Octopus Overlords

Who's gonna be Kamala's Veep? So did some research and found the hot names and consensus shortlist. Added an other category in case there is someone who you folks found credible but not on the list.

I want it to be Pete and for her to win. I want it to be Pete and for her to win. I want it to be Pete and for her to win. I want it to be Pete and for her to win. So I chose Shapiro. *sigh*

I voted for Kelly. My personal choice would be Whitmer or Buttigieg, but those would probably not be smart.

Kelly checks the most boxes. As a bonus, even though I haven't updated the US Space Policy thread in a very long time, that's my own pet issue, and Kelly would be the best advocate for NASA. I don't think Biden or Harris have any personal interest in our space program, TFG can't begin to understand it, and Vance...well, I think he's irrelevant until trump dies.

Kraken wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 3:49 pm Kelly checks the most boxes.

Not mine. He voted to end the federal transportation mask mandate - one of a few Democrats to do so. Am I petty enough to point this out over a single issue? Yes. Would it stop me for voting for them in November? Absolutely not.

My heart wants Buttigieg. I voted Kelly because he's a distinguished white male officer holder not part of any minority group that I am aware of who I don't know anything bad about currently.

I would be happy with any of these choices.

Whitmer and Buttigieg are the most exciting to me, but I do see the risk of running a black woman and a gay man or running two women. America isn't yet the America liberals want. (Footnote: in a decent timeline, both of these people are future presidents.)

I know very little about Roy Cooper. I think Andy Beshear should stay in KY, where he has somehow perfected the secret sauce of winning as a Dem there.

I think Pritzker and Walz are excellent surrogates, but they somehow seem more like traditional white guys in suits. I'm not sure that they add to the excitement of the ticket.

The most probable choice comes down to Kelly or Shapiro. I think Kelly would be a great choice (astronaut!), but VPs are expected to provide regional balance, and a Harris/Kelly ticket is a far-West thing. Shapiro would be good in the role, and (as a Jew) he adds to the broad-mindedness of the ticket. But he also has a kind of buttoned-down quality to him. Between these I prefer Kelly.

If the vote is about what excites me, I choose Buttigieg. If it's about what seems most likely, I choose Shapiro or Kelly.

Interesting side point: if Shapiro become VP then Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis becomes Governor until 2027.

Davis is the first African-American Lt. Gov in PA history, and he is also the youngest Lt. Gov ever elected in the US. (He's currently 34.)

He's solidly liberal but relatively unknown, since the Lt. Gov is not a high-profile position here.

Roy Cooper's too boring. He's been a fine governor, and moderate enough to appeal to both sides, but he doesn't have any real charisma. I feel like he would be a drain on the excitement that Kamala has generated. He's 67 years old, and she really needs someone a bit younger and energetic IMO. I don't have anything bad to say about his leadership; he listens to experts on policy decisions rather than party leaders, and I think he genuinely does try to keep the state between the lines of the two party extremes. But he's about as exciting as watching golf reruns.

I thought Kelly would be problematic due to strategy re: losing a seat? We can't afford someone on the ticket that might give it a slight bump, just to lose the Senate.

Carpet_pissr wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 6:35 pm I thought Kelly would be problematic due to strategy re: losing a seat? We can't afford someone on the ticket that might give it a slight bump, just to lose the Senate.

I dont know AZ's laws specifically. However, there is D governor [ Hobbs I believe] in place there and Kelly's seat is up in 26. So my thinking is that the Governor will appoint someone to fill in the remaining time in that seat in January 25. Then have a new election in '26. That's the normal process. The big thing is a D is in governor's house.

Additional note: maybe the "regional balance" thing no longer matters very much.

Clinton/Gore was an Arkansas/Tennessee ticket, a completely Southern thing. (Won election twice.)

Obama/Biden was Illinois/Delaware, which is *barely* diverse geographically. (Won election twice.)

Clinton/Kaine was New York/Virginia, which again are separate but not all that much. (Won the popular vote.)

I don't think Pence's geographical position really did anything for Trump/Pence 2016. It was all about ideology and Evangelical commitment.

Biden/Harris 2020 was bi-coastal, but I don't think that was a major issue in an election that was a referendum on Trump.

