Pressure is reportedly building on Biden to select a woman of color as his running mate. But true leadership requires that Biden find a way to show his commitment to rectifying racism and injustice while also addressing the fears, anger and pain of working-class whites who in 2016 rebelled against a Democratic party that seemed to have abandoned them. Trump may have given his base some feel-good rallies and dog whistles, but he has not “drained the swamp” or addressed their problems. And they know it.
Most importantly, Biden needs to demonstrate to and persuade voters of all stripes that he and his running mate – whomever she may be — will be the competent and principled agents of visionary change the country needs to cure its many ills and who will deliver a brighter future in voters’ lifetimes.
While racial injustice against Blacks is the hot issue of the day, our country’s challenges are much broader and deeper than that. Discrimination affects many different minorities, not just Blacks, and must be addressed at every level of our society. And as we should know by now, we cannot merely legislate a fair and non-discriminatory society. We have to win “hearts and minds” on all sides of these issue if our ideals are to be realized.
Black lives matter for sure. But if that is the only slogan that makes the headlines, Hispanics, Asians, Muslims and even the somewhat beleaguered police get the sense that their lives don’t matter as much. And Whites need to realize that they will soon be a minority themselves. It behooves all of us to be generous, humble and open-minded in working to resolve the issues of racism lest roles become reversed, allowing the cycle of racism to continue.
All lives must matter to Biden and his running mate, and they must show that they will work tirelessly to value and protect all lives, to end racism and injustice, and to end class warfare. As the virus has taught us, we are all in this together, and all of us need each other to unite and win, whether the threat is a pandemic, and foreign power, or self-doubt and destruction from within our own shores.
It is important that the senior leadership of every administration, Republican or Democrat, represents the broad diversity of our great American melting-pot heritage. But skin color should never be the over-riding litmus test for the choice of a running mate or indeed for any other position. Similarly, the gender or sexual identity of any candidate should never be an over-riding concern. If we have learned anything from the Trump presidency, it should be that fundamental competence, honesty, decency and respect for American traditions, values and principles are the key qualifications for holding the offices of President and Vice-President.
Biden may ultimately decide that a woman of color is in fact his best choice for a running mate. Regardless of whom Biden chooses, it must be clear that the Vice-Presidential candidate was selected with four paramount priorities in mind, skin color not being one of them.
First, the Vice-Presidential candidate must be a person with fundamental competence, honesty and human decency as well as broad knowledge, judgment and loyalty to America’s founding principles and aspirations; someone who is seasoned and well-respected at home and abroad so that he or she can provide good counsel to the President and be ready to assume the duties of President, whenever those duties might arise.
Second, the democratic ticket must commit to working on the two main challenges facing America: fixing the past and preparing for the future. America needs to find a path to reconciliation on the issues of our past while at the same time addressing the challenges and dangers of the present and future. Our adversaries – Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Al Qaeda, ISIS – will not hesitate to take advantage of an America weakened by domestic unrest and division. Climate change, cyber security, preparedness for pandemics and rebuilding alliances will not wait for us first to get our house in order. We must do both at the same time.
Third, Biden and his running mate must convince voters in the middle and wavering right, as well as all Democrats, that their election is best, and indeed the only rational choice in this election. The Democratic ticket must achieve more than being perceived by voters as the ‘least bad’ option. The Biden ticket must be able to resoundingly defeat Donald Trump and the politics of race, fear and division to earn the mandate they will need to lead and to govern.
Being “not Trump” and even being a mixed-race ticket, is not enough for Biden and his running mate to win. They must persuade voters that their vision, energy, honesty, authenticity and commitment will lead all Americans on an uplifting and rewarding journey to build a new American dream that offers hope to all voters for themselves and for their children’s future.
Biden and his running mate must remind all Americans that we can overcome any and every challenge when we work together; that we will not sacrifice liberty to achieve peace, but rather we will work hard to achieve both.
Biden and his running mate must help Americans remember our strength of character and resolve that enabled us to create a nation under the rule of law 244 years ago that is still the envy of the world.