This Amy Klobuchar leak doesn’t mean what you think it means

| 4:46 pm EDT May 21, 2020
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The media is reporting that the Joe Biden campaign is vetting Amy Klobuchar to be considered as his running mate. This has set off a wave of excitement from those who want Klobuchar to be the pick, and a wave of consternation from those who don’t want Klobuchar to be it. Here’s the thing, though: this isn’t even a story.

Joe Biden said there are about a dozen people on his running mate shortlist. That means they’re all being vetted. So when you see a headline about Klobuchar or whoever else being vetted, it merely means they’re on a shortlist of a dozen people – literally nothing more than that.

I warned you from the start to ignore every leak you hear about running mates. Campaigns leak things as trial balloons. Advisers leak things to try to steer their candidate in a certain direction. People leak things to try to get picked. It’s all posturing. None of it’s factual.

This is yet another instance of the media taking a complete non-story (Person X is being vetted because everyone on the shortlist is being vetted) and presenting it out of context to make you think it’s news, so it’ll rack up a bunch of page views. Don’t be a pawn in that game.

If you want to react positively or negatively to any given leaked name, go for it. In fact some of these leaks are specifically to gauge the public’s reaction. But don’t let yourself be fooled into believing that these strategic leaks have anything to do with who will be picked.