Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL) as VP pick for Joe Biden ?

Big fan

I'm into it.

I think she would be a great choice. The fact that she was a cop and police chief I think will have some crossover appeal.

My dad is a retired cop and has been all-in on Trump. I can tell he's getting disillusioned with Trump, but too stubborn to admit it yet. He was asking me the other day about the people Joe is considering for VP - he knew about Kamala and Stacey Abrams but hadn't heard of Val. When I told him she was a former cop his ears perked up and he started asking lots of questions about her. My Dad has voted democratic in the past - moreso than republican - so I think Val could be a great bridge to bring him (and others) back to the Dems.

I read that Jill Biden — I’m sorry, DOCTOR Jill Biden — is advocating for her, so she may be a front-runner.

She gives Nancy Pelosi competition when it comes to fashion and style. Mama knows how to dress.

So she gets Anna Wintour's vote. Big deal. Can she handle the presidency?

Val Demings was great during the impeachment hearings! I had no idea who she was prior to that, but she definitely stood out to me. I think she'd be a great choice.

I think she's almost certainly going to be who he chooses at this point. Prior to this past week, I'd have thought he'd go with Harris, who gets some cred as a former prosecutor, but after this, particularly given that her first instinct was to write an op ed calling out bad cops have probably moved her into first position.

And I'm definitely in favor. Probably moreso than I would have been with Harris, TBH.

No. A police chief is the wrong message to send right now -- particularly for the Democrats.

My fave (after Warren) is Susan Rice. Love her!

Yes to Val. Her husband is a former cop and Mayor of Orange County FL. Val could help Biden win FL. Harris is great, but he doesn't need help in CA.

I like her.

If she can help win Florida, Joe should chose her. Trump can't afford to lose Florida. It would make all the difference and Joe would win in a landslide of 375 electoral college votes, plus.

Anybody but Amy!

Val Demings is the safe choice, but Vice President Biden should also announce his potential cabinet picks in order to placate the malcontents among us.

No. Shes a cop. Most of us protesting would be insulted by that more than anything. Kamala being a prosecutor isn't great for her right now but this woman was literally a cop.

Like ALL cops, she helped cover up police brutality many times. You have to or the union will get you fired. She's not the one for this moment.

I don't disagree her department's track record, for which she was responsible during her tenure as chief, isn't neat and tidy. But neither is Harris or Klobuchar's prosecution record so that may be a draw. It's always possible to turn a negative into a positive.

I think he's now compelled to choose one of the talented black women from the list. I think Warren and and Klobuchar have to be excluded now. Harris seems to be a far more compelling candidate for AG now. She's formidable in that space. I think it would a waste to land her as VP.

R13: IIRC, there is a law that says the Presidential candidate cannot promise any federal jobs before the election. I heard something like that years ago. I think this would especially apply to the cabinet. Maybe someone else knows more about this.

How can a prosecutor or a police chief be neat and tidy. They're always going to piss someone off.

I like her but I don't know that much about her.

No. No cops. Not Val, not Kamala, and sure as fucking hell not Amy Klobuchar who literally hepled the killer cop who started all these protests get away with murder once before. Anyone who has gone to these protests or even just sympthizes with them will turn their backs on Biden. And he will deserve it.

If you want a black woman, pick Keisha Lance Bottoms. A white midwesterner? Gretchen Whitmer. A woman of color whose a senator from a safe blue seat? Tammy Duckworth. Someone who can grab some Bernie people? Elizabeth Warren. There are many option choose from who aren't fascist cops or their servants. No need to spit in the eye of the black people and torpedo his own chances to name a ctroversial cop pick

Not familiar, R16, but that does make sense.

What I would hope, however, is that within the hour of making the announcement it gets amplified verbatim by every also-ran...and Pete.

He needs to pick someone who hasn't been in the spotlight yet.

He needs to pick ME.

He needs to pick me, Meghan Miracle!

I’m sorry, R19, but Biden-Bottoms doesn’t have a great Presidential ring to it.

And I think most black people would be supportive of Demings. Just like I said black people would rally for Joe.

Biden Bottoms has a hell of a ring to it... just not a helpful ring.

But, my God, could it be fun...

Kamala for Attorney General.

