Who should Kamala pick as VP? - Part 2

[quote] With all due respect, attitudes like yours are why this country, hell even the world, is in the state it’s in.

[quote] You express a unsubstantiated opinion, colored by propaganda and marketing, and when met with probable facts supported by expert analysis, you immediately dismiss it with a shrug and double down on an untrue version of history built on nothing more than feelings and supposition.

[quote] I don’t care what you believe, you can fool yourself all you like but you’re not going to try to fool me too without being called on it.

For your consideration.

And this, too.

I think it's going to be Shapiro over Kelly.

Pete

Mark Kelly. Dude was an astronaut/engineer. 🌌🌎🚀

Kelly.

Kelly needs to stay in Arizona where he's doing great work.

I'm not sure why we're eagerly looking to get rid of [D] senators and governors in precarious positions.

Whitmer

We need someone to shred Vance. He is incredibly vulnerable on issues around reproductive rights, bodily autonomy and respect for women in general. AND dollars to donuts he has some serious unresolved mommy issues that she can trigger.

Sure she says she’s not interested. But open ambition in a woman can be off-putting. Sometimes a gal has to play it a little cooler than the boys.

Mark Halperin is now firmly in the camp that it'll be Shapiro. Apparently, the Obamas & Clintons are very high on him. Although he did mention a mini-boomlet for Pete, which he generally discounted.

R9 ....and Halperin firmly believed that Trump would select Rubio as his VP pick.

^ He didn't. At one time, early on, he thought it would be Scott. But Rubio was never his pick.

Likeliness in this order (IMO): Shapiro, Cooper, Beshear

Shapiro is the obvious, and best, choice.

Biden promised that he would choose a woman, he never said black woman, for VP.

I think Klobuchar was actually his preferred choice, but the George Floyd saga, and her history with Derek Chauvin when she was Minneapolis DA, was disqualifying.

To those who think statewide office holders are already subject to great vetting - even in an era of depleted local media - Roy Cooper, just yesterday, nearing the end of two terms as NC governor, following four terms as AG, had to inform local reporters of the correct pronunciation of his surname. It's Cupper, he said, not Cooper,

I will be fine with who ever she picks but for the life of me, I don't get the excitement over Mark Kelly, he is dull and boring. As far as him being an astronaut, 681 people have reached the altitude of space according to the USAF definition, doing so isn't any thing that special any longer.

r11 Halperin begs to differ:

^ That was before 6/27. Trump's pick of Vance was the product of an irrational exuberance post-debate.

My moneys on Kelly. Boss Tory gets him a much more affirmative yes! to the question can you see him as president? He was a fucking astronaut, he’ll have apocalypse On the border problem. I agree he’s not the most exciting but my gut says him.

I hate being this image-conscious but I say go with the astronaut.

Although, him being an identical twin will endlessly feed the heads of the QAnon loons

I don't care what a sex pest from Newsmax thinks, Halperin troll.

Andy Beshear posted this:

[quote]No matter what the future holds, Kentucky is my home. That will never change, because I'm one proud Kentuckian.

Does he know something? Seems like a pointless thing to post if he hasn't been offered anything yet.

I just got an ActBlue poll and Cooper wasn’t on it FWIW.

R22, was Pete?

Yes he was

I still think Shapiro is the #1 choice.

[quote]Biden promised that he would choose a woman, he never said black woman, for VP.

Initially, yes. But the message soon shifted to having to be a black woman VP.

a friend told me that she likes jumping up and down naked, letting her boobs flop all over the friggin place...

Kelly wasn't just an astronaut, he was a highly decorated naval aviator who flew combat missions. That can help convince a lot of undecided white military. His parents were police officers until retirement, so he has the blue collar up by the bootstraps background that's unimpeachable.

Another plus, he brings Gabby Giffords with him who'd be a huge asset to the campaign trail if she's up to it. Like Harris and Emhoff, they managed a blended family and, AFAIK, she's one of those miserable cat ladies who failed to give birth.

The only one who've I've been impressed with in terms of dismantling the Republican machine is Pete. He gets to the point and gets out.

I've seen Kelly's and Beshears "takedowns" and they've been weak and ineffectual.

Kelly acting befuddled and spending half of the time reiterating how concerned he is. A mess. Plus, he's largely inexperienced as a politician. You gotta get someone in there who knows how to fight. Not give "deeply troubled" speeches.

Beshears rambling and dopey pauses after delivering a sarcastic retort like he's a five year old who just told a dirty joke. No.

Shaprio has a shit ton of baggage which has already been pouring out. And he's red meat for a lot of progressives unfortunately. Not a good pick.

Roy Cooper is almost 70. We'd be back to where we were with Biden, because there's no way he could run for President if Kamala gets two terms. It makes no sense to choose him.

That leaves Pete. Get over him being gay. And start seeing him as someone who's equipped to handle the Republican onslaught. He's been doing it for four years, longer than ANY of these other contenders. And he does it brilliantly.

[quote] Another plus, he brings Gabby Giffords with him who'd be a huge asset to the campaign trail if she's up to it. Like Harris and Emhoff, they managed a blended family and, AFAIK, she's one of those miserable cat ladies who failed to give birth.

Heh heh heh. Bring it on.

[quote]Another plus, he brings Gabby Giffords with him who'd be a huge asset to the campaign trail if she's up to it.

I don’t mean any offense by this, but the average Joe working class voter doesn’t really want to see a brain damaged woman being trotted out all the time.

Yes, her story is compelling, but gun control is never happening in this country. She doesn’t really bring anything to the ticket.

Does she act brain damaged? Or are you just a Laura Loomer acolyte?

Gabby started her political career long before her husband. It's not like she's some drooling moron, she's had extensive therapy and she's still very sharp. Trump sounds brain damaged himself with his first grade vocabulary, but they keep trotting him out.

Pete is a nerd, which is worse than being gay to the people she needs to flip.

Kamala needs to keep being the center of media attention. Safe is not safe against Trump. She needs someone who will bring the rust belt and give her so much press Trump is denied oxygen.

Shapiro

Who is leading the race to become Kamala Harris's running mate? New Yahoo News poll shows support for top contenders.

Gavin Newsom, governor of California (30%)

Pete Buttigieg, secretary of Transportation (25%)

Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan (24%)

Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania (24%)

Mark Kelly, senator from Arizona (18%)

Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky (15%)

Roy Cooper, governor of North Carolina (14%)

Newsom??? Not happening.

When does it happen? Is right now too much too soon? Or should they wait til the convention so the VP can avoid a month of abuse?

Newsom buys her nothing. Not in this climate. "California" has too many negative connotations among swing voters, IMO. But he'd be a great campaigner. He's been on Fox and been as effective as Pete and leveled De Santis in a debate. I wonder what kind of a cabinet position he could take.

The irony in all these "Who Should Kamala Pick as VP" posts is that . . . (wait for it) . . . this was LONG decided before President Biden announced he wouldn't be seeking reelection. This is just part of the strategy of stringing this out for as long as possible. The Dems have FINALLY learned how to the play the game and beat the Repigs using their own rules. I LOVE IT!!!

[quote]Kamala needs to keep being the center of media attention

Uh, she's running for President. That kind of happens

You want the VP outshining the President? A white man, to boot?

Interesting.

Elderlez/r22, what names were on that ActBlue? Sorry if I missed it.

Elizabeth Warren

You think I want a man R41? Interesting and not very observant

R42, Shapiro, Whitmer, Bashear, Pritzker,Kelly, Buttigieg

[quote]I don’t mean any offense by this, but the average Joe working class voter doesn’t really want to see a brain damaged woman being trotted out all the time.

Proving the theory they're just desperate for the gay man, his husband and their adopted children.

According to this article, it's down to Shapiro, Kelly & Walz.

Poll results are merely a reflection of the names which are more familiar to the public, hence Newsom and Buttigieg leading. Neither will be the choice.

Saw an interesting tik-tok that I can't find now, but he went through 7 possible VP picks, and had valid reasons for rejecting each one until he got to Besher, and he had decent reasons for thinking this was the best pick (electorally).

Honestly, I think all the options floated are good ones. But I'm hesitant on Shapiro, not because he's Jewish, but because he came out in support of School Vouchers, and that's a serious red flag for me. That's a right-wing GOP scam to destroy public schools, and for a Democrat to fall for it shows some serious lack of judgement.

It's not going to be fucking Elizabeth Warren, jesus christ. She's awful. She's not a team player. She is too old. She'd be a huge drag on the ticket. Fuck... who are these idiots that keep trying to prop her up?

Oh, but I've wanted to drink a beer with Liz Warren since 2020. She's so cool and like me.

[quote]But I'm hesitant on Shapiro, not because he's Jewish, but because he came out in support of School Vouchers, and that's a serious red flag for me. That's a right-wing GOP scam to destroy public schools, and for a Democrat to fall for it shows some serious lack of judgement.

Vouchers have some popularity in PA. Shapiro is a moderate on some issues. That’s how you get elected in a swing state.

R51 = Josh Shapiro

R51 still think this is fucking 1992 where a Dem has to adopt Republican policies to “get elected in swing states.”

Shapiro killed his chances becoming VP after he compared campus protesters for the war in Gaza to the KKK earlier this year. The last thing Harris needs right now is a candidate to slow down her momentum among young voters. Shapiro ain’t it.

Then it's Kelly, who brings strengths with regard to the border.

She's lucky she has such quality people to choose from

That Gavin Newsom is even on that Yahoo poll, much less as the top pick, just goes to show how unreliable the poll is and how uninformed the people were who were participating in it.

Personality and policy-wise, I love Tim Walz. His message delivery is so on point and "folksy" without dumbing down. And he understands small towns. Unfortunately, despite being Harris's age, he looks 15 years older and a lot of voters can't get past the superficial.

R53 thank you!! But your sage words fall on the deaf ears of DL's elderly Jewish Boomers who are shocked, SHOCKED I tell you! that Israel isn't the number one priority for most Americans like it is to them!

You people need to learn math.

And perhaps some Boomers need to relearn geography. Because as far as I know, Israel isn't an American state or protectorate. So I'm not sure exactly why we're supposed to make this foreign, wealthy, first world nation a top priority here in the States? Maybe the people for whom Israel is a #1 priority instead of domestic policy should move to Israel?

Perhaps you could learn a little something about national security, you ignorant child. The country is America's single most reliable ally in that garden of stability called the Middle East.

You're verging on anti-semitism, R60. Careful, you'll get a line. Your true colors are showing.

Anti-semitism! Anti-semitism!!!

The tail end of the boom is just turning 60. They'll be running things for another fifteen years, at least.

If it were me, I would just pick the one with the biggest cock.

It's VP Newsom, then.

I'm becoming more drawn to Tim Walz with each passing day. He is by far the best speaker and best defender of Democratic policies. He's looks older than he is, but his interviews are going viral on social media because he's so damn enjoyable to listen to. That quality appeals to all ages. He would also help the ticket in MN, MI and WI.

I don't think he was even in Harris's top 5 until he started giving interviews this week and became an internet sensation. Nobody knew who he was at this time last week and now he's famous.

R71: that would guarantee Vance as her veep.

I’d prefer Whitmer, but Walz is a good second choice.

[quote]And perhaps some Boomers need to relearn geography. Because as far as I know, Israel isn't an American state or protectorate. So I'm not sure exactly why we're supposed to make this foreign, wealthy, first world nation a top priority here in the States?

A strong Israel keeps Iran in check, which is in everybody's best interests.

R74 Can’t even win with one woman on the ballot let alone two. It’s Kelly or lose.

[quote] Kelly acting befuddled and spending half of the time reiterating how concerned he is.

There's no more effective strategy than that!

I'd prefer Shapiro, but Walz is fine, probably would guarantee carrying WI.

r78, are you nuts? People from Wisconsin despise Minnesotans. He would have no sway in Wisconsin.

Anyone who won’t vote for a two women ticket isn’t going to vote for a woman at the top of ticket. Safe isn’t safe against Clown Con Trump. The Democratic ticket needs to bolder and more exciting than the Republican ticket and dominate media coverage. AND Vance has major Mommy issues.

(R73) For you, Elder Lez

R79: I was thinking that part of WI watches MN news. Moreover, is it hatred, or just rivalry?

R81 And she’s cute as a button too

Wisconsin thinks of Minnesota the same way Pawnee thinks of Eagleton.

Sam Seder on Youtube: they're discussing an odd tweet by Beshear yesterday that makes it sound like he may know he's the pick.

"No matter what the future holds, Kentucky is my home. That will never change, because I'm one proud Kentuckian."

They discuss why they think he's the best choice.

Kisses R81 and R83

Why am I just learning about a feud between Minnesota and Wisconsin?

Are Minnesotans jealous of Wisconsin's cheese?

Compare Kamala's 7 choices to the clowns clamoring for Trump's VP (Vance, Ramaswampy, Nikki. Tim (I'm neither white nor gay) Scott, etc), and how they completely demoralized themselves and each other. How they raced to a bottomless bottom.

I think the 7 vetted should all do a campaign ad together and show their genuine unity.

R85, I love the Majority Report. Emma has been pushing Harris to be the nominee since Biden's horrible debate performance. I like that Emma and Sam are both anti-Shapiro and explain why. And while they love Walz, and he's technically the same age as Harris, he doesn't come off as youthful as Harris, which bodes well in Beshear's favor.

Beshear is the safer choice as he checks all the boxes and would have appeal in states such as Georgia, Ohio, Wisconsin, .etc. I like that they pointed out that even if Harris doesn't win Ohio, they can use someone like Beshear to help Sherrod Brown in his senate race.

