Senator Kamala Harris was one of Joe Biden's presidential rivals. Photo / AP file
Joe Biden's choice for vice-president of the United States appears to have been revealed prematurely, thanks to a blunder from US media.
Today Politico published a rather eye-catching update to its article tracking the candidates to join Biden's ticket as the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee.
"Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris to become his running mate for the 2020 election on August 1, two weeks before the Democratic National Convention, after keeping his choice close to his chest for months," Politico said.
"In his announcement, Biden called Harris 'a worthy opponent and a worthy running mate,' alluding to the pair's rivalry during the earlier stages of the Democratic primary.
"She will bring her experience as a prosecutor, household name recognition, and skill as a debater to the ticket."
Obviously, August 1 has not happened yet, and Biden has not yet made any such announcement.
Politico promptly changed the article back to its previous iteration, which outlined the arguments for and against picking Harris.
But it was too late – people had already noticed. Politico said: "Due to a technical error, an earlier version of this graphic mistakenly reported that Biden had made his VP selection. We regret the mistake."
Politico published an article claiming Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate, and announced it August 1. It’s since been changed, and scrubbed from the piece.
Original on the left. Current version on the right.
Biden was uncharacteristically tight-lipped today about the final stretch of his search for a vice-president. But he seemed prepared to talk about at least one leading contender: Harris.
As he took questions from reporters, Biden held notes that were captured by an AP photographer. Harris' name was scrawled across the top, followed by five talking points.
"Do not hold grudges." "Campaigned with me & Jill." "Talented." "Great help to campaign." "Great respect for her."
Those are all observations Biden has made about Harris before. But they take on new significance following a recent Politico report that one of Biden's closest friends and a co-chair of his vice-presidential vetting committee, former Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, still harbours concerns about Harris' tough debate stage performance and that she hasn't expressed regret about a clash with Biden.
The comments attributed to Dodd have drawn condemnation, especially from influential Democratic women who maintain that Harris is being held to a standard that wouldn't apply to a man running for president.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 28, 2020
Harris, a US Senator and former prosecutor, has long been considered the frontrunner for the vice-presidential nomination.
Biden has explicitly promised to choose a woman, and has strongly indicated he would prefer someone who will bring racial diversity to the ticket.
Other names on the rumoured shortlist are Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Tammy Duckworth, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Representative Val Demings and former White House national security adviser Susan Rice.
At his campaign event today, Biden told reporters he would name his choice "the first week in August", which would line up with the date mentioned by Politico.
Despite her strong credentials, Harris would be an awkward pick for a couple of reasons.
Harris was one of the candidates running against Biden for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination earlier this year, and during that effort, she went on the attack.
In one of the first debates of the Democratic primary season, Harris ripped into Biden's credentials on racial issues.
"As the only black person on stage, I would like to speak on the issue of race," she said.
"There is not a black man I know, be he a relative, a friend or a co-worker, who has not been the subject of profiling or discrimination. My sister and I had to deal with the neighbour who told us her parents couldn't play with us because we were black.
“I’m running because Trump is president. I think our democracy is at stake for real. Many Americans, those who don’t like me and those who do, view me as the antithesis of Trump. I believe that I am.” https://t.co/Fr22ziOeXx
"But I also believe — and it's personal, and it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country."
That was a reference to a controversial comment Biden made earlier the same month, touting his working relationship with two pro-segregation senators decades ago as proof of his ability to work constructively with the other side of politics.
"At least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn't agree on much of anything. We got things done," Biden had told the crowd at a fundraiser.
To Republicans, white, working-class voters represent the path to the president’s reelection. To Democrats, they personify opportunity, a chance to siphon off just enough Trump votes in swing states to remove him from office. https://t.co/Ann1KCh6At
In the 1970s and 1980s, a number of American school districts implemented mandatory bussing policies, which saw students assigned and transported to particular schools in an effort to achieve a level of racial balance.
The schools themselves had previously been segregated, and had struggled to achieve any sort of balance due to the continuing racial inequality between residential areas.
There was fierce opposition to the bussing policy from some quarters, and Biden opposed the idea of a federal law mandating its implementation nationwide, arguing it was a matter for state and local governments.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 28, 2020
"There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public school, and she was bussed to school every day. And that little girl was me," Harris said.
"So I will tell you that on this subject, it cannot be an intellectual debate among Democrats. We have to take it seriously. We have to act swiftly."
Biden dismissed the attack as "a mischaracterisation of my position across the board".
"If we want to have this campaign litigated on who supports civil rights, and whether I did or not, I'm happy to do that. I was a public defender. I didn't become a prosecutor, I left a good law firm to become a public defender," he said.
Biden is pushing for more significant structural change than he ever has before. https://t.co/RowzBZBTUD
That last jab at Harris's former career as a prosecutor brings us to the second reason she might be an awkward choice.
When she was attorney-general of California, Harris took stances on some issues that no longer conform to the prevailing views of her party. For example, she did not join attempts to abolish the death penalty.
More significantly, Harris did not back legislation that would have mandated independent investigations in cases where police officers killed people.
That might have been a small political problem before the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Amidst the current mass protest movement against police brutality and racial discrimination in the justice system, it's a bigger one.
Joe Biden: "I'm running because Trump is the president. And I think our democracy is at stake -- for real. And what seems to be the case is many Americans, those who don't like me and those that do, view me as the antithesis of Trump. And I believe that I am." pic.twitter.com/j4Qu1mwP1Z
The relationship between Biden and Harris has become considerably more amicable.
Biden has praised Harris publicly many times and noted that he's thought highly of her personally and professionally since she became close to his late son, Beau Biden, when both were state attorneys general.
It is common for high-profile politicians to take notes with them to the podium, either handwritten additions to formal remarks or a bullet-point list like what Biden held on stationery featuring his full name: Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Harris has spent recent weeks relentlessly promoting Biden's candidacy. That push has included emails to supporters of her now defunct presidential campaign, asking for donations to help him defeat Donald Trump.
This is the most important election of our lifetime. With @JoeBiden as president, we'll be able to build an America that lives up to our ideals. pic.twitter.com/q9xVPd2PuF
Biden's list, at the least, suggests that he wants to defuse any tensions around his relationship with Harris.
Harris has become a reliable surrogate for Biden, appearing with him in online fundraisers amid the unusual social distancing standards forced on the campaign by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As recently as last week, Harris headlined her own event for Biden, one focused on the Raleigh area in North Carolina, a battleground state where Harris' dual appeal to black voters and college-educated white women could boost Democrats' prospects.