AND WE KNOW HIS FOCUS THIS WEEK
IS FIGURING OUT WHO TO CHOOSE
FOR HIS VICE PRESIDENT.
ERRIN YOU HAVE A PIECE OUT
CALLED "THE OUTSIZE IMPORTANCE
OF BIDEN’S VICE PRESIDENTIAL
PICK".
IN 1984 SHE WAS TOO KNEW.
IN 2008 SHE WAS TOO
INEXPERIENCED.
IN 2020 WILL IT BE THIRD TIME’S
A CHARM OR THREE STRIKES YOU’RE
OUT AS A WOMAN VICE PRESIDENT.
THE PANDEMIC HAS DRIED UP THE
FIRE HOSE OF CAMPAIGN NEWS BUT
BECAUSE OF THE HUSHED
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THIS COULD BE A
LEGACY PICK FOR THE WHITE MALE
AND WE’VE SEEN WOMEN JOCKEYING
FOR THIS POSITION AND THE POST
HAS A PIECE OUT THIS MORNING
ABOUT HOW THERE ARE SOME SEXIST
OVERTONES COMING INTO THIS,
PARTICULARLY AS PEOPLE HAVE
TALKED ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS
QUOTE/UNQUOTE AMBITION WHICH WE
KNOW CAN BE CODE FOR A LOT OF
THIS.
HOW DO WE SEE IT PLAYING OUT IN
THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO?
>> UNFORTUNATELY, I SEE THESE
RACEST AND GENDERED TROEPS
CONTINUE TO RESURFACE AS WE SEE
BLACK WOMEN RISE TO THE TOP OF
THIS CONVERSATION.
WHAT IS POLITICS ABOUT IF NOT
AMBITION?
RIGHT.
SO I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY
SOMETHING LIKE AMBITION IS A BAD
WORD WHEN WE’RE DISCUSSING WHAT
IS PROBABLY THE MOST
CONSEQUENTIAL ELECTION MANY OF
US WILL COVER.
BUT THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
DECISION A LOT OF PEOPLE TELLING
ME THAT JOE BIDEN HAS HAD TO
MAKE IN HIS POLITICAL CAREER AND
HE DOES HAVE AN EMBARRASSMENT OF
RICHES IN TERMS OF THE TALENTS
AND EXPERIENCE OF THESE WOMEN
HE’S CONSIDERING.
THERE’S NEVER BEEN A WOMAN VICE
PRESIDENT, NEVER BEEN A BLACK
WOMAN NOMINATED FOR VICE
PRESIDENT WITHIN A MAJOR PARTY.
SO WHERE THIS TICKET THEY HAVE
THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE HISTORY
AND DEFEAT TRUMP WHICH WAS TWO
THINGS SO MANY DEMOCRATIC VOTERS
TOLD ME THEY WERE LOOKING
FORWARD TO HEADING INTO
DECEMBER.
>> ERRIN HAINES, THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE LAUNCH OF
"THE 19th".
VERY EXCITED TO HAVE YOU WITH
US.
>> THANK YOU.
>>> BOB COSTA, TALKING ABOUT THE
VP SELECTION.
HEARING WHAT CHRIS DODD WAS
SAYING ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS BEING
TOO COMPETITIVE AND MAYBE BEING
TOO AMBITIOUS, IT SOUNDS LIKE
THE SORT OF THING THAT RONALD
REAGAN HAD TO BALANCE WITH
GERALD FORD IN 1980.
THE SORT OF THING THAT YOU SEE
TIME AND TIME AGAIN, YOU KNOW,
BOB DOLE AND GEORGE H.W. BUSH IN
’88, THERE’S A QUESTION OF
WHETHER TWO VERY COMPETITIVE
PEOPLE CAN BE ON THE SAME TICKET
THERE.
IT’S ALWAYS BEEN A DELICATE
BALANCE AND THIS YEAR IS NO
EXCEPTION.
I’M JUST WONDERING WITH KAMALA
HARRIS, IS THERE A FEELING THAT
KAMALA HARRIS IS THE SAFEST PICK
FOR JOE BIDEN RIGHT NOW BECAUSE
SHE’S BEEN CALIFORNIA’S ATTORNEY
GENERAL, SHE’S BEEN A U.S.
SENATOR, AND SHE’S BEEN UNDER
THE RED-HOT GLARE OF THOSE
PRESIDENTIAL -- AND DEBATED --
AND REALLY THERE’S NO CHANGE TO
THAT.
SO DESPITE THE CONCERNS OF HER
ATTACKING JOE BIDEN IN SOME OF
THOSE DEBATES, SUGGESTING
ACTUALLY THAT HE’S A RACIST?
>> WHEN I’VE BEEN TALKING TO TOP
DEMOCRATS AND BIDEN ALLIES, IT’S
CLEAR THEY RESPECT SENATOR
HARRIS BUT VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN’S EXPERIENCE IN THE WHITE
HOUSE INFORMS HOW HE’S APPROACHING THIS DECISION.
