Joe Biden Might Alienate ‘Key Constituencies’ With His Vice Presidential Pick, Reporter Says
Joe Biden is allegedly close to selecting his running mate, which has been narrowed down to candidates including Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Susan Rice. In a Saturday piece for Breitbart, Haris Alic argued that the current pool of choices all pose the risk of alienating “key constituencies” that Biden needs to defeat Donald Trump in November.
“Although there are many high-profile choices, there is no single candidate acceptable to all of the constituencies within the Democratic Party, creating the likelihood that whomever Biden picks could end up alienating the very coalition he needs to win the general election,” he wrote in the article.
In particular, Alic argued that former National Security Advisor Susan Rice possesses foreign policy views that would likely alienate progressives who don’t approve of the hawkish approach to the Middle East she presided over during Barack Obama’s administration. Similarly, the reporter said that Harris’ record as California’s attorney general — which she touts for her tough stance on crime — could rub activists the wrong way. Notably, USA Today columnist Ruben Navarrette opined that Harris would be a particularly poor choice of a running mate and referred to the pair as a “disastrous duo.”
“Biden-Harris. This is a match made in, well, about as far from heaven as you can get. More like at a public execution,” he wrote, pointing to the pair’s controversial criminal justice work.
Elsewhere, Alic argued that California Rep. Karen Bass’ radical past and alleged links to Cuba’s communist regime could alienate Cuban Americans. He also suggested that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer might drag Biden’s standing down due to her controversial handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has drawn controversy.
The conclusion of the article outlined underdogs such as Florida Rep. Val Demings, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams.
“Apart from those five most frequently mentioned in contention, there are also a series of underdog candidates, unlikely to wind up with the vice-presidential nomination, but politically risky none the less.”
Biden said his pick would come in the first week of August, which has come and gone. The former vice president has committed to selecting a woman as his vice president and has also faced pressure to choose a woman of color. Per The Hill, House Majority Whip James Clyburn claims that Biden should choose a Black woman to “reward” them for helping him make a comeback in the primary.
Although Biden has not revealed an official shortlist of candidates, the previously mentioned figures are widely believed to be in consideration.
