White, certainly. I don't think male/female would really matter.
VPs are always some form of DEI hire. Their appeal to sectors that the candidate is weaker on always dominates over merit.
I strongly disagree with that first sentence. I'm not saying that it should be this way, but I can't imagine a two women ticket for POTUS working well. At least, not in this generation.
The other part I completely agree with. Upthread, someone said that Harris was not the best candidate for the job, Biden just picked her for her race and gender. That's stupid. She's smart, credentialed, and has excellent character. She's got experience, and now has a few White House years under her belt. She's well under age 70. Her sex and gender are useful but secondary criteria.
Tom
How dare you bring nuance into this!
Was Harris picked entirely because of her race/gender? No, because if this were the only qualification, literally any black or mixed race woman would do. Some campaign staffer. A chef in a restaurant where a campaign chief liked to eat, etc. Did Biden make a
strategic decision informed by political reality? I think that would be a fair assessment. The campaign had to appeal to black and women voters. Was Walz picked entirely because he's a white male? No, because if that were the only qualification, someone like "Joe the Plumber" (remember him?) would have been just as good. No, both Harris and Walz were very qualified people picked because - among the most qualified - they were able to balance out the ticket and appeal to a broad demographic. As you said, their race and gender are secondary criteria. It was a political decision, not a "DEI hire."
Now let's move onto the other side of the aisle, shall we? Pence was chosen - among the many white male contenders - because he appealed to the evangelical base of the GOP...a demographic that Trump completely owns now, but back in 2016 it was thought that a guy who hadn't seen the inside of a church since he was scouting out one to knock down and put a hi rise over might not be a good fit for the God Squad. Turns out evangelicals don't care about multiple wives and multiple affairs with porn stars. Who knew?
Vance? He's definitely not a DEI pick. His relative lack of qualifications has been mentioned, but it bears repeating that the only reason he's a Senator in the first place is because of very wealthy backers. It's also absurd to say he "balances" the GOP ticket in any way. He's a younger white male, but that's hardly a new thing for them. It seems the reason he was picked is two-fold. One, he's shown a willingness to abandon whatever opinion he previously held of Trump and bend the knee to Dear Leader. Two, he's proven that there's nothing too outrageous for him to say. No lie to big, no lie too small, no attack too vicious, and no excuse too outrageous. He's Trump's little attack dog.
Now, is that smart politics? Vance's approval ratings are slightly below the bottom of the toilet bowl. His appearances are laughably small, and lately when he wants to go into a shop to "mingle with the common folk" he gets shut out. And maybe that, too, is another reason he was chosen. For all his vicious yapping, he's not a threat to Herr Trump. Pence famously defied his boss when he was ordered to toss out the electoral votes. This time around, Trump was looking for someone he could push around, and Vance is that man.
Which makes it even more astonishing that the race is even close at this point. One of the things voters should consider when choosing a ticket is whether or not the VP would be able to step in and become President should something happen. While I've never been a big fan of Harris, I'm sure she's more than qualified for that job. Vance?
Shudder.
But seriously, her demographics, generalized ambition, and encourage higher turnout.