Wisconsinites react after hearing the news of a Minnesota loss.

I never knew there was tension between Wisconsin and Minnesota. I lived in Chicago 93-08 and kept up with regional politics. Was Scott Walker *that* influential? Or is it just a friendly rivalry overblown now?

Plus, Walz has Jesse Ventura's endorsement. I remember Ventura's populist run and win for the MN governorship. Donald Trump's campaign reminded me of Ventura's, which I think foreshadowed the MAGAt movement. He motivated legions of young and older white men to register to vote for the first time ever to support a white cartoon hero. He had a super-unsuccessful governorship, not unlike Trump's "presidency."

Lola Falana

Taylor Swift! She'll be 35 in December, so she's eligible.

I must admit, though, while I'm for Beshear as the VP, I wouldn't mind Walz. I love the wholesome Grandpa energy he gives, and he's a solid progressive.

My preferences, in order:

1) Beshear

2) Walz

3) Kelly

4) Buttigieg

USA Today

I don't think it's Kelly.

[quote] VP Harris has told top advisers that she’s looking for a running mate who can “balance the ticket,” someone who is more of a “governing partner,” and effectively “someone with executive experience at the highest level.”

It will be a governor. And with Shapiro's liabilities, I don't think it's him, either. So that leaves Beshear, Walz, or Cooper.

I'm really, really liking Tim Walz. He may look prematurely aged, but his behavior, speech, and references are not. He's far more vital than Trump and even weenie Vance. And he has at least one teenage daughter to prove it.

Maybe his premature grandpa looks may be an asset if he makes some voters comfortable with dropping Biden due to age. Walz in no way demonstrates that.

R94, progressives are retarded extremists, and we don’t need more old people.

[quote] progressives are retarded extremists, and we don’t need more old people.

Oh shut up, you weren't voting Dem anyway.

R99 - it's on your ignorance to describe either case without resorting to AI because you're ignorant and whose skills severely lack his/her normative lack of successes determined by his own parental involvement.

In other words, you're stupid and fucked.

[QUOTE][R94], progressives are retarded extremists, and we don’t need more old people.

Tell us more about your proposed hell-hole, Bridget.

And r99's basic English skills are obviously retarded as he keeps most apply demonstrating. "Ing" the present continuous of the "verb."

If Walz, of all people, is in the top three, I'm inclined to believe he'll be the pick. Like Biden, the whitest of white men out there.

My top 3:

Beshear

Walz

Kelly

I could feel happy and secure with any one of them though.

In new ABC News/Ipsos poll, VP Harris has seen dramatic improvement in net favorability in last ten days. net was -11, now it is +1. Among Independents: was -19, now +4. In same period of time Trump net fav has gone from -11, to today -16.

I do think it should be Taylor Swift.

I think if Taylor Swift and Beyonce showed up at the DNC and together announced Harris... the entire world would melt down. It would be amazing.

I don't think it's going to be Walz. Kamala does not need Minnesota--it should already be in her pocket.

[quote] I don't think it's going to be Walz. Kamala does not need Minnesota--it should already be in her pocket.

Exactly why I think it's going to be him. There's no reason he'd be on the short list if it was going to be someone else.

I had the very same thought, r108! I read that the campaign was in talks with a "very famous" entertainer to perform at the convention. Beyonce and Swift could enter together and sing "Sisters are Doing It for Themselves."

I'm for Mark Kelly. Although it would be a loss to Senate, Arizona has a Democrat for governor and would very likely be replaced with another Democrat.

I've always liked and respected him. Not only an astronaut but a hero when his wife Gabby Gifford was shot in the head by an unhinged right winger. Remember Sarah Palin's crosshairs on political maps? Ugly.

Plus when trump boasts about "taking a bullet for you" (that grazed his ear). Mark and Gabby are the living embodiment of courageous survivors of the horrific dangers of the lack of gun control laws. Kelly and Gifford did not boast and brag or use the tragedy for political mud-slinging. The took years to heal then got back to work on the behalf of the good people in their state.

R112, if you think longer term, AZ would risk losing the Senator in the next election. Kelly is really well liked in AZ, not sure about any Dem that is appointed to finish out his term.

NOW (This week)

Harris favorable 43%

Harris unfavorable 42%

NET +1

An improvement of 12 points in just one week.

R110 Kamala already has the youth vote sown up, the only demographic that needs bolstering is the older white vote. I agree that Walz is the best option. Kelly is the best on paper and might bring Arizona with him, but he isn't as good a communicator as Walz and the risk of losing AZ in the Senate is too high.

"In Tim Walz, Democrats see a potential VP pick who can shore up the 'blue wall'. The Minnesota governor’s allies argue his appeal to rural and working-class voters as well as progressives could offer Kamala Harris a unique boost."

I watched a bit of him at the State fair with his daughter... he's pretty funny. A natural communicator in a down to earth way... none of the eloquent, lyrical delivery of Obama or Clinton, but he resonates.

I can imagine his first joke about looking 70, being 60 but feeling 58 would go over really well.

I like all the guys remaining in the race and could happily back any of them, but this guy really is the straight white guy out of central casting for this job at this time. He's the first one I can see up against that idiot Vance just peeling off the relaxed one liners and outskating the fucker. He's not much to look at compared to Beshear (who I want in me quite deeply) or Shapiro (who I want in me a decent distance), but damn he's funny and he talks straight. He's kind of like Biden of yore, without any of the speech difficulties.

Check this out... on Twitter:

Tim Walz @Tim_Walz It’s true. I’m a veteran, a hunter, and a gun owner. But I’m also a dad. And for many years, I was a teacher.

I know basic gun safety isn’t a threat to my rights. It’s about keeping our kids safe.

I had an A rating from the NRA. Now I get straight F's. And I sleep just fine.

[quote] I don't think he was even in Harris's top 5 until he started giving interviews this week and became an internet sensation. Nobody knew who he was at this time last week and now he's famous.

Walz must really want the VP spot. Up until recently, he had rarely been in the national spotlight. Then, suddenly, over the past few days, he's everywhere. I think he did 2 or 3 separate interviews in one day on MSNBC. He could potentially win over some rural Rust Belt moderates while still being very progressive.

And/or, R119, the powers that be really want him to be the pick & are encouraging him to raise his profile.

I still can't believe the good fortune that there's almost no wrong pick.

Dammit, I was pro Andy Beshear, but Tim Walz is kind of making me lean towards him with the more appearances I see of him in the media. He’s as masterful as Buttigieg when destroying right-wing talking points.

Damn, I've only changed my mind on the VP pick about 879 times so far

There are some “wrong” picks, R121. Shapiro & Buttigieg would both be politically troublesome. And Cooper couldn’t safely lead North Carolina.

[quote]Walz must really want the VP spot. Up until recently, he had rarely been in the national spotlight. Then, suddenly, over the past few days, he's everywhere. I think he did 2 or 3 separate interviews in one day on MSNBC

I don’t think it’s so much that he’s “wanting” it, but the reaction to his appearances has been very positive so he keeps doing interviews and appearances.

Bashear looks the part, but he’s like of stilted when he speaks and seems too rehearsed. I think he needs more polish. Walz seems much more natural in interviews and on the stump.

[quote] I don’t think it’s so much that he’s “wanting” it, but the reaction to his appearances has been very positive so he keeps doing interviews and appearances.

Maybe ... but I think his appearances may have been more calculated and less spontaneous than we realize. I think his choice of the word "weird" to describe Trump and Vance was deliberate and designed to go viral. Once he used the word, other Democrats quickly adopted it too.

Just to be clear: I'm not criticizing Walz at all. If his TV appearances were a calculated effort to audition for the VP role, then more power to him. I like him a lot and think he could be a great VP.

The “weird” messaging is 🔥. I hope all Democrats adopt it during their media appearances.

It's, to use a tired but accurate word, authentic. It is the relatable, digestible believable word that captures all aspects of the paradigm of fuckupedness that is the modern Rebublican party. They have been marching towards this word for fifty years and now, with Trump and MAGA again, they've arrived.

Democrats have finally learned to keep the messaging simple. It’s how Trump captured people’s attention with “build the wall” and “lock her up” and “make America great”.

This whole “existential threat to democracy” wasn’t resonating. “Weird” is catching on and going viral.

Tim Walz was a HS football coach who within the 1st few seasons built a program that won the HS its 1st state championship.

Make him VP, get him on sports radio, & he will win us some votes.

This guy's bio is so good it sounds like you're making shit up.

The Never-Trumpers love him!

He's got the same kind of - Mary!, me - joy and ease that Harris is demonstrating. I saw the clip of her yesterday talking about tacos with a voter and she was just talking. It was so natural. They're a potentially powerful pair.

right, I believe that is her incredible appeal with young voters, someone who feels open and honest, and isn't a raging narcissist

Here Walz is again -- from Morning Joe. A lot of the same things as in the clip at R132, but I think he sounds even stronger.

I'd never heard of Walz at all until about a week ago, and learned everything I know from the links here on DL. From what I've seen: LOVE him. Where have they been hiding this guy? He's terrific, he'd be a great VP choice.

I'm still leaning slightly toward Kelly due to the age factor. But this guy has a lot going for him. He'd kill in the debates, and deliver the necessary MI-MN-WI electoral votes.

[quote] I'm still leaning slightly toward Kelly due to the age factor.

Walz and Kelly are the same age.

Correct r137, but Walz looks about 10 years older (and seems it as well).

However, if he ditches the glasses, it shaves years off.

Walz needs to permanently ditch the glasses and dye his brows.

Maintaining his totally natural look would further contrast plainspoken Tim with J.D. "It's Definitely Maybelline" Vance and his trumpery.

From the link at r131.

A student at the school, where Walz taught geography, wanted to start a gay-straight alliance.

This was three years after the president, a Democrat, signed a law forbidding same-sex marriage. Soldiers suspected of being gay in Walz’s own unit could be discharged from the military. But Walz, now Minnesota’s Democratic candidate for governor, had seen the bullying some students endured and agreed to be the group’s faculty adviser.

“It really needed to be the football coach, who was the soldier and was straight and was married,” Walz said. In other words, he would be a symbol that disparate worlds could coexist peacefully.

Tim and Mark are the same age as Kamala!?

Damn, the bros on the Right all push the fantasy that men age better. This is not their week.

Can it get cuter or more All-American than this?

Tim Walz is the Es Asner of Dem VPs!

I've moved away from Andy Beshear and I'm onto Walz now.

The VP's wife is going to be of special importance if Kamala wins, because she will take on the de facto role of First Lady. We need to look at these candidates wives, too.

Doug Emhoff can't be relied upon to plan and oversee the decoration of the White House during the holidays. There are also state dinners to plan. The VP's wife will need to take on these duties.

Interesting take, r145.

I guess that could come into play more than usual.

The VP's wife won't be allowed anywhere near those duties.

I could certainly see Doug and Gwen Walz co-hosting events or signing up to work for a cause of mutual interest like Michelle and Jill did for military families.

I think Waltz looking older is a positive. He seems wise, smart, and down to earth. His being down to earth next to Harris's mercurial nature is a good balance. I hope he is the VP pick. I think she could win with that ticket. I have been pretty angry with the Democrats in the last month for covering up the fact of Biden and I'm starting to see there may be hope for Harris. I dread Trump winning again. Too much stress.

Oh for FF Jeezus Christ, Walz doesn't look older he just looks balder.

Seriously, there's nothing doddering or hesitant or frail about Tim and he would indeed balance the ticket perfectly with Kamala, especially for older white voters who will relate to him if they can't relate to Kamala (the Dems already have won over the younger voters).

Mike Murphy just said Buttigieg is the obvious choice, while also making a case for Walz.

What kind of a position could Buttigieg hold in Harris administration. Chief of Staff?

Gary Peters is now looking like he might get the gig.

Unions love him. That brings in Michigan and probably Pennsylvania.

I’m in Michigan, R153, & Gary Peters doesn’t have much of a profile. And for the umteenth time, JFK’s pick of LBJ was the last time a VP netted the running mate’s home state.

[quote] And for the umteenth time, JFK’s pick of LBJ was the last time a VP netted the running mate’s home state.

Exactly, R154. People need to realize that VPs aren't picked because they're guaranteed to bring the state they represent; they're picked to balance the ticket. Kamala Harris needs someone to attract white working-class voters in rural areas in swing states.

Josh Flagg made his first appearance on the campaign trail today with Harris in Pennsylvania. Any word on how he did?

[quote]The VP's wife is going to be of special importance if Kamala wins, because she will take on the de facto role of First Lady. We need to look at these candidates wives, too. Doug Emhoff can't be relied upon to plan and oversee the decoration of the White House during the holidays. There are also state dinners to plan. The VP's wife will need to take on these duties.

MEEEEEEE!!!!!

Walz has that down-home guy from the Heartland vibe that balances out all the "San Francisco liberal" noise about Kamala from the Right.

She's picking Pete.

[quote] Josh Flagg made his first appearance on the campaign trail today with Harris in Pennsylvania

Who?

The only advantage to Pete is that we don't take any Democrats out of important elected offices.

Josh Shapiro is an alpha male and I love it! I'd never heard him speak before, and he's strong, confident and sexy. He's going to make suburban women wet all over America. He commands that stage, doesn't he? Seeing him onstage with Whitmer is like seeing the future of American politics. They are both so formidable.

We are so fortunate to have so many great Democrats to choose from. They're all so good in their own way that it makes it impossible to decide.

