Subj : FidoGazette Vol 14 no 24 Page: 3 To : All From : Janis Kracht Date : Wed Aug 12 2020 23:47:42 ================================================================ Why Kamala ================================================================ She is the first Black and South Asian American woman chosen for national office by a major political party. Harris, 55, follows Democrat Geraldine Ferraro, in 1984, and Republican Sarah Palin, in 2008, as only the third woman to be chosen as the running mate on a presidential ticket. In California, she was the first woman, and first Black woman, to serve as the state's top law enforcement official. She is the first Black woman from California to serve in the US Senate, and second from any state, after Illinois' Carol Moseley Braun. Harris is also the first person of Indian descent to appear on a presidential ticket. If Biden defeats President Trump in November, Harris would become the first woman in US history to serve as vice president. * She's been vetted on the national stage due to her own 2020 bid * She has experience in government -- as both the California attorney general and as a US senator since 2017 * At 55 years old, she represents a younger generation of leader -- something that Biden, who will be 78 on Inauguration Day 2021, said was a major factor in his choice * She is a historic pick as the first Black and South Asian American woman to appear on a major party's national ticket * She's from California, a massive treasure trove of both Democratic votes and Democratic donors * She emerged as an outspoken voice on race -- and the need for police reform -- following the death of George Floyd in May and the subsequent protests it sparked around the country There was no one else on Biden's VP shortlist that checked so many boxes. What's telling is that Biden -- and his team -- didn't feel the need to reach for a less predictable pick. They knew that while picking Harris would draw considerable attention, it would also be the thing most people expected them to do. Despite the historic nature of putting Harris on the ticket, Biden and his advisers knew that selecting Harris might be described by some as unsurprising. But one man's "unsurprising" is another man's "safe." And that's exactly what Harris is and what Biden believes he needs. FIDOGAZETTE Vol 14 No 24 Page 3 August 12, 2020 ----------------------------------------------------------------- --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-5 * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38) .