The Biden Two - For

Joe Biden's candidacy is a unique one. He said he is likely to serve one term. That means, the person he chooses to be his Vice President has a strong head start in the 2024 Presidential race. It is causing interesting reactions in voters and primary opponents alike.

Progressive voters are choosing between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. But, polls show most moderate voters are still deciding. That is the source of Biden's lead in the primaries. He is the candidate best equipped to clean up the mess Trump is making of literally everything related to the job. We need that. Someone to fix things. A calming presence to make it all better.

But, voters are also speculating about who his VP pick will be. Because they are also deciding "would I vote for them in four years?" Opponents know this. I like Cory Booker and will vote for him for my Senator again. But, he hasn't announced a senate election. I suspect he is hoping to be Biden's VP selection. Beto might also be hoping for that special place. This is probably a long list. Amy Klobucher might still be running. But, she is also being nice to Biden.

At the moment, the buzz I hear for a favorite match is Biden with Amy Klobucher as his Vice President. Personally, that match-up is appealing to me. That is what voters are talking about. Who they want Biden's running mate to be. They are talking about voting like this is the 2020 and 2024 primaries in the same election cycle.

It's a two - for. A President who won't be running for re-election. One that can use his lifetime in politics to repair ally relationships, re-regulate industries that aren't self regulating but need regulation, strengthen now-weakened departments, and train the likely next president.

It's the succession plan democratic voters have been asking for. Nancy Pelosi got the speaker's gavel back under the condition she would start grooming her successor. Biden would be grooming his successor to continue to repair the country Trump broke as well as making America stronger. That is what we need right now.

The strongest thing Biden can do for his campaign at this moment is to name his running mate now. It might be normal to wait until the nomination has been made. But, this is an unusual election and it requires an unusual approach.

I read the New York Times endorsement interview with Pete Buttigieg. One question they asked him is, "who would be your VP". He didn't have an answer. So, I looked up Biden's interview. In that interview he talks about having to repair relationships and fix the divided nation. (in green below). In the interview he denied that he said he would consider one term. But, that information was originally published in Politico, a respectable news source. My guess is he is undecided but, voters assume at his age he would only do one term.

Below is part of that interview. In purple are notes from the NYT for context.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/01/17/opinion/joe-biden-nytimes-interview.html

"I’ll deal with different problems. My job will be not to go back to the old days, but be able to re-establish our alliances, keep the world from falling apart, keep NATO from disintegrating, etc. The same way, for example, climate

change.

The Obama-Biden administration had a number of climate change triumphs, including negotiating the Paris climate accord and pushing through new auto emission standards. The weekend before Mr. Biden met with the editorial board, the annual United Nations climate change conference adjourned with no significant accomplishments.

You saw what happened this weekend? We didn’t show up. In fact, we tried to raise the ante. I’m one of the guys that put that climate change deal together, but it requires someone who the rest of the world’s going to respect when they ask them to come to the United States, a hundred of them, somewhere between 180 and 200 sit down and say, we have to up the ante now. The politics has changed in terms of what is actually happening in the environment.

KK:

You’ve hinted a little bit that you’d be willing to only serve one term.

Politico reported in December that Mr. Biden signaled to aides he would be willing to serve just a single term.

I never hinted that. That is simply not true.

BS: Where’d that come from?

KK: Yeah, where does that come from?

I don’t know where it came from, but it did not — it came from somebody who in fact, I guess, thinks that they know me and thinks that maybe, I don’t know.

KK: Who’s on your short list for vice president?

I’m not going to presume that because you’ll eat me alive on that. [LAUGHTER] But there’s a bunch of people that are qualified. I mean a whole group of people in addition to the ones that are running who aren’t running. I can think of, off the top of my head, five women who hold public office who would be completely qualified, who are not running for president. I can think of at least four African-Americans, and I —

John Broder: Can you name them?

Yeah, I can, but I’m not going to because what you’ll do, Biden’s being presumptuous. I don’t have the nomination yet.

BA: Would you pick a running mate over the age of 70?

Yeah, sure I would. No, what I’m going to have to do is to balance just like anybody balances. I’m going to make sure that whoever is picked as vice president, where I’m the nominee, everyone thinks is able to, if I drop dead tomorrow, would be able to take over. Look, the idea that somebody who is 60 can’t be diagnosed with stage-four glioblastoma is no different than the idea someone at 77 won’t be diagnosed with a terminal disease. "

Biden isn't admitting it. But, clearly this is something he is taking seriously. He wants to leave his options open for a possibility to run again in 2024. But, he is an intelligent man and knows that most voters are thinking of him as a transition president and his VP as the 2024 nominee. I like that he is considering candidates based on their abilities. There is a long list of Biden VP favorites. It sounds like Kamala Harris is a strong candidate. Although, he didn't name names. 

It's an intriguing thought. The path to the first woman president runs through Biden. But, that also might be the key to making that happen. Sadly, some voters might not be comfortable with a female president until they have seen her as a Vice President. Like all good jobs, women have more steps in the ladder then men. 

Biden is a encyclopedia of political lessons. His VP would need to be able to be a strong President from day 1 in case something happens to him. But, they also would rise in 2024 being viewed as a strong candidate from having learned those lessons. They will emerge stronger then they entered office. 

That is why it is so important that Biden be mindful when choosing a running mate. He has to say, "This person will carry my name and reputation with them into 2024. Will I be able to support them? Will this person continue building on what we start doing together?" Amy, would. I'm sure many others would too. 

With a Biden presidency we get a two - for. Because his VP is likely to be the 47th president. A lot of moderate voters are thinking of this like they are pre-voting for the 2024 candidate. Because they probably are. It's nice to know Biden is taking this responsibility seriously!