I know Biden floated the idea of picking a Republican running mate at one point, but I don't know if he has explained why he eventually rejected the idea.
Has Biden explained why he did not pick a Republican running mate?
-
1Having a President and VP of different parties has been regarded as a potential problem since at least 1796, and led to the 12th amendment. Admittedly, before the 12th amendment, the President didn't get to choose his VP.– Steve MelnikoffAug 20, 2020 at 9:22
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
The simple answer is that he hasn't, because no one considered this a serious proposal. As the article JCAA provided shows, Biden didn't propose to pick a Republican as his running mate. He was asked if he would consider picking a Republican, and he replied with, essentially: "Sure, if it was the right person":
"Our 21-year-old son said the other night, 'I wonder if Joe Biden would consider choosing a Republican as a running mate," the woman added.
"The answer is I would, but I can't think of one now," Biden replied. "Let me explain that. You know there's some really decent Republicans that are out there still, but here's the problem right now ... they've got to step up."
That's really the only answer anyone can give to a question like that. You can't say "I'd never pick a Republican for any reason", but there's a reason that no modern presidential campaign has featured a bipartisan ticket. If you must know his reasoning, here's a statement from him on what he's looking for in a running mate:
"... There's a plethora of really qualified people. Whomever I would pick were I fortunate enough to be your nominee, I'd pick somebody who was simpatico with me, who knew what I, what my priorities were and knew what I wanted to," Biden said in Exeter on Monday. "We could disagree on tactic, but strategically we'd have to be in the exact same page."
So, your answer is that he's looking for a running mate who is on the "exact same page" strategically. Almost by definition, there are no Republicans who fit that criteria, because otherwise they'd be Democrats.
answered Aug 20, 2020 at 3:20
-
FTM, there are plenty of Democrats that don't seem to be on the same page. It appears that he picked one...– jamesqfAug 20, 2020 at 3:45