned that right, and should have the respect, of all Americans from all sides of our deep political divide.  He made us proud of him, and his Presidency.  And he should make us all proud to be Americans.

While Biden is the President of our present, the future is yet to be decided.  The current Vice President is Kamala Harris, former Senator from California, Attorney General of that state, and District Attorney. She is running against former President Trump, assassination survivor, twice impeached, under indictment dozens of times, convicted of thirty-four felonies, and an adjudicated sexual abuser.  The contrast is stark, more than just race and gender.  It is all about, as our President said, “the defense of democracy”.

The Decision

Perhaps the most important decision (as Biden and Trump are both well aware) is their choice of Vice President.  Who they pick says so much more about what they believe than “performances” in front of rallies or the television cameras.  Trump originally chose Governor Mike Pence of Indiana.  Pence was picked for his stalwart Christianity, the “Yin” to Trump’s “Yang” of questionable conduct. Pence was a sop to the Christian right that saw Trump as an “imperfect vessel” for their societal religious goals.  And it worked.  Pence rallied them to Trump, and served as his greatest supporter until the mobs surrounded the Capitol on January 6^th.

Surprising to many, Pence stood for the Nation over his loyalty to Trump.  And the President left him to the hangman.  It is by the grace of Pence’s God and luck that the mob didn’t reach him, and he helped lead the Congress back to work hours later.  Not surprisingly, Pence is not supporting Donald Trump anymore.  

Second Chance

Trump wasn’t going to make that “disloyal” choice twice.  This time he chose the junior Senator from Ohio, JD Vance.  Vance is a “convert”, a man who was a self-declared “Never Trumper” eight years ago, but turned into Trump’s most loyal follower.  Vance is young (39), with a compelling “rags to riches” story, and dependent on the backing of the super-rich founder of PayPal, Peter Thiel.  His first elective office was in 2022, when he defeated Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan for the Ohio Senate seat.  Before that, he was a venture capitalist, a best-selling author, and a US Marine.

What does Vance bring to the Trump ticket?  His age:  he contrasts well to the aging Trump (78).  And his ideology; while Trump is “opportunistic” in his beliefs, Vance has made himself a true-believer in the far-right, Heritage Foundation defined vision of a Christian Nationalist America.  And Vance is a product of the Midwest, a Middletown, Ohio boy, made good.  

Trump’s Gift

But JD’s only political action in Ohio was his one run for Senate.  He moved back from San Francisco in 2016, first living in Columbus and then moving to Cincinnati.  While Vance was able to win the Ohio Senate seat, his political “roots” in the state are shallow.  And since Ohio is no longer considered a “swing state”, with all but a few statewide offices controlled by Republicans, it’s hard to understand how he broadens Trump’s appeal.  Instead, Vance is a “gift” to the right, already firmly in Trump’s camp.  

That might have been a good idea if Trump actually was looking at the landslide victory that his team thought was coming against Biden.  While that never was supported by polling, certainly Biden’s withdrawal and Harris nomination changed the political landscape.  Now Vance’s draw to conservative, white, men doesn’t really change the political dynamic.

Harris’s Choices

President Biden broke precedent by choosing Kamala Harris as his Vice President.  She was the second woman to run as Vice President for a major political party (Democrat Walter Mondale picked Congressman Geraldine Ferraro back in 1984), and the first Black and West Asian.  But, as Biden made it clear, he chose Harris because he wanted someone who could bring all of those differences to the table, and was prepared to become President if needed.  It wasn’t so much about the political support Harris could bring in 2020, it was about what her service as Vice President would mean.

Practically, Harris has about a week to make her Vice Presidential decision.  Former Attorney General Eric Holder is already “vetting” candidates, the deep dive into the background of each possible candidate to determine their political fitness.  In this narrowly divided electorate, the choice of running mate may be the determinative factor in the outcome.  But, in the final analysis, as both Trump and Biden discovered, their choice as Vice President may well be their most important Presidential decision.  

There are several candidates for the job.  Colorado Governor Jared Polis, not on the “short list”, joked, “When they decide they want a 49 year-old, bald, gay, Jewish governor; give me a call!!”

But his joke outlined Harris’s dilemma.  First, she wants to choose someone who could be President of the United States.  Then, she wants someone who can lend votes to the excruciatingly close race that looms in November.  So, if not Polis, who fits the bill?

Shapiro

Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro has to be near the top.  Pennsylvania is a “must-win” swing state; Shapiro has an entire career of winning elections there.  Harris needs a running mate who can  help “prosecute” the case against Trump:  Shapiro, 51, the former state Attorney General, has deep roots in Pennsylvania politics and is already making the case against Trump.  He is a conservative Jew (a form of religion – not his political stance) which would make him only the second Jewish person to be nominated by a major political party (Joe Liberman ran with Al Gore in 2000). 

Buttigieg

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, 42, demonstrated an ability to get things done in the high-visibility infrastructure plan of the Biden Administration.  And he’s come through in crisis situations:  the Minneapolis interstate bridge, the Philadelphia highway overpass, the Baltimore harbor; all came to quicker than expected resolutions.  Pete is a former Presidential candidate (2020), and was mayor of South Bend, Indiana.  

He doesn’t bring a “state” to the table (though he and spouse Chasten now have a home with their two children in all-important Michigan).  What he does bring is brilliance.  He has been the administration’s “point man” to Fox News, and often defends the President in the toughness venues.  He is the “smartest” person in almost every room.  And he’s “young”, appealing to a demographic that Biden didn’t reach.  Pete would also be a “first”, the first openly gay man to be a Vice Presidential candidate.

Kelly

Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona doesn’t have a “deep” political career.  He won the highly contested Arizona Senate seat in 2020.  His entre into politics was his marriage to Congressman Gabby Giffords in 2007.  When Giffords was injured in an assassination attempt, Kelly picked up her political mantle.  Before that, Kelly was a 25 year career Naval aviator, who flew combat missions in the Gulf War.  He earned a spot in the 16^th class of astronauts, and was a Space Shuttle pilot and commander on four different missions.  He spent over 54 days in space.  

While Kelly doesn’t have the deep political roots in Arizona, he has made his Senate “bones” as a strong proponent of immigration reform, a key issue in the 2024 election.  And, since Arizona has a Democratic Governor, becoming Vice President wouldn’t upset the narrow balance of political control in the US Senate.

Cooper

Retiring Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina (67) would be a marked contrast to candidate Harris.  He has been a career politician in North Carolina, first winning a state legislative seat in 1985.  He was the Attorney General of the state for sixteen years before serving eight years as Governor.  Not only is he a strong political force in a possible swing-state, but would be a “balance” to Harris in age, race, gender, and political career.

It’s the biggest decision a candidate for President gets to make.  It might be as meaningful as Kennedy picking Lyndon Johnson, or as meaningless as Bush picking Dan Quayle.  But in our current political divide, when the past two Presidents have been determined by 77,000 and 45,000 votes, every decision might be deal-making; or deal-breaking.