Walz is fairly popular in MN; i know my dad said he would be loathe to lose him as governor. maybe if Harris picked him, they could put Al Franken in - the governor's seat this time... (still think Franken got a raw deal)

I agree that regional identity doesn't matter as much as it used to. Demographics are more important. Harris is surging with youngsters and people of color but she's losing old white people, and both parties need us to win. Harris's smart pick will be a moderate white man from a swing state. Pennsylvania has the most electoral votes and that puts it top of list. But I'm sticking with Kelly's astronaut star power. He would keep the excitement building.

Kraken wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:24 pm Pennsylvania has the most electoral votes and that puts it top of list.

Can't help but think that once again, the nation will be watching PA in November. I don't know if naming their Governor will help (a little, a lot, at all), but here we are.

Kraken wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:24 pm I agree that regional identity doesn't matter as much as it used to. Demographics are more important. Harris is surging with youngsters and people of color but she's losing old white people, and both parties need us to win. Harris's smart pick will be a moderate white man from a swing state. Pennsylvania has the most electoral votes and that puts it top of list. But I'm sticking with Kelly's astronaut star power. He would keep the excitement building.

Serious question - is Shapiro being Jewish (and having a very Jewish name) an electoral minus, at least as to key swing states? I wouldn't worry about that so much on its own, but paired with Harris being Indian / African-American and a woman, I worry that adding a Jewish guy to the ticket is going to make the whole ticket look too different from "real America" for voters who are not full MAGA but who have MAGA sympathies.

El Guapo wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 11:35 pm

Kraken wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:24 pm I agree that regional identity doesn't matter as much as it used to. Demographics are more important. Harris is surging with youngsters and people of color but she's losing old white people, and both parties need us to win. Harris's smart pick will be a moderate white man from a swing state. Pennsylvania has the most electoral votes and that puts it top of list. But I'm sticking with Kelly's astronaut star power. He would keep the excitement building.

Serious question - is Shapiro being Jewish (and having a very Jewish name) an electoral minus, at least as to key swing states? I wouldn't worry about that so much on its own, but paired with Harris being Indian / African-American and a woman, I worry that adding a Jewish guy to the ticket is going to make the whole ticket look too different from "real America" for voters who are not full MAGA but who have MAGA sympathies.

Harris has a Jewish husband...a Jewish running mate might be one Jew too far, but your guess is probably better than mine.

Kraken wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 11:46 pm

El Guapo wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 11:35 pm

Kraken wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 10:24 pm I agree that regional identity doesn't matter as much as it used to. Demographics are more important. Harris is surging with youngsters and people of color but she's losing old white people, and both parties need us to win. Harris's smart pick will be a moderate white man from a swing state. Pennsylvania has the most electoral votes and that puts it top of list. But I'm sticking with Kelly's astronaut star power. He would keep the excitement building.

Serious question - is Shapiro being Jewish (and having a very Jewish name) an electoral minus, at least as to key swing states? I wouldn't worry about that so much on its own, but paired with Harris being Indian / African-American and a woman, I worry that adding a Jewish guy to the ticket is going to make the whole ticket look too different from "real America" for voters who are not full MAGA but who have MAGA sympathies.

Harris has a Jewish husband...a Jewish running mate might be one Jew too far...

I concur. I think hubby is enough to make the kosher contingent relax.

I don't see Pritzker, but he does bring funding. He spent $350M of his own money to win and keep the governorship. He'd easily drop that much to be the VP.

hitbyambulance wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 9:52 pm Walz is fairly popular in MN; i know my dad said he would be loathe to lose him as governor. maybe if Harris picked him, they could put Al Franken in - the governor's seat this time... (still think Franken got a raw deal)

I'm liking Walz more and more after seeing him dismantle DonOld and Couch Potato on Fox no less. And Franken for governor would be sweet.

Isgrimnur wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 1:22 am

I sense the intersection - but I'm not following the actually zinger there.

Unagi wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 9:27 am

Isgrimnur wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 1:22 am

I sense the intersection - but I'm not following the actually zinger there.

Ask Jim Harbaugh about leaving Michigan.

I assume this is standard practice and part of a big complaint about how the player portal works where coaches promise to stay and then leave after signing players. Players want that same right after committing if the reason for their commitment changes.

