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Briggs: Pete Buttigieg is Kamala Harris' best VP option
James Briggs, Indianapolis StarThu, August 1, 2024 at 3:04 AM PDT
Buttigieg is not just captivating audiences. He's delivering a kind, optimistic vision for America through quick wit and mastery of issues and history. He's making policy substance more entertaining than any Democrat has since Bill Clinton. That is a rare and precious skill set. If Harris is overlooking Buttigieg, then she is missing an opportunity to strengthen her campaign and set Democrats up for the future.
……….. snip
There are concerns over whether Buttigieg, a gay man, would be too challenging to voters' prejudices on the same ticket as Harris, a Black woman. These concerns fall into the same-old tired veepstakes conversations, particularly on the Democratic side, about finding ideological, geographical, racial and gender balances between presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Democrats get too far inside their own heads with identity politics. Former President Barack Obama won two terms while running as a Black man with a name that evoked both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. He didn't overcome those challenges because he put Biden on the ticket to smooth things out. He got there through his own sheer talent. Obama campaigned with charisma and appealed to Americans' hopes and dreams. Voters responded.
Buttigieg is on TV and social media demonstrating those same skills that have won elections before. There's no candidate who could run a better campaign for vice president than Buttigieg. Harris shouldn't pass up dynamism for the sake of adding generic balance.
……….. snip
There are concerns over whether Buttigieg, a gay man, would be too challenging to voters' prejudices on the same ticket as Harris, a Black woman. These concerns fall into the same-old tired veepstakes conversations, particularly on the Democratic side, about finding ideological, geographical, racial and gender balances between presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Democrats get too far inside their own heads with identity politics. Former President Barack Obama won two terms while running as a Black man with a name that evoked both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. He didn't overcome those challenges because he put Biden on the ticket to smooth things out. He got there through his own sheer talent. Obama campaigned with charisma and appealed to Americans' hopes and dreams. Voters responded.
Buttigieg is on TV and social media demonstrating those same skills that have won elections before. There's no candidate who could run a better campaign for vice president than Buttigieg. Harris shouldn't pass up dynamism for the sake of adding generic balance.
https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/columnists/james-briggs/2024/08/01/kamala-harris-vp-pick-pete-buttigieg/74603394007/
8 replies
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But they're all amazing, so I won't complain. 
There's always cabinet positions and agency heads that can help a Harris administration succeed!