I think Harris is the frontrunner and would be a strong choice.

But Demings stock is rising... a strong, competent black woman congress member, and former police chief is the right mix of characteristics for this moment. And her communication style is a good contrast/support for Joe. Non-nonsense, clear, direct.

I agree with choosing Demings. She's from the mother of swing states, she was amazing in the impeachment hearings, and at this point, considering what's happening right now, a black woman has to be on the ticket. And Kamala as AG is a perfect choice.

Most swing states could not be affected that much by the VP pick... not anymore. But FL is very gettable this election and Trump has no path to an electoral college win without FL. And I think Demings would have an impact in FL...

On a completely different track... most national black politicians (Obama, Harris) are mixed-race. Demings is really black.. beautiful in that dark-skinned African way. It's time.

Demings is my choice, not that anyone ever listens to me. Val does not have the problems with the black community that Kamala has. Val can speak to everyone and calm shit down. Biden/Demings

R30 Here's the graphic: Joe and Val 2020

If you were in anyway surprised by the scale and energy of these protests, you have no idea what the political forces drive the black community are. Maybe don't be so cavalier about insisting you know what black people will and won't accept again?

I am black. Val Demings would not be acceptable to a large swath of black people. Not any of the ones protesting now surely and many of their friends and family. You saying they will like her on a 95% white message board looks more silly than a lot of you realize.

Demings was a chief cop in a Southern city with a record of police brutality. Bad optics.

R32 Point taken. But this sounds also like much of criticism of Obama in spring, 2016.

I am also black, R32, and I think the specifics of her record are and will need to be looked at very carefully. The “Kamela is a cop” ideology was pushed very heavily by the Bernie Bros who are now either begrudgingly onboard or just plain bored.

I bet the vetting team is going over everything with a fine toothed saladcomb and that is fine. Actually, better than fine, it is responsible. And it also gives the comms people a chance to draft a response if she is chosen to be the nominee.

All that being said, I also have a relative who CLAIMS to have intel that part of the deal with James Clyburn to get his endorsement all of those years ago (February) was Joe would give preference to Kamela.

R35 Yes I agree with you that of the three, Kamala is the least problematic. She was not literally a cop who helped cover these abuses up. She also has not gone out of her way to get cops off for crimes they commit like Amy Klobuchar.

But why pick someone with this vulnerability at all? In a moment like what we're experiencing now? There are many women, even women of color who just do not have issues there whatsoever. Why not pick them? I don't understand the insistence from some people Kamala must be on the ticket. I am neutral towards her. But I'm definitely not willing to weaken the ticket for her. We do not need weeks of Biden explaining away each questionable prosecutorial practice of hers.

[quote]I am black. Val Demings would not be acceptable to a large swath of black people.

I am also black. And a lot of the black people, including me, are very positive towards Demings being the pick.

So I think the only thing that we've proven here is that just like everyone else, black people are not monolithic.

A democrat needs more than 87%ish of the black vote and good turnout to win a national election. That is not my opinion, that is fact.

If Biden even got only 75% of the black vote or black turnout was down just 10% from 2016, it would mathematically impossible for Joe Biden to win. So yes, it does very much matter whether "some" or "close to zero" black voters find a pick problematic. Demings is a very far way off from "close to zero" black people having a problem with her

[Quote] Demings is a very far way off from "close to zero" black people having a problem with her.

May I ask for Numbers and your source?

Harris is of no value in the midwest and south. Biden will sweep CA on his own.

So R38, out of curiosity, who are you leaning towards?

R39 My source is the massive protests in 48 cities over policies brutality. You can't seriously think it just won't come up that she ran a department KNOWN for being likely to engage in police brutality. And as their leader she has helped cover it up.

You may be willing to ignore that because you already stan her some reason. But most Americans have no idea who she is. Their introduction to her will be a long messy investigation of her and departments atrocious record.

R41 I don't currently have a favorite. I generally supported Warren in the primary but I also think Biden's Veep needs to be younger.

In R19 I described four choices I think would all be broadly non-controversial. I don't think there are disqualifying downsides to any of those four. Tammy Baldwin could also be very good but it's not a sure thing Dems hold her Senate seat.