You can tell that Gretchen wants to taste Josh's Philly steak.

[quote] Tim Walz is the Es Asner of Dem VPs!

Cooper has informed the Kamala that he does not want to be under consideration.

Cooper.

I like Walz better with glasses; I think they make him look modern. Without, he looks like Santa.

No loss with Cooper bowing out. He was the weakest candidate except for Pritzker and that one other fattie (not our dear Tim!) whose name escapes me.

Walz is suddenly coming on strong...

She should pick another woman. REALLY.

I agree with the others saying that Shapiro is too alpha. He’s a star who’s going to suck up all the attention and look too much like he should be on the top of the ticket. Harris needs someone more laidback like Walz to better complement her.

She should pick Ivanka Trump. That would be a kick in Trump's ballsack.

There are far better ways to piss off Trump than subjecting the rest of us to one of his corrupt, unqualified nepobabies again. They all belong in prison.

I had never heard of Walz before this week and he appears to be the PERFECT VP PICK!

[quote]Doug Emhoff can't be relied upon to plan and oversee the decoration of the White House during the holidays. There are also state dinners to plan. The VP's wife will need to take on these duties.

the VEEP doesn't live in the white house, so the wife of the Veep would have no role in the running of it. it would be up to Doug and the staff he hires, he's an entertainment lawyer so he'd be fine, much better than macabre mortitia adams - melania

The "one other fattie" Gary Peters is about to appear on Morning Joe. Curious to check him out, as I really don't have any impression of him.

Maybe Doug can hire Melania? She'll need a side hustle after November and she did such a bang up job before.

I infer that the poster referred to Emhoff as the spouse of the [italic]current[/italic] VP, R176.

Walz:

[quote]“How often in a hundred days do you get to change the trajectory of the world? How often in a hundred days do you get to do something that’s going to impact generations to come?” Walz asked. “And how often in the world do you make that bastard wake up afterwards and know that a Black woman kicked his a**, sent him on the road?”

Walz seems like a great VP choice and a decent, likable guy. His one vulnerability could be the riots and looting that happened in Minneapolis after George Floyd's death. I don't know much about Walz's actions or statements during that time, but I'm sure the GOP will try to tie him to the "defund the police" movement, as they're doing with Harris. I can already envision the GOP attack ads showing video clips of the chaos in Minnesota while the narrator says, "Radical leftists were destroying Minnesota's largest city, and Governor Walz did nothing to stop it."

You can just counter it with JD Vance's statement: "I hate the police."

He can't have created too many problems with his reaction to Floyd. He was elected before Floud and re-elected after.

R182 beat me to it. Let 'em come for Walz about anything (like riots) involving law and order and racism. We know from his personal correspondence that Vance felt no differently than protesters:

[quote]In October 2014, after the police killing that summer of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old Black man in Ferguson, Missouri, caused widespread protests and violence, Vance wrote to Nelson: “I hate the police. Given the number of negative experiences I’ve had in the past few years, I can’t imagine what a Black guy goes through.”

Walz and Shapiro both seem high on their own supply right now. Mark Kelly has been pretty low-key—wonder if that’s on purpose.

I'm sure Kamala has a good vetting team (unlike Fredo and Don Jr) who'll do a good job.

I am all over the map.

Walz is charming. A gifted communicator with a great track record and good midwest grounding.

Kelly has border cred, which is going to be a challenge for the Dems, and a great, hero narrative. He's also got substantial military training.

Shapiro has seen massive political success and PA has 19 EC votes. I heard a talking head on CNN this morning arguing if Harris gets the PA EC votes, Trump's path becomes a lot harder.

R186, it's former Clinton AG Eric Holder.

My 2 cents, r187:

Shapiro and Whitmer are both all in for campaigning for Harris in both PA and MI. They are both young, popular, and great speakers...and they both have aspirations to run on their own in 4 to 8 years. As much as I like Walz, I don't think he would want to run independently or he already would have.

As such, having Sapiro as an attack dog and surrogate is as good as having him as a running mate.

Moreover, I don't know that anyone knows if America is ready for a Jewish top executive (same with gay Pete) and so it would be much better and safer for the primary process to test that out.

Whitmer has bowed out from any consideration.

I think the best options are Beshear and Walz. But I won't be disappointed regardless of who she and her team settles on.

Is Kelly's current lack of presence in the media an indication he won't be chosen?

r188, I'm struggling to grasp who you think is the answer. It feels like you ruled everybody out.

Let's presume Walz is the pick, and they win 2 terms. He'll be 68 by then; not too old to run for President but he may bow out and let a younger team of candidates vie for it.

That said, I HOPE SHE PICKS HIM!!!!!!!

I'm guessing at some point the candidate under consideration stands down. There's a balance between being willing and pushing too hard, surely.

Who do you mean, R193? Walz?

Somewhere it was said the final 2 in consideration are Walz and Kelly - no Beshear (if that's true). Don't know how 65 year old Gary Peters got in the convo.

[quote] [R188], I'm struggling to grasp who you think is the answer. It feels like you ruled everybody out.

Walz

He's a great communicator and would be excellent as the "governing partner" she is said to be seeking. And my hunch is that the GOP would make her four years such an unmitigated nightmare that she would follow Joe's lead and announce fairly that being President requires her full attention. And I also think Walz is more committed to getting shit done than basking in the glory of the office such that, in this case, taking a no prisoners approach to leadership and letting others (who are qualified to do so) battle out the next steps is the best strategy.

No, just all of them, R194. If they're out there trying too hard - look at me! Look at me! - it runs the risk of backfiring (and possibly really embarrassing themselves after the pick).

Gotcha R196. But you gotta admit Walz has put himself in the limelight better than the others with his folksy comments and the 'weird' thing.

Guess he understand 'Keep is simple stupid' (esp important w/magats)

Yeah, he's new, R197, so he gets a pass for now. Plus, he's so damned refreshing and original. Everything he says seems tempered with humor. But, you hear little now from Shapiro or Kelly or Beshear. Unless official campaigning like Shapiro and Witmer did in PA. Everybody's probably pulling back.

I'm not sure that I have to admit that, R197. I think he has caught on because this odd situation a) has generated a lot of attention and b) necessitates quick action and c) most importantly, he just happens to fit the moment.

As evidenced by multiple videos and memes, he's really not doing much differently than he ever has but rather that people are taking notice now.. The attached tweet is from almost 16 months ago

And that last point actually adds fuel to the fire in that the more people look at him the more they see something rare in politics: CONSISTENCY

[quote] Don't know how 65 year old Gary Peters got in the convo.

Don't know if this applies to Peters, but the inclusion on these lists can often be nothing more than trying to raise the public profile of those mentioned.

I think not picking Shapiro and Whitmer but having them be both very visible on the ground campaigners is a good strategy. I still think that between Shapiro's staffer scandal and the sore feelings re the Israel/Palestinian conflict he's too toxic for 24.

These two longtime Pennsylvania pols, one republican & one democrat, seem to generally agree that Shapiro on the ticket could be enough to add 2% to Harris's totals & win the state. The republican believes, though, that Shapiro will hurt Harris in Michigan.

She should pick Mark Kelly and have him talk about his border experience.

[quote] No, just all of them, [R194]. If they're out there trying too hard - look at me! Look at me! - it runs the risk of backfiring (and possibly really embarrassing themselves after the pick).

Someone on here posted yesterday that it can't be Walz because nobody knows who he is. There's only 98 days until the election, so how is the public supposed to get to know any of them if they don't put themselves out there? And how can the Dems determine who resonates with people the most if they aren't out there auditioning?

Shapiro is likewise "unknown" but they might vote anyway for her

I don't think no one knows who he is matters much in this day and age. Most countries don't have the protracted election campaigns that the U.S. In any event, it's a pretty high intensity 100 days yet - lots of media, lots of events. Anybody can become known.

I would say this, too, politics has become so distorted by the consultant class. They dream up shit to sell to candidates. That's where things like "people don't know him" or "do I want to have beer with him?" come from. And you get loopy bullshit like Elizabeth Warren trying to drink a beer and Hillary trying to look folksy, instead of just being who they are and saying what they have to say in authentic ways, consistent with who they are. Who really knew Bill Clinton before he got the nomination? Or Bush 2.0? Or Jimmy Carter? People we accept as "known" usually emerge during the primaries, or more often out of the Convention, and we start to get to know them, and often they have the street cred of being a Senator or a Governor.

Think of all we thought we knew about Harris and think about what we've come to know about her in the last eight days? Focus group of one but I don't worry much about not known. I worry about what there is to tell people about them and what they've got to say.

Regardless of who gets the VEEP nod, it’s great to see Kamala has a very deep bench of effective campaign surrogates.

Well, last week I had no idea who Tim Walz is and now I'm all in for him (not that I wouldn't accept any of the other top choices).

Same here, r208.

Walz may appeal to Harris since he likely doesn't have Presidential aspirations of his own. The Vice Presidency would be the ultimate career peak for him, allowing her to shine a bit more brightly. Shapiro and Whitmer clearly have future designs, as might Kelly although he's been very lowkey the past few weeks.

How is Walz on the debate stage? I know Shapiro really shines there, Kelly holds his own. Don't know much about Walz's skills.

[quote] How is Walz on the debate stage?

While I don't think that's necessarily a metric to be overly concerned with, here's the answer:

Walz seems to be Pete without the credentials gap. In ten or fifteen years, Pete is Walz.

White House reporter for Reuters:

So if that's next week, and you have a Senator and two governors in the mix, they need a little bit of lead time to prepare. And since you can't trust leaks, let's say they get Thursday and Friday to do the prep to transition their normal responsibilities formally (assume they all would have been developing a just in case strategy.) So that suggests something tomorrow or Wednesday.

If the sources know what they're talking about - and you're unlikely to fuck with Reuters - this isn't somebody showing off it's part of a strategy to spread the scoop far and wide. Reuters will be subscribed to by the majority of publications. It's soon, I'd guess.

R213 I would imagine Kamala has already made her choice (which will hopefully be Walz, as most of us seem to agree!) but the timing of the announcement is going to be managed for maximum impact. They should get a polls boost and much media attention from the VP announcement and then a further boost from the Convention by which time Trump will be in the rear-view mirror, fuming and scrabbling for any attention.

I'm so torn. I'd love Pete as VP but this election is too damn close and important to have a mixed race woman and a gay man to be the ticket.

I’d still prefer Whitmer, but if it is Walz I am fine with that.

But let me put out to the Universe Whitmer/Torres 2032.

In four or eight years, a Shapiro/Whitmer (or the reverse) ticket will be unbeatable.

I haven't heard or seen Kelly for a few days... could he be preparing?

I really hope it's not Kelly.

he could be

Can someone briefly explain Kelly's important experience at the border? This keeps coming up, yet I have no idea.............

All this Walz buzz! I don't hate any of the choices but I'm into Walz too. Seeing him slap somebody down is actually FUN.

R221... from the NYT:

Mr. Kelly’s approach to the border embraces barriers like Mr. Trump’s wall in some places, though not across the entire frontier. He has also called for an immigration policy that treats migrants with respect and maintains asylum options. Most of all, he has pushed back against politicians (he does not say Republicans) who have swept into Arizona’s borderlands since the George W. Bush administration, held photo opportunities and partisan news conferences, and then returned to Washington only to snuff out legislative solutions and preserve their political talking points.

Local officials say Mr. Kelly is attuned to the complexities of the issue and grasps the difference between a smuggler’s haven like Cochise County, which includes Douglas, and a major port of entry like Yuma, Ariz., where migrants cross legally, appeal for asylum and are often released pending their court date.

I’m tired of hearing about the border. I don’t think it’s really a vote-changer for many people. All those people in Bumfuck, Iowa who can’t sleep at night because too many illegals are coming across the border are going to vote for Trump anyway.

We were also told in the past that Beto O’Rourke was a great candidate on “border issues” due to being from El Paso. And we see how that worked out.

Harris may not need Shapiro to carry Pennsylvania.

Kelly's team is fucking relentless. And such a brazen headline, implying she can't win without him. I'd expect this level of confidence from someone who's actually from the Rust Belt, where she needs help the most.

^That is clearly an editorial and there are links at the bottom for similar articles which make the case for Andy Bashear and Josh Shapiro.

The problem is that if they could stop ever border crossing and deport every illegal, the people in former mining towns and former factory towns would be in the same position. The border is not the cause of their issues. Becoming isolationist and telling poor whites to breed like rabbits, say their prayers and avoid college will make everything worse. Hard to communicate that because having a boogeyman is the easier option.

Shapiro at rally: " I've got a message for Donald Trump: Stop shit-taking America..."

US Senator from Michigan Gary Peters is said to be a dark horse candidate.

He didn't deny being vetted by her team.

Twitter rumor is that Beshear has gotten extra security detail. Sorry, but he is boring. And his wife is named Britainy?! We can't have a second lady named Britainy, ugh.

It's 100% Mark Kelly. The campaign would not have her eventual VP doing interviews or giving speeches this week, and Kelly has been quiet as a mouse. The pick would need to spend their time meeting with the campaign, and planning the busy schedule for the next 3 months.

I know choosing a VP is a serious matter, but I can't help it.

This is just like an exciting Tupperware party!

What's hidden in the door prize that everybody has their eye on?

Who's going to take care of Mark Kelly's dogs for the next 3 months?

Who's going to take care of Mark Kelly's brain-damaged wife for the next 3 months?

FFS Gabby Giffords is mobile and perfectly able to stand and speak on her own. She's not an invalid, she made a fairly remarkable recovery after her shooting.

