I’m on the endorsement committee of several organizations I belong to and some of them asked the members whether or not to endorse Kamala. The votes were all unanimous. Except for one organization which phrased the endorsement in such a way that I couldn’t vote for it and persuaded them rewrite it. The original resolution was to endorse Kamala and whomever she picked to be VP. That sure didn’t sit well with me. I mean there’s nothing anyone will be able to do to stop her decision but still, we should keep an open mind to not endorsing someone especially shitty— like when Gore picked Joe Lieberman.
Her list includes some contenders as bad as Lieberman, at least in my mind… people I wouldn’t vote for, like Gina Raimondo and Pete Buttigieg, because I think they would make terrible presidents. I’m not thrilled with anyone on her list and I’m sad that she didn’t think she should include any progressives. But that’s what we’re getting in Kamala.
The other candidates include governors Josh Shapiro (PA), Roy Cooper (NC), Andy Beshear (KY), Tim Walz (MN), J.B. (for Billionaire?) Pritzker (IL) and Gretchen Whitmer (MI) plus Senator Mark Kelly (AZ). Kelly, who voted against the PRO Act, was the reason I protested that sight unseen endorsement. Since then he has announced that he has suddenly changed his position on the PRO Act. There are 39 senators with better voting records, according to ProgressivePunch.
The outside team conducting the vetting, led by former Attorney General Eric Holder, began holding conversations Tuesday with some of the candidates, CBS News has learned.
Harris' team plans to carry out and conclude the vetting on a compressed schedule that is expected to be finished by Aug. 7, in order to meet an Ohio deadline requiring nominees to be certified by 90 days before Election Day to obtain ballot access.
If you’ve followed her career, you know her shifting positions on key issues like healthcare and climate policy smell like a lack of steadfastness, which might impact her ability to drive significant reforms. It’s a part of the careerism that has always been a hallmark of her politics. Like any president, she’ll need to navigate a complex political landscape, balancing bold initiatives with practical governance but her track record makes it pretty clear that her ability to enact significant reforms will be disappointing and tempered by political pressures and the need for broader coalition-building. I expect that’s how she’s approaching her running mate decision and that her choice will be male, white and, within the Democratic Party, right-of-center.
Of the 3 top contenders, Shapiro is a rabid genocide supporter and she should stay away from that kind of taint if she doesn’t want to sink into a depressing hole the way Biden did. I doubt unions are going to get behind Kelly just because he now claims to have changed his mind on the PRO Act. Screw him; he voted with the Republicans against working families. That leaves Cooper among the reported top tier. Can he deliver North Carolina? Maybe— but I wouldn’t count on it. He outpolled Hillary and all other statewide Democrats in 2016, but had less votes than Trump, and Republicans Senator Richard Burr, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry and Treasurer Dale Folwell. So… not so good.BUT in 2020, he took 2,834,790 votes, not just more than his opponent, Dan Forest, but also outpolling Trump (2,758,775), Senator Thom Tillis (2,665,598) and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (2,800,656). Not a lock but he could deliver his state’s 16 electoral votes.That’s a big deal, since they would be coming directly from Trump’s column.
North Carolina’s Triad Business Journal speculates that he’s in the top tier because of the state’s hot economy. And his popularity is still high— 52% favorable compared to Biden’s 38%. Wednesday evening, the NY Times included him in their top 6 contenders:
Nobody is coming out to vote because of the VP or staying home because of the VP.