The mystery as to who would be Joe Biden's running mate for the upcoming US Presidential elections is probably over, in a most unique manner. During an event on Tuesday, Biden was holding a piece of paper with, what seemed to be, notes for what he has to say. The name of Kamala Harris was on top with some of her qualities inscribed below.
There was another possible clue as Politico, a well-known American news website published an article declaring Harris as Biden's VP pick. The article was pulled down later and the website claimed that it was a 'placeholder text' – a faux news story prepared beforehand based on surmise, so that it could be quickly published if the guess turns out to be true.
Proof?
But there is a strong possibility that both cases reflect that the choice has already been made. The piece of paper that Biden was holding and which got photographed had many headers. Kamala Harris was one of them. There were two others – 'Department of Justice Reform' and 'Last 100 Days.'
Beneath Harris' name, the text read: "Do not hold grudges. Campaigned (?) with me. Talented. Great help to campaign. Great respect for her." All these suggest that Biden has indeed decided to choose the Senator to be only the third woman to run for VP's position. The former Vice President had promised in a debate with Bernie Sanders earlier this year that he would choose a woman to be his running mate.
Other candidates
With the Black Lives Matter movement raging on across the country, there is immense pressure on Biden to choose a black woman. Several names have been doing the rounds. Apart from Harris, former US Ambassador to UN Susan Rice, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Congresswoman Val Demings are also believed to be in the shortlist.
Some time ago, Biden had said in an interview that he has narrowed down his choices to a few women, four of whom are black. However, his refusal to commit to picking a black candidate keeps Elizabeth Warren, someone very popular among those in the party who are further to the left, in the running. Her radical stances on various issues make Warren well respected among African-Americans also.
Alternate explanation
However, there is a possibility that the name of Kamala Harris and the pointers were meant to be used just in case her name popped up in the conversation. Some even believe Biden deliberately let photographers capture the written text to float a trial balloon.
It's also possible that the 'mistakenly' published article was indeed placeholder text and not something based on information derived from highly-placed sources. Biden has informed the media that he would announce his running mate in first week of next month.
But there is another clue which points to Harris getting picked. She has been away from the media and keeping a very low profile of late. This is regarded by some analysts as a precursor to her anointment as the VP pick for Democratic Party's ticket.
