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Who is Joe Biden's best pick as Vice President? Who is Joe Biden's best pick as Vice President?
Karen Bass Karen Bass
Kamala Harris Kamala Harris
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Warren
Susan Rice Susan Rice
Val Demings Val Demings
Bass is well liked among both Democrats and Republicans Bass is well liked among both Democrats and Republicans
Harris is the most qualified for the job Harris is the most qualified for the job
Warren brings with her the left vote Warren brings with her the left vote
Rice offers foreign policy expertise Rice offers foreign policy expertise
Demings can help win Florida Demings can help win Florida
Demings provides insight into racism and police reform Demings provides insight into racism and police reform
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Who is Joe Biden's best pick as Vice President?
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Kamala Harris

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Harris is the most qualified for the job

Of all the potential picks for Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris is the most ready to take on the position as Vice President, having relevant experience as California's former Attorney General and current Senator.
Shaun King
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The Argument

Senator Kamala Harris checks all of the boxes for what is needed to fill the role of Vice President, making her the obvious pick as Joe Biden's running mate. Senator Harris is well suited for the job, as a current U.S. Senator and former as Attorney General for California (2011 and 2017).[1] Harris is a "smart, charismatic black women with high name recognition who is not old and is qualified to serve as president from Day One, and while she is not of 'the left,' per se, her politics are muddled enough to not come across as a concerted middle finger to the left."[2] Harris's political and judicial experience sets her up well for the vice presidency, and would make a strong show in the vice-presidential debates against current VP Mike Pence.[2] Harris is the only black woman in the Senate (and only the 2nd in history) and has been very vocal about police violence and racial injustice.[2] Her strong and compelling track record on racial injustice and police violence elevates Biden's campaign platform and widen his reach to more minority voters. As Bloomberg columnist Francis Wilkinson puts it, " The presumptive Democratic nominee needs someone who makes voters comfortable with an old white guy at the top of the ticket."[3]

Counter arguments

Those who oppose the idea of Kamal Harris as Biden's VP believe her to be too opportunistic and not loyal enough for the job. She was running for president before dropping out in March, and some worry about her ambition and aspiration for the presidency, believing that she will be too focused on becoming president herself to be an effective VP.[4] Others question her loyalty to Biden after (verbally) attacking him during a presidential debate while she was still running for President.[4] She has shown no remorse or regret for the attack on Biden during this previous debate, calling into question their ability to work as a team if Biden is elected. Another issue with choosing Senator Harris for VP is her record as a 'tough on crime' prosecutor,[5] where she oversaw high incarceration rates and overcrowded prisons. Her record goes against the current push for police reform within the U.S.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Biden needs someone who can get the job done. [P2] Harris's has a lot of relevant experience. [P3] Harris is best suited for the role.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://kamalaharris.org/meet-kamala-harris/
  2. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/2020-election-joe-biden-vp-woman.html
  3. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-10/biden-s-running-mate-kamala-harris-is-the-obvious-best-choice
  4. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/29/biden-allies-move-to-stop-kamala-harris-from-becoming-vice-president.html
  5. https://www.vox.com/2020/7/30/21346478/joe-biden-running-mate-vice-president
This page was last edited on Thursday, 13 Aug 2020 at 00:07 UTC