It came out quietly, almost anti climatically, by email. California Senator Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s choice for Vice President of the United States.
And I’m certainly down with that. On all honesty, she was my second pick. My pick would have been Susan Rice for VP, because of her executive experience as Obama’s National Security Adviser, and because it would have left Harris free to be the next Attorney General.
But the upside to this pick are almost boundless. Harris gave as good as she got in the primary debates, showing passion as well as wit. If Donald Trump thinks that he’s going to bully Kamala Harris around with his sexist bullshit, he has another thought coming. Harris comes to the fight with two weapons that Trump lacks, a spine, and a vocabulary. I see another cognitive skills test in Trump’s near future.
Also, just sit back, smile, close your eyes, sigh and think of the Vice Presidential debate! In 2016 Tim Kaine kicked Mike Pence’s ass all over the stage in their debate. Pence, with his natural corn fed feeling of evangelical superiority, is going to badly underestimate Harris, and he’ll wear the scars long after the debate. Harris will come loaded for bear, fully armed with Pence’s three years of ass kissing toadyism, and while Trump would dive right into the mud, Pence will be gun shy about offending female voters who are already fleeing the party by coming down too hard on Harris.
So there you have it. The team is now in place, and let the games begin. This should be a helluva lot of fun to watch for the next 85 days.
To know the future, look to the past.before the insanity of the 2020 election, relive the insanity of the 2016 GOP primary campaign, and the general election, to see how we got to where we are. Copies of President Evil, and the sequel, President Evil II, A Clodwork Orange are available as e-books on Amazon, at the links above. Catch up before the upcoming release of the third book in the trilogy, President Evil III: All The Presidents Fen
Follow me on Twitter at @RealMurfster35
Hey, Murfster, do you think Gavin Newsom will sell Harris’ senate seat, like some Trump toadies we know?
Nah, California’s tax rate is too high…lol
The sales taxes would do them in.
I’d imagine many in the GOP and especially members of the Senate Judiciary Committee itself privately love the idea of Harris no longer being on Judiciary because she was so damned good at putting GOP assholes on the spot. With that in mind, and not being a Californian and knowing just who all might be a good pick to fill out Harris term I immediately thought of one person who has proven her ability to give the GOP just as many nightmares as Harris. Representative Katie Porter! Just my 2cents.
On the other hand, if she’s OFF of the committee, then they won, which means it’s highly likely that the Democrats c hair that committee in January…
If they’re feeling relief over that, Denis, it’s because they haven’t met her successor yet.
They have to be imagining that they’ll still have a Senate majority – and that looks more and more iffy every week.
If the GOP winds up in the minority it would be even worse for them having Harris or someone just like her on that committee.
I think Mcturtle already looking for a soft place to land. Both him and his corrupt wife are facing a lot of scrutiny. Him blowing off that 600 a week when he has one of the poorest states in the union. And thanks to a heated primary it’s now dinner table talk that he’s one of if not the richest members of Congress.
Oh my. What a glorious idea Denis!! I love, love, love Katie Porter. I actually sometimes scare my dog when I cheer during interviews Porter gives. Especially on The Last Word. She was trained at the knee of Elizabeth Warren, so no wonder she is so damned good at what she does.
Senator Warren is 71 herself which was a concern for some in the primaries, although to some degree it might have been an excuse to cover for policy disagreements voters had with her or even misogyny which unfortunately isn’t limited to Republicans as we learned with Hillary Clinton. I do however believe the natural rapport Warren already has with Porter would become an awesome mentor-apprentice relationship and Porter would quickly become as big a force in the Senate as Warren on issues progressives really care about. And once Warren was satisfied Porter fully knew the workings of the Senate and was well situated she could entertain either a well-earned retirement from politics (although I still think she’d speak up when needed) or even an appointment to a Cabinet Post in two or three years when some of the inevitable turnover starts to happen. Basically, we could have if not Liz Warren herself then someone just as awesome for the next 25-30 years in the Senate. Or maybe even as President.
I think we need Rice at State more than we need Harris at DOJ. Here’s what I wrote on another site when I heard the news about Harris being picked:
I’d have been thrilled with either Senator Harris or Senator Warren at the TOP of the ticket.
I’ve come to believe if it was down to those two for VP Harris would be the better choice because Warren is better positioned in the Senate to move a progressive agenda, while Harris gives us both an outstanding and history making candidate for the here and now but also for the future. I’d have also been good with Susan Rice, but I think given all that needs to be done we need her more at State than in the VP’s office. Finally, this is one old white guy who knows damn well just how important black women have been to the Democratic Party and it’s awesome their importance is finally being acknowledged and rewarded with choosing one of their own — a woman of color who grew up having to work for everything she got, and who even chose to attend Howard University — a HBCU. I’m confident she won’t forget her roots no matter how much power she attains.
And when she gets attacked as she surely will, she is quite capable of punching back. Hard! I can only imagine the conservations and planning she’s been through with Biden to highlight Barr’s corruption of the DOJ and starting it soon to help inoculate the public against the stuff we know Barr is going to out there this fall. And she will take on Barr and the conservative haters with a frank, calm demeanor that will frustrate the living shit out of Republicans who we know will try to paint her as an “angry” black woman. Barr the Hutt knows firsthand how calmly Harris can use words to proverbially slice someone like him open and expose all the bullshit under the skin. I think a lot of other Republicans are going to find out what Billy Barr already knows. Kamala Harris is NOT someone they want to mess with. That they should if possible avoid her entirely and if unable to do so tread very carefully with her.
