Read on Twitter
Biden& #39;s potentially best pick for VP isn& #39;t a name in the headlines right now. But you can bet he& #39;s considering her. They worked together for five years, and her case is strong. Everyone, case your gaze westward to Janet Napolitano. 1/13
Why? Start with the structure of the 2020 race. It& #39;s not going to be an identity-politics or ideological election. Af-Ams, e.g., have shown they want Trump out and will go with the candidate(s) who can accomplish that. Same is true of the rest of the Dem base. 2/13
To evict Trump, the key isn& #39;t appeal to Dem interest groups or blue states. It& #39;s appeal to swing voters, especially suburbanites and college-educated women, and above all in a handful of battleground states. 3/13
These voters (like everyone) know that Biden& #39;s age make his VP likely to succeed him. They want a VP who they can envision as commander-in-chief and who is a safe pair of hands. Someone they can easily imagine as president. 4/13
Harris and Abrams don& #39;t have the experience. Maybe not Warren, either, and she& #39;s probably too scary. Whitmer is green, still in only her second year as governor. 5/13
So the list is getting short. But...Napolitano! 6/13
She was a successful state attorney general in Arizona. Then a popular two-term governor. Remember, Az is a red state, but in her re-election bid, she crushed the Republican by almost 2:1. Won every county and every legislative district (unprecedented in Arizona!). 7/13
Then she was Obama& #39;s Secretary of Homeland Security. Downside: immigrant deportations, hugely unpopular with Dem base. Upside: major national-security cred. And...she worked with VP Biden for five years. 8/13
Most recently, she ran the country& #39;s premier university system (U-Cal.) Conveniently, she will be stepping down in August. Kids, can you say "available"? 9/13
So no one will doubt her gravitas and ability to take the reins. Also...Arizona! 10/13
AZ hasn& #39;t voted blue since 1996 but looks within reach for Democrats this year. If Biden can win the state& #39;s 11 electoral votes, he wins the election, almost for sure. Hmm, might a popular former governor help? 11/13
Sen. Klobuchar has experience, gravitas, and wins red votes, but Biden needs less help in Minnesota. And pragmatic voters tend to prefer governors for their executive experience. 12/13
So Napolitano brings a lot to the table. Biden would be crazy not to put her on the short list. And the dude ain& #39;t crazy. You heard it here. 13/13
