Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters was roasted online after saying 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden has no other choice but to pick a black woman as his running mate, suggesting he owed a debt to African American voters.
“We know that we’re going to have a black woman as vice president,” Waters said in an interview with Essence magazine on Friday, hinting that Biden’s choice would be based on the “help” he’d received from the black voting bloc.
Let me guarantee you this, based on everything that I know and understand, and the help that he has already gotten from the black community… he can’t go home without a black woman being VP.
Though Biden has openly stated that he will select a female running mate, and in late July said that four black women were on his VP shortlist, without specifying who they are, he has yet to announce a pick. Amid growing speculation, Senator Kamala Harris (D-California) and former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice are rumored to be among his top candidates.
Waters’ simplistic quota-like approach to the vice presidency – and presidency, should the 77-year-old veteran politician ever step aside for any reason – apparently rubbed some netizens the wrong way, however, as critics came out of the woodwork to slam her remarks as “not helpful,” some even going as far as to dub them “racist.”
If he picks a black woman, he is going to look like he was obligated to. Which is bad for both Biden and his running mate who is going to risk looking like she was picked for reasons other than her qualifications.
He most certainly can and should if they are not competent or capable of doing the job. Think that's ridiculous to insist on placing a black or white VP candidate who is not capable regardless of how dedicated they are
Some poked fun at the statement from Waters, recalling a recent ‘racist’ gaffe from the former VP, in which he mused that, unlike African Americans – with “notable exceptions” – Latinos are a much more diverse community. He was forced to eat his words almost immediately, penning a lengthy apology via Twitter within hours of the bizarre comment.
He should pick a Latino, they are more diversified.
