Another day, another debate about which woman will be Joe Biden’s pick for Vice President, which is a game that I would personally prefer not to play, given how it resembles nothing more than The Bachelor—which is to say, a boring, drawn-out process where women are pitted against one another in the service of a man who doesn’t deserve any of them. But unlike The Bachelor and its impressive record of broken engagements, whoever Biden chooses will likely be his successor if he (please God) wins in November. So, unfortunately, this “Veepstakes” demands, if not your attention, then at the very least mine.
For a time, it looked like it might be Stacey Abrams, who has vocally and refreshingly made her desire to be VP known; last week, Elizabeth Warren was floated as the favorite pick of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. But according to Politico, it is Senator Kamala Harris who has lately risen to the top.
More, from Politico:
Biden and Harris have spoken privately several times, and a growing contingent of operatives inside and around the presumptive Democratic nominee’s campaign have been making it clear they want her as his pick. Influential donors are joining in the push, seeing the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica as the most logical choice to balance a ticket led by a white man in his late 70s. Some of the party’s biggest benefactors, including those who went months rarely hearing from Harris, said they have seen an uptick in contacts from her and people on her behalf.
As the New York Times wrote, Harris is trying to appeal to Biden’s more conservative instincts by “taking the conventional, low-key route to being considered for vice president, rather than appearing to deliberately audition, with the hope that this approach more closely suits a traditionalist like Mr. Biden.” But that “does not mean she isn’t privately maneuvering,” the Times noted. Harris is facing some competition from Warren’s camp, however, which is angling for her to, um, make it through the hometown episode and on to the finale. Via Politico:
Warren’s supporters are pitching her inside Biden’s camp as a governing choice who could unite the party by exciting liberals and younger voters while bringing to bear her skills as a small-dollar fundraiser. Harris’ allies and donors point to her comparative youth, her ability to energize voters of color in key states and what they believe would be a seamless rapport between her and Biden, with little ideological daylight.
I do not know enough about The Bachelor to really continue this metaphor in a way that does it justice, but dude, just give one of them the damn rose already and put us out of our misery.
After Mike Pence’s aide and the wife of Stephen Miller, Katie Miller, tested positive for covid-19, all staff working in the White House’s West Wing have been ordered to mask up when they go to work.
This directive comes about three months too late, and as the Washington Post reports, it does not apply to Donald Trump, who “is unlikely to wear a mask or face covering,” due possibly out of concern that his orange foundation or spray tan will rub off, leaving his face even more mottled than it currently is.
- South Dakota’s Republican Governor Kristi Noem is very upset the leaders of the Oglala Sioux and the Cheyenne River Sioux have taken action to prevent the spread of covid-19 on their reservations, which I’m assuming they’ve done since Noem has done next to nothing. [The Guardian]
- You’d think it would be easy to ban guns inside Michigan’s state capitol building, but it is not in fact an easy process! [NBC News]
- Pete Navarro continues to blame China for everything.
- This is incredibly fucked up: Tiffany Mofield, a 43-year-old woman incarcerated at a prison in New Jersey, died from covid-19. Shortly before she died, Mofield had to beg officials to let her out of a locked shower, reportedly saying “she could not breathe.” [The Intercept]
- Aimee Stephens may not live to see the results of her Supreme Court case.
- A case centering on whether teachers fired from religious schools can sue their former employers for discrimination was heard at the Supreme Court. The answer should be of course, but what do I know! [CNN]
- Don Jr. doesn’t actually read Jezebel.