Op-Ed: If Donald Trump And Joe Biden Would Ask My Advice Regarding Choosing Their 2020 Running Mates (With a Look Into The future And A PR Lesson) ...

Op-Ed: If Donald Trump And
Joe Biden Would Ask My Advice
Regarding Choosing Their 2020
Running Mates (With a Look
Into The future And A PR
Lesson)
Arthur Solomon

In its June 28 edition, the New York Times published a full
page analysis of individuals under consideration for Joe
Biden’s veep, which he said he will announce in August. I’ve
had my own opinion who would be Biden’s best running mate for
some time, and all of my choices are on the Times’ list.

So in this column, I’ll give my reasoning for the top four
candidates in the order of my preference. I’ll also give my
opinion on who President Trump should choose to run with him.

Biden
     1 – Elizabeth Warren: Trump edged out an Electoral
     College win over Hillary Clinton largely because ultra-
     liberal Sanders supporters and African-American voters
     stayed home. Biden already has strong support among
     voters of color, but he needs to shore up support among
     voters who think he is too moderate. Warren is the best
     possible candidate to bring those voters to the polling
     booths because of her policy positions. Another plus is
     that she is a traditional liberal Democrat, who will not
     scare the great majority of moderate and conservative
     Democratic voters or Never Trump Republicans. She is not
     the wild-eyed crazy socialist that Trump and his

supporters will claim if she is chosen.
     2 – Susan Rice: Ms. Rice has many things in her favor.
     Because of her extensive foreign policy background – she
     was the national security advisor and ambassador to the
     United Nations for President Obama s – she would be
     ready on day one to assume the presidency. Because she
     is an African-American she would also appeal to those
     who say Biden must choose a black running mate or we’ll
     stay home. Her only negative is that she is not that
     well-known. Normally that would be corrected during the
     campaign season, but it will be more difficult to do so
     during a Pandemic with limited campaigning.
     3 – Kamala Harris: Sen. Harris, like Sen. Warren is
     already well known to the public. She has staked out
     positions that appeal to both liberal and moderate
     voters. Her policies might be more in line with Biden’s
     than Warren’s, but whether she can bring out the Sanders
     supporters on Election Day is questionable.
     4 – Gretchen Whitmer: The Michigan governor can fix the
     problem that has plagued the Democratic Party for a
     number of years –promoting new and younger politicians.
     But I think she needs more national exposure in order to
     be seriously considered as a presidential or vice-
     presidential candidate.

Future Democratic Problem Which Must Be Fixed: In order to
remain a party that appeals to all Americans, instead of only
the extreme left-wing or people of color elements, the
Democrats must choose the best available candidates and resist
giving into pressure groups that represent a small portion of
American society. The die is cast for the 2020 election,
which, as happened in 2018, has seen experienced high-ranking
liberal Democrats defeated in primaries by little-known
candidates because of the color of their skin.

Trump
If I was advising the president, I’d offer two suggestions:

     1 – Dump Mike Pence. Here’s why: Because of his
     dishonest critiques of the coronavirus situation, Pence
     has lost much of his credibility. Even some GOP
     governors have disregarded his analyses and advice as
     the virus has mushroomed among GOP-controlled Southern
     and Western states. Also, Trump already has the Always
     Trump voters locked up. He doesn’t need another
     unswerving party-line conservative. What Trump needs is
     a vice-presidential candidate who can help expand his
     voter base, which brings us to,
     2 – Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland. Hogan has gained
     national recognition because of his handling of the
     coronavirus situation. He is conservatives enough to
     keep      the “ultras” from staying home on Election Day
     and appeals to moderates because of his willingness to
     work across the aisle, unlike any other well-known
     Republican that I can think of.

Future Republican Problem Which Must Be Fixed: In order to
remain a relevant national party, the GOP has to face facts:
Times are changing and the Bush and Trump presidencies were
decided by winning in the Electoral College and losing the
popular vote. True, a win is a win. But clearly the once solid
GOP South, that has been the backbone of the Republican Party,
is changing as older voters die and younger voters are
becoming more moderate. Already, the once reliable GOP vote of
Virginia has disappeared. North Carolina has become a swing
state. And Democrats are gaining in states like Texas and
Florida, which some analysts say has a good opportunity of
voting Democratic, if not this year, by 2024, with the
possibility of Georgia become blue before the end of the
decade. Also, while younger voters are more likely not to
register as a Republican or Democrat, they are more likely to
vote Democratic. The Democratic Party is keeping up with the

changing times, sometime, in my opinion, going too far to
satisfy the “progressive” elements of its party. Conversely,
Trump and the Republican Party seems to be rowing without
moving as the tide that has kept their ship afloat recedes.

Saying that I think that Trump has a good chance of winning a
second term. That’s because there is a large “silent majority”
with anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-African-American and
anti-Hispanic elements that will vote this year. But if trends
continue, this will be their last presidential hurrah.

And as usual a PR lesson: Many of the tenets of public
relations that you learned in communications schools have been
outdated and should have been scrapped years ago. Watch TV
news shows; read newspapers and magazines and you’ll see what
works with journalists. And especially pay attention to the
political news shows. You’ll get a tuition-free Master Course
in practical PR.

Note: Arthur Solomon has worked on political campaigns ranging
from local races to the presidential level. He has also been a
media adviser to high-ranking government officials.)

                         About the Author: Arthur Solomon, a
                         former journalist, was a senior
                         VP/senior counselor at Burson-
                         Marsteller, and was responsible for
                         restructuring, managing and playing
                         key roles in some of the most
                         significant        national       and
                         international sports and non-sports
programs. He now is a frequent contributor to public relations
publications, consults on public relations projects and is on
the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. He can be reached
at arthursolomon4pr@juno.com or artsolomon4pr@optimum,net.