I also feel it's probably Kelly, which is fine by me if he helps Harris to win, but down deep I was hoping to see Tim Walz out there on the stump. He's fantastic, and I hope we see more of him in the future.

Very interesting discussion between Tim Miller and Bill Kristol discussing the V-P race. Both are very supportive of Mayor Pete. At 21:08.

Beshear may be boring, but he appeals to middle America and the South. Plus, he has a wholesome quality.

Did anyone else get a text message from the campaign yesterday asking if they'd approve of Mark as VP? I got it yesterday around 2pm. If they had made a decision, they wouldn't be sending out feelers.

I too think it might be Beshear.

As woman of color myself, I know there is only so much "exotic" Americans can take in at once.

Should be Walz. Shore up that Heartland vote. I think she’ll win PA anyway without Shapiro…and he’s better as a surrogate out on the campaign trail and holding rallies for Dems.

The good thing about all this is it's bringing some of the Dem's finest younger pols out there to meet America. This is exactly what the party needs after Elder Biden. And, for now, at least, they're all being very cordial with each other in their support of Kamala and showing the party to be united and strong in its ideologies.

All of these VP candidates are more impressive and exciting than Warren, Klobochar, Swalwell and others in the 2020 Dem debates.

CNN said today the formal interviews haven't even started so seems not as decided as the leak suggests.

Or source, rather. It wasn't a leak.

I don't think she should announce her VP until a day or two before the convention starts. Why kill all the fun speculation and media attention earlier than you need to? How exciting to start the convention with the announcement of her running mate.

One of the "contestants" should drop out day by day until the big reveal.

Omg that Tweet at R199 contrasting the Huckabeast with Walz is classic. Someone should point out how high Dem-controlled Minnesota scores in almost all quality-of-life metrics compared with Huckabeast’s shithole Arkansas.

[quote]One of the "contestants" should drop out day by day until the big reveal.

It should totally be a reality-show style rollout, trolling Dump’s “Apprentice”.

Hint: Pete is the weakest link.

[quote] I haven't heard or seen Kelly for a few days... could he be preparing?

Or maybe...he's just not good at this.

As I said before somewhere, I've met him and while I agree with all of his policy positions I find him to be odd looking, short, a terrible speaker and deadly boring.

Pro: he brings military cred and border cred. He's the living embodiment of Top Gun.

--Shapiro has made statements that would hurt the ticket in Michigan and being Jewish might not play well in the flyover states. Also, I personally find him to be kind of overbearing.

Pro: he's a great communicator from a must win state. Kamala has known him for 20 years

--Pete is gay

Pro: he's the best communicator, has tremendous name recognition and he's insanely smart. His husband and her husband are besties

--Watz looks older than his years and has low name recognition

Pro: he's a great communicator, he's got gun cred, veteran cred, education cred and he would appeal to a lot of midwest, middle age, white guys.

--Beshear is bland and he's only 46

Pro: he's bland and he's only 46. Popular, twice-elected governor of a southern state. He would appeal to people in both Appalachia and Virgina/North Carolina & Georgia (where he's campaigning tonight).

It's a bit...sad/interesting/scary that so many people have gotten so invested in this realty show that there will be palpable disappointment when one of them ultimately gets the rose. But it seems to me that the upside is that they will all still continue to do everything they can to support her.

R240 I've read in a few places that a lot of ghost accounts claiming to be Biden or Kamala are popping up either to grift money or misinform. Are you certain it came from the actual campaign?

While I have my favorite and my runner up favorite, all of the potential VP candidates are excellent choices and when Harris chooses I will be 100% on board with the ticket.

This ticket is going to be 🔥. In a week she is going to be leading in all of the swing states.

[quote]I don't think she should announce her VP until a day or two before the convention starts. Why kill all the fun speculation and media attention earlier than you need to? How exciting to start the convention with the announcement of her running mate.

She must choose before Aug 7th, the original Ohio deadline; Repubs had guaranteed that Biden would be allowed to be on the ballot after Aug 7, but one could see them disallowing Harris if she declares after Aug 7.. Obama won Ohio twice and Sherrod Brown is still very popular, so the state might be a bit more surprising than originally predicted. If the voters in the cities vote, that will negate the redneck bucolics.

I’d be most surprised if the Harris campaign invested any time or money in Ohio, 253. Same with Florida.

Let's just all be ready to be disappointed in the choice and move on.

Again, Gary Peters is the dark horse whom people in DC think has a good shot.

[quote] Again, Gary Peters is the dark horse whom people in DC think has a good shot.

A 65 year old? I doubt it. That's one of the reasons why Roy Cooper took himself out of the running for VP, he was too old.

I saw Peters on the White Dudes stream. He seems like a smart, decent guy, but he didn't make much of an impression. Walz has much more charisma.

I'd rather Mayor Pete wait and run for president again in a number of years.

Former veeps rarely get elected president.

We need someone with Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent!

Peter needs to focus first on getting elected to Congress or some type of office higher than Mayor if he wants to be President. Otherwise, he's only going to be suitable for appointed Cabinet positions, because he hasn't shown that he's electable in any way.

R261, agreed. He should aim to govern a state and show what he can do. He's 42. He's got fifteen or twenty years of runway. He's nothing much now but a good talker.

Whomever she picks, it better not be someone Don, Jr., recommended.

Same White House reporter for Reuters as R212

Newsom/Ossoff 2028

Make America Horny Again

Doug Sosnik, political director for Clinton in his second term, said today that he'd be "astonished" if Shapiro was not the pick.

[quote] VP Kamala Harris is expected to announce her running mate by Tuesday, when she will hold her first rally with her pick in Philly. The two will then hit western Wisconsin, Detroit, Raleigh, Savannah, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Philly seems to point to Shapiro. But we shall see.

I want them all: Walz, Beshear, Shapiro, Kelly.

Why can't we have them all?

Did 266 say that in one of his many Biden-shitting NYTimes articles or on Politico or with rightwing Bill Kristol?

Between comments like this and the incessant it must be _____ posts (usually in favor of Kelly) I'm really starting to think there's a strategy afoot to be divisive just for the sake of contentiousness.

And the second tweet at R267 (again...Politico...) is:

As we all know, now more than ever. so much can happen within one week's time.

With every day comes more and new information. No reason for Kamala not to wait until the very last minute to make her decision and announce her candidate.

Well, next Wednesday is the last minute.

[quote] Did 266 say that in one of his many Biden-shitting NYTimes articles or on Politico or with rightwing Bill Kristol?

R269 is posting from the pre-Trump, pre-Great Realignment, era.

Both Ossoff and Warnock, actually, are attractive and great speakers. Georgia lucked out with both of them.

I hope it's not Shapiro. I'm hoping for Kelly or Walz. Whatever the choice I'm certain they were well-vetted, Eric Holder doesn't play around when given a task by the WH.

The best thing that this V-P speculation has done is to introduce the various candidates to the country, something that did not happen beofre. Who, outside their respective states, knew anything about the governors and Mark Kelly ( except that he was the husband of Gabby Giffords)? Now, they are household names and worthy successors to the line of major Democratic figures. The party has gone from the party of Depends to the party of Continence.

Can Ossoff speak without looking at his notes for a minute between each thought? It ruins his flow and effectiveness.

I dunno, R275. Whoever remembers the also-rans in the vice presidential selection process?

R274 And to think Trump tried to foist Herschel Walker on them.

The Democratic party has never had a bench as deep as it does right now. We have 5+ Democrats who could win the presidency tomorrow. I can't point to one time in the past 50 years when that was the case. The future of the party has never looked brighter.

The VP candidates are all wonderful, but don't forget about Gavin Newsom and Wes Moore.

It will be for all the VP rejects a huge credit and worthy self-promotion to continue to prominently campaign for Kamala all over the media, hitching themselves to her star and her ultimate success.

Also, can I just say, I LOVE how beautiful Kamala looks in these pastel-colored pantsuits that she's wearing more often. What charisma she has in front of the cameras!

And Jon Ossoff? Yes, yes, YES!

Agree r280, she has been exuding charisma for miles these past two weeks, at her appearances. I almost can't believe she's the same candidate from 2020. Agree re the pastels - gorge! Hair and makeup are on point as well.

I'm liking her so much more now than I did four years ago (and I was happy Biden picked her for VP). I wasn't impressed with her for the past three years in the VP position, as I thought she faded into the background (but I realize that wasn't necessarily all her own doing). She's made up for it over the past ten days. A brand new Harris.

Do you think Amy Klobuchar will be angry and start throwing staplers if Harris picks Walz as her VP? For the past 5 or 6 years, any time "Minnesota" and "president" or "vice president" were mentioned in the same sentence, it was about Klobuchar. Now, Walz, the governor, who didn't seem to be on anyone's radar, becomes an instant sensation and could become Harris's running mate.

I mea, who does that?

Amy K is awesome, but just seems so damn temperamental. It's not just the flying staplers - remember during the 2020 primaries how *nasty* got towards Mayor Pete, especially during the debates. it's like she could barely stand him, she hated his easy presentation and know-it-all-ness. There were times onstage he'd looked bemused and perplexed, after she'd sling a biting comment at him. Jealous, jealous - like a cross between Tracy Flick and a roller derby referee at times.

As much as I admire Amy for what she has done in the Senate, and learn a lot from her in TV interviews, I just can't like that woman. She comes across as too phony and full of self-importance for me.

I now think that if there was a panel conversation with Walz, Beshear, Kelly, Shapiro and Pete, Tim Walz would win over voters in a landslide. He really knows how to get the word out, even more than Pete and Shapiro. He has a very natural, everyman even-handedness in public that is hard to beat.

I don't get why Kelly and Beshear are not making more appearances. It can't be helping them in this age of instant media communications. But perhaps it's because they know they can't compete with the other 3 guys in front of the camera.

The New York Times says that Walz is a great fundraiser, as he is the head of the Democratic Governors Association and they have raised a record amount of money this election cycle. They point out that the ability to raise money is a key attribute that Harris will be looking for in a VP. They say that Kelly and Shapiro are good fundraisers, as well.

And Walz takes the lead ahead of Shapiro and Kelly with Andy Beshear cummin' round the bend....

Young voters are pushing for Walz and Beshear, too.

She needs to stay away from selecting a Senator. We can’t afford to lose a democrat in the senate.

mea...

[quote]And Jon Ossoff? Yes, yes, YES!

YEEESS!

The co-writer of Game Change who is not John Heilemann now believes the top candidates, in order, are Shapiro, Buttigieg & Walz.

r295 What happened to Kelly?

He’s alluded a couple of times to some vague red flags unearthed in the vetting process, R296.

I read this in the Daily Maul... won't link to preserve delicate sensibilities... but maybe that's enough. The Maul has the screenshots, too.

"When Arizona Senator Mark Kelly's daughter posted photos of illegal drugs on her Instagram story, the now-vice presidential hopeful seemed to know they would come back to haunt him.

In 2020, Claire Kelly, then 23, posted a video on Instagram of what seems to be marijuana and and ecstasy, known as molly.

'P***y molly weed,' she captioned the video of a bag of the illicit drugs. Possession of 'dangerous drug' ecstasy is a felony in Arizona. "

In another story, Claire screenshotted text messages sent from her dad warning her to take down her post.

'Been busy today. Got 1 call and 2 emails about your Instagram account. I'm not interested in looking but I suspect what you posted would not be in anyone's best interest. At least not yours or mine,' Kelly, a Democrat who joined the Senate that year, texted his daughter according to the post.

'No my Instagram is fine,' Claire texted her dad back. 'Check for yourself.'

'I'll pass,' said Kelly who is on Kamala Harris' short list for the No. 2 most powerful job in the world.

Not great optics, but better than Don Jr visibly tweaking in every video, stealing from a kids' cancer charity, etc. Or your son-in-law selling state secrets to Saudi Arabia. Of course I realize Dems are held to a much higher standard and we certainly don't want Hunter Biden redux.

Picking Shapiro would just unnecessarily trigger the pro-Palestinian left.

Some Dem I follow posted a screenshot of a big GOP pundit claiming the VP frontrunner was "weird." The implication was that the GOP pundit was desperate, but I've learned over the years that not every enemy is always wrong.

Sometimes when there's smoke there's a least a lit match if not full on fire.

And that is why it was so easy to attack JD Vance so quickly--Democrats had already done the research. Let's hope and pray that the vetting for her VP understands the assignment--which, I assume they have given that they have had 3.5 years of taking Joe's frailty into consideration.

Oh, and one other thing: it wouldn't surprise my tinfoil hat at all if all of the hype about Kelly (and oddball choice Gary Peters) wasn't an opp to try to get them momentum from people who know they they're the easiest to attack

After watching Mark Kelly on Morning Joe today, I think he should be taken out of contention. Bless his heart, but he's even uglier than his photos, and he has no charisma. There's no way that he can be a good attack dog for Harris on the campaign trail or in the debate. I'm not sure that he could even win a debate against Vance.

Agree that Kelly is too ugly.

I posted previously that if she wants an ugly Senator, Fetterman is a better choice.

I think Kelly did fine in that clip.

Kelly comes off more bland and stiff than Beshear. Walz is definitely the best communicator than the others on the VP list.

[quote] I posted previously that if she wants an ugly Senator, Fetterman is a better choice.

Hell, no. Where do I even start with listing the reasons against him? Just for starters: he's had serious communication impediments after his stroke. Also, he may very well turn out to be Sinema 2.0 (the jury is still out on that one) And not to mention that he chased a Black jogger with a gun, something that still comes up in PA.

