Now more than ever, Joe Biden should pick a woman of colour for vice president

Editorial: Biden has strong candidates to choose from, and the country certainly needs a turning point

Having already, in effect, won the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, Joe Biden’s keynote speech in Philadelphia could be seen as an address to the nation as a whole. The opportunity to speak to and for the people could hardly have come at a more critical moment.

Mr Biden didn’t hold back. He laid into President Trump’s talent for creating division, and his “narcissism”. The bizarre Trump photo opportunity at St John’s Church, close to the White House, which, as Mr Biden noted, required the use of teargas to move peaceful protesters, was derided as putting power before principle.

Being a Biden speech, it was also stuffed with near self-parodic platitudes – “it’s not about me, it’s about you” – but at least the former vice president didn’t call on the military to intervene.

Donald Trump could make Ronald McDonald look statesmanlike, and the president’s recent bleach-toting, vicious-dog threatening, blowhard tweets have given Mr Biden founding-father levels of (relative) gravitas. Largely because of the president’s failings on coronavirus, Mr Biden has opened up a 10-point lead on his opponent. The effects on political ratings of the recent unrest are yet to be seen, but it would be surprising if they had boosted Mr Trump. At the moment, at home and abroad, Mr Trump looks like a man who has ceased to be in control of events, and who spends too much time looking for someone else to blame.

Still, his aggression plays well with his “base”, and no one should underestimate Mr Trump’s prowess as a campaigner. Around this time in 2016, after all, Hillary Clinton enjoyed a slim poll lead over Mr Trump, and few (including him) expected her to lose. This time around, Mr Trump has all the advantages of initiative and publicity of incumbency.

What might equally also prove a crucial factor in 2020 is for a woman of colour to be on the Democrat ticket. Before the homicide of George Floyd, the remarkable thing was that a woman of colour might be considered as a running mate for a major party; now it would be more surprising if one was not chosen to be Mr Biden’s running mate.

He has some strong candidates to choose from. The most prominent is senator Kamala Harris of California. She clashed with Mr Biden during the Democrats’ TV debates, which at least demonstrated that she is combative and outspoken, and the perfect choice to go into hand-to-hand argument with the Republicans – and to mobilise that part of the Democrat base that voted for Obama but stayed home for Clinton. Like Mr Trump, she uses Twitter to get her messages across – “Let’s be clear: when Trump says ‘dominate’ he’s talking about supremacy”.

Mr Biden knows well that his choice of Veep is unusually important this year. It also has an unusually important factor because of his age – at 77 he is the oldest candidate to seek the White House. The next vice president, in fact for both parties, has an unusually high chance of the top job. And to opt for an outstandingly able woman of colour who qualifies for such a role on her own merit would be something of a historic moment for America. Right now the country certainly needs a turning point.