June 28, 2016
Former Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell believes some people could view two women on the Democratic presidential ticket as a drawback.
Rendell said on MSNBC Monday that Sen. Elizabeth Warren could be an interesting vice presidential pick for presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, citing her ability to draw crowds and excite progressive voters.
However, Rendell said having two women could be a disadvantage — or so some people might think. Here's a transcript of Rendell's comments, via RealClearPolitics:
It certainly drove home the point that Elizabeth Warren can excite crowds. There’s no question about it, and excite progressives. Some of the Sanders camp, I heard during the campaign, were a little annoyed at Senator Warren because she didn’t endorse Bernie Sanders. But still, she didn’t endorse Hillary Clinton either. She stayed neutral, which I think was the proper stance for her to take under those circumstances, so she does have that as a significant plus. The drawbacks, obviously, are two women on the ticket. Does it make a difference? I don’t think so, but some people might. Does Elizabeth Warren have the experience to be commander in chief? I think Tim Kaine, I’m not sure he was taking a dig at Elizabeth Warren. I think Tim Kaine was answering that question honestly. It’s very difficult, unless you’ve been in the military or you were secretary of state and are privy to military decisions, it’s very hard to say ‘yes, I have had the experience that qualifies me for commander in chief.’ So, look, I think Elizabeth Warren is on a very short list and I think today did nothing to hurt her chances.
Rendell's comments came shortly after Warren appeared with Clinton at a rally in Cincinnati Monday. The freshman senator went after presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Her penchant for attacking Trump has stoked rumors that she might be Clinton's VP pick.
Yet Rendell, who's currently serving as Chair of the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention, has been skeptical of Warren joining the ticket. Earlier in June, he said Warren's lack of experience in foreign policy made her a difficult choice, adding that he wouldn't be a good pick for the same reason.
Rendell has made some other controversial comments during the current election cycle, most notably his statement that there are "probably more ugly women in America than attractive women." Rendell made the comment in an effort to explain why Trump's remarks about the appearance of women would hurt his chances in Pennsylvania in the general election. He later apologized for the comment.
