Biden should have been the clear choice for vice president

A vice presidential choice is a strategic one. Whereas Donald Trump chose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, likely an attempt to court the evangelical base of the Republican party, Hillary Clinton had to choose a running mate that could appeal to the left wing of the Democratic party, as well as improve her own image among the general electorate.

Considering these two factors, Vice President Joe Biden should have been one of the clear favorites as Clinton’s running mate.

{mosads}Consider first Biden’s approval rating, which polls far higher than the rest of the Obama administration. The vice president’s aggregate favorability rating is over 50% and climbing. Meanwhile, his unfavorability lies in the mid 30% range. With a net approval rating of more than 15 percentage points, Biden polls roughly a dozen points higher than President Obama, and substantially better than Hillary Clinton. Whereas Clinton is a largely unpopular figure, Biden’s favorability could have brought a much-needed boost to the ticket.

Biden could also appeal to the left Bernie-centric wing of the party, something that Clinton’s actual vice presidential pick Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia could not offer. As recently as last week, Kaine wrote two letters advocating bank-regulation. After a heated primary season centered on the rigged economy, Clinton’s choice of Kaine only pushed away the progressive wing of the party.

Biden, on the other hand, stayed neutral until the end of the primary season, often complementing Sen. Bernie Sanders and supporting his policies while criticizing Hillary Clinton.

In one interview earlier this year, Biden lauded Sanders’ experience fighting income inequality. Biden said Sanders had “authenticity” and “credibility” concerning income inequality. Clinton, meanwhile, was “new to the fight,” according to Biden. This statement built Biden’s rapport among the Sanders base. It simply did not make sense for Clinton to choose such a pro Wall Street running mate when she had to appeal to the anti Wall Street base of the party.

Finally, Biden could have brought some brashness and much-needed “tell it how it is” mentality to the ticket where Trump has dominated up until now.

Just take a look back at the Vice Presidential Debate back in 2012 – Biden made Speaker Paul Ryan look like nothing short of a schoolboy. Whereas Ryan looked nervous, often drinking a noticeably large amount of water, Biden was grinning, laughing, and even accused Ryan of peddling “malarkey.”

Hillary Clinton, poised, calculated, and stern, is the antithesis of the brash, vulgar, and vocal Donald Trump. The Democratic ticket did not need another standard, calculated politician. Instead, Hillary Clinton could have made use of Biden’s brashness to run head-to-head with Trump.

All this points to the fact that the American public knows who “Uncle Joe” is. The vice president has an excellent public profile with high name recognition. Kaine, on the other hand, is not nearly as distinguished in national politics, with low name recognition in any state outside of Virginia.

Hillary Clinton had an important choice to make in choosing her running mate; her pick had to be able to unify the party as well as appeal to the general electorate. Biden, as a raunchy, well-known, and likable running mate, would have surely been one of the best choices.

Elia Pales is the Director of Communications for the Michigan Federation of College Democrats and the Grassroots Director for the Michigan State College Democrats.