In the current climate of “race before everything else,” it seems likely that Joe Biden, the presumptive Democrat nominee for president, will be pressured into picking a black woman for his running mate. But according to some black Democrats, there’s at least one white woman that might also be an “acceptable” choice — Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren.
We already know that Biden will pick a woman to be his running mate after he pledged to pick a female during his last debate with Bernie Sanders on March 15. In the chaotic last few weeks following the death of Minneapolis criminal George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, speculation has run rampant that Biden will pick a black woman in a move to shore up his shaky support in the black community.
But his support among so-called progressives is shaky as well. And Warren is one of the extreme left’s favorite candidates.
“There needs to be a certain energy brought to the campaign and she has a different kind of energy,” said Wisconsin lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes — the first black female to hold that post. “Areas where Biden would have difficulty communicating, I think that’s a gap she could close…. I look at groups of Black voters that coalesced around her…. I think that [she] is the strongest case for a consensus candidate.”
That ability to garner support among black voters makes Warren “acceptable” in the eyes of some. “Warren is certainly the most acceptable white candidate that could be chosen,” said Steve Phillips, the founder of Democracy in Color — a race based, far-left political organization.
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When Phillips was asked to create a petition demanding that Biden choose a “woman of color” to be his running mate, he claimed that several activists refused to sign on because Warren would be eliminated from contention.
“I think her brand of large scale does also speak to the moment in terms of people demanding significant reforms within the country,” Phillips added.
There are also significant problems with some of the black women said to be under consideration for the VP spot. Kamala Harris, the junior senator from California, is a former prosecutor, which doesn’t jibe well with the current “defund the police” crowd. Even worse is Florida congresswoman Val Demings, who was once the Orlando police chief and who served in law enforcement for 27 years.
Stacy Abrams, the Georgia gubernatorial loser who has actively campaigned for the VP spot, is not considered a serious candidate by Biden insiders.
Also reportedly being considered for the VP nod are former Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Latina. But none of these women bring the name recognition or the extreme left-wing bona fides of Warren.
This leaves the door ajar for the Massachusetts senator, who has already proven herself a willing surrogate for Biden. The two former rivals for the nomination are said to speak quite often and on Monday Warren raised an impressive $6 million for the Biden campaign with a virtual fundraiser.
“I think she’s still totally viable,” said Nelini Stamp of the left-wing Working Families Party, which endorsed Warren in the primary. “Warren is one of the folks whose been talking about big structural change. And when we’re thinking about re-imagining public safety that is something that’s going to require some actual structural change.”
And despite some policy differences, Warren has a soft spot for Biden. After Warren’s brother died from coronavirus in April, Biden reached out to Warren and “told funny stories that made me laugh in a way that reminds us of all the good times that we have had with someone we have loved and lost.”
“He offered me kindness and comfort at a time when I needed some kindness and comfort,” Warren said. “Because that’s the kind of man Joe Biden is.”
Warren has been front and center during the resurrection of the Black Lives Matter movement, joining protesters outside the White House earlier this month, along with her husband and dog. She has called for the banning of choke holds by police. She has introduced legislation calling for the removal of all Confederate names and symbols from American military facilities.
Even race hustler Jesse Jackson has admitted that Warren is “in the mix” for the VP slot, although he would prefer Biden choose an black woman for the role.
Still, there are issues with Warren as the vice-president as far as the Democrats are concerned. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is the Republican governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker. If Biden and Warren were to be elected, Baker would be the one choosing her replacement as a senator, at least until a special election could be held sometime in 2021. With the Senate expected to be extremely tight after this years elections, Biden may not want to take the chance of losing that one seat, even temporarily.
Image: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
James Murphy is a freelance journalist who writes on a variety of subjects, with a primary focus on the ongoing anthropogenic climate-change hoax and cultural issues. He can be reached a [email protected].
