By S.T. Patrick
Former Vice-President and leading Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden has more than once confirmed that he is interested in choosing a woman as his vice-presidential candidate. While much of the attention vacillates between Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, and even Michelle Obama, one name that continues appearing on a list of possibilities is Stacey Abrams.
In 2018, Abrams was the first African-American female in U.S. history to be a gubernatorial candidate for a major political party. She lost the race for Georgia governor—Democrats allege without evidence that the election was stolen from her— but the race brought her enough national attention that she was asked to give the State of the Union response in January 2019. Today, Abrams makes appearances on national cable news shows to give commentary but currently holds no official office. Before running for the state house, Abrams served as a state legislator in Georgia from 2007- 2017 and wrote semi-erotic romance novels under the name Selena Montgomery.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) has questioned Abrams’s lack of relevant experience as a drawback to adding her to the Biden ticket. When asked if Biden should choose Abrams, Clyburn said, “I doubt it. There’s something to be said for someone who has been out there.”
Abrams has been a bit of a national attack dog for Biden since endorsing his candidacy. She has been out front criticizing Trump for threatening to defund the Post Office, criticizing Tara Reade’s sexual assault accusations against Biden, criticizing Georgia for reopening some of its businesses early, promoting vote-by-mail, and criticizing Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak. While she swears that “you are more likely to be struck by lightning than to find voter fraud” as a reason to support vote-by-mail, Abrams claims that she lost the Georgia governor’s seat to Brian Kemp because of voter suppression.
Ideologically, Abrams is a cookie-cutter Democrat. There is little to be excited about, even for the most ardent supporter of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). She lacks the one signature idea key to the success of a young politician (Andrew Yang’s Universal Basic Income, for instance). Abrams is pro-abortion, supports expanding gun control measures, opposes stricter voter registration laws, supports open borders, supports the expansion of Medicaid, and is a fan of increased spending on public education while opposing private school vouchers. Any excitement drummed up for Abrams would be about what she represents more than any ideas she has constructed. At 46, she is a relatively young, black female from the South. Those are all valuable demographics to an old, white, Northeastern, career politician like Biden. Before Bill Clinton chose Al Gore as his running mate (two Southerners), the thinking used to be that the two names on a party’s ticket should complement one another. Biden and Abrams would do that, and it’s something Abrams expressed on the leftist TV talk show “The View.”
“I think Vice President Biden is going to make a smart choice,” Abrams said. “I appreciate the fact that he has lifted up women as being a necessary partner in this. I would share your concern about not picking a woman of color because women of color, particularly black women, are the strongest part of the Democratic Party, the most loyal, but that loyalty isn’t simply how we vote; it’s how we work. If we want to signal that, that work will continue, that we’re going to reach not just to certain segments of our community, but to the entire country, then we need a ticket that reflects the diversity of America.”
At least until this election is over, Biden will be fighting the loud whispers within his own party about his mental competence. It’s questionable whether Biden can cure his perpetual foot-in-mouth disease to become “Mr. Congeniality.” He is, after all, the man who described Barack Obama as “articulate, bright, and clean.” And, most recently, he insulted many black voters by telling them unless they vote for him “they aren’t really black.” Black voters are also turned off by Biden’s insistence on speaking in a fake Southern drawl when he talks to them, as if every African-American is from the South or this somehow means he is “hip” to black lingo. They realize Biden is as far removed from their neighborhoods as any white man can get, owning one of the largest mansions in Delaware while simultaneously renting a Virginia mansion alleged to cost $19,000 a month.
Though questions of experience will exist, as they did with Trump in 2016, Abrams could sanitize some of Biden’s glaring racial gaffes while also allowing Biden to keep his “run with a woman” pledge. Whether she can be the spark the 77-year-old Biden needs is as much a mystery as her ideology.
S.T. Patrick holds degrees in both journalism and social studies education. He spent 10 years as an educator and now hosts the “Midnight Writer News Show.” His email is [email protected]. He is also an occasional contributor to TBR history magazine and the current managing editor of Deep Truth Journal (DTJ), a new conspiracy-focused publication available from the AFP Online Store.
One thing Abrams could bring to the DNC is the Black Panther Party. She’s in deep with ’em. They wore full military outfitting with real AR15’s when making PR ads for Abrams during the Gubernatorial election.
Finally, the Black Panthers would have the key to the White House. Oh . . they did already, Obummer gave it to ’em first.
One thing Abrams could bring to the DNC is the Black Panther Party. She’s in deep with ’em. They wore full military outfitting with real AR15’s when making PR ads for Abrams during the Gubernatorial election.