Joe Biden Says ‘Yes’ Michigan’s Whitmer Still in VP Hunt, But Is She Really?
Former Vice President Joe Biden raised eyebrows with recent comments about the veepstakes, including by telling reporter Rick Albin of WOOD TV’s News 8 that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is still under consideration to join the ticket.
The Democratic presidential nominee gave a trio of local interviews Tuesday, but got some national attention when Albin asked a parting question about Michigan’s place in the election and its governor’s prospects for joining Biden on the ticket.
“We’re going to run out of time so I’m going to combine these two questions: How important is Michigan as it plays out in your electoral strategy, and are you still considering Governor Gretchen Whitmer as a potential vice presidential candidate?” Albin asked.
“Incredibly, and yes,” Biden answered, eliciting a laugh from Albin.
That answer generated headlines, as well as consternation on social media from people who would prefer a different candidate, and/or who see 2020 as the wrong year for an all-white Democratic ticket.
Not getting enough attention, however, is Albin’s follow-up question and Biden’s answer.
“Would you expand on either of those?” Albin asked.
Biden responded, at length, about his plans to revive manufacturing through things like the electric vehicle market, and about the importance of Michigan, telling Albin that “my case is to the people of Michigan is that, in fact I think if they take a look at what’s at stake here in this election, it’s been even more clear with this pandemic and a national reckoning on race, we can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump.”
“And so Michigan is critical critical critical for me to be able to win,” he concluded, without a syllable of elaboration on Gov. Whitmer.
Biden received similar attention on Monday, when, as the very first guest on Joy Reid’s new show The ReidOut, he declined to promise a Black woman would be selected, but said there were four Black women under consideration.
That response generated some dismay, and a bit of analysis from MSNBC’s Howard Fineman, who saw the interview as a signal that Biden is leaning toward Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren:
.@JoeBiden, on @JoyAnnReid’s debut show on @MSNBC, made clear he isn’t necessarily going to pick a black woman as running mate. As if to suggest that such a move isn’t politically necessary, he noted he’d always had strong support among them. Bottom line: he’s thinking @ewarren.
— howardfineman (@howardfineman) July 20, 2020
After months of trying to get Biden to tip his hand, people are still trying to read into every answer he gives on this question, but giving little thought to the obvious facts on the ground.
Not just intangibles, like the incredible pressure that Biden is under to select a woman of color or the gale-force cultural winds blowing against an all-white ticket, or the necessity to show respect to accomplished women like Whitmer and Warren and their supporters by not foreclosing on their chances prematurely. Those are persuasive factors.
But the one fact that eludes analysis that shows Warren or Whitmer still having a shot is that Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar didn’t just shut down an all-white ticket in the most public way imaginable, she very likely did it with Joe Biden’s blessing.
In the face of an increasingly vocal lobbying effort from Warren supporters, Klobuchar went on MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell to withdraw herself from consideration and to urge Biden to select a woman of color — and as she told host Lawrence O’Donnell, she did so after sharing the same information in a personal phone call with Biden himself.
Is it possible that Biden told Klobuchar “NOOO! Don’t go on MSNBC and box me in like that!” but she did it anyway? Or that Biden has since thought maybe an all-white ticket is the best way to generate the turnout he’ll need to defeat President Donald Trump?
Anything is possible, but not everything is likely. Announcing he’s only considering Black women for running mate could potentially embitter supporters of other candidates who would feel their favorite wasn’t given a fair shake, but more importantly, it would blunt the impact of his eventual selection. You only get to announce your history-making ticket once.
Watch the clip above via WOOD TV’s News8, and the full interview here.
