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!@#$%! · 05.09.2020, 10:59 PM

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Why Joe Biden’s VP will be the person he trusts and admires the most

By Rahm Emanuel

May 9, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. MDT

Rahm Emanuel is a former mayor of Chicago, White House chief of staff and Democratic congressman from Illinois.

For most of our history, vice presidents have been chosen to help bring “balance” to a ticket, uniting a party divided by ideology or geography ahead of the general election. As a result, most vice presidents have been little more than window dressing. Two men who went on to be president learned this firsthand: LBJ was iced out of JFK’s Camelot; Dwight Eisenhower, asked about Richard Nixon’s contribution near the end of his two terms in the White House, said, “Give me a week, and I’ll think of one.”

To this day, choosing a running mate remains an explicitly political decision. But, more than most people realize, it is, above all, a very personal choice. A ticket’s chemistry is among the most important (if underappreciated) factors in determining electoral success. More importantly, vice presidents now wield real power in the West Wing. For that reason, my bet is that however much his choice helps him politically, Joe Biden, a former vice president himself, will select the person he admires most, trusts most deeply and gets along with best.

The present job was forged in 1992, when Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton made the unlikely choice to run with someone from the state next door. Tennessee Sen. Al Gore turned out to be a political asset because he underscored Clinton’s moderate, Southern, “New Democrat” credentials. Voters could see that the two men, and their spouses, had genuinely come to like each other, though they had different interests and skill sets.

Few of us involved in the vetting process at the time understood how important that personal connection would be. Throughout the first meeting Clinton held on whom to pick, convened in Tallahassee, he clutched a copy of Gore’s book “Earth in the Balance.” Over the course of the following weeks, names came on and off Clinton’s list. Despite broad expectations that Clinton would “balance” the ticket somehow, Clinton’s respect for Gore’s intellect ensured that his name remained — the only constant in the group.

After the election, that bond became even more important. Clinton brought Gore into every important decision. During the government shutdown of 1995, House Speaker Newt Gingrich was pushing Clinton to accede to big cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and the president’s pollster, Dick Morris, was urging Clinton to cave. Gore stood alone with Clinton in the Oval Office as they decided to reject Morris’s advice. That proved to be the right call: Voters blamed Republicans for shutting down the government in pursuit of their heartless agenda, and the standoff turned the political tide for much of the next six years.

The lack of a personal bond can unravel a ticket. Arizona Sen. John McCain’s decision to nominate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2008 briefly put a scare in some old Democratic hands. Palin, a newcomer, checked all the right boxes — young, female, reliably conservative. But she was entirely out of sync with McCain’s persona and message. Within two weeks of her boffo introduction at the GOP convention in Saint Paul, she ran afoul of McCain’s politics and personality and quickly became a drag on the ticket.

Biden was an effective vice president because President Barack Obama trusted his political judgment. At a final auto bailout meeting convened in the Roosevelt Room, the president’s economic and political teams were largely at odds. Some believed we should let GM and Chrysler go bankrupt — others recommended a bailout for GM alone. Biden, himself a blue-collar kid from Scranton, Pa., understood the impact shuttered plants could have on a community, and argued persuasively that if Washington was going to be in for a penny it should go in for a pound by saving Chrysler as well. He was right on the merits — and his standing with the president helped steer the administration in the right direction.

When Biden is president, his toughest days will be those where policy and politics are in conflict. He will need to trust the judgment of his vice president to help him steer the country through. The good news for this year’s Democratic nominee is that the women he will consider have a lot to offer his ticket politically. Each promises to strengthen his standing among a specific demographic or, in other cases, in a crucial region. But only Biden can measure the personal chemistry that will help him convince the country the two people on the ticket can work together to manage the many challenges ahead.