For her to kick-off next week's swing state tour in Philly just screams that Shapiro is the pick How awkward to start there if he isn't. If it's Kelly, then the first stop would obviously be in Phoenix. I know her campaign said not to pay too much attention to Philly being the first stop, but come on! It sure looks like Shapiro.

David Axelrod said on his podcast that he's talked to people on the ground in Michigan, and they told him that Shapiro will not be a problem there.

[quote] For her to kick-off next week's swing state tour in Philly just screams that Shapiro is the pick How awkward to start there if he isn't.

I just heard a rundown of the launch tour of the last several running mate candidates. None of them were in the home state of the pick.

I really hope it isn't Shapiro but I guess the numbers would suggest PA is a must win, and they're hoping the far left wing of Dems doesn't overshadow everything else.

Philadelphia is just a red herring, I assure you. I can't believe all you bitches are falling for it.

Forced into an extraordinarily compressed campaign timeline, Kamala Harris has been buried in calls and meetings at the White House, at her residence at the Naval Observatory, and on Air Force Two as she whips around the country in her first whirlwind weeks as the Democratic presidential nominee. She has been working with her top advisers to craft an extended stump speech, approve new ads, and consider which senior strategists should join her team for the 90-something-day sprint to Election Day. Most pressing of all, she is deciding who should be her running mate.

Harris has reviewed a wide range of options, but multiple Democrats close to the process say special focus has been on Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona senator Mark Kelly, with Minnesota governor Tim Walz also in contention as well as two slightly longer shots: Kentucky governor Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Eric Holder’s team of lawyers is busy vetting the contenders, while Harris has been reviewing documents about the candidates, watching clips of them, and looking over the limited polling that has come back on their images and electoral profiles.

The tea-leaf reading on Twitter and cable seems to have concluded that Harris has made a decision, but she has yet to formally interview the serious contenders. That will probably happen later this week, maybe over the weekend, so she can decide by Tuesday — in time for the new ticket to make a weeklong swing-state blitz next week. That tour will start in Philadelphia, which Harris’s team knew would ignite speculation that she had chosen Shapiro. But they have vehemently denied that she has decided and instead point out the city’s centrality to the electoral map.

Owing to her schedule, Harris’s process has been unlike any in memory, and it’s starting to reveal how she and her little-known inner circle operate after four years out of the spotlight. Harris will likely come to a decision only after a deliberate process that includes weighing the pros and cons with these close advisers, said a handful of top Democrats who have previously worked with her. (In 2020, Joe Biden hemmed and hawed over his veep decision for months with a formal committee, rounds of interviews, and extensive polling. Harris and her team have barely had enough time to order serious polling on the wannabes before the candidate must be nominated next week, ahead of the convention.) “She is the type of person that likes to have a meeting; she’s a verbal person. She likes to talk through and hash stuff out,” said one longtime friend and adviser. That process will also include reviewing the available polling data: Two of the top contenders are from important swing states, but it’s not yet obvious if their presence on the ticket would have more sway than running mates usually have.

Although the process is playing out behind tightly locked doors, a handful of major factors appears certain to affect Harris’s decision-making, according to Democrats close to her. One is Holder’s vet, which scans for red flags in the candidates’ backgrounds. Another is Harris’s personal chemistry with them. She knows Kelly in part through his wife, Gabby Giffords; has gotten to know Shapiro as the governor of an important state and a fellow former attorney general; and has become friendly with Buttigieg in the Cabinet. But she does not know any of the candidates especially well. The one she knew best, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper, asked early in the process not to be considered.

Harris has repeated to people close to her that she wants someone she is confident could do the job of president. That qualification may come down to her instincts. “It’ll be: What’s her confidence that this person could take the reins? Can she look the American people in the eye and say that?” said the adviser.

But it’s also likely to be a matter of résumés. Harris and her close aides have heard opinions from longtime associates, many of whom have encouraged her to choose a governor, such as Shapiro, Walz, or Beshear, because of their executive experience — the kind she, a former senator, did not have before becoming vice-president. Some of her allies have been impressed with Walz’s midwestern charm and extensive time in government, as well as his rapid emergence and sudden popularity, but wonder if he might be a better surrogate than running mate. Others have fixated on Kelly’s biography — he’s a former fighter pilot and astronaut with a reputation for being tough on the border — but have been trying to work out whether his initial refusal to sign on to the PRO Act would make him unpopular with Harris’s labor allies. (He has since said he would vote for it.) Still others have wondered whether Shapiro’s stances on school vouchers or Israel’s war in Gaza would alienate especially loud parts of the left.

The campaign warfare is important too. Many around Harris believe Donald Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate handed them a massive opportunity, and they’re eager to keep hammering the candidate they see as an unprepared extremist. They have considered how to keep attention on him and which of the possible Democratic VPs would be the clearest contrast with Vance in a debate. It’s not obvious: Shapiro is regarded as a quick-on-his-feet debater; Walz is the originator of the “weird” line of argument that Democrats are now using to good effect; Kelly may be a less agile orator but he successfully debated Blake Masters, another Peter Thiel acolyte, in his most recent campaign; Beshear has been ripping at Vance’s Appalachian roots; and Buttigieg is widely considered one of his party’s most deft communicators.

Harris has been consulting on the pick with a trusted inner core of advisers including her campaign’s chief of staff, Sheila Nix, a former top aide to both Joe and Jill Biden and in the Department of Education; her government-side chief of staff, Lorraine Voles; and her brother-in-law Tony West, the top lawyer for Uber and a former U.S. associate attorney general. She has also been discussing the matter with Minyon Moore, a former adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton who is currently planning the convention, and Dana Remus, Biden’s former White House counsel. Outside that immediate group, a trio who worked on the Biden campaign before Harris’s ascension on the ticket has also been involved in the discussions: former congressman Cedric Richmond, a campaign co-chair; deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks; and campaign communications director Michael Tyler.

A larger circle has been discussing campaign strategy, especially the sprint out of the convention. Harris’s decision to keep the top of the Biden campaign team intact means she is relying on campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, a former top political aide for Barack Obama, and campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez, who was Harris’s California state director during her Senate years. Some top Biden advisers, previously part of his inner circle, have departed: Mike Donilon, Biden’s longtime political adviser, is out of the mix, while Anita Dunn is leaving her perch as a White House adviser to work for Harris’s super-PAC.

Harris has kept other aides close, including her campaign communications director Brian Fallon, a former aide to Holder, Chuck Schumer, and Hillary Clinton; her political adviser Megan Jones, a former adviser to Harry Reid; and her ex–chief of staff Rohini Kosoglu. She has also brought into the campaign Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, with whom she worked as California’s attorney general.

Though Harris has kept most of Biden’s senior campaign team intact, its shape is not entirely settled. Many close to Harris have advocated for Moore, who is also close to her, to join in an advisory role once she is finished with the convention. At the same time, many in Harris’s circle have been chattering about David Plouffe, the former Obama campaign manager who is under consideration to be a strategist for the race’s homestretch. They believe he would take the job if Harris were to offer it.

In the meantime, one of the campaign’s most immediate concerns has been getting enough pro-Harris and anti-Trump ads on the air in swing states after a few days of being drowned out by Republican spending. To that end, longtime Democratic ad-maker Jim Margolis, who worked for Harris’s 2020 campaign and Obama and Hillary Clinton before that, is expected to formally join the team soon.

One preoccupation has been how exactly to defend the ticket from the nastier attacks Trump and Vance are likely to soon throw at it. For now, there’s a lot of waiting to see what sticks.

For those who have been with Harris the longest, this recalls her first campaign for attorney general, when Karl Rove swooped in to advise her opponent’s attacks in an attempt to stop her from becoming a national figure. This time, they expect plenty of focus on the progressive positions she took in her failed 2020 campaign for president — most of which she has backed away from — but also more clearly racist and sexist strikes, too. One very senior Democrat close to Harris said she has recently been thinking back to the harshest ambushes her party faced in the past few decades’ worth of presidential campaigns. “They’re watching the attacks to see what lands,” she said. “Is it Willie Horton or Hillary-style or swift boat?”

I was watching Kelly this morning on Morning Joe, too. Poor guy looks like a Keebler elf with big elephant ears.

If we all get loud-and-clear that Walz is a ranked choice knockout, someone most fans of other options could get behind immediately, her team should.

Of the three, Walz captured my heart. He's just such a great package, even though at first glance he doesn't look at. And then he speaks.

Shapiro is a very close second. Young, whip smart, well situated.

Then Kelly. Great archetype, but I don't see a spark, compared to the other two.

That Keebler elf is a fighter pilot (with combat experience), a test pilot, and an astronaut. He also helped train Ukrainian fighter pilots earlier this year when we finally gave them our F-16s. He also has taken care of his wife since she was shot in the head in an attempted assassination. He’s pretty popular with Republicans in this state, and has endorsements from border county sheriffs. And he’s responsible for Space Ape. He’d be a terrific candidate and would likely ensure Arizona stays blue in the November elections.

The problem with Kelly is his daughter's penchant for posting drug related things on her Insta. Maybe it's a nothingburger, but if I was Kamala's vetting team, I'm not sure if that"s a chance I'd like to take at this point of the race.

This is why Andy Beshear and Tim Walz are the best choices on the list. They don't bring any baggage that could derail Harris's momentum, such as Kelly and Shapiro.

Shapiro is not happening.

[quote]The problem with Kelly is his daughter's penchant for posting drug related things on her Insta. Maybe it's a nothingburger, but if I was Kamala's vetting team, I'm not sure if that"s a chance I'd like to take at this point of the race.

Gonna be an interesting Thanksgiving at that house.

"And I'm thankful that my lunatic fucking daughter's drug phase cost me the Vice-Presidency of the United States, because, really, who the hell wants to be that? Honey, what about you?"

[quote] Shapiro is a very close second. Young, whip smart, well situated.

What a shame then that he felt the need to open up his fat mouth and insult an entire wing of the Democratic voting bloc.

Maybe he'll watch WTF he says moving forward?

[quote]felt the need to open up his fat mouth and insult an entire wing of the Democratic voting bloc.

That fucking pro-terrorist "wing" deserves to be insulted.

R325 no. We're not insulting entire generations of young Democratic voters to appease a tiny minority who represent less than 2% of the population.

[quote] That fucking pro-terrorist "wing" deserves to be insulted.

Then people like you cry like in 2016, screaming "Bernie Bros!" after a Dem candidate loses. You can't insult your base like that and expect them to vote for you. It doesn't work that way.

From another thread, re the Gaza tantrums:

Except, where do you vote when you're at college? First, let's not pretend the protests at the universities were reflective of the views of the entire student body or that the intensity of support for Gaza (or opposition to Israel's government or anti-semitism) does moderate as it drifts outward from a protest site.

But more, let's take Columbia (that was one that went nuts over all this, wasn't it?) 35,800 full time undergraduate and graduate students at last count. Suppose she lost them all, which she won't. That's 35,000 votes - in New York City. I think she can take the hit.

Or Harvard. Just over 30,000. In that famous Republican stronghold the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

If they don't vote where they go to school their influence diffuses further.

Those nineteen electoral college votes in PA will be viewed in the context of a calculation. And when it comes to students and Gaza, the calculation may be fuck 'em.

R327 the Republican ass-kissing centrists think they're the majority of the Democrats though and that whatever they say goes.

If Harris can make this is a Sister Souljah moment, it might redound to her benefit.

[quote] Those nineteen electoral college votes in PA will be viewed in the context of a calculation.

Or Kamala could just as easily not choose Shapiro and avoid this entire headache entirely! It's not like she doesn't have perfectly viable, non-divisive candidates from which to choose from!

R329, welcome to the Great Realignment!

R327 the pussy centrist so-called "Democrats" are also the ones on here pushing for Kamala to choose Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for VP. They'd sooner roll over and present hole to Republicans than do anything that actually benefits REAL Democrats.

Plus, how many people are really going to vote against somebody over Gaza, when Trump is the alternative? No candidate matches perfectly with any voter. Well, I guess Trump and Bernie do a lot of the time, but birds of a feather...

[quote] If Harris can make this is a Sister Souljah moment, it might redound to her benefit.

Honey, this is not fucking 1992! Dems must learn to embrace the young, left-wing fraction of their base rather than alienate them.

Biden, who was mostly a centrist during his entire Senate career, learned to embrace the left once he became president and will go down as probably one of the best progressive presidents (domestically) since LBJ. He's done far more in his four years than Clinton and Obama combined. Harris will likely continue following his example rather than doing the opposite.

[quote] Plus, how many people are really going to vote against somebody over Gaza, when Trump is the alternative?

Young, emotional low-information voters who get their news from TikTok, which represents a huge chunk of the under-30 vote [bold]THAT WE NEED[/bold] in order to vanquish Trump once and for all.

The older Democrats, with all of their infinite wisdom and supposed emotional maturity, can certainly handle making the little concession of not choosing Shapiro and choosing anybody else.

[quote] Young, emotional low-information voters who get their news from TikTok, which represents a huge chunk of the under-30 vote THAT WE NEED in order to vanquish Trump once and for all.

I was just about to write that -- THANK YOU!

[quote] the Republican ass-kissing centrists think they're the majority of the Democrats though and that whatever they say goes.

And rather than learning from their mistakes of trying to appease Republicans by acting as a soft alternative, they'll rather insult part of their base who are only asking them to return to their roots. Many of these centrists are still stuck in the 1990s; they don't realize the demographics have changed, and running like Bill Clinton is unnecessary today.

