Political Blue Gene

At last night’s debate, Joe Biden may have given us a big hint as to who will be his choice for Vice-President:

• Last week in an interview with Lawrence O’Donnell, Biden said it was “very important” to pick a vice-presidential candidate who had been tested in the Democratic debates.  That means Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar or Elizabeth Warren.
• Also last week, Jim Clyburn said Biden should pick an African-American woman for V.P.
• Last night, Biden also said his first appointment to the Supreme Court would be an African-American woman.
• Biden needs to pick someone who will help him win closely contested states.  This does not describe Warren or Harris (with the possible exception of Harris for North Carolina).
• Conclusion:  By declaring he will pick an African-American woman for the Supreme Court he is showing his commitment to this important constituency.  Therefore, although a case can be made for Harris, I think the arrows right now point to him picking the one woman who will help him solidify his support in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – Amy Klobuchar.

Tomorrow’s four primaries, in Arizona, Florida, Illinois and Ohio should be big wins for Joe Biden.  However, will the coronavirus keep people away from the polls, especially among one of Biden’s strongest constituencies, older voters?  It probably wouldn’t be enough for Sanders to win any of these states, but it could make the votes closer than they should be.

If you ever run into someone who supported Sanders, Warren or one of the other Democrats, and is reluctant to vote for Biden, just tell them this:  On January 20, 2025:

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be almost 92 years old
• Stephen Breyer will be 86
• No Republican appointee will be older than 76, and some much younger

Have you ever noticed how the weight and responsibility of being President usually ages a man more than the 4 years in office?  This has been true for every President except Trump.  He has only gotten fatter, both literally and financially.

During the 1980’s, during the AIDS epidemic, many people, including then-President Reagan, feared, ignored and even scorned efforts to fight the disease until Rock Hudson announced that he was gay and he had AIDS.  That put a familiar face on the epidemic and led some people to finally start taking it seriously.  I wonder if when Tom Hanks announced that he and his wife had contracted the coronavirus, this put a familiar face on it, and finally made a lot of people take the pandemic seriously.