Good column on HRC's "leaked" list of VP choices

[Fla Dem]

Last edited Fri Jun 17, 2016, 01:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Not going to post all the comments; pro and con, you can read them yourself if you're so inclined. But here's the list.

Vox
Dylan Matthews on June 16, 2016, 5:00 p.m. ET

Hillary Clinton’s VP shortlist has leaked. Here are the pros and cons of each.

1) Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
2) Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
3) Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
4) Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro
5) Labor Secretary Tom Perez
6) Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
7) Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
8) Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
9) Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/16/11954878/hillary-clinton-vice-president-veepstakes

My pick: Sherrod Brown

[BlueCaliDem]

1. My pick: Julian Castro. To remove Sherrod Brown is to have the Repub Gov choose his

placement, and Hillary will need a strong Democratic Senate when she's president.

Besides, Julian is not in the Senate, so we don't lose a Dem there, and he can even deliver Texas and maybe even up to 85% of the Latino vote (excluding Cubans, of course).

[Fla Dem]

3. Agree with everything you state.

The biggest drawback to Brown is the short term and potentially long term loss of a Democratic senate seat. But overall I think he is the most seasoned, pugnatious and experienced person to take over the presidency should the need arise.

Julian Castro would be an extremely attractive candidate from the standpoint of the Latino vote and just for the groundbreaking event of having a Latino on the Presidential ticket.

Having said that, I just think he's too inexperienced and would be eaten alive in the general election campaign. Additionally he is in no way ready to assume the presidency if he had to.

Here's what they say about him in the column.

The case for picking him: Castro is everything Clinton is not. She’s white; he’s Mexican-American, an ideal person to counter Trump’s racist fearmongering about immigration and calls to build a wall. She’d be the second-oldest president to ever be inaugurated; he's a mere 41. She’s a Northerner, her time in Arkansas aside; he’s from Texas, which, if Trump really flames out and Latino turnout rises dramatically, could be in play this year.

Plus, for someone whose highest elected office was mayor of San Antonio, Castro has had a surprisingly big national profile, and speculation that he might be on a future Democratic ticket has swirled for years.

He’s also got nowhere else to go but national. Texas isn’t quite blue enough to elect a Democrat governor or senator, and Castro's twin brother, Joaquín Castro, has already won a House seat in the district he’d have run in. That helps explain why Obama picked him for HUD in the first place: to give him the kind of role that would prepare him for national politics.

The case against picking him: Even with the Cabinet position, Castro simply is not qualified to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. Mayor of San Antonio is just not a very powerful position. The city runs on a council-manager system, where the appointed city manager actually wields executive power while the mayor serves as a glorified council member and has a kind of bully pulpit.

And the city itself is limited in its powers relative to Bexar County. When Castro was mayor, it was a part-time job paying $3,000 a year plus $20 a council session. It’s fine to have a part-time job, but it doesn’t really prepare you for the presidency.

Nor has Castro really proven himself at HUD. For one thing, despite the name, HUD doesn't really control federal housing policy, which mostly happens through the tax code. Under him, HUD has issued a couple of worthy new policies, including new fair housing rules and a ban on smoking in public housing, but it’s not clear how much Castro was behind them or whether another secretary would have done exactly the same. He has at the same time taken considerable flak from progressive groups for selling bad mortgages HUD acquired to Wall Street.

Overall, picking Castro would look like Clinton selecting a Dan Quayle–like lightweight, who lacks the requisite policy knowledge and experience to assume the presidency should something happen to her.

They all have +/-. It's going to be interesting to see who she picks.

[Cha]

10. Maybe even some Cubanos who don't like Trump!

BlueCali~

[whatthehey]

2. Not keen on losing the seat. Perez has decent upside and lowest downside IMO.

[1StrongBlackMan]

5. That was my assessment, as well.

[1StrongBlackMan]

4. Very interesting read.

[lunamagica]

6. My pick: Xavier Becerra. I was for Julian Castro, but he needs more experience. I think

Rep. Becerra brings the same positives Julian does, but he is ready, and he speaks perfect Spanish, which I think is a big plus

[TeamPooka]

7. Warren. We can replace her in the Senate quickly because MA, unlike OH has to hold a special

election to replace her and electing Democratic Senators is a good bet in MA.
Except for Brown, my real first choice but we can't lose that seat, (Kasich would appoint himself probably) everyone else is too inexperienced or too much baggage.

[displacedtexan]

9. Castro's lack of experience can be excused due to three little words...

1. George
2. W.
3. Bush

[SaschaHM]

11. or

1. Donald.
2. J.
3. Trump.

[Walk away]

12. I'm for Tim Kaine....Swing State, fluent Spanish and they are friends.

And he helps with our biggest need. White males.

[SaschaHM]

13. Where is Bernie Sanders?

The outrage!