R338 You should see these so-called Centrist Democrats orgasming themselves over Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney of all people!

[quote] You should see these so-called Centrist Democrats orgasming themselves over Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney of all people!

Some members of the DL community really seem oblivious to the realities of the Great Realignment. The Democrats have effectively lost the non-college educated whites, but have gained many more college-educated whites. So if the purpose of a political party is to win elections, it's a fact that Democrats need the Never Trumpers in their corner.

Looks like it's going to be Shapiro. He's a very good speaker and reportedly very popular in PA.

R340 the Democrats need to mentor the next generations of young voters, not keep kissing the ass of the bullies who give them the finger each election cycle.

R341 in your dreams is Mr. Israel Sex Pest the VP.

Walz, Shapiro or Beshear are all winners. She can't go wrong.

[quote] I just heard a rundown of the launch tour of the last several running mate candidates. None of them were in the home state of the pick.

2004: Kerry introduced Edwards (NC) in Pennsylvania. 2008: Obama introduced Biden (Del) in Illinois. 2012: Romney introduced Ryan (Wisc) in Virginia. 2016: Trump introduced Pence (Ind) in NY. 2020: Biden introduced Harris (Calif) in Delaware.

R345, Romney did introduce Ryan on the USS Wisconsin, which was considered a fairly unsubtle hint.

It's funny how with all these posts in 2 threads, Andy Beshear's name rarely comes up. Except sometimes as a default choice who basically has nothing going against him. Why has there been less DL excitement over this handsome young governor?

Is he really that dull? Is dullness really so bad in a VP pick?

PS: he used to be my fave but I've moved over to Tim Walz. So maybe I've answered my own questions?

R347, Walz stole the momentum. Here a lot of posters bash Shapiro over offending the Gaza wing of the party, so he gets a lot of buzz back and forth. Kelly and Beshear have gone quiet.

I like Shapiro, but I think it would be better for his future presidential ambitions not to be VP. I think that was why Whitmer didn't want the job. I also think Beshear should turn it down, too. Why leave an executive position to become a second banana? It's too risky a job, as your future prospects are tied to the president's job performance.

R348 it has emerged that Josh Shapiro has too much baggage and divisiveness to be the anointed VP. We can do better.

[quote] Why leave an executive position to become a second banana? It's too risky a job, as your future prospects are tied to the president's job performance.

Because by 2028 and 2032, the older millennials are going to be old enough and will be going in for one of their own.

A little Reality Testing: ANY of the mentioned candidates is going to be just fine. And any splitting of the coalition by discussions of who is or isn't the better candidate is 1) destructive to our purposes and 2) possibly intentionally disruptive by the many minions of The Reich.

Venceremos! Solidarity forever! (Or rather, until November).

Who is honestly the prettiest?

Be serious, r353! This is the DL!

Who has the biggest, prettiest pecker? THAT should determine who the VP pick is.

Beshear and Shapiro are handsome men with big dick energy, and as much as we love that here, I can't see how Harris would want that on her ticket.

Walz is a risky choice, but the right one.

Pete. Next question?

R322 except the end of your article says

[quote] "He’s good on TV, has a decent political base in a place that matters and can raise money. The only reason you wouldn’t pick him is the one policy difference or it’s a personality clash,” one GOP operative with Pennsylvania ties told The Hill. “If you look on paper, if she isn’t picking Josh Shapiro then something went wrong. Why wouldn’t you pick him? I haven’t heard a good argument for someone else,” they said.

It's all about Pennsylvania. If Harris doesn't win PA then she doesn't win the race. That's why the odds are on Shapiro.

Maybe. But possibly not true

I dunno... I accept the map at R359 is of the moment and without question the momentum is heading the right way. But, count on Georgia? Arizona? Michigan's Gaza block is a problem. I guess you could tip Az if you play it like they're coming for Medicare. I'm glad to see it, but I'm not taking that map for granted.

I'd like it to be Kelly for no reason other than you know Trump won't be able to resist mocking his wife.

I think the anti-Biden Arab thing in MI is over-hyped.

[quote]I think the anti-Biden Arab thing in MI is over-hyped.

You can count on Rashida T-Blob to keep making it an issue.

If she does it might swing other voters to the Harris camp.

There are about 145,000 to 200,000 Muslim voters in Michigan, generally regarded as enough to swing the state. Could she win the EC without Michigan?

I thought several who voted in the primaries said they were voting Uncommited as a message (protest), but likely to vote against Trump in November? Moreover, some Arab voters are Christian.

[quote] Could she win the EC without Michigan?

Assuming she holds the other two Blue Wall states, she can replace Michigan with either Arizona/Nevada or Georgia.

R367, good to know. I'm not expert in that map. Thanks!

I think she can win PA without Shapiro on the ticket, but it’s a guarantee she’ll win it if she picks him.

[quote]I think the anti-Biden Arab thing in MI is over-hyped.

Simon Rosenberg has been saying for weeks that the Michigan Arab situation is not a real thing and that polling does not show it negatively affecting Harris. David Axelrod said this week that he's talked to people on the ground in Michigan and they told him that Shapiro as VP will not be a problem for Harris.

Most of the campus Gaza protestors were not going to vote anyway.

[quote] more veepstakes NEWS - @JoshShapiroPA had been scheduled to have a bunch of fundraising events this weekend in New York, including in the Hamptons. Those have now been canceled, I'm told.

[quote] Shapiro spokesperson confirms the trip is off: “The governor’s trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fundraisers for his own campaign committee. His schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend.”

Hmmm.

Beshear also cancelled a stop for tomorrow...

[quote] @JoshShapiroPA had been scheduled to have a bunch of fundraising events this weekend in New York, including in the Hamptons. Those have now been canceled, I'm told.

[quote] Beshear also cancelled a stop for tomorrow...

It's official: Shapiro and Beshear will be co-vice presidents.

Have there been any notable changes in the schedules of the other main contenders like Walz or Kelly?

Someone posted in another thread that these “schedule changes” are being leaked intentionally to confuse the Dump campaign. And I think that’s right.

Harris could have Shaprio, Beshear, Walz, Kelly, and Buttigieg up on the stage and announce her pick "Bachelorette" style by giving the nominee a rose.

She's interviewing all of them this weekend. Maybe that explains the cancelled events by Beshear and Shapiro.

That was reported yesterday or the day before in the NY Times.

I hope that they are all up on the stage with her in a show of unity whomever she picks.

NBC said that 6 candidates have already been interviewed by her campaign team--Shapiro, Kelly, Buttigieg, Walz, Beshear and Pringles. I doubt that Harris is interviewing them in person this weekend, unless it's by phone. Whitmer must have officially taken herself out of the running like Cooper did.

I'm a little surprised that Pete B. has gotten this far in the vetting process, same for Pringles.

Pringles?

[quote] It's official: Shapiro and Beshear will be co-vice presidents.

I’d watch their sex tape

I think you mean Pritzker R380.

[quote] I'd never heard of Walz at all until about a week ago, and learned everything I know from the links here on DL. From what I've seen: LOVE him. Where have they been hiding this guy?

Saint Paul?

And Pete, r378

For a minute there I thought that tweet at r385 was from Adam West and I got very excited for Pete!

Do they have the talent portion or the swimsuit competition scheduled over the weekend?

What? She'll interview by phone or Zoom?

I can't believe that. Yes, I know she already knows them all from in-person contacts, but it seems to me for such a monumental decision, you'd want to physically be in the same space while talking to someone about it.

I think they are planning a swimsuit competition!

Arabs and Palestinians supported GWB over Gore 70-30. I don't care what these shitstains think.

When is the swimsuit competition?

I hope Eric Holder talks later about the rationale. Talk about pressure to be in charge of vetting but he’s whip smart.

R381, he’s the true dark horse for veep.

If Shapiro is picked as the VP, expect to see more of this in the media, where it will become destructive and spread like wildfire.

I read yesterday she added the "I know his type" line herself, because she looks at writing through the same lens as she did when preparing remarks for court. That's clever.

adorable

As my grandma used to say, he's addicted to stupid

Josh Shapiro is trending on Twitter with his response to JD Vance.

I’m hearing that it’s all but formally confirmed that Josh Shapiro will be Kamala Harris’ running mate.

Can’t wait for VP Shapiro!

Shapiro is very good in the clips at R400 and R399.

R399 - I now kind of get why so many DLers find him sexy. In the clip, he's got some swagger, and his voice and bearing are so confident without being arrogant. He's not at the top of my VP list, but he can top me if he wants.

Shapiro will be fine. As Bowman found out here in NY, Dems are a little tired of the far far left snd their antics.

Winning in Pennsylvania is critical. That’s one reason, among a few others,,Shapiro may receive the Dem VP nod.

It’s the pragmatic choice.

Why, the spirit of the late actress Eileen Eckhart—her long-lost soul twin!

It's not going to be Shapiro. Too much baggage, it would reflect poorly on her judgement right out of the gate.

It will be Beshear or Walz.

I love all the nominees so much. It breaks my heart that one of them has to lose, because they all deserve it. I feel like all of them really want the job and will be devastated if they don't get it.

[quote] It's not going to be Shapiro. Too much baggage, it would reflect poorly on her judgement right out of the gate.

Agreed. He is trending on Twitter for more than that little Obama impersonation speech he gave. Journalists are already pulling up a ton of shit that he wrote back in his 20s, saying that the Palestinians aren't capable of peace and they're too "battle-minded." And he volunteered in the Israeli army. Not to mention, he praised Netanyahu back in 2011.

He has too much baggage to be VP, which would cause a lot of distraction and slow down the momentum. Harris has better people who would not create such dissension within the base.

What a stupid choice if true,R410. The equivalent of shooting one's self in the foot

The New York Times is covering it. If he becomes VP, it will be non-stop coverage of this and his other comments (comparing the campus protesters to the KKK) in the media. Also, they'll focus on that sexual harassment cover-up case, creating more of a distraction. This is the last thing the Harris campaign needs right now.

R412, and what an idiot. All he had to do was keep his trap shut.

I’m an outside-the-box choice who would be more than happy to pitch in!

Kamala’s reaction to that “we need you to be the country’s momala” BS is hilarious. The look of horror on her face. She actually winces! The instinctive “yeah……no” and the way she snatches her hand back at the first chance!

Anyone but Shatpiro

Shapiro also praised Netanyahu around the same time that right-wing asshole was fighting Obama's Middle East policies. Harris's campaign would be a fool if they selected Shaprio as VP.

R408 agree that Beshear and Walz are the best choices with the fewest downsides. Walz has grown on me and I’d give him the slight edge because Walz’ background is more relatable as Beshear is a dynastic politician. The only downside to Walz is that he looks much older than he is. I’d be especially happy with either of these two but intimately happy with Kelly and Shapiro too. Shapiro’s downside is going have the most negative media noise for all the reasons mentioned in this thread. Pennsylvania will tip to Harris anyway if all the other toss-up states do, so I’m not sure he’s worth the risk.

DL’ers, does Walz need a makeover and how would you tweak him to look more youthful? Use your Marcia Brady skills.

Ultimately not intimately….although they both are sexy in their own way.

Pete. Most people who will not vote for an openly gay man will not vote for a Democratic ticket anyway. Pete has awesome communication skills and the best at articulating an argument quickly and intellectually. He is intensely informant on most everything related to government and politics.

Pete and Chasten immolating and projecting the modified, stereotypic Ozzie and Harriet lifestyle remains a bit perplexing. However, that is his personal life and path. and if it works for him, and it’s a happy family, hope the public domain’s acceptance of it grows.

^informed, not informant

I voted for Pete in the ‘20 primary. He withdrew the next day.

Pete was popular with the academic and advanced degrees types.

Just announce Walz and get on with it!

Pelosi is supposedly pushing for Walz, which is significant. She likely sees him as having the least negatives, and probably has seen polling suggesting that Harris will win PA even without Shapiro on the ticket.

Beshear has a wife named “Britainy”. Speaking of poor judgment.

I just watched Walz with Ezra Klein at the linked video, and I'm skeptically dazzled to be perfectly honest. He's got a tight stump speech in the can, he looks like he could take over the job as president, and he just seems like a nice guy that's very relatable to several target markets Dems need to go for. This isn't bad.

Walz is the next best thing to Pete, in terms of plain speaking advocate. He's very relatable, and there is no downside to pulling him from the governorship. Keep Beshear in Kentucky, Kelly in Arizona and Shapiro in PA. He's my choice.

[quote] Most people who will not vote for an openly gay man will not vote for a Democratic ticket anyway.

You are wholly ignoring the rampant homophobia in large segments of the Black community. Would the pick of Pete lose Kamala some votes? I don't know & you don't know.

[quote] Pelosi is supposedly pushing for Walz, which is significant.

As a popular former member of Congress, a chair of an important committee, Walz has a lot of support among his former colleagues.

I don't think Kamala will pick Pete, but I think she probably is really drawn to the idea -- judging by all of her Pride appearances she does seem to really care about our community, and it would be a historic choice. That's gotta be tempting to her. But I agree the country isn't ready yet unfortunately. I think he will get his chance though.

[quote]Pete was popular with the academic and advanced degrees types.

If ever there was a good indicator of where the mainstream voters are.

