Thinking Citizen Blog — Biden’s VP Choices (III): Senator Duckworth, Abrams, Rep. Demings
Thinking Citizen Blog — Sunday is Political Process, Campaign Strategy, and Candidate Selection Day
Today’s Topic: Biden’s VP Choices (III): Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL), Stacey Abrams (FLA), Rep. Val Demings (FLA)
Today’s post is the third in a series on Biden’s choices for VP. The logic behind the sequence is my judgment as to the likelihood of selection. In the first place, Senator Kamala Harris. In second, Governor Gretchen Whitmer. In third, Senator Amy Klobuchar. Last week: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, and Senator Tammy Baldwin. Today, three more.
Doing the research for these posts has taught me a lot. One of the high points was learning the life story of Tammy Duckworth, whom, I must confess, I had never heard of before. My prediction is still that Biden picks Harris. However, I think the choice that would maximize his chances of beating Trump is Tammy Duckworth. Find out why. If you don’t know Stacey Abrams or Val Demings, I highly recommend hearing their stories as well. Writing this post will make me less likely to make scornful generalizations about politicians. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH (IL), 52, A DOUBLE AMPUTEE FROM IRAQ WAR, PURPLE HEART, THAI-AMERICAN
1. She was born in Bangkok, the daughter of a US Army veteran (her father), and a Thai mother of Chinese descent. She speaks fluent Thai and Indonesian. And has a PhD in Human Services from Capella University.
2. In November 2004, the Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was shot down by Iraqi insurgents. She lost her right leg near the hip and her left below the knee.
3. She credits Bob Dole (the Republican Senator who lost use of his left arm in World War II) for inspiring her to a life of public service. Dole dedicated his autobiography in part to Duckworth.
4. In 2016, she won a decisive victory (55% to 40%) over the incumbent Republican, Mark Kirk, who was also a combat veteran.
NB: She was the first Senator to give birth while in office. She was 50 years old. Rules were changed so she could bring the child to the Senate floor. She was the first Senator to hold a child while casting a vote. Her child is a daughter named Maile. Her story would swing more swing voters than any other — by far.
STACEY ABRAMS, 47, FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN TO DELIVER A RESPONSE TO THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS (2019)
1. A lawyer by trade (Yale, 1999), she was the first African-American major-party gubernatorial nominee in the United States (for Georgia). She had previously served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007–2017 and as Majority Leader from 2011 to 2017. She never conceded her loss in the 2018 election, charging voter suppression.
2. She has co-founded three companies: NOW (a financial services firm), Nourish Inc (a beverage company focusing on infants), and Sage Works (a legal consulting firm). She has also written several romantic suspense novels that have sold over 100,000 copies.
3. Biden has said that his preference for VP would be a black woman.
NB: Boston Globe columnist Renee Graham endorsed Abrams last weekend: “Abrams embodies Democrats’ most loyal voters: Black women. It’s time for the party’s leadership to reflect that.”
Joe Biden said he would pick a woman VP. Stacey Abrams should be that woman. — The Boston Globe
REP. VAL DEMINGS (FLA), 63, former Orlando Chief of Police (27 years), one of seven “impeachment managers” during Senate trial of Donald Trump
1. The Orlando area is a swing part of a swing state. The black woman + law enforcement combo is appealing to many.
2. “I’m a black woman who’s in a conversation about possibly being second in command to the leader of the free world, and I will not diminish my ambition or the ambition of any other women of color by saying that’s not something I’d be willing to do,” (Abrams)
3. “I grew up the daughter of a maid and a janitor. I grew up poor, black and female in the South, someone who was told a lot of times that I wasn’t the right color or gender. But my mother pushed me and said, ‘No, you can make it. If you work hard and play by the rules, you can be anything you wanna be and do anything you wanna do,’ ” Demings said. “So the act that my name is being called in such a special way for such an important position during such a critical time, it’s such an honor.” (Abrams)
NB: Senator Chuck Schumer has mentioned her as a possible VP choice. She incarnates the American dream.
Opinion | Biden wants a woman as his running mate. Val Demings could be the one.
Val Demings Gets More Attention as Possible VP Candidate After Chuck Schumer Talks Her Up |
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to political process or campaign strategy or 2020 candidate selection or anything else for that matter. This is your chance to make someone else’s day or change their thinking.
Or to consolidate in your own memory something worth remembering that might otherwise be lost. Or to clarify or deepen your own understanding of something dear to your heart. Continuity is key to depth of thought.
