Good morning! Excuse us for our downtime yesterday, but we’re back on track with the regular program today.
Everyone’s wondering who Biden is going to pick for VP: and we’ve got a quick glance at what are likely the top 4 contenders, Amy Klobuchar, Stacey Abrams, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris.
The Atlantic is laying off 68 people, which is about 17% of its workforce: which is striking a nerve with some people considering the publication is owned by multi-billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs.
We’re in an arms race with Russia and China...again: and according to Trump’s arms negotiator, we’re willing to send the nations “into oblivion” if we’ve got to. Super scary stuff.
The state of the world makes my stomach hurt. Let’s go.
VEEPSTAKES
The Current Status of Biden’s Search for a VP
Joe Biden’s Vice President pick. He’s already committed to picking a woman, which narrows the field down some. Many people have their eyes on the different potential contenders and there have been some developments in that regard so we thought now’s a good time to take a look.
The Candidates
Amy Klobuchar. You may best remember Klobuchar for non-stop talking about flyover states and bullying Pete Buttigieg. She also backed out of her run in early March, right before Super Tuesday, which contributed to Biden edging Bernie out. She’s also the most centrist-leaning of the pack and news came out yesterday that Biden asked her to be vetted for VP consideration, though it’s likely that they’re going to vet other people too.
The argument for picking Klobuchar? She would give Biden much-needed support in the Midwest. Her moderate positions and folksy charm may appeal to rural America and on the other hand, Biden will have Obama to help campaign with him, which may be a counterargument to the sentiment that Biden needs to pick a black woman for his VP.
Arguments against Klobuchar? She abuses her staff. Coastal types tend to hate her, or at least, I don’t know anyone who actually likes her. She has almost zero support among black voters but again, Biden will have Obama to lean on. Her record as a prosecutor is dodgy and some people say she may have locked up an innocent black teen. She also tells really bad jokes.
Stacey Abrams. After losing her 2018 run for governor, she ended up delivering a response to the State of the Union address in 2019 and has been a prominent advocate for the Democratic party. She’s also been trying really, really hard to get this job.
The argument for Abrams: she’s a black woman from the South who doesn’t have a long career mired in controversy. In fact, most people know her solely because of her 2018 run, where she was seen as losing out to corrupt Republicans because of voter suppression. She has a ton of experience in state politics and was in the Georgia House of Representatives for ten years.
So why not choose Abrams? Well, she also did eventually lose in 2018, so that’s not great. It means she has no experience in the federal government whatsoever. With Biden basically having already said that he intends on being a one-term president, whoever he chooses for Vice President could end up taking on the torch—something that Abrams may not be ready for.
Elizabeth Warren. Warren’s entire career seems to be opposed to much of what Biden has done with his and, during the primaries, that seemed to continue. One topic in particular that the two clashed over was Medicare for All, something Elizabeth Warren has seemingly pivoted on, which may be an effort to make herself more appealing as a VP pick.
Why choose Warren? Biden’s camp has been trying to make inroads with progressives and Warren may be one way to do that. She’s one of the most progressive senators out there and it may leave progressives feeling more positive about the potential of Biden moving further left.
Why not Warren? She placed third in her home state during the primary. Her appeal seems to be geared towards a rather narrow group of college educated white people, too, who may be the kinds of people to vote for Biden regardless of who he picks.
Kamala Harris. Biden has openly said he’d consider her to be his VP despite the fact that the two clashed a ton during early debates. Unlike everyone else, she doesn’t seem to be actively vying for the position, but there may be some advantages to a Harris VP pick.
The good: she’s a minority woman, she’s done some pretty progressive things in Congress including working on a Medicare for All bill and recently joining Bernie Sanders in asking for $2,000 a month for people during the pandemic, and she has plenty of experience.
The bad: mostly just that she clashed with Biden during debates, but honestly, a lot of people are calling Harris the safe choice and it’s hard to disagree with that. She did some pretty shitty things as a prosecutor though.
Bottom line: these aren’t the only options, of course. People also love floating Gretchen Whitmer’s name or one of the Tammys (as in, Duckworth and Baldwin) as potential options. We may not find out for some time still.
UNEMPLOYMENT
The Atlantic is Laying Off 68 of Their Employees
The Atlantic. It’s a huge media company that’s about to get about 17% smaller. This is due to the coronavirus of course, with their events division, AtlanticLIVE, being hit especially hard. Many video production, sales, and marketing jobs will take hits, which has upset people in light of the company being owned by a multi-billionaire.
Layoffs Aren’t Fun
Jobs across most industries are taking hits right now and publications like The Atlantic are no different. That may come as a surprise considering The Atlantic has record online traffic and big subscription numbers. However, their events division and a hit in advertising caused enough damage to justify the layoffs.
The Atlantic is owned by someone with immense power though. Laurene Powell Jobs, widow and heir of Steve Jobs, is estimated to be worth $19.5 billion. She can make millions of dollars in just a few days.
This has led to some outrage, particularly among journalists, who are facing pretty weird times. Now more than ever, people are clamoring to get news and engage with quality journalism, yet so many of them are being laid off. Sometimes, publications truly are stuck between a rock and a hard place and don’t have much of an option. This seems like a case where Jobs could potentially do more for these employees.
Bottom line: we’re gonna keep seeing rich people having to make tough decisions like this. To that we say: good! Great power, great responsibility, all that jazz.
FOREIGN POLICY
The U.S. is Prepared to Spend Russia & China “Into Oblivion” to Win Nuclear Arms Race
Nuclear arms races. Did you know we were in one with Russia and China? Honestly, neither did I. There are too many bad things happening in the world to keep up with all of them. Not much to say here other than to quote the U.S. envoy that this story originated from: “the president has made clear that we have a tried and true practice here. We know how to win these races and we know how to spend the adversary into oblivion. If we have to, we will, but we sure would like to avoid it.”
So much for not having enough money to help the millions of average Americans who are struggling right now.
END OF THE LINE...
That’s it for today.
That’s what we’ve got. Remember, we’re only able to do this every day because of readers like you. Drop your friends, family, or anyone else whose email you happen to have a referral link and help us grow. We’d truly appreciate it.
BUTTON 1
Have a good one,
The Bread Line
BUTTON 2
we’re listening to:
Biden’s VP search, The Atlantic’s layoffs, and a nuclear arms race.