Brad Sallows
Army.ca Legend
- Reaction score
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- Points
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Comparing a presidential candidate to a VP candidate is an odd choice of framing, but for those who want to make it the point stands that his undertakings are a bit broader than hers. If Kelly gets the Democratic VP slot, then both parties will have VP candidates whose life experience is broader than that of the presidential candidates.You seem to be minimizing what she has done and aggrandizing Vance’s record.
The assessment I most commonly encounter (from US pundits across the spectrum) about the importance of VP candidates is that they aren't. Head-to-head comparisons don't matter. Their debate doesn't matter. Their strengths don't compensate for presidential shortcomings. At most they are usually chosen for demographic appeal (where the presidential candidate might be weak), or perceived advantage in a swing state. This election was looking like a bit of an outlier, with people able to reasonably calculate that either presidential candidate might not make it to the end of term (Biden: general health and mental fitness; Trump: legal liabilities), so the VP choices mattered more than usual. Harris's VP choice doesn't matter. Trump's: maybe a little.