Biden's Play for the Progressives

Biden faces a massive, potentially insurmountable challenge to win the election this November, assuming he is the nominee: capturing the Bernie Bros with the ride or die mentality who voted for Trump. It sounds easy, but making a play for the progressive wing of the Party proved to be too hard for Clinton in 2016, and 10% of Bernie Supporters ended up giving Trump the necessary boost to win then... and could do so again if Biden fails where Clinton did.

So Biden did the natural thing, and declared that if the nominee, he would absolutely make a woman his Vice President as nominee - and did not stop there, stating that as President he would seek to appoint a black woman to the Supreme Court should he have the opportunity. This gives the progressive wing an intersectional ticket that they so desire, which appeals over Trump's ticket of two straight, white, Christian men. The progressives get an intersectional ticket (which may be a step in the right direction), and Biden get's more support from them in exchange.

But it also could signal the end of the private race for a VP spot on the ever more likely Biden ticket, and result in it more than likely being handed to Klobuchar, his ideological ally in the moderate lane (as is the reason I predicted she dropped out for along with Buttigieg). Biden may well be casually hinting at a Biden-Klobuchar ticket that sets the Minnesota Senator up for a 2024 or 2028 run (depending on Biden's health, even a tenure as President before then).

Klobuchar and Biden at a Texas Venue

The position of Biden's VP is tremendously important, and extraordinarily symbolic in a race that is already made up of only white men. What it comes down to is that Biden did this, and that whether it is a power move for the progressives or not, it certainly presents as that. An appeal to the base that desires diversity in American Government, and an appeal to those who desire an end to the supposed racial homogeny of the Trump Administration. It gives progressives a reason to not jump ship and vote for Trump.

But Clinton being a woman did not save her in 2016, so can this yield the necessary results or will it be too little? Biden looks to be preparing to play this up in advance, so far. Because if he fails, it might be a factor that costs him the election.