Use the Power – The Philadelphia Sunday Sun

When the Philadelphia Democratic Party endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, Governor Josh Shapiro was added as her vice president. That’s a decision you should let her make.

ABOVE PHOTO: This composite from left to right shows Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, June 28, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., June 4, 2024, in Washington, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, July 20, 2024, in Pittsburgh, and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky in Frankfort, Ky., July 22, 2024. (AP Photo)

By Denise Clay-Murray

To say that electoral politics have been interesting in recent weeks, especially at the national level, would be an understatement.

After weeks of depressing his poll numbers by talking about a poor debate performance and denying his cognitive abilities, President Joe Biden was finally bullied off the Democratic ticket on Sunday. If you’re wondering why the late President Harry S. Truman said that if you want a friend in Washington, buy a dog, you saw it on every front, with the way Biden was treated leading up to Sunday.

We can talk later in the campaign season about the soul searching that needs to be done within the Democratic Party because of the Biden Bullies’ original goal, which was to get Vice President Kamala Harris off the ticket. That goal has fallen far short, as Harris is now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, but hey…

(Biden to Bullies: I’ve Got Your Cognitive Decline…HERE!)

But now I want to talk about the press release that the folks at the Democratic City Committee here in Philadelphia sent out as part of their endorsement of Harris. As part of that endorsement, Chairman Bob Brady endorsed a ticket that included the Vice President and… Governor Josh Shapiro.

No disrespect here, but I think Brady and the rest of the Democratic City Committee should stop trying to make a decision for Vice President Harris that she should be able to make herself.

Besides, if you’re used to working for a man who supports you so much that he’ll give up his dream job to make sure you get your chance, working for someone who would never do that for you is a huge step backwards.

Shapiro is among a group of people who have been mentioned around the country as presidential candidates to top Harris or as vice presidential candidates for Harris. Some on that list — notably Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsome — made it clear early in the race that they weren’t interested in either. Others, like Maryland’s Wes Moore, didn’t get much attention to begin with.

Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly appear to be the front-runners, though I wouldn’t rule out US Transportation’s Pete Buttigeig and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

But so far, Shapiro is the only person that people are doing a full-court press on. Now you have a segment of the population that thinks he should be the obvious choice. Pennsylvania is a battleground state. He knows the state. He could be an asset… as long as you’re not in a room full of public school teachers or supporters of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

Shapiro’s support for school vouchers has more than a little angered the teachers unions you need to win the state’s 19 electoral votes. As for Krasner partisans, when you sign a bill designed to strip the DA’s power because he’s not sending enough people to state prisons, that’s a problem.

When you add to that his promise to sign a bill to punish colleges and universities that withdraw their funding from Israel in protest of its treatment of Palestinians in Gaza — because the goal no longer seems to be getting rid of Hamas or getting the hostages back, it looks more like genocide — you have a problem that the first Black and South Asian woman to run for president doesn’t need.

Now I see why making Shapiro vice president seems like a good idea. If he becomes vice president, Pennsylvania will have its first black governor when Lt. Gov. Austin Davis takes over. In theory, Pennsylvania will have a friend in a very high position to replace whoever steps down in 2024.

And if we’re being honest, Senator Sharif Street, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania, is firing someone who tried to take his job.

But I’m not sure what it does for Harris. And until the Democratic City Committee can show how they, and by extension the country, benefit from having Gov. Shapiro on the ticket, I think it’s best that he stays here… and that you all stop trying to pressure her.

Disclaimer: The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author, and not necessarily those of the author’s employer, The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, the author’s organization, committee or other group or individual.