FWIW, she's brought in in the last few days a ton of Obama talent to the campaign team. The coverage consistently points ot the attacks getting sharper, soon. That's a given. It's the nature of the attacks that matter. Being painted as a leftie or a liberal seldom has an upside in American politics and that's one of the few attacks that seems to have survived in the chaos of the last two weeks. To me it underscores the importance of getting those PA EC votes. Pete brings nothing to the table in that respect. Walz, who I think is terrific, doesn't either. Nor is Beshear likely to and KY's EC votes don't add up to much anyway, So it's Shapiro or Kelly by that measure. And whoever Pelosi is pushing, she'll be pushing it on what does it do to the numbers basis, which has got her where she is.

From Mark Penn, the pollster in the NYT, who contends most of the voters are closer to the center and Harris will be vulnerable to the leftist accusations when the campaign really heats up, re Shapiro:

"His selection would be another push against the left wing of the Democratic Party that has taken a strong position against America’s ally. But about 3 percent of Americans are Jewish, and about 1 percent are Muslim, according to 2022 data from the Public Religion Research Institute; Jews have some of the highest percentages of voting, and only 2 percent consider Israel a top issue. I think Mr. Shapiro’s ideology, not his religion, is what creates the real push and pull over his potential nomination — his religion is being used as an excuse by those who want to keep a moderate off the ticket. Independent voters overwhelmingly favor Israel over Hamas, as did 80 percent of Americans, according to a July Harvard Center for American Political Studies -Harris Poll, which I co-directed. While young people, who have the lowest propensity to vote, were split on the issue, older people supported Israel 93 percent to 7 percent, and they have the highest turnout. That suggests Mr. Shapiro’s religion and his position on Israel would be a net plus for a Harris-Shapiro ticket even if it alienated the pro-Palestinian left."

[quote] Pete was popular with the academic and advanced degrees types.

[quote] If ever there was a good indicator of where the mainstream voters are.

[quote] Woman At A Rally: Governor [Stevenson], every thinking person will be voting for you. Stevenson: Madam, that's not enough. I need a majority.

Tim Kaine deserves another chance.

Tim Kaine + a personality = Tim Walz

Joe Biden won because he was seen as a moderate. Harris would be foolish to ignore Shapiro based on the far left opinion of him. She needs a moderate to balance out of ticket. Cater to to far left minority of pro-Hamas supporters and lose the election.

My instinct is that they know Pete is not going to be the VP pick and yet his husband still did this anyway.

Not that I disagree with Nancy but where is the evidence on her support for Walz?

I'm not the person who posted that, but the evidence seems to be coming from The Hill and leftist TNR--the latter being a publication who would be invested in amplifying Walz who is the most progressive of the five VP options.

I wonder if Nancy's going all Godfather on KH: I made, I can break you. Now, Governor Walz should stand here, during the announcement and you can stand...

Possibly. The election is personal for Nancy. After all she went through with him, seeing him back in again would be her nightmare. Seeing him trounced, and by a woman of color, will be Nancy’s golden watch.

Shapiro was my first pick, but now I'm hesitant because of that "sex scandal" I've been hearing about. I read a couple articles, but I don't completely understand Shapiro's role and what he did that was objectionable.

Could someone here please explain it to me? Thanks.

Is there a private chef at the VP’s residence? I saw a clip of Kamala saying they cannot have food delivered for security reasons.

[quote] Joe Biden won because he was seen as a moderate. Harris would be foolish to ignore Shapiro based on the far left opinion of him. She needs a moderate to balance out of ticket.

Bullshit. Joe Biden won because everyone was sick of Trump and how he was handling COVID.

And there are others to choose from for VP without the baggage of Shapiro. Andy Beshear won twice in a red state with a 61% approval rating among progressives, moderates, and independents. Buttigieg is moderate. Walz is probably the most progressive out of the bunch, but he would balance the ticket by appealing to the white working class.

Shapiro brings nothing to the ticket besides PA, which is already swinging towards Harris anyway.

Not enough to count on.

[quote] Bullshit. Joe Biden won because everyone was sick of Trump and how he was handling COVID.

Trump's support among suburban women had cratered well before COVID. And that's why he lost. I've never believed his loss was informed by the pandemic. If it was, his party would have suffered, too. But down ballot republicans did well in '20, much better than Trump.

[quote] Trump's support among suburban women had cratered well before COVID. And that's why he lost. I've never believed his loss was informed by the pandemic.

Yes, because of how he was handling COVID at the time. His approval rating was in the toilet in October 2020. It had nothing to do with how "moderate" the alternative, Joe Biden, was compared to Trump.

[quote] Americans are steadily losing confidence in President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with his net approval on the issue that has dominated the U.S. election hitting a record low in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll taken Tuesday through Thursday, after Trump's COVID-19 infection and weekend hospitalization, found 37% of American adults approved of the president's handling of the pandemic and 59% disapproved.

Just look at his low approval ratings in 2019.

Biden won because black voters turned out in large enough numbers to put him over the top, just like they did with Obama. That was because he chose Harris as his VP. Biden would not have won GA if Harris wasn't on the ticket. Hillary lost in 2016 because she was not that popular with black voters in PA, MI and WI and they did not turn out to vote for her.

Biden reclaimed the Blue Wall states due to an uptick of about 5% over Hillary among non-college educated & older whites.

Harry Sisson

[quote]Shapiro was my first pick, but now I'm hesitant because of that "sex scandal" I've been hearing about. I read a couple articles, but I don't completely understand Shapiro's role and what he did that was objectionable.

Shapiro’s role in the whole matter is not clear. It mostly involves an aide who had a pattern of bad behavior.

More on the alleged sex-pest, who is a Republican but had been a longtime ally and aide to Shapiro…

Peaky sex pests!

R454, That's a big nothing-burger. Unless it was Josh doing the harassing(it wasn't), then voters don't care.

So, some of you seem to be saying that swing voters in Pennsylvania would NOT vote for Kamala unless Josh is her VP. That if, say Walz, Kelly or Beshear was her VP, they'd vote for Dump??

That's a highly unlikely scenario to me.

Especially since Dems have won PA in every election for the last 20 years except for 2016 (and that's because of Hillary Clinton failing to campaign there enough).

[quote]So, some of you seem to be saying that swing voters in Pennsylvania would NOT vote for Kamala unless Josh is her VP.

It will drive some undecideds or unmotivated people to show up at the polls and increase the margins. It could make a difference if PA Republicans, who control the State Senate, try to pull some “election irregularities” nonsense if the results are too close.

Walz has made it to the final interview stage...yay!

". That suggests Mr. Shapiro’s religion and his position on Israel would be a net plus for a Harris-Shapiro ticket even if it alienated the pro-Palestinian left."

Bullshit. You're going to have wingnuts like Cynthia Nixon screaming about it. And she potentially loses MI because of the high Arab population.

I don't see how Kamala doesn't win Michigan by close to the same margin as Whitmer won reelection in 2022. Even if she won the state by half that amount, it would still be a comfortable victory.

Whitmer defeated Dixon by a margin of roughly 10.5 percentage points, a wider margin than polls indicated as well as a wider margin than Whitmer's first victory four years prior. Whitmer won independent voters by double-digit margins, which contributed to Dixon's defeat.

Fuck the Hamas loving extremists! They never vote anyway.

So far, Tyler Pager has confirmed Shapiro, Kelly, and Walz have final interviews tomorrow. I don't know about the others.

[quote] I don't see how Kamala doesn't win Michigan by close to the same margin as Whitmer won reelection in 2022.

I'm in Michigan. I see Kamala winning, but nowhere by the margins we saw in the gubernatorial race in '22.

People, we are still.....what? 80 days from the election? 2 and 1/2 months to go? That's really a long time in news cycles.

Just think of what Kamala has accomplished in barely 2 weeks. Her popularity is only going to soar with every appearance she makes. And Dump's will skyrocket further with every bit of inane and weird!) nonsense he lets loose like smelly farts.

[quote] Fetterman sought to revitalize the institution and provide second chances to some convicts. Shapiro often took a less lenient position, arguing that he believed in criminal justice reform but that the commutations process was not the place for "structural" changes. Fetterman and Shapiro clashed in particular over the fate of Lee and Dennis Horton, brothers who had been convicted in a fatal shooting and robbery in 1993 but maintained their innocence for decades.

[quote] On the Board of Pardons in December 2019, Lee and Dennis Horton's freedom came up for a vote. The brothers were seen within the walls as model prisoners, and their own prison superintendent advocated for their release. Their clemency applications failed 2-3, with Shapiro opposing them and Fetterman in favor.

[quote] Her popularity is only going to soar with every appearance she makes. And Dump's will skyrocket further with every bit of inane and weird!) nonsense he lets loose like smelly farts.

I think you need to look up the definition of "skyrocket."

R67. You're using skyrocket for Trump incorrectly.

[quote]I'm in Michigan. I see Kamala winning, but nowhere by the margins we saw in the gubernatorial race in '22.

In PA, Shapiro beat his Trump-backed MAGA opponent by 15 percentage points, and Shapiro also outperformed Fetterman in the same election.

I don’t see Kamala winning by those margins here either.

It's down to 3: Walz, Shapiro and Kelly.

Harris is meeting with those 3 today, and is likely to announce her choice tomorrow, or Tuesday at the latest. It's said to be neck-and-neck and any one of them could win.

Big pollsters Mark Penn and Nate Silver say that Shapiro would be the best choice for her campaign. They think he helps her the most with men, moderate voters and Never-Trumpers. He's also the candidate that Republicans fear the most.

[quote]He's also the candidate that Republicans fear the most.

This is key.

If Shapiro’s picked I’ll be nervous about his downsides, esp Gaza. If he’s not picked, I’ll worry about PA, which is essential. I’m as nervous as Eeyore Axelrod.

Team Walz here!

Shapiro is strong too, but Walz has the white-swing-voter relatability factor, could be a small lift across the entire electorate. And it seems like there isn’t nearly as much on Walz for the opposition (and the pro-Palestinian leftists) to attack.

Kelly has a kick ass resume but he’s just not as strong with the media and public speaking skills.

She's going to pick the candidate who helps her the most with male voters, as that is her biggest weakness. According to reports, her campaign has done extensive polling and focus groups this past week, so they know who that candidate is. Their date may show that they all do equally well, and then she'll just pick whoever she likes the best.

Interesting strategy R476. I’ve seen other analyses that suggest her path to victory lies in firing up more voters who are into her but were nope/disconnected from Biden. Voters age 18-40 especially. Trump can’t really add new support to his pool... but Harris can.

If she wants white male working class Gen X voters, Shapiro is the guy.

Maybe these female presidential candidates should stay away from VP picks name Tim.

I hope it’s Shapiro for all the reasons cited and she must win Pennsylvania.

How/why did Andy Beshear fall of the finalists list (if this even true)?

So, Shapiro would be the best candidate to gain young voter support.

And, Shapiro would be the worst candidate to gain young voter support.

Interesting......seems we've been hearing both opinions over and over here.

TBH, as a Jew and a big fan, I would love Shapiro to get it, but I can't help feeling he's potentially the most dangerous choice (for all the various reasons you've now heard).

Beshear wasn't one of the confirmed interviews today, but it doesn't necessarily mean he's out. Nothing is certain at this point.

Kamala can only do so many VP interviews in one day, after all.

It should be like speed dating: you have 8 minutes to make your case and woo me.

Will Kamala be likely to call a special press conference to make the VP announcement or will she do it at some previously scheduled event? What are her previously scheduled events on Monday and Tuesday?

[quote] He's also the candidate that Republicans fear the most.

I don’t think Republicans fear him at all. They’re hoping it’s him considering all of the baggage he carries that they can exploit for their benefit. It’s no surprise that Republican pundits in the media are pushing for him to be VP. He lied about his military record, which would be a great way for the to rehabilitate Vance’s image since he’s an Iraq war veteran. Then there’s the sex scandal cover up. Too much stuff to name that would slow down Harris’ momentum.

Anyone but Shapiro.

If it’s Shapiro it’s because the benefits outweigh any negatives. I hope if he’s picked you support him and stop bitching.

I’ll support Harris no matter what. I just don’t underestimate the Republican Noise Machine and its ability to convince low information voters across the country. They’re hoping it’s Shapiro as it FINALLY gives them something with substance that they can use against Harris and distract from Trump/Vance. Right now they’re still dabbling with race science and questioning her Blackness which is backfiring.

Kelly may have tweeted that he's out.

Something was tweeted from his account, now that tweet has been deleted.

Here is what was deleted. I don't call it conclusive but timing makes it seem odd.

MSNBC is trying to figure out what his Tweet means. I think he deleted it because it could be construed the wrong way. I don't think he would try to get out ahead of the Harris campaign and announce that he wasn't chosen. That would be a very bad look for him.

It may have been an old scheduled tweet that nobody caught before it went out.

astronutty got his fweelings hurt!

I hope she doesn't pick an old white man.

Kelly tweeted again:

[quote] Whether it was from my time in the Navy and at NASA, serving in the United States Senate, or visiting our troops overseas: I've learned that when your country asks you to serve, you always answer the call.

Are they just fucking with us?

This is all getting hilarious.

But Kelly, I had big gigantic pimples on my rectum!

Why have Kelly and Beshear tweeted provocatively in the past week? It's like they're edging us.

My guess is that both tweets were ready to go, depending on whether he was selected or rejected as VP, and his staff accidentally tweeted the rejection tweet instead of the "I'm the new VP" one.

It looks to me like he's the new VP.

Beshear even hinted at a fundraiser in Oklahoma a few days ago that it’s probably him. I’m still thinking he’s the one and she’s meeting with others to discuss cabinet positions.

