I Was Wrong About Cooper

But I'm Right About This

I’d managed to convince even members of my family that the smart choice for Kamala Harris’s Vice President was North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

“It puts North Carolina in play,” I said confidently, “especially with that Republican candidate for Governor who’s so far MAGA he makes Steve Bannon look like Desmond Tutu.”

But what I didn’t know was that, according to Politico,

Two Democrats close to Cooper cited three factors: His desire to potentially run for Senate, his age and fears that North Carolina’s divisive Republican lieutenant governor would take over each time Cooper traveled out of state.

Under the state constitution, when the governor leaves the state, the lieutenant governor assumes the role of acting governor.

That means every time Cooper hits the campaign trail, Mark Robinson, the GOP gubernatorial nominee who serves as lieutenant governor, gets to briefly try on the job, introducing an awkward scenario for Democrats. Many feared that Robinson could not only derive political benefit but also take actions that they deeply opposed.

So who will Kamala Harris pick? In those conversations with my loved ones I also confidently dismissed the possibility of Sen. Mark Kelly, worrying about his Arizona Senate seat opening up and wondering if his presence on the ticket will help on the issue of immigration and the border.

“But he’s an astronaut!”

Well, yes.

That could indeed be a pleasant contrast with a weirdo. Plus, now that I think about it, Kelly could help Ruben Gallego win back the Senate seat that Kristen Sinema is (thankfully) giving up. Rep. Gallego is leading Trumper Kari Lake in the polls, but I’ll gladly take the extra boost with Kelly on the ticket.

So maybe I’ll switch my bet to Kelly—though I’d love to see a Harris/Whitmer ticket— but while I apologize to my friends and family for being so characteristically and typically wrong about who the VP choice would be, I won’t back down from my belief that with the possible exception of LBJ in 1960 (but maybe not—read this), no Vice Presidential nominee has ever made a difference in the Electoral College.

And despite the quadrennial burst of anticipation and excitement over the possibility of a transformational vice-presidential nominee, most of the time we get Tim Kaine. (No offense to the Senator who just this second sent me an email).

I’m sure that whoever Kamala Harris picks, it will be a smart choice that will unite Democrats and excite voters.

And you know what else is going to be exciting and get more attention than anyone would have imagined? What will be must-see TV viewing in a few weeks?

The Democratic Convention. It starts August 19, and I can’t wait.

We can expect stars, glamour, music, Barack Obama—everything TV audiences love. After the Republican cavalcade of weirdos in Milwaukee, and Donald Trump’s 90-minute acceptance rant speech that sent delegates heading for the exits, the media professionals and Hollywood stars who are eager to show how necessary they are to presidential politics will surely put on a good show.

And America will tune in to see Kamala Harris and her running mate give speeches that will, I’m sure, connect with voters, and even move them, as great political speech can do.

(Cue William’s inevitable link to that Robert Kennedy quote).

I’m hoping that some viewers—particularly young ones, will watch the Convention and feel some sparks of hope, optimism and excitement over the potential we’re facing. They might see that politics doesn’t have to be a clown show, or something completely removed from their daily lives.

If that happens, watch out. As the song says, we can change the world.