A lot has changed, politically, since that shit-show of a presidential debate. Joe Biden has been scrambling to rehabilitate his image, and I can't say it's going all that well. The Democrats are currently split on whether Biden should be tossed aside in favor of Kamala Harris or someone more intelligent, and it's becoming increasingly obvious that Joe himself still retains enough will and ego to cling to power and insist on running. Also: I don't know what plausible options are available to the Dems—options that won't involve breaking more rules and laws. But the longer the Dems wait, the less likely it is that they'll ever dislodge Biden from his perch.
Now, it's not as though the Republicans are totally unified, either: there's still a remarkably stupid crowd of Never Trumpers out there, all butthurt about not having DeSantis or (gag) Nikki Haley as an option; and there're the idiots still stuck on the idea that Trump is simply too uncouth and unpresidential. But overall, the Republicans are currently more unified than the Democrats, many of whom seem fully intent on eating each other.
In the midst of this sudden change in political ambiance, why not consider again the Vivek Ramaswamy-as-VP question? Part of me realizes it's too late for that, and I do understand and appreciate one of the most powerful arguments against Vivek: that he brings nothing new to the table and is basically MAGA 2.0. (We'll ignore the rightie turds who can't get on board because Vivek's a practicing Hindu, as well as the rightie turds who say, for no logical reason, "I just don't trust the man.") Here's the thing: Vivek is way more articulate than Trump is. He makes the same sort of memorable, linguistic-killshot points that Trump does, but much more eloquently and—this is important—much more linearly. To my mind, Vivek Ramaswamy is easily the best inheritor of the MAGA project, not because the other GOP choices are bad (quite a few of them are great), but because I think Vivek is easily the best in the field. He's young, he's sharp, and he's clear about his agenda.
And here's the thing: with the Dems in such disarray, and with senile Biden doing an absolutely bang-up job of showing the people why he no longer deserves—has never deserved—to haunt the Oval Office, I think all of this defangs that argument against Vivek. So what if he's merely MAGA 2.0? Fence-sitters are no longer just shying away from Biden—they're running screaming from him, with or without Vivek on the menu. Four more years of Presidentish Depends? Hell, no! Would Biden survive even a year into his second term? I think Donald Trump could pick anybody, at this point, to be his running mate, and it wouldn't matter one bit. I hear the whining about Vivek: MAGA 2.0, can't have two alpha males, too nerdy... all of these objections fall away in the current climate.
So, really—why not reconsider Vivek?
The VP candidate has never mattered very much to me as a voter. I'm hearing a lot about picking someone like Vance, who can presumably help carry his home state. I like Vivek and hope he gets some high-profile position (Secretary of State?) in the Trump2 administration.
ReplyDeleteI think the VP often stands in the background and doesn't do much while in office, but the VP is, as they say, "one heartbeat away from the presidency," so it matters whom we choose (if "choose" is still the correct verb in these electorally suspicious times). This is relevant right now for the Democrats, who realize that, if they thrust Biden aside, they probably need to go with Kamala Harris, who would arguably be an even greater disaster than Biden.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the Republicans, we have to think about who would be best to carry on the MAGA legacy. For my money, Vivek is the best and most obvious choice, but I wouldn't mind a MAGA pit bull like Byron Donalds or, if she were still available, Kari Lake. People like JD Vance just produce a bland, milquetoast "meh" reaction in me, but if he's picked, I'll give him a chance to prove himself. Frankly, though, I'd prefer to see Tulsi as the from-left-field VP pick over Vance (but a lot of righties are leery that she's still anti-2A). And both Burgum and Youngkin have the faint stink of RINO on them, so I'd stay away from them. DeSantis would be great—his agenda overlaps about 90% with the MAGA agenda, and he somehow articulates his position without trumpeting it as MAGA. Problem is, Florida would lose a great governor.
Trump has had a history of bad staff picks, from Mike Pence on down—people who turn out to be faithless Judases. I suspect I won't be happy with whomever Trump picks... unless it does happen to be either Vivek or Byron Donalds.