With the Democratic National Convention over, it’s time to stop the home-state hype that somehow our largely untested first-term governor, who ran with no Democratic Party opposition and then faced a fringe, underfinanced Republican, is somehow too good for the No. 2 job of vice president.
Make no mistake about it — I believe Gov. Josh Shapiro salivated, wanting to be VP. And it was his to lose. When it came to President Kennedy’s admonition, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” in my opinion, he got it backwards. And, true to his nakedly ambitious form, he tried to negotiate more for himself. In doing so, he clearly blew the interview.
Historically, great Americans from both parties never had the audacity to claim that they were too good for the vice presidency. These included men with far greater accomplishments. To name a few: Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, Congressman Gerald Ford, Sen. Fritz Mondale and Sen. Hubert Humphrey.
Finally, contrast Shapiro’s DNC naked, blusterous speech to that of others. Clearly, he has a great deal to learn when it comes to likeability and trustworthiness. The question for him is whether modesty can be an acquired trait.
Mark D. Schwartz
Bryn Mawr