This is just great. I’m daring to feel hope again.
I don’t know why VPs debate each other. Harris is not running against Pence; she’s running against Trump.
Au contraire…what better way to show Trump’s incompetence than to use the Hoosier Mortician as a fillet knife to make that point?
I think it’s important for voters to be able to size up VP candidates since they quite literally could become President at any time. What would be really cool is the VP candidate from each side debating the Presidential candidate from the other side but I don’t see either Democrats or Republicans ever getting on board with that concept. The next best alternative is what we’ve got – VP candidates debating each other which is still useful. It not only shows us how each can handle themselves in the second most powerful spotlight there is, but indirectly give us some insight into the actual Presidential candidate that chose them. For example McCain got a bump with conservatives with Palin but when standing on the same stage as Biden anyone who hadn’t drunk the Kool Aid easily saw just how disastrous she would be, and that DID reflect badly on McCain for having chosen her as a running mate.
“Mother” is probably doing diaper changes on Pence every five minutes today. Trump might not realize it but Pence, who has actual experience on Capitol Hill and still interacts with pals there regularly knows how badly he’s outmatched.
She’s a cop. She delivers no states.
If anything she suppresses the Black vote.
Better hope enough Republicans flip to make up for Phila, Detroit, Cleveland and Atlanta.
There is a reason she dropped out early.
Looking forward to rubbing this one in your face!
As a white man who has been a part of two black families, I can guarantee that she will not be suppressing the black vote. If anything, this pinheaded Nazi will be running for the bunker every time she appears. The only difference is Barr will be right behind him, running with dictionary in hand to look up ‘suggestion’.
Simple reason, tradition…Simple logic, these two are each only 1 heartbeat away from being the President…
Joe and Co are ready for Trump. The latter won’t know what hit him.
I know–picturing this: doesn’t it just bring a big ole smile to your face?
Further: It’s 7:36 pm my time on the East Coast and I’ve yet to see Trump appear anywhere. Maybe he has now been on bloviating about Harris, but I turned off MSNBC not too long ago and he’d yet to show his orange face.
Oh, he held a presser. MSNBC just didn’t bother airing it.
Way to go Biden.
You picked a cop.
An ACTUAL cop as opposed to a play cop.
So? I know disappointed Bernie supporters are using that as their exit ramp to not “hold their nose” and vote for Biden, but one-dimensional thinking is silly.
My only reservations about Harris were that I hated to lose her in the Senate and the Judicial and Intelligence Committees where she was dynamite. I hate to lose a single Senator, we can’t afford that. Hopefully we’ll make it up in November. I’d rather we had Susan Rice or Stacey Abrams as VP, but I’m sure Joe has some killer positions for them. I could see Rice as SOS, or some other cabinet position. The last couple of days I figured it would end up being Harris as VP. She will be a powerful partner to Joe.
In the past, when Biden announced his running mate would be female, tRump said “some men would be insulted”. Now, he said that Kamala is “nasty” and she was very disrespectful to Biden in the debates. He doesn’t know how he could pick someone like that. Somebody needs to tell him not to worry his tiny little brain over it, the adults are making these decisions.
I will of course support Biden no matter who he chose for VP, but I was kind of praying for Elizabeth Warren. She would have made an excellent VP. Maybe she will hold a cabinet position. I think she would have accomplished great things. This is just my opinion.
You got it: all those competent, articulate & knowledgeable women who were NOT picked will make terrific cabinet choices, & allow Biden to present a diverse administration, one which truly reflects the character
of America in 2020.
Warren would have been a mistake. You want to contrast yourself with Trump, Kamala is the right pick. Much as I admire Liz (and I was rooting for her in the primaries), Kamala is a much harder target to nail. More practically speaking, it would be reassuring to have the presidential “spare tire” be less than 70 years old this time. That’s the other part selling stability to the voters who are jonesing for it right now.
Start ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴏᴍᴇ! Gʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴊᴏʙ ғᴏʀ-Ever, sᴛᴀʏ-ᴀᴛ-ʜᴏᴍᴇ ᴍᴏᴍs ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴛʀᴀ ɪɴᴄᴏᴍᴇ…Get started…Yᴏᴜ ᴏɴʟʏ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴜᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ʀᴇʟɪᴀʙʟᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴇᴛ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ……..►►►► Cash03.ℂℴℳCOPY THE WEBSITE
Will Pence need to have “Mother” on stage with him when debating a woman?
Good one, Ursula. And Joe was my thoughts sorta. I thought he should pick Harris. Then as you say Rice got thrown in. Would have been good top three with early announcement. But the one thing you got to say. It sure has set the right wing off. Everyone that’s even been a pimple on some right wing delegates ass has come out and said she’s the worst pick. You know what I say to that. They don’t know squat, so fuck em.
If Trump supporters think Harris is the worst pick, she must be the best pick.