The American people are guaranteed the fact that whoever Hillary Clinton chooses as her running mate, that person will not be Carly Fiorina or Sarah Palin. He or she will be qualified to lead our nation if necessary. Naturally the speculation has begun. On the minds of most politicos is the possibility of the Democratic ticket composed of an all-female cast.

Prior to the 2008 election, the choice of a vice-president was based on areas of influence. After John McCain’s poor judgement, a candidate’s choice for a running mate has reached a higher level of importance.

Some in the Democratic Party are hopeful that Elizabeth Warren will stand beside Ms. Clinton on the platform at the convention in Philadelphia. I do not believe that Senator Warren would accept the nomination. She has stated repeatedly that she can be more effective fighting for the working class in the Senate.

There are other women in the party who are both qualified and popular. Claire McCaskill is the senior Senator from Missouri. She is serving her second term and is an avid supporter of Ms. Clinton. Kirsten Gillibrand won Ms. Clinton’s Senate seat in New York when she became Secretary of State. She has served since 2009. She is a strong supporter of women’s rights and continues efforts to support women in the military.

These are only two of the women Ms. Clinton may consider.

Naturally there exists a sizeable number of men she may contemplate. To name just a few; Walter O’Malley, Sherrod Brown, Julian Castro, Corey Booker, and even her rival, Bernie Sanders.

There is speculation in the Republican Party that Trump will choose Marco Rubio to join him in the campaign for the White House. This would appease conservatives, who are the extremists in the GOP which have fractured the party.

What the voting public would be offered is an entirely different pair from each party. One would have two individuals who are qualified and experienced, and the other would offer two men who bickered in the debates like school children.

I am looking forward to the presidential and vice-presidential debates. How will Trump survive when he is forced to give direct answers to direct questions? How long will it take him to “blow his top?” We know how ‘thin his skin’ is, and how he responds to personal criticism. Although the vice-presidential debate may be more civil, whoever the Democratic candidate is, he or she will be able to fully answer the questions rendered by the moderator; the Republican is unlikely to have strong positions on the issues most important to the American people.

Ms. Clinton is claiming that she already has support from some Republicans. It would not surprise me if many of them were women. One poll revealed that 78 percent of women despise ‘the Donald.’

A final personal note: I would love to see two women leading the Democratic Party. If you look at the facts, men have failed our nation in multiple ways for 240 years. America has been the most warlike nation in history, and has moved away from supporting equality for all of our nation’s people.

Time for real change.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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