So, what’s the hold up, Joe Biden?
It’s starting to look like President Trump was correct after all to nickname the former vice president “Sleepy Joe.” Because he just can’t seem to get it together — as word dropped Saturday that the announcement of his female, veep pick was not forthcoming. What may end up being the pivotal decision of Biden’s general election campaign has once again been postponed from the promised, August 1st date. Actually, he promised to announce it before today’s date, but it’s a moot point now.
The campaign hasn’t finalized a date for naming a running mate, but three people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans said a public announcement likely wouldn’t happen before the week of Aug. 10. That’s one week before Democrats will hold their convention to officially nominate Biden as their presidential nominee.
Biden said in May that he hoped to name his pick around Aug. 1 and told reporters this week that he would “have a choice in the first week of August.” He notably stopped short of saying when he would announce that choice.
The late in the game decision will put the announcement just one week before the Democratic convention that will officially designate the pair as the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees.
Biden, 77, would become the oldest person ever elected president if he triumphs in November and many believe he would only serve one term. That combination of factors has injected particular urgency into the veepstakes as whoever is selected would become an instant 2024 frontrunner and potentially shape the party for years beyond.
In March, Biden promised to choose a woman for the job and since then may names have risen and fallen. Sen. Kamala Harris, Rep. Karen Bass, and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice are among the current finalists.
Joe Biden delays VP announcement another week https://t.co/QuS0Nfu6Cp pic.twitter.com/9zWjmY5B6L
— New York Post (@nypost) August 1, 2020
As the Post‘s finalist list shows, the race for the position has been stagnant since at least May or June. Only Rep. Bass’ name, which has been pushed by the likes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in the ninth inning, has been floated since then. But, really, Bass can’t be considered a top-tier contender after her non-apology about pro-Fidel Castro comments. And that’s Politico talking…
Biden was perfectly clear about the timing on his pick for second-in-command, the person who will be one heartbeat away from the presidency. In fact, RedState writers have filled our readers in over the past few months on what’s being weighed to make that decision, from Alex Parker’s “We’re Gonna Need Shovels: Joe Biden Names His Dream VP, and It’s Probably the Smartest Idea I’ve Heard From Him,” to my own piece, “Biden Veepstakes Heats up, With Top Dem Pollster Pushing Warren — But Look at Harris’ Numbers.”
Then, to cap off the anticipation, my colleague Joe Cunningham wrote a story yesterday on the shortlist the presumed Democrat presidential nominee would select from today, in a July 31 piece titled, “Joe Biden Will Choose His Running Mate Tomorrow, and Here Are His Options.”
Stop jerking our chain, Mr. Vice President!
As things go, I still think the push of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was a leftist pollster hallucination and mainstream media head fake — it was probably going to be Harris all along. Whomever Biden picks, he really needs to wake up and tell us — soon.
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