Thread by @kurteichenwald

I like @SenAmyKlobuchar a lot. She's tough & smart, & an excellent senator. But I truly hope that @JoeBiden does not choose her as his VP. She is the wrong choice for this time and place. I had the same response when Clinton picked @timkaine - great senator, the wrong VP choice.

...people are asking my choice for @JoeBiden VP. Not like my opinion matters, but let me list first why I dont support others:

1. @ewarren: Many reasons why I believe she is the wrong choice: Biden has a responsibility for using the post to build a younger "A" team of dems.../1

...and warren comes in with the same issue Biden has: Age. At the end of a Biden 1st term, she will be 74. We simply have to have someone who can be the lead in the next generation. Second, if she leaves her Senate seat, the chance of losing it to the GOP is higher than many.../2

...without the senate, Biden will accomplish little because the GOP is no longer about governance, but team. Warren is also too powerful a senator -she is needed in the senate and, if not, in a position where she can apply her deep knowledge of corporate and securities law to../3

...help regular Americans.

2. @staceyabrams. No. Trump, if he loses, leaves behind a government and international relations that are shattered beyond recognition. Abrams is impressive, but this is not her time. She needs at least one national run on her own, something to.../4

...show she is ready to lead a nation and has the chops internationally to guide this country through extremely challenging times. We dont even know how she would perform in the glaring light of an national race yet. Too soon, not qualified enough..../5

...3. @AmbassadorRice Would be superb on international relations, but two problems: She also has not been under the glare of a national campaign, does not have much of a background on domestic, and, unfortunately, violates the "do no harm" approach to VPs. She is the..../6

...GOP boogieman and they will be able to trot out endless lies in the category of "Oh yah, I've heard that before." Unfortunately, the long-term lies will become the centerpiece and they will be on defense the whole time..../7

...4. Gretchen Whitmer, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Catherine Cortez Masto: All mentioned, all wrong. Again, no real national exposure, can't have a candidate when the voter response is "who?" No proof can handle the klieg lights of national campaign.../8

...So, where does that leave us? The person who is the obvious choice, the best choice, and the historic choice: @SenKamalaHarris @KamalaHarris.

Harris is tough. She is smart. She has a huge national persona. She will invigorate the ticket. She CAN be the future of the dems.../9

...she has done international work on various senate committees, her seat would not be lost, she has run in a national campaign.

But something more important that really was highlighted during her presidential run: She brings a personal background and life expereince that.../10

...is critical, now more than ever. The African American community brought @JoeBiden to the dance. The African American community is facing a huge threat as COVID more greatly impacts them than any other group. @KamalaHarris is a message of hope to a struggling community.../11

...that could not be more important than it is now. She has the youth, the chops, the background, the aggressiveness, and the historic importance. Now is the time.

Now, of course, there are those who say she should be AG. And what a total waste that would be. The AG needs.../12

...background in law/prosecution. @KamalaHarris has that. But to throw away all else she brings to the table simply for the AG job that could be filled by innumerable others? Just wrong

Think of AG's before Trump came along: Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Michael Mukasey.../13

...Alberto Gonzalez, Janet Reno, William French Smith, Benjamin Civiletti, Griffin Bell (yes, I skipped some). Some great, some terrible, but almost across the board - people most Americans had never heard of before. They were lawyers, prosecutors, judges. They did not have.../14

..or need a national reputation. Plus, there is a far better choice for AG: Preet Bharara.

So, my choices: @JoeBiden/@KamalaHarris
AG: Bharara.
State: Rice

So be smart Joe. Inspire. Klobuchar is a great senator, but she would be another Tim Kaine unforced error.

fin