Anyone who has a background in law enforcement is gonna have trouble getting support. Kamala is called Kopmala by the black community.

Whoever it is they will have data on the impact of the pick and have consulted those who need to be consulted and the decision will be highly influenced by the measurement. He's not just sitting in a room with aides and wall board. Well, these days he might be, but you follow...

Thanks for responding R43. I'm still Team Val, but I take your point and understand it. My personal choice before Val was Sally Yates. But I think it has to be a black woman. I don't know much about Bottoms, but I will check her out.

Sally Yates would be great.

[quote]I don't know much about Bottoms

Oh please, you're on the Datalounge.

R26 OMG, I think you are on to something there. I want that bumper sticker on my car - Biden Bottoms. And maybe even with a very small pride logo discretely hidden somewhere in the logo. DL will go into hyper overdrive with that to work with.

Sally Yates AG.

Wait so Biden is a bottom?

If Demings were being considered for veep on the GOP ticket, it would be insane to choose a former cop. But not on the Democrat's ticket. Val or Kamala are my top potential running mate picks!

I became smitten with Val during the impeachment hearings. She's well spoken, smart, and sassy.

But gurl needs to work on her wig game.

Her story will result in my Best Actress Oscar*

I particularly liked Demmings's calling out of the Minnesota cops: What the hell are you doing? I'd love to see her debate Pence.

I love Mayor Lightfoot, too, but doubt a lesbian could get very close to being picked.

Orlando Police Complaints in the Spotlight as African-American Ex-Chief Runs for Congress Val Demings has unique appeal as an African-American former police chief running for Congress. But the department she ran has a history of excessive-force complaints now coming under scrutiny.

Democrats believe they have found a rising star in Central Florida: Val Demings, the African-American former chief of the Orlando Police Department, who is running for Congress in 2016.

First, though, she will have to navigate the complicated national dialogue on police brutality and criminal justice, a conversation that has changed dramatically since Democrats first tapped the tough-on-crime Demings as a candidate for higher office.

When Demings first ran for Congress in 2012, discussion of her tenure leading the OPD tended to start and stop at one statistic: a 43.6 percent drop in violent crime from 2007 to 2011, according to FBI reports. But over the last year, a string of highly publicized shootings and violent arrests of African Americans by police has changed the criteria that voters and the media use to judge officeholders on law enforcement.

The growing focus on police misconduct highlights less agreeable aspects of Demings’s time helming the Orlando Police Department from 2007 to 2011.

The department has a long record of excessive-force allegations, and a lack of transparency on the subject, dating back at least as far as Demings’s time as chief. From 2010 to 2014, the department paid out more than $3.3 million in damages following at least 47 lawsuits alleging false arrest, excessive force, and other complaints against the department’s officers, according to WFTV. (Records about these cases and other allegations of police misconduct in Orlando are not centrally housed or publicized, and some lawsuits are still outstanding.)

"This has been a problem for a while, through her administration and others. The problem is the leadership of the department,” said Lawanna Gelzer, president of the National Action Network’s Central Florida chapter. “… She’s not going to get my vote.”

Demings declined to comment on her record as police chief. Her campaign referred questions to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which also did not comment.

Demings has not spoken out about criminal justice since she announced her 2016 congressional run, but it will be hard to avoid. Before she became a candidate, she became a recurring guest discussing police news on MSNBC, where she highlighted her efforts to improve relations between her police department and city residents. Now, she is a leading contender for Congress in an Orlando district Democrats should win next year. After running in a GOP-leaning swing district in 2012, losing narrowly to Republican Rep. Daniel Webster, next year she has to get through a Democratic primary in a majority-minority seat.

She has a reputation for taking a holistic approach to policing that could get more play this time around. Stephanie Porta, a progressive organizer who supported Demings for Orange County mayor in 2014, said one of Demings’s biggest accomplishments was launching a project that included providing childcare and constructing a park at a crime-ridden apartment complex, which helped reduce crime there. (Demings ended up dropping out of the mayoral race.)

The lawsuits against the Orlando Police Department were not a major knock against Demings in her last congressional run, though another part of her police record came in for criticism: Demings was censured in 2009 after her gun was stolen from her unlocked truck.

