South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, whose endorsement of Biden a few days before the main election, without question, was the turning point of the race, was asked about Biden choosing a black woman as his partner on Wednesday morning in a conversation with Jonathan The Washington Post. Capehart. “The only thing that needs to be in this process right now is to win,” Clyburn said. “That is to win. This will be a plus to have African-American women. It will be a plus to have a Latin. It will be a plus to have a woman.”

True enough! But there are compelling reasons to be made that Biden’s best chance of winning the White House is by choosing a black woman as her partner.

For all the focus on the Midwest and white industry, non-college educated voters who went with Trump, had Clinton been able to push the number of black voters to the level during Obama’s two victories, he would almost certainly have won.

Now, just putting people of color on a ticket doesn’t mean you win black votes or make sure they produce large amounts. But politics at the presidential level is often about symbolism. And who Biden chooses as his vice president will be his best chance to reveal how he views his party, the country and the world – and what he prioritizes among the many, many problems facing the US today.

Back to Biden chosen by Obama in 2008. Concerns among voters at the time were that a relatively inexperienced senator – Obama had been in the room for two years when he began running for president – might have had too much learning curve as president. So Obama chose Biden, a man who had spent his entire adult life in politics and Washington, sending a symbolic message that there would be a steady hand behind the wheel. George W. Bush made the same calming choice as Dick Cheney in 2000. Trump chose Indiana Governor Mike Pence as a vice presidential candidate as a nod to the formation of the party – although, if you think about it, it’s clear that it was just a nod. , not an actual effort to incorporate the views and approaches of establishment into his presidency.

Biden, if you listen carefully to his speech in Philadelphia on Tuesday, seems to indicate the need for big action – and different choices – when talking about the race problems that are still burning in this country. Here’s the key part of what he said (bold is mine):

“That will require more than just talking. We talked before. We have protested before. “

“Let’s vow to make this, finally, an era of action to reverse systemic racism with old and concrete changes.

“That action will not be completed within the first 100 days of my presidency – or even the entire term of office.

“That is the work of a generation. “

Choosing a black woman one generation (or more) younger than Biden will send a signal about how committed she really is to changing racial dynamics in this country. (This will be the first time a black woman has become a vice-presidential candidate for one of the major parties.)

And lucky for Biden, he has a number of African-American women who will make an excellent choice.

Biden said he hopes to make a decision about his partner before August 1. In fact, the decision may have been made – or at least significantly narrowed – by the events of the past 10 days.