Will it Matter if Biden Has a Female VP?

Last updated on September 27, 2020

Remember, let’s be polite; let’s be respectful, but most of all, let’s be outspoken.

In the last Democratic debate on March 15th, Former Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed, “I commit that I will in fact pick a woman to be vice president.” Since Biden has become the presumptive nominee, everyone is looking at who will he pick for Vice President. Despite all the excitement of who he will pick, he will most likely wait until the Democratic convention in August to pick his VP due to the vetting process. Until then, Biden’s campaign is working around the clock to vet every possible candidate that will help him secure the White House.

However, just recently, Biden made the damning statement, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black” in a virtual interview with prominent black radio host, Charlamagne Tha God. This statement concerned many black activists and are pressuring Biden to pick a black woman. Before the statement, Amy Klobuchar was being considered for the VP slot because of her political experience and how well she did in the Democratic primaries. 

However, the chances of Klobuchar securing the slot is decreasing due to the desire for a black female VP. “More than a dozen black and Latino strategists and activists warned selecting Klobuchar would not help Biden excite black voters and might have the opposite effect” according to Politico.

Politico also writes, “multiple black women are being considered including Sen. Kamala Harris, former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, Florida Rep. Val Demings, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

Therefore, will it matter if Biden has a female VP?

It will not. I do not believe a person’s capacity to lead is dependent on their background. For example, when Andrew Yang first announced he was running for President, I was glad there would be more Asian representation in politics.

As an Asian who wants to enter politics in the future, I was content with the fact Yang entering the race would set a precedence for future Asian candidates. In earlier articles, I endorsed his climate change policy and stated that he could unify both parties. However, the reason I did not officially endorse his campaign was because we disagreed on major issues like Medicare and UBI. 

While Asian representation in politics is important to me, the policies he would enact as President was far more important. 

The same applies to the case of Biden’s VP. I understand having a female VP is important for specific voters, but gender should not be the deciding factor in a candidate. Being a woman or a minority does not automatically give validation to a campaign or make a leader profound. 

We should assess a candidate based on past political experience, diplomatic skills, oratory skills, legal expertise, negotiating skills, and many more. If the best person for the VP slot happens to be a woman than so be it. If that person happens to be black, Latino, Asian, or white, then so be it.

In the grand scheme of things, the background of a person is irrelevant to their performance as a politician.

Remember, let’s be polite; let’s be respectful, but most of all, let’s be outspoken.