Joe Biden: Demings is the right pick

Val Demings is the right person at the right time.
 
I’m not asking Joe Biden to pick the Florida congresswoman as his running mate; I’m begging him to do so.
 
Demings was a guest on the Late Late Show with James Corden Wednesday night. He asked her what she would ask Donald Trump if she was speaking to him directly.  
 
“I would ask, ‘Are you serious? You can’t be serious. You are the leader of the free world. You’ve been given tremendous responsibility. The American people are depending on you. The American people are desperate for leadership.
 
‘We’re facing civil unrest sparked by police misconduct. Have you noticed that America is on fire? Instead of giving hope and comforting and helping people to understand, instead of being the Uniter in Chief, you are playing the role of Divider in Chief.
 
‘Mr. President, what are you doing? You have a job to do. If you’re not willing to do it, please get the hell out of the way and allow somebody else to do the job.’ That’s what I would say.”
 
There are plenty of other outstanding choices on Biden’s short list - Kamala Harris, Stacy Abrams, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobucher or Gretchen Whitmer. And I’ll be happy if Biden selects any of those remarkable women as his Vice-Presidential nominee.
 
None of them, however, bring to the table all the things Demings brings. Allow me to list just a few:
 
* Demings served 27 years as an officer in the Orlando Police Department. She rose to become the first female Chief of Police, dropping violent crime by 40 percent during her four-year tenure.
 
* Demings represents a swing state, earning her seat in Congress in 2016. She received a degree in criminology from Florida State before earning her Master’s in Public Administration. 
  
* Her husband, Jerry Demings, was the first African American Chief of Police in Orlando (1998-2002). He also is the former Sheriff for Orange County, Florida and now is the Mayor of Orange County.
 
*  Demings made her mark nationally during the Trump Impeachment Hearings as part of the House Intelligence Committee. Nancy Pelosi appointed Demings as one of the Impeachment Managers that presented the case to the Senate.
 
 
Obviously, Demings’ background as a police officer would be an enormous asset to the Democratic ticket at this troubling moment in American history, but she offers so much more. Demings is the textbook example of the American Dream. Hell, she even rides a Harley.
 
“I’m the daughter of a maid and a janitor,’’ Demings said Wednesday night. “I grew up poor, black and female in the South, but I made it. I’m the youngest of seven children. I watched my dad go to work seven days a week to put a roof over our heads and food on the table.
 
“I was able to go to college and later work as a social worker, working with broken families and broken children. I had the honor of joining the Orlando Police Dept. and serving the Chief of Police.
 
“Now I’m a member of Congress and I feel a direct obligation to see that every boy and every girl, every man and every woman has an opportunity to succeed and have a fighting chance in this country, like I did.’’
 
And she makes no bones about wanting the job of Vice-President.
 
“If I received a call from Joe Biden, I would absolutely accept the challenge,’’ Demings said proudly.
 
Val Demings is the right person at the exact right moment in history.
 
Mr. Biden do not waste this moment. Val Demings needs to stand with you to heal the wounds of our nation.