LordMortis wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 9:32 am

Unagi wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 9:27 am

Isgrimnur wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 1:22 am

I sense the intersection - but I'm not following the actually zinger there.

Ask Jim Harbaugh about leaving Michigan.

Okay, so it's just as simple as: "not leaving Michigan" just means - "make me an offer".

It also means what they say is meaningless when it comes to commitments (and Gretchen "fix the damned roads" "Do not travel during COVID" among many other things Whitmer is no exception). Wasn't DeSantis committed to being governor of Florida the day before he threw his hat in the ring for a presidential bid?

While she's a flat out bad governor, Benson is great. And she's still leagues above the whatever rises from the gases of the other side.

Okay, I just wasn't sure if there was some claim that she couldn't win without cheating baked into the joke.

ILB in...

Liz Truss
October 19, 2023: "I am a fighter and not a quitter."
October 20th, 2023: "I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party. ... "I will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen. Thank you."

LordMortis wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 9:40 am ILB in...

Yes, well, you see . . . Harbaugh was an exception to the rule on this. He refused to deny he was looking, and apparently told recruits he was looking, which is one of the reasons Michigan's recruiting wasn't quite at the elite level of other schools competing for titles. So he would go about looking for a job in the NFL at the end of the year refusing to say that he was staying. Then he'd (until last year) not get a job and confirm that he was staying and that he'd love to retire at Michigan. Then the next year he'd do it again.

The tweet is referring to the more typical pattern where Saban at LSU says he's not going anywhere and then the next week takes the Miami Dolphins job. That example is so notorious that I think most coaches now refuse to answer questions on the topic now instead of denying interest elsewhere.

Still better than Tuberville.

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2024 10:47 am Oh, and Tuberville can go fuck himself.

It's definitely more general, not Michigan specific. They always say they're not leaving. Until they leave. If they say they're considering leaving, it will hurt recruiting which would hurt them if they end up staying. So better to just say they aren't leaving and hedge all bets.

ImLawBoy wrote: Mon Jul 29, 2024 11:12 am The tweet is referring to the more typical pattern where Saban at LSU says he's not going anywhere and then the next week takes the Miami Dolphins job. That example is so notorious that I think most coaches now refuse to answer questions on the topic now instead of denying interest elsewhere.

That after he bailed on MSU before their Bowl Game to go to LSU for 2x salary.

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Jul 29, 2024 11:43 am Still better than Tuberville.

Isgrimnur wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2024 10:47 am Oh, and Tuberville can go fuck himself.

Well Tuberville seems to be an enormous asshole in general.

I changed my vote - the more I learn about Tim Walz the more I like him.

Stuff like this

Tim Walz was an enlisted soldier in the Minnesota National Guard in 1999 and defensive coordinator of the Mankato West High School football team. A student at the school, where Walz taught geography, wanted to start a gay-straight alliance.

This was three years after the president, a Democrat, signed a law forbidding same-sex marriage. Soldiers suspected of being gay in Walz’s own unit could be discharged from the military. But Walz, now Minnesota’s Democratic candidate for governor, had seen the bullying some students endured and agreed to be the group’s faculty adviser.

“It really needed to be the football coach, who was the soldier and was straight and was married,” Walz said. In other words, he would be a symbol that disparate worlds could coexist peacefully.

Every time I see him speak I feel like he's the right choice.

The Harris campaign is reminding Wall Street donors to make their contributions while they can, referring to a rule prohibiting contributions to campaigns with sitting governors.

Changed my vote to Walz.

I still want Buttigieg, though I doubt that will be the choice.

I mentioned it in her thread (forgetting we had this one), but I am firmly in the camp that believes Walz should be the VP. There's just something about his presence on camera - he comes off being very relatable and absolute has some element of "former school teacher" with how he speaks and carries himself.

It's increasingly looking like Shapiro.

Harris is about to kick off a tour of swing states, accompanied by whoever is her VP choice, and the first stop is Philadelphia.

Shapiro also had a series of independent fund-raiser events scheduled which he has just cancelled. This would be consistent with a new schedule where he pairs with Harris.

I heard an interview with Tim Walz on Pod Save America and I think he’d be fantastic.


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They're all good choices. I don't have a strong favorite. All political calculations aside, Harris will pick whoever she's most comfortable working with.