Four years ago, Senator Joe Biden chose Senator Kamala Harris, the rival who had criticized him most during the 2020 Democratic primaries, as his running mate. Admirably, Biden has put the past behind him.
It was an act of personal humility akin to his decision not to seek a second term and reminiscent of Sen. John McCain debunking baseless conspiracies at the expense of his own presidential campaign in 2008.
We know that Harris spoke with Biden today about her impending choice, but we don’t know if her advice will be heeded. We should hope so. There is a clear lesson here: Choose the person who will carry the torch of decency and galvanize the empathetic patriotism we desperately seek as a country.
Over the past three years, I’ve traveled the country meeting with elected officials—governors and senators—over meals and recreation, and I’ve arrived in my 50th state. In developing this series, “Breaking Bread,” which can be seen on Bloomberg and PBS, I wanted to ask if we can nourish ourselves to a happier democracy. Specifically, can we foster values of consensus rather than being exploited in a cycle of vitriol?
One of the founders of the American public media system, my grandfather, Richard D. Heffner, often used the phrase “breaking bread.” Today, I can’t help but think of his lunch with President Harry Truman and Bess Truman in 1953, just after his presidency, over lemonade and sandwiches. Dazzling by today’s standards, Truman made himself available to Americans on his porch in Independence, Missouri. Although he made one of the most important and controversial decisions in American and human history (dropping the atomic bomb), it was a time when ideologically diverse Americans could have civilized conversations.
Inspired by peaceful exchanges like this, I believe in the power of food to heal, legislate, and establish a new golden rule in politics: intellectual honesty. For me, this is best summed up by a Lincoln quote that my grandfather used to quote: “When new opinions become true opinions, I will adopt them.”
Back to the Veepstakes: I have had first-hand experiences with four of the potential vice presidential candidates: Mark Kelly, Tim Walz, Pete Buttigieg, and Roy Cooper (who has now withdrawn from the race).
Most journalists are cynical about the nature of political power and politicians. I am so much the opposite that I recently put my life in the hands of the vice presidential candidates. Kelly, a former Navy pilot turned astronaut turned U.S. senator, said he had wanted to fly with a journalist over the desert for some time but it never worked out — a question of potential liability or pusillanimity.
I’m an odd candidate myself. For several years after 9/11, I stopped flying, only to conquer that fear and fly all 50 states. It was probably 46 degrees. We’re on the tarmac and Kelly starts going through a paper checklist. I was already a little nervous, so this made me even more nervous! Then, as we soar skyward, he radios me, “We’re feeling heavy.” I later learned that’s exactly what a pilot, novice or veteran, is supposed to do.
A few years ago, as a rural social studies teacher, football coach, and unknown congressional candidate, Tim Walz accepted my invitation to appear on a high school radio show (based in a distant Massachusetts suburb and dialed in from an Arby’s campaign stop outside Mankato). I’ll never forget the attention he gave to me and our civic life.
I interviewed the four ambassadors of the National Governors Association’s “Disagree Better” campaign, Jared Polis, Spencer Cox, Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Mark Gordon.
Nobly ambitious though they may be, they all know that disagreeing will not preserve the Republic or save the Union. Just as singing the national anthem or pledging allegiance does not necessarily engender the will to counter polarization or do good.
With “Breaking Bread,” my vision from the beginning was for an “Amazing Race,” like the CBS reality adventure series, to advance our national morale. To wake up every morning to the dynamic Nunns and Lugars, Bakers and Mitchells, McCains and Bidens, and solve the big problems.
Harris has many dedicated candidates throughout the American heartland. She should take a cue from Biden and choose the right profile, someone who sees politics as a fight for a generous civil society — and who can finish the job of saving America’s soul. It’s a subjective assessment, but she will feel it deep down, as I did with Kelly and Walz.
Heffner is the host of “The Open Mind” on PBS.