But progressive activist Mike Cantone said the issue has gotten much more local attention recently, partly because of the national focus on relations between law enforcement and minorities, and partly because more excessive-force lawsuits and other complaints have finally worked their way through the legal system.

Back in 2008, an Orlando Weekly expose described the Orlando Police Department as “a place where rogue cops operate with impunity, and there’s nothing anybody who finds himself at the wrong end of their short fuse can do about it.”

Demings responded defensively: “Looking for a negative story in a police department is like looking for a prayer at church,” she wrote in an Orlando Sentinel op-ed. “It won't take long to find one.”

In the same op-ed, Demings cast doubt on video evidence that conflicted with officers’ statements in excessive force cases, writing, “a few seconds (even of video) rarely capture the entire set of circumstances.”

The excessive-force complaints continued throughout Demings’s tenure. In 2010, an officer flipped an 84-year-old man upside down and broke his neck after the man became belligerent. Demings initially said “the officer performed the technique within department guidelines,” but a federal jury later disagreed, awarding the victim $880,000 in damages. Demings has stayed in the spotlight—and on the record—on law-enforcement issues since retiring as police chief, and her statements on police accountability seem to have evolved. In October 2014, she appeared on an MSNBC segment on the use of smartphone video to hold police accountable and touted the Orlando Police Department’s tests with body cams and “other recording devices."

“One of the things that I always try to portray to the police officers is that videos are good because they not only protect the public, but they also protect the police officers,” Demings said on TV.

In an MSNBC appearance in June of this year, Demings called for a national database of police shootings.

If she is able to win a congressional seat on her second try, Demings could become an important national spokesperson on policing. She faces Democratic primary opponents in a Democratic-leaning district: State Sen. Geraldine Thompson is running, while former state Democratic Party chair Bob Poe and state Sen. Gary Siplin are considering it. But none of those candidates have run for Congress before, and Demings came within 3.4 percentage points of beating Webster in a tougher district in 2012.

Plus, Florida Democrats are always looking to lengthen a short bench of talent that could conceivably run for statewide office, and Demings has already attracted attention from future-focused state Democrats.

“Val is strong campaigner; she has an amazing profile,” said Steve Vancore, a Tallahassee-based Democratic consultant. “She’s a bit of dream candidate.”

That may still be the case. But Demings is bound to face different questions and tests this campaign than when she burst onto House Democrats’ radar in 2012.

R56/R57 is from 2015

What r56/r57 posted is just the beginning. You don't pick a VP to give yourself more problems and things you have to defend. The first rule of any VP choice is "Do No Harm"

Petty as it may seem, there are many Black men (and more than a few Black women) who will not support a Senator Harris vice presidential candidacy based on her being married to a White man. Visualize the platform optics: three Whites (the Bidens and Sen. Harris's husband) outnumbering the lone POC, Sen. Harris.

Incredible that such thoughts are still being entertained in the year 2020 you might say but, too, who would have thought our Black citizenry would still be subjected to lynchings this far down the line.

[quote] I bet the vetting team is going over everything with a fine toothed saladcomb and that is fine.

WTF?!!! Where can I get one of those "saladcombs"? Asking for a friend.

[quote] Harris is of no value in the midwest and south. Biden will sweep CA on his own.

That is no longer the calculus. Kaine gave Virginia to HRC but nothing else.

Behind the scenes, Obama has spoken up for Harris as VP.

I like Obama a lot. He was an immensely talented politician. One of the best I've ever seen. But he has not been as great at picking out talent in others. It was him who first pushed Beto into the presidential race. I like Beto too, but he was not ready for that race. I think he can get there one day but he and democrats would have been better off if Beto ran for Senate again this year.

Obama tends to think many young, intelligent, moderately charismatic people will turn out to be political savants like he did. But most don't. I don't think he sees his own uniqueness. In 2008, he beat Hillary at the height of her influence in Democratic politics. While Beto and Harris were crushed by Biden this cycle

Is she a lesbian?

She seems somewhat butch.

[Quote] Petty as it may seem, there are many Black men (and more than a few Black women) who will not support a Senator Harris vice presidential candidacy based on her being married to a White man. Visualize the platform optics: three Whites (the Bidens and Sen. Harris's husband) outnumbering the lone POC, Sen. Harris.

