Picking Kamala Harris as running mate, Biden answers one question, at least

GOP will be poised to pounce on VP pick

As the Republicans get ready to pounce on Joe Biden’s pick for vice president, Kamala Harris, with an onslaught of attacks, please don’t forget that Donald Trump has lied more than 20,000 times since taking the presidency. The Republicans no doubt will take the supposed “high ground” when they announce with great gravity that the California senator has made mistakes in her career.

Biden’s running mate will probably suffer as Hillary Clinton did, at the top of the ticket, in 2016. A female candidate must be perfect or be rejected.

I am hoping that the American people are smart enough to see through the same smear-and-attack campaign, and will judge Biden’s choice accurately and fairly.

Cathy Putnam

Concord

Biden hit with a demeaning question about his ability

Re “How many insults are Black voters supposed to take from Joe Biden?” by Joan Vennochi (Opinion, Aug. 11): I’m three years younger than Joe Biden. I still perform at a high level — in fact, I won three editorial awards this year and discussed statistics with the same audience as did the chief statistician of the United States last year.

Obviously, Biden is operating at a far higher level than I am, and I would argue he’s operating at a higher level than both the journalist who asked him whether he had taken a cognitive test and the columnist who is upset at the answer he gave.

Every year, tens of millions of people on Medicare are asked questions in their wellness exams to screen for possible dementia.

Given the context, the question asked of Biden was demeaning.

I would add that I’m the same age as Senator Ed Markey. Supporters of Joe Kennedy III say Markey is too old for the job and should move over to make way for a young Kennedy. I find that insulting as well.

Now get off my lawn. Oh, wait — I live in a condo.

Steve Ross

Revere

The writer is editor at large at Broadband Communities Magazine.

The greater outrages come from Trump

Re “How many insults are Black voters supposed to take from Joe Biden?”: The question should be, of how many injustices are Black voters to excuse the current president? Let’s not hold Biden to an impossibly higher standard than Donald Trump.

Marjorie Lee

Wayland

Biden gives as good as he gets

So someone has just asked me what I consider to be a very unfair question. How do I respond to indicate this? How about if I come back with a proposed question that I know is equally offensive?

That is how I take Joe Biden’s riposte, as a remark quite aware of the unfairness of stereotyping.

Jay Goldman

Waltham