Sunday Read: Biden is on the verge of picking his running mate; Harris and Duckworth among contenders

Senators Tammy Duckworth, left, and Kamala Harris.

ANALYSIS

Joe Biden is reportedly naming his vice president in the second week of August and his pick would be a woman. Among the women who are in the running are two Asian Americans: Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this analysis was originally posted, it has been rewritten to reflect the timing of Biden's announcement.

“For Joe Biden, this is crunch time. After all the vetting, all the investigations into the prospective nominees, it’s now up to Joe. It’s personal,” said former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who was vetted for vice-president in 2008. “It’s now about his gut feeling.”

Duckworth is a dark horse candidate with a compelling back story that includes losing her legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq. The Illinois senator, is a moderate more closely aligned with Biden's centrist views and someone who would not rock stray from the moderate party line. In other words, the Thai American is considered a safe candidate.

However, of the two Asian American contenders, Harris -- of Indian and Jamaican heritage -- is the most likely to be picked by Biden. She is on the top of the list for most political observers. As any frontrunner, she has her detractors. mostly coming from those on the far left of the political spectrum.

Its a question of degrees. Make no mistake: Harris is left of center, but to her critics, she is not progressive enough and California''s former Attorney General is not the justice reformer that she professes to be.

At a Tuesday press conference in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden came prepared to defend Harris. At the top of Biden's notes, a photograph showed a list of bullet points under Harris' name: "Do not hold grudges." "Campaigned with me & Jill." "Talented." "Great help to campaign." "Great respect for her."

What Harris critics -- most of whom would have preferred Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren as president and another group who would prefer someone less controversial -- must consider if she becomes Biden's choice: Are their objections so important that it would prevent them from voting for Biden and risk another four years of Donald Trump? 

Another four years of 45 destroying the institutions of our democracy? 

Another four years of undoing every positive stride since the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, including social security and Medicare? 

Another four years of Trump pushing the U.S. Supreme Court further to the right? 

Another four years of weakening environmental protections?

Another four years of and economy that would widen the gap between the top 1% and the rest of us?

Another four years of shutting America's  door to immigrants and refugees?

Another four years of weakening the United State's position in the world, much to the glee of China and Russia? 

Another four years of racial division and empowering white supremacists?

That's their choice, not whether Harris meets their purity test.

WIKICOMMONS

Vice President Joe Biden, right, swears in Kamala Harris as a U.S. Senator. 

Speaking to a group women during a livestream of a Black Girls Lead 2020 conference Friday, Harris said: "There will be a resistance to your ambition, there will be people who say to you 'you are out of your lane,' " addressing the attacks on her trustworthiness and ambition for the first time this week.

"They are burdened by only having the capacity to see what has always been instead of what can be. But don't you let that burden you," Harris said, adding that she's experienced it her whole career.

But, then again, Biden might surprise the pundits and choose someone other than Harris or Duckworth. They are all strong candidates but each of them have weaknesses and critics. Among the other contenders are:

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren,
• California Congresswoman Karen Bass,
• Former Obama foreign policy advisor Susan Rice,
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmire
• Florida Rep. Val Demings
• Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms,
• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

Whoever Biden picks, you can be sure that the old tropes of racism and sexism plus "socialism"  will resurface as we've already seen this weekend.

Biden will pick someone who will fit in the role that Biden fashioned for himself as Obama's Vice President: a close confidante and someone who can easily step into the role of Commander-In-Chief during this point in the nation's history -- the inflection point that could very well determine the direction of the U.S. for the rest of the century.