Beshear is doing another fundraiser for Harris in Chicago on Monday. Chicago is where the convention will be held.

People! Your naïveté shocks me! This is a coordinated kill strategy. They are killing Rethugs ability to attack the pick, delaying the damage as long as possible by fucking with us with these posts. So Dems are playing dirty to win, yahoo!!!!! Take notes! Politics is a dirty game, this is how you beat a formidable opposition who are favored by media and billionaires. Fuck the Right!!!!!

Finally Dems have learned how to play dirty.

They are playing smart.

It’s fun and they are owning the media attention.

No announcement until tomorrow...sigh. The suspense is killing me!

Oh good, maybe I can actually get some work done today.

Stupid comment of the week, and it’s only 7 am. Monday:

“she’s meeting with others to discuss cabinet positions.”

[Quote]Big pollsters Mark Penn and Nate Silver say

No, just no! Mark Penn was discredited years ago.

I wonder if she'll push back the announcement until Tuesday, what with the stock market crashing and all?

The announcement was aways going to be Tuesday. Please stop pushing the bullshit narrative of a crash

The stock market did not crash, ffs. It's a long-awaited correction caused by Japan raising their interest rates, which crashed those yen borrowings, and it spread from there. Also the reason European stock markets are mostly unaffected.

[quote]The announcement was always going to be Tuesday.

Reuters yesterday said "as early as Monday". So it might stil happen today.

[quote] Big pollsters Mark Penn and Nate Silver say

Mark Penn was the main reason why Hillary Clinton lost the Democratic primary to Barack Obama in 2008. Then he decided to work for Trump’s campaign in 2020, who also lost.

Penn has about as much credibility as Dick Morris.

Nate Silver:

How Josh Shapiro is regarded by the voters who will make the difference in this election is a question on which we actually have quite a bit of empirical evidence.

Whoever.

The compressed timeline for vetting raises a remote risk for an undetected skeleton in the closet but that's the only quibble have.

Like all job interviews, they're more about the interviewer. Whoever VP Harris truly feels is the one is good enough for me.

I surmise she's already gotten some insight from Biden, Obama and both Clintons on what their thought processes were when they were in the act of deciding.

She already will be dealing with the "San Francisco liberal" tag. Does she double-down on that by going with a liberal like Walz? And since the obvious electoral choice is Shapiro, does she suggest she's caving to the left in her party by not taking him? Maybe, wayward daughter and all, Kelly is the best pick.

Considering that Pelosi, Biden, and Sanders (along with others in Congress) are pushing more for Walz, I'd say they know that Shapiro would bring more harm than good if he were the VP. That's not "caving to the left;" that's analyzing the disadvantage Harris will face by choosing someone with a lot of baggage, which will potentially slow down any momentum the campaign has generated.

And Republicans paint every Democrat as a radical Marxist. That's been their playbook for the last 40+ years or so. Nothing new.

[quote] And Republicans paint every Democrat as a radical Marxist. That's been their playbook for the last 40+ years or so. Nothing new.

With more than their share of success, dating back as far as Nixon, over 50 years ago.

What's Fetterman's beef against Shapiro?

It looks like they had clashed over their differences with criminal justice reform.

When fighting the heresy of Christian nationalism choose an ELCA Lutheran, choose Tim Walz.

(I’d still prefer Whitmer though)

Thank you, r525.

After I posted (I know, I should have done so beforehand) hastened to google "Fetterman Shapiro" and got the scoop from Politico. Thet went into details about what you posted.

It also alluded to professional rivalry because they were both perceived as rising Dems stars and (my words) there's room for only one bull in the China shop.

This directly relates to comments in Part 1. Cooper was concerned about how batshit crazy Robinson is and even if it might not effect legislation, it would be a distraction to a Harris/Cooper campaign.

I'm sorry...WHAT?!?

Fetterman and Shapiro frequently clashed when they both served on the Board of Pardons. Shapiro was Attorney General at the time and Fetterman was Lieutenant Governor. Fetterman felt that Shapiro was voting against too many commutations (more than any other board member) in order to appear “tough on crime” for political gain.

[quote] It’s a grind of a process. Teams of lawyers and investigators were each assigned 2-3 candidates to vet. Weeks before candidates were contacted, the teams had put together extensive dossiers of each person. Candidates had to answer a 150+ question background questionnaire that delved into political, employment, legal, financial and personal family history.

[quote] Once that was turned in, each candidate sat with their vetting team for several hours to answer detailed questions. They were direct and precise, mining for any potential political problem lurking in one’s background. (Memories of the Sarah Palin embarrassment loomed large in this cycle). Some questions were also meant to put the candidate on the spot, “Would you have any problem if I were to take your phone from you right now (pointing at the cell phone) and look through it?” They didn’t actually take it.

[quote] A brief follow up interview came a week or so later. Then, about a week after that, Sec. Clinton interviewed perhaps 6-7 candidates. These meetings varied in length but were generally aimed at gauging chemistry, giving each candidate a chance to make their case, and assessing governing and campaigning ability.

[...]

[quote] VP Harris has more experience than most previous nominees and has reenergized the Democratic base without alienating moderates. She’s also opened the battleground map back up to include AZ, NV and GA. Trump doubled down on his base with the choice of Vance, making Trump perhaps less competitive with independents than he might have been with a different pick. That gives VP Harris a lot of latitude to select a running mate—a progressive or a moderate— who won’t just help her win an election but with whom she has great chemistry and will help her govern effectively.

Gavin Newsom. It could pave the way for his own presidential aspirations.

Harris from California, Walz from Minnesota honestly sounds like a losing ticket. I love Walz is a good speaker, but Shapiro is the answer.

The Dems only lost Pa when Biden wasn’t on the ticket. Need Shapiro to make sure Dems win. The far left will just have to get onboard or not.

The best case scenario, then, R532, would be a Harris/Vance administration.

r529 - For many years he and his wife organized yearly summer trips to China for high school students.

Shapiro outperformed Fetterman’s numbers in the 2022 election when they were both on the ballot. So not sure his criticisms really matter to voters.

Why ate Pete fans screaming for him? That’s a losing ticket if anyone is using their brain.

[quote] Shapiro outperformed Fetterman’s numbers in the 2022 election when they were both on the ballot. So not sure his criticisms really matter to voters.

Not a Fetterman man - I was a Lamb supporter - but he faced a far more credible challenger than did Shapiro.

Governor Krispy Kreme agrees with you ^^^

My gut says Shapiro. The older man is nice but does he add anything?

Walz’ wife looks a bit like Hillary.

[QUOTE]My gut says Shapiro. The older man is nice but does he add anything?

I'm so sorry your gut led you to ignore basic Googling about the 'older man.'

Walz is the safe choice. Won’t upset anyone.

Shapiro is riskier. But he has the potential to bring bigger electoral dividends.

[quote]Chris Christie: "If she picks Shapiro on Tuesday, Donald Trump created Josh Shapiro

Yeah, no. Donald Trump didn’t create anything ever. Try again Governor Fatso.

[quote]Not a Fetterman man - I was a Lamb supporter - but he faced a far more credible challenger than did Shapiro.

“Dr. Oz” was not a credible candidate. Fetterman trolled and mocked him endlessly.

[quote] Not a Fetterman man - I was a Lamb supporter - but he faced a far more credible challenger than did Shapiro.

[quote] “Dr. Oz” was not a credible candidate. Fetterman trolled and mocked him endlessly.

More credible is not tantamount to being credible.

If Harris caves to the left and selects Walz, then she will have done Trump a favor.

Caravan of SUVs was spotted leaving the Walz residence

[quote] If Harris caves to the left and selects Walz, then she will have done Trump a favor.

BULLSHIT. If it's Walz, the momentum will continue and excite the base.

Also, Pelosi, Biden, and Sanders were pushing for Walz behind the scenes. So it wasn't Harris "caving to the left."

R151. Excite the base? I think the black vote in Philly, Detroit and Atlanta will be fine. Plus, this is not a primary. As soon as she picks Walz, Trump will be laser focused on Pa. I can hear his stump speech now. “She was going to pick your governor as her VP, but caved to the her pro-Hamas base selected a liberal from Minnesota.

Catering the far left has never been a winning formula in a general election for Dems.

[quote] Catering the far left has never been a winning formula in a general election for Dems.

How is it "catering to the far left" when Nancy-Fucking-Pelosi and Biden is pulling for Walz. You sound absolutely ridiculous as if we're still living in Reagan-era America.

And that attack would hardly stick to Harris who is married to a very pro-Israel American Jew.

What's the source for this oft-repeated claim that Walz is Biden's choice?

I read that Biden prefers Shapiro.

Pelosi always supports former House members. Biden likes both of them.

How do you know that will not stick to Harris? No one cares that her husband is Jewish.

Biden beat Trump by 81,000 votes in Pa. Dems are playing a silly risky game BY NOT choosing the popular governor of that state.

[quote] How do you know that will not stick to Harris? No one cares that her husband is Jewish.

Because her husband (who is far more eloquent in public speaking than Harris) would destroy those attacks by publically speaking out against them. That's why. Those attacks will have no legs.

[quote] Dems are playing a silly risky game BY NOT choosing the popular governor of that state.

He has a 49% approval rating that steadily declines each month. Compared to Beshear's 67% approval rating in blood red KY—now THAT's popular!

Shapiro’s approval rating in PA is closer to 60%

Infotainment

[quote] Shapiro’s approval rating in PA is closer to 60%

Not according to Emerson.

[quote] The new Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey found 49% of Pennsylvanians surveyed approved of Shapiro while only 31% disapproved. Twenty-two percent of Pennsylvania Republicans and 46% of Independents approved of Shapiro’s performance.

Do we have news?

Beyoncé is my number 1 choice. Beyoncé is ready.

R562 it's already been announced those are the Governor's State security detail

I hope it’s Shapiro. We need a man, not another useless Tim Kaine.

None of the finalists could be intelligently described as useless.

Walz is nothing like Tim Kaine

Anyone named will have some controversial aspect in their background information. That’s why vetting is so important. No nominee will be perfect. One candidate’s strength may be another candidate’s weakness and vise versa.

Harris will pick someone, hopefully, that will be very compatible, is Presidential material as could be needed, an excellent campaigner and debater, possesses solid credentials, has worthy contributing ideas, and is personally likable by most.

Harris makes the call. Her first big decision of the campaign.

Any Democrat is better than the couch fucker.

Fuck all the fucks, as a Pennsylvanian, I need my governor to stay in my state ! (Though the lieutenant would be a good substitute)

If you think your governor is doing a great job and he has a suitable replacement lined up, why wouldn’t you want him to earn a promotion, R570?

As of 5 hours ago, she still hadn't made her decision. Both Walz and Shapiro are so impressive and worthy that it's making the decision impossible.

[QUOTE]Pelosi, Biden, and Sanders were pushing for Walz behind the scenes

BIG campaign vibes.

OMG, doesn't Walz's wife look like a dead ringer for a younger Nancy Pelosi?

Walz is actually pretty fit for his age, based on the photo above.

Tim Walz is a hot sexy DILF!

Yes, he does. He runs five miles on some days, apparently.

Here's @GovTimWalz describing his first visit to SF, which was apparently just last week.

"Woke up, I did my 5-mile run through the Presidio, through the Golden Gate. Went back to my hotel, it was downtown, and I'm like - that is the most beautiful city I've ever been in."

Where's the VP announcement? It's 6:30 am on the East Coast. It should be like the Oscar nomination announcement at the crack of dawn.

The Harris campaign has been very tight-lipped about their choice. Suppose the lack of leaks shows a disciplined campaign.

R577 I love that. Every October I check into the Hotel Drisco and go run through the Presidio, over the Golden Gate and into Sausilito for breakfast. 2 days later I take the train all the way to Seattle to visit my ex. Every time I am dumbstruck by how beautiful the city can be and how stunning the scenery is up through N Cal and Oregon. Contrast that with Trump who paints every US city as a killing field and a dumpster.

R581

Haha! A lot of people I follow on Threads are talking as though it’s definitely Walz.

I donated to her campaign and am supposed to receive a text announcing her pick before the media. I'll keep you bitches tuned in!

Receptors at the ready, r583!

MSNBC says pick has been made. Harris making calls to those who were considered.

WaPo says Walz

WaPo says it's Walz.

[quote] I donated to her campaign and am supposed to receive a text announcing her pick before the media. I'll keep you bitches tuned in!

That’s exactly what Biden did when he selected Harris for VP if if remember correctly.

Yes! It’s Tim Walz. Just announced it on Morning Joe

YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The safest choice is the best choice.

There was no bad choice.

ONWARD!!!!

This ensures that the party will not be divided now. Walz was the best choice.

I want my donation back! No text yet from Kamala.

R593, I wondered if they fucked everybody who was promised donations for a head's up.

Own goal. Not fatal at all, just a distraction, but sloppy. Anyway, all forgotten once they take the stage.

Can the troll who kept posting that he had it on GOOD AUTHORITY that it was Shapiro now kindly fuck off?

There was enough matzo already on the ticket. Some tater tot hotdish to balance things out.

R595, I think we probably need a wellness check on the Pete Trolls, too. Hard day in fantasy land.

lol, r596.

r597 At least the Pete guys were just cheering him on. The Shapiro guy kept telling us he had inside sources that it was Shapiro last week already. I don't know why someone would even post something like that.

The Shapiro Troll also kept painting everyone anti-Semitic any time someone brought up all of Shapiro’s negatives.

Just cheering him, yes, with notes of Mark David Chapman and Betty Broderick.