APPROACHING THIS DECISION.
HE WANTS A PERSON THAT HE HAS A
RAPPORT WITH BEHIND THE SCENES
LIKE HE DID WITH OBAMA.
I’M HEARING REPRESENTATIVE BASS
IS SOMEONE WHO HAS A RAPPORT
WITH VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN AND
SOMEONE THE CAMPAIGN IS WATCHING
AS SHE DOES THE INTERVIEWS WITH
CHUCK TODD AND OTHERS AND FEEL
SHE COULD BE A SOLID FIT.
YOU HAVE SENATOR HARRIS, SENATOR
WARREN, SENATOR DUCKWORTH AND SO
MANY OTHERS.
THE OTHER PEOPLE COMPETING WITH
CONGRESSWOMAN BASS IS AMBASSADOR
RICE, WHO ALSO HAS A RAPPORT
WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT.
SHE’S SEEN AS SOMEONE WHO CAN
HELP HIM WITH INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS, GOING TO EUROPE AND
OTHER U.S. ALLIES AROUND THE
WORLD WOULD BE A PRIORITY FOR
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SHOULD
IT HAPPEN.
SHE’S SEEN AS AN ASSET AND VOICE
FOR HIM IN THAT EFFORT.
MY SHORT LIST IS AMBASSADOR
RICE, SENATOR HARRIS, AND
CONGRESSWOMAN BASS AND NOT
NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER.
>> MIKE BARNICLE, AGAIN WE TALK
ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS, JOE BIDEN
WANTS A PERSONAL RAPPORT WITH
HER.
MIKA AND I KNOW KAMALA WELL,
SHE’S VERY PERSONABLE, VERY
LIKABLE.
I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE
CAMPAIGN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINATION.
SENATOR HARRIS WENT AFTER JOE
BIDEN AGGRESSIVELY, TALKING
ABOUT SEGREGATION, SUGGESTING
THAT HE WAS RACIALLY
INSENSITIVE.
BUT JOE BIDEN’S BEEN IN THIS
GAME FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND I’M CURIOUS, IS THAT THE
SORT OF THING THAT HE’S GOING TO
BE FRETTING ABOUT OR IS HE GOING
TO BE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE WHO
WOULD BE IN THE BEST POSITION TO
BE HIS VICE PRESIDENT?
>> JOE, MY INFORMATION FROM THE
BIDEN CAMPAIGN AND PEOPLE AROUND
THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT
HIMSELF IS THERE’S NO RESIDUE OF
BITTERNESS OR ANGER OR ANYTHING
HAVING TO DO WITH THE DEBATES IN
THE PRIMARY, KAMALA HARRIS AND
JOE BIDEN.
NONE.
HE LIKES HER VERY MUCH.
ERRIN HAINES SAID SOMETHING
INTERESTING AND ACCURATE IN THE
LAST SEGMENT WHEN SHE WAS HERE.
SHE SAID POLITICS IS ABOUT
AMBITION.
THAT’S TRUE FOR EVERY ONE OF THE
CANDIDATES THAT ROBERT JUST
MENTIONED AND WE’VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT.
BUT THIS YEAR FOR JOE BIDEN AND
THE DEMOCRATS AND AMERICA IT’S
DIFFERENT.
THE WAY THEY VIEW IT IS THIS
YEAR POLITICS IS ABOUT WINNING.
AND SO HIS SELECTION FOR VICE
PRESIDENT IS GOING TO,
OBVIOUSLY, BE SOMEONE HE’S
COMFORTABLE WITH, BUT IT’S GOING
TO BE SOMEONE HE VIEWS AS DOING
NO HARM.
DOING LESS HARM THAN ANY OTHERS
WHO MIGHT BE IN THE FIELD.
I WOULD AGREE WITH ROBERT’S
RANKINGS -- WELL, HE DIDN’T RANK
THEM, BUT THE THREE PEOPLE.
AND I WOULD POINT OUT IN TERMS
OF PERSONAL -- GETTING ALONG
WITH SOMEONE, KNOWING SOMEONE,
FEELING COMFORTABLE WITH
SOMEONE, SUSAN RICE IS RIGHT AT
THE TOP OF THE LIST.
KAMALA HARRIS IS ALSO THERE,
TOO.
NOT QUITE AS CLOSE AS SUSAN RICE
IS.
BUT KAMALA HARRIS HAS SOMETHING
GOING FOR HER THAT SUSAN RICE
DOESN’T, SHE’S A PROFESSIONAL.
SHE’S BEEN OUT THERE, SHE’S RUN
FOR PRESIDENT, AND THERE’S
NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO GAIN THAT
EXPERIENCE OTHER THAN TO DO IT.
KAREN BASS, COMFORTABLE,
FAMILIAR, GREAT MARKS FROM HER
COLLEAGUES IN IN THE HOUSE, GETS