Walz is new. I think they dropped Beshear because they are never going to win KY and even though he's a Southern governor and charismatic, he's younger than Kamala and not particularly well known nationally (yet).
Heavy on governors (expected) and no Mayor Pete (though he's already vetted, so...)
@Cosmichomicide From what I understand Gretchen still has a lot of work to do in Michigan before she can accept the VP role, though I'm sure she would be hugely honored to be considered for the nomination.
She already said she wasn't leaving Michigan at the same time she endorsed Kamala.
She's on the list because she has some national brand and the party wants to expand it.
No chance they run two women in their 50s and Big Gretch really isn't second chair.
@Cosmichomicide Cooper, Kelly, and Shapiro are the best situated to help secure a swing state.
North Carolina has 16 electoral votes.
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes.
Arizona has 11 electoral votes.
You choose Cooper for the proven ability to win NC and the fact he's term limited. Plus totally normie and 16 EC votes.
You choose Kelly if you are focused on gun control, but he has the same "new guy" feel of Vance, albeit with the whole space thing.
You choose Shapiro if you want to throw Penn into chaos (again)? Really no idea - he's perfect where he is.
And yes, I know, Pennsylvania is a battleground and he's popular. But he still has that new governor smell and voters tend to look askance at people who drop the job after a year.
@Cosmichomicide They all have rocks around their necks. Cooper made the controversial decision several years ago to let off the three athletes accused of rape. Shapiro as a Jew will potentially draw the ire of Arab-Americans as well as anti-war groups. Kelly draws the ire of gun rights groups. They all have some vulnerable points that will need to be evaluated.
If you are talking about the Duke lacrosse scandal, Cooper was right. That case was a mess and, while the frat was filled with creepy lowlifes that no one doubted had raped someone at some point, the prosecutor was literally disbarred over mishandling that case to the point it wasn't salvageable.
There are reasons not to pick Roy - he's kinda dull and a policy wonk, limited national brand - but ethics are not an issue.
@Cosmichomicide Not worried about his ethics, and I think he’s a really good speaker with just the right amount of twang to appeal to the South. But I don’t think we can underestimate women’s groups’ feelings about how that went down and his ultimate decision.
We'll see. Unite Women has already said there are no bad options in the Veepstakes.
And Roy did this (and then got kicked in the nuts by a party switching quisling - snarl):
@Cosmichomicide @lifeinthePNW Truth. I work there, and I remember the whole shitshow. It was such a mess, and one of the 3 was quite the asshole, but they were not guilty of that particular crime. The accuser had actually tried the same thing before and it never went anywhere, because investigators looked at the evidence and realized she was lying.
Yep. The house the guys were renting was quite notorious and the target of constant complaints.
The DA decided to ride the celebrity horse when the story went national and manipulated the shit out of the evidence when there wasn't any there there that time.
It really sucked.
@Cosmichomicide The thing that make me lean towards that theory is the fact that ALL the paperworks and filings were in place.
@Cosmichomicide What I believe is that Biden didn't orchestrate things to happen that way. But i think realizing that was the political moment he was in probably helped him understand how powerful it would be to step down when he did.
There were hard dates on the timeline and, to be frank, anyone's feelings would be hurt by the treatment Joe received.
Joe has been in Democratic politics for decades. You don't get there and stay if you aren't working the angles, pulling the levers and reading the tea leaves.
I don't think he intended to leave the race. I do think he saw the moment and the opportunity for the party.
Like Macron, a bold move in the moment. We'll see how it plays out.
I'm a fan of Tim Walz but I don't know if MN can afford to lose him.
My MN friends are NOT amused at the idea of losing him.
I'm now curious about the timing.
It was masterful to wait until Tang committed on Crypto as VP. He's actually stuck with him now, by party rules. Unless Vance leaves, which he will not.
Vance has all the charisma of sidewalk chalk, without any color. Tang loves a dishrag with rich friends.
Kamala and Joe are pairing those picks against Vance.