Now, it’s all about race, stupid.
Mr. Biden no doubt chose her to try to appease and inspire non-white Democrats, who are now about half the party. The Democrats lost in 2016, when the ticket was all white, in part because black voter turnout went down from its 2008 and 2012 levels. The party will not want to make the same mistake again.
Sen. Harris’ main “qualifications” appear to be her sex and race. She has very little experience, having been elected to the Senate only in 2016. She is not from a “swing state.” Her bid for the presidential nomination went nowhere; she dropped out before a single vote was cast. She also memorably attacked Joe Biden as a quasi-racist during her brief run…
Her selection marks the continued change of American politics from “regional” to “racial.” Historically, president/vice-president pairings have been North/South. The Democrats, in particular, tried always to achieve “regional harmony.”
1960: John Kennedy (MA) and Lyndon Johnson (TX)
1964: Lyndon Johnson (TX) and Hubert Humphrey (MN)
1976 and 1980: Jimmy Carter (GA) and Walter Mondale (MN)
1988: Michael Dukakis (MA) and Lloyd Bentsen (TX)
2000: Al Gore (TN) and Joe Lieberman (CT)
2004: John Kerry (MA) and John Edwards (SC)
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…Regions are no longer as important as they were. Race is king.
The Democrats are clearly trying to recreate their winning ’08/’12 strategy, choosing a white man to reassure their party’s moderates, and a non-white to ensure that the rising tide of color turns out to vote bigly. It is a reasonable plan.
Sen. Harris may increase non-white “voter enthusiasm” in Georgia, which, because of the state’s demographic change, could make the state go blue. The historic regional balance, meanwhile, is useless in our era. If Mr. Biden had chosen Doug Jones, the white Democrat Alabama senator, it still would probably not mean he could win that state, or any neighboring state.
Will the Democrats win?
Non-whites will vote in higher numbers than they did in 2016; that is a guarantee. That will hurt President Trump because he barely won in 2016. However, the socialist wing of the Democrat Party is still bitter about Bernie Sanders’ loss of the nomination. They despise Mr. Biden and Sen. Harris. Will they compromise to defeat Donald Trump or stay home and sulk?
The presidential debates are yet to come. There is a good chance that during one, two, or three of them, Mr. Biden will have a dramatic “senior moment” that changes the race. But one thing is certain: The regionalism that has defined American politics since its founding is over. Now, it’s all about race, stupid.
Full article here…