Picking a running mate is a bit like picking a partner or even a spouse. “Balance” has a lot to recommend it. But outside appearances are far less important than underlying trust.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...-admires-most/

05.09.2020, 10:59 PM	#44
!@#$%! invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: mars attacks Posts: 42,464	Opinions Why Joe Biden’s VP will be the person he trusts and admires the most By Rahm Emanuel May 9, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. MDT Rahm Emanuel is a former mayor of Chicago, White House chief of staff and Democratic congressman from Illinois. For most of our history, vice presidents have been chosen to help bring “balance” to a ticket, uniting a party divided by ideology or geography ahead of the general election. As a result, most vice presidents have been little more than window dressing. Two men who went on to be president learned this firsthand: LBJ was iced out of JFK’s Camelot; Dwight Eisenhower, asked about Richard Nixon’s contribution near the end of his two terms in the White House, said, “Give me a week, and I’ll think of one.” To this day, choosing a running mate remains an explicitly political decision. But, more than most people realize, it is, above all, a very personal choice. A ticket’s chemistry is among the most important (if underappreciated) factors in determining electoral success. More importantly, vice presidents now wield real power in the West Wing. For that reason, my bet is that however much his choice helps him politically, Joe Biden, a former vice president himself, will select the person he admires most, trusts most deeply and gets along with best. The present job was forged in 1992, when Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton made the unlikely choice to run with someone from the state next door. Tennessee Sen. Al Gore turned out to be a political asset because he underscored Clinton’s moderate, Southern, “New Democrat” credentials. Voters could see that the two men, and their spouses, had genuinely come to like each other, though they had different interests and skill sets. Few of us involved in the vetting process at the time understood how important that personal connection would be. Throughout the first meeting Clinton held on whom to pick, convened in Tallahassee, he clutched a copy of Gore’s book “Earth in the Balance.” Over the course of the following weeks, names came on and off Clinton’s list. Despite broad expectations that Clinton would “balance” the ticket somehow, Clinton’s respect for Gore’s intellect ensured that his name remained — the only constant in the group. After the election, that bond became even more important. Clinton brought Gore into every important decision. During the government shutdown of 1995, House Speaker Newt Gingrich was pushing Clinton to accede to big cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and the president’s pollster, Dick Morris, was urging Clinton to cave. Gore stood alone with Clinton in the Oval Office as they decided to reject Morris’s advice. That proved to be the right call: Voters blamed Republicans for shutting down the government in pursuit of their heartless agenda, and the standoff turned the political tide for much of the next six years. The lack of a personal bond can unravel a ticket. Arizona Sen. John McCain’s decision to nominate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2008 briefly put a scare in some old Democratic hands. Palin, a newcomer, checked all the right boxes — young, female, reliably conservative. But she was entirely out of sync with McCain’s persona and message. Within two weeks of her boffo introduction at the GOP convention in Saint Paul, she ran afoul of McCain’s politics and personality and quickly became a drag on the ticket. Biden was an effective vice president because President Barack Obama trusted his political judgment. At a final auto bailout meeting convened in the Roosevelt Room, the president’s economic and political teams were largely at odds. Some believed we should let GM and Chrysler go bankrupt — others recommended a bailout for GM alone. Biden, himself a blue-collar kid from Scranton, Pa., understood the impact shuttered plants could have on a community, and argued persuasively that if Washington was going to be in for a penny it should go in for a pound by saving Chrysler as well. He was right on the merits — and his standing with the president helped steer the administration in the right direction. When Biden is president, his toughest days will be those where policy and politics are in conflict. He will need to trust the judgment of his vice president to help him steer the country through. The good news for this year’s Democratic nominee is that the women he will consider have a lot to offer his ticket politically. Each promises to strengthen his standing among a specific demographic or, in other cases, in a crucial region. But only Biden can measure the personal chemistry that will help him convince the country the two people on the ticket can work together to manage the many challenges ahead. Picking a running mate is a bit like picking a partner or even a spouse. “Balance” has a lot to recommend it. But outside appearances are far less important than underlying trust. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...-admires-most/
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