And The Winner Is

Several recent polls indicate that black democratic voters seem to prefer that Joe Biden select Senator Elizabeth Warren rather than Senator Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate, confounding the Democratic Party leadership. Add that to the long list of things the democratic establishment doesn't seem to understand these days. Or. . . is there something else afoot?

Could this be a bit of gamesmanship on the part of the party leaders to manipulate their black members into supporting the candidate favored by establishment democrats?

The Biden campaign (and by extension the Democratic Party) is under pressure to select a woman for the vice presidential slot on the democratic ticket. Some party members are demanding that woman be a woman of color. Party leaders probably think (or at least strongly believe) that their chances of winning in November are a little better with Senator Warren on the ticket than with any of the available black female candidates. So, what to do?

They could explain their conundrum to their constituency in the hopes that they will see things their way and ultimately give their blessing and full support to a Biden-Warren ticket. Unlikely.

Another way forward is to ditch the idea of needing a female running mate altogether and simply opt for the best male candidate available. But such a move would almost certainly deflate the enthusiasm of a good percentage of the democratic base.

Or, the party elders could decide (as they apparently have) to limit the field and juxtaposition their preferred candidate (white, but still female) with a black female candidate who is unpalatable to their black constituents. Brilliant!

Enter Kamala Harris.

It is widely known that Senator Harris enjoys only tepid support among black voters. Offering her up as a finalist would fulfill the leadership's tacit obligation to (at minimum) strongly consider a black female for the post, all the while hoping that black voters will do their bidding by rejecting Harris in favor of Warren.

It is a risky move, to be sure. Whether their gambit is accepted or declined could greatly influence how well democrats fare this November.