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He took his time. Much time. Less than a week before the Democratic nomination convention, it is now clear: Joe Biden is going into the battle for the White House with Kamala Harris as possible Vice President. Harris ran as a candidate a year and a half ago, but withdrew before the first primaries.
With his decision, Biden satisfied many groups of voters. While Republicans line up with two older white men, Harris brings far more diversity. She would be the first female vice president of the United States, the first black and with Jamaican-Indian roots at the same time the first of Asian descent in office. And: at 56, she is significantly younger than Biden. Its election campaign should now revive.
Christian Lammert, political scientist, FU Berlin: "With Kamala Harris we really have a candidate who will be very public, who will switch to attack. And this euphoria must now be carried into the election campaign. The Democrats hope, that it brings enthusiasm back into the election campaign, that people are motivated to participate, register - and will also vote in November. "
Biden is currently well ahead in the polls. The main point of the vice decision was not to scare anyone away. With Harris he is now offering something to both party wings.
Christian Lammert, political scientist, FU Berlin: "In terms of her political positions, she is a little more left-wing than JB, that was something that is important. Because he has to bring the wings of the democratic party together at the party congress, that was a signal that there now Something is taken up by the demands of the very progressive wing. But she is not too leftist that the moderate wing and the party establishment are frightened. Here, too, she is a good compromise candidate who covers all the interests of the party a bit. "
Biden and Harris now have to make content-related offers to the progressive wing, especially in terms of the health system and climate protection. This is where the party congress becomes important.
One criticism from leftist Democrats relates to Harris' time as district attorney and attorney general in her native California. The accusation: At the time, you did not do enough to combat police brutality, you did not advocate reforms enough.
Today Harris is an important voice in the Black Lives Matter movement.
Kamala Harris, Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate: "We're here because Black Americans don't want to be killed anymore. Just last week we couldn't even get an anti-lynching bill through in the Senate."
She also supports the so-called "Dreamer", young migrants who came to the USA illegally as children. She sharply criticizes Donald Trump's tough line in immigration policy.
Kamala Harris, US Senator from California: "I believe it is completely wrong to have a rule that separates families, especially parents from their children or children from their parents. It does not reflect the values of our country. Me reject any policy that does that. "
Harris has been a member of the US Senate since 2017. Here she received much praise for numerous hearings and interrogated Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's controversial candidate for the Supreme Court. It brought Gina Haspel, now head of the CIA, into distress. Just like Jeff Sessions, Trump's former attorney general:
Kamala Harris, US Senator: "Sir, I only have a few minutes. Jeff Sessions, Ex-US Attorney General: " I need to be as correct as possible. I can't be scared like that. That makes me nervous."
In the primary campaign, however, she clashed violently with Biden. She accused him of alleged proximity to racist senators and sharply criticized him for his attitude in the 1970s.
Kamala Harris, then Democratic presidential candidate: "Do you agree that it was wrong of you to reject busing in America? Do you agree?" Joe Biden, Democratic presidential candidate: "I didn't turn down" busing "."
"Busing" was a practice in which children were driven to schools in other districts in order to enable the integration of especially black students and to remove the separation between blacks and whites. Harris attack hit Biden. That he chose her anyway is an important gesture.
Christian Lammert, political scientist, FU Berlin:
"It was also a symbol, a decision by Biden to approach Kamala Harris here and to show that you can endure differences."
Many Democrats, including Barack Obama, were positive about Biden's decision. President Donald Trump also reacted quickly to the announcement - albeit less euphorically.
Donald Trump, US President: "She lied. She said things that weren't true." "She did so badly. Many were much better than her in the primaries." "She said things about Sleepy Joe during the Democratic primary debates that were awful."
He even posted a video on Twitter that harrasses Harris.
In the long term, the nomination could offer Harris a very special opportunity. Biden has always said that his Vice President must be ready at any time to run the country herself. Biden will be 78 in November. It is a conceivable scenario that he would only run for four years - and then pass the office on. As a much younger Vice President, Harris would have very good chances.