Incredible that such thoughts are still being entertained in the year 2020 you might say but, too, who would have thought our Black citizenry would still be subjected to lynchings this far down the line.

Petty, yes, but also realistic. I distinctly remember some "conservatives" claiming they couldn't vote for Obama not because he's black but because he's HALF black. Kamela is half black, half Indian and Douglass is Jewish

sorry, Douglas

Biden could pick a single serving of mashed potatoes for VP and I would still enthusiastically vote Democratic all the way up and down the ticket.

Hold out for the graxy, R67.

You. Are. Worth. It!

[quote] Petty as it may seem, there are many Black men (and more than a few Black women) who will not support a Senator Harris vice presidential candidacy based on her being married to a White man. Visualize the platform optics: three Whites (the Bidens and Sen. Harris's husband) outnumbering the lone POC, Sen. Harris.

Not petty, a complete fiction. Blacks only turn away from black candidates who are politically misaligned with the interests of the black community. Interracial marriage, biracial, triracial -- blacks will vote for Harris. I am unaware of any instance where blacks failed to support a black candidate because of biracial heritage or interracial marriage.

She's my pick! Very impressed with her during the impeachment trial. Impressed with her husband, too, when he was interviewed last week on TV.

R62 If Harris is the VP pic, the Republicans will turn and focus on Harris and run against California liberalism and then we lose.

She’s of no value.

Whoever uncle Joe picks, the Republicans are going to find some way to criticize her.

He could pick the Virgin Mary and it’d be too young, too Catholic, too ethnic, show us your birth certificate.

R72 of course they will try. That doesn't mean everyone equally vulnerable to attack. Bernie Bros said the same thing "GOP will call anyone a radical socialist so why no nominate one"

Obviously those attacks have not stuck on Biden at all. They would have on Sanders

I don’t disagree with you on that R73.

I am just saying we shouldn’t eat up our insides worrying that Joe won’t pick an impossibly perfect VP. Or get so overly invested in our own favorite candidate that we get disheartened when he picks someone else.

There is no perfect pick. The right will always malign and if there was a perfect candidate then they would make shit up. I agree with ElderLez we can't be so invested in this. And Hillary would have won VA without Tim Kaine.

I think Keisha Lance Bottoms would be a great pick. She’s a very good speaker, has a lot of experience in public service, was a former judge.

It will definitely be a black woman at this point, so Klobuchar is out. I think Harris is probably the most experienced on the national stage and ready to be President on day one.

Why do people have so much baggage? Can anyone do their job without corruption?

I like Harris. I like Demmings. I'd be okay with either.

[Quote] Why do people have so much baggage? Can anyone do their job without corruption?

Tim Kaine doesn't seem to have much baggage but he was deemed too boring.

Hillary has more baggage than Louis Vuitton but...

Agreed. Any VP he picks will be exorciated for her "liberalism" -- and having the audacity to have a vagina.

Last night I watched news video showing cops on one knee, cops reaching out to black folk, black folk interacting joyously with Biden, a black youth crying in the arms of a cop, whites and blacks together protesting for justice. The chief of police in my town on one knee among protesters. People happily getting their photos taken along side him.

As said above, whoever Biden picks the right will malign. It's what they do. Lie, smear, and destroy.

Demings, whatever her record, will be able to explain it and reach out in a way to ease conflict and bridge a gap between the law and Black and other Americans. She was measured in her speech, so clear on what is right and wrong during the impeachment trial, I think anyone would be proud to see her as VP. Her Washinton Post OP ED is attached.

That said, I will support the ticket whoever Biden selects. I'm trusting him to be wise, he knows how crucial this is.

Demmings might be the actual right person for VP

WOW I just learned she is 63 years old! She looks GREAT.

Except for the obvious wig.

R84 Good luck finding an older black female politician that doesn't wear a wig.

I said over a month ago that Val Demings would be in the top two pics for Biden. Being a former Police Chief of Orlando will appeal to most older black voters and plenty of non-black voters. That is direct experience in a critical domain at this point. She knows how to campaign well.

