Joe Biden seems to be leaning heavily toward running for president in 2020, having apparently convinced himself that he’s the only Democrat capable of beating President Trump. If he makes a run, he’ll bring some assets but also significant baggage. To overcome the latter, he should consider the unorthodox move of picking his vice presidential running mate as early as possible in the process.
As the former vice president to President Barack Obama, Biden would clearly be a formidable competitor for the Democratic nomination. He has near-universal name recognition; he’d have plenty of money and campaign talent; he could appeal to working class white voters; he has a reputation as a bare knuckles brawler who has literally talked about how he would have “beat the hell out of Trump” in high school; at the same time, his public grief over the tragic death of his son showed his softer side.
All of this said, he also has significant liabilities, especially as an old white male. By the time he’s sworn in, he’d be 78 — older than former President Ronald Reagan when he left office. Not only will age be a question, it’s also problematic when the Democratic base is demanding more diversity and new blood to reflect a demographically changing America. His decades of experience mean that he served as a Democrat during a time when attitudes toward race and gender were a lot different than they are today. He’s going to receive criticism for criminal justice stances that critics say fueled mass incarnation, while many liberals believe as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the 1991 confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas, he allowed male senators to bully accuser Anita Hill. This isn’t even to mention his propensity for gaffes.
Clearly, were he to capture the nomination, he’d want to pick somebody who brings youth and diversity to the ticket. But the question is, why wait?
It would benefit Biden considerably if he could deflect questions about his age or charges that he’s displayed retrograde views if he signals early that he plans to make sure the younger and more diverse generation is represented in his administration and that somebody exciting is waiting in the wings, especially if he were to serve one term. Sure, this could have the risk of backfiring by highlighting the age issue. But there is no real way he’s going to avoid age questions anyway.
It’s understandable that an ambitious young candidate who may have his or her own ambitions might be reluctant to sign off for the No. 2 slot when the Democratic nomination battle is so wide open and there’s reason to believe they have a shot at the presidency. Doing so could also send the signal that the Democratic Party thinks it needs a white male to be the leader, while relegating a female or minority candidate to a subservient position — a step backward from the election of Obama and nomination of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
At the same time, latching on to Biden early would allow that candidate to leapfrog over many other younger competitors and, given Biden’s age, perhaps clear the path to the Democratic nomination in 2024.
This may seem like an unorthodox maneuver, but in the age of Trump, politics doesn’t necessarily follow a normal path. In 2016, Sen. Ted Cruz picked Carly Fiorina as his running mate as part of a last gasp effort to defeat Trump in the Republican primary. While the gambit failed in that case, it was by that time seen as an act of desperation. There’s no reason why it couldn’t be an effective tactic — especially if Biden were to do so earlier, with more planning and deliberation, and less of a sense that he was tossing a Hail Mary.
