Sanders-supporting Democratic Convention delegates proposed a list of suggested running mates for Biden — three black females.

I've been impressed by Rep. Lee's courage in voting against military action and spending, for years, when hardly anyone else dared to. Aside from that, I am unfamiliar with them, but I expect they are all long-standing progressives. Maybe they are good choices. I am disappointed by Karen Bass's willingness to participate in a Scientology event in 2010, but mainly because she should have checked more carefully which platforms to speak on. Surely they are all much better than the plutocratist women we hear Biden's camp suggest.

However, I rebuke the delegates' foolishness in choosing these people based on their race and their gender. Didn't we learn, from Obama, not to let candidates' identity distract us from things that really matter?

Biden's statement that he will choose a woman was an attempt to distract us with identity. The plan was that he would choose a not-very-progressive woman and we'd be so thrilled by her identity that we would fool ourselves into cheering.

When I was asked to say which VP candidate I preferred, and offered a list of several women, I wrote in "Bernie Sanders" and said that he's a tried and true progressive. If a woman were equally so, I'd support her too, but I don't know of any.