At this point, Biden will need to pick a black woman. Kamala, Val, and Susan Rice have credentials that fit well enough for Biden to confidently justify.

Stacey Abrams has no elected experience beyond the Georgia Legislature. She's been too aggressive campaigning for the job.

[quote][R84] Good luck finding an older black female politician that doesn't wear a wig.

Ayanna Pressley, who admittedly is only 46, recently came out about her alopecia and has mostly stopped wearing them.

[quote] Being a former Police Chief of Orlando will appeal to most older black voters

This is the middle of the largest civic unrest against police brutality against the black people in 50 years 🙃 Love this website but sometimes y'all make me just want to throw my phone against the wall

[quote]sometimes y'all make me just want to throw my phone against the wall.

Naomi?

Things looking good for Val.

I can imagine the Veep debate. She'd terrify Pence.

He'd probably have to ask Mother's permission before even agreeing to it.

She'd probably sit on stage with him.

I'd like to see her strong arm trump and toss him across the room, before running over him with her Harley.

Has she ever done meth in a South Beach hotel room with a gay prostitute?

R94, what does this reference?

Google those words, R95, you'll see.

Val Demings is way more qualified for a national ticket than Trump was in 2016. She had local government executive experience and is a current member of Congress. She may have some baggage that opponents may try to exploit. But all politicians have some baggage. Perhaps her baggage is relatively minimal, and she can handle effectively the negative attacks Republican will try to unleash. I believe she would be a wise choice.

[quote] She'd probably sit on stage with him.

"It's okay, Momma's Baby. Go on and tell the nice black lady all the wonderful things you've done for black people."

Silly. She’s been in the House since 2017. Everyone’s into her because of her performance during the hearings. We know nothing about her.

R99, you have plenty of time to learn about her, now. That’s what the vetting process is all about. Even seemingly unknown, unsuccessful Congresspeople can rise to the occasion when called, after proper vetting.

So WaPo has a picking poll (linked below) where you rank certain criteria and it picks your VP nominee for you. It's superficial but interesting.

I came out as a tie between the Governor of New Mexico and Kamala Harris. I thought I didn't like Harris but based on my answers she was my preferred pick. It must just be her irrational fangurls here I don't like!

I got a tie between Tammy Baldwin and Demings.

I unfortunately think a lesbian is a bridge too far right now.

I got Baldwin, but have never heard of her!

My number one choice is Duckworth but I don't know if she's still in the running. Number two would be Susan Rice followed by Val Demings.

Val Demings made a strong showing on "The View" today. She seems pragmatic and she speaks in a way that will not intimidate voters. My only reservation is whether she has the ability to be an executive at the national level.

I think the VIEW ladies loved her. Maybe not Megan, though.

I hope Val Demings. She may be our only hope due to Florida. Although scumbag Florida governor, along with Marco Rubio, have already said they will "Hand Florida to Trump" so obviously they are planning on rigging FL (again).

I like her, but I simply can’t picture her as the President. She was the Chief of Police for Orlando, FL for four years and has been a member of the House for three years. That is a very thin resume. There are others who are better prepared to step in should anything happen to Biden. Or to run for President if Biden keeps his promise to be a one-term President.

Based on her appearance on the view today, it's clear she wants to be veep. She's only outdone by Abrams in how bad they want it. I wish they wouldn't do that as the prize is playing second fiddle to an old white guy.

#BidenHarris2020

r104, Duckworth doesn't have a leg to stand on.

The question is not what Democrats think of her but what independent voters think of her? They account for 38 percent of the electorate and they will decide the election. Is Demings ready to run for president in 2024? Is she a good face for the party in 2024?

Biden's team will thoroughly scrutinize the backgrounds of all the top prospects. Biden knows all the prominent Democrats in the Legislative branch and will receive much input. Current and former party leaders and campaign operatives will weigh-in. They'll probably do some focus group analyses.

Certain information on the assessment of each candidate will be held confidential and the public will not hear about it.

All of them have some baggage or drawbacks. It becomes a question which vulnerabilities can be overcome in a national campaign.

Each has also their attributes. It will be a determination who offers the most strength in garnering votes and doesn't do harm.

R110..that was so bad it was good!

If it’s not going to be Michelle Obama, Demings would be my pick.