Joe Biden’s Promises to Women Deserve Clarification [OPINION]

During the CNN Democratic debate on Sunday evening, Joe Biden promised to appoint a black female to the Supreme Court and he will have a woman vice president.

Former Vice President Biden made some promises during his debate with Senator Bernie Sanders that need further examination and clarification. Is he really going to use race and gender as a standard for two of his most important decisions, or is he just pandering to the voters he needs to defeat Sen. Sanders at this moment?

The coalition that has elevated Biden to his current lead status for the Democratic Party nomination is based on the support of black voters. In particular, black female voters are the foundation of support for Democrats today because they are reliable. Black female Democrats "do their job," as New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is fond of saying about his winning players.

Certainly, there are black female attorneys in the liberal legal world who are qualified to be nominated by Biden to the Supreme Court. The Biden campaign should put together a list of those qualified black women immediately and release it to the public. Releasing the list it would signal that Biden is serious about keeping his promise and it will drive media coverage about that promise.

His commitment to pick a woman as his running mate is also a promise he can't walk away from, but it may have been a tactical error. By eliminating every able male Democrat as a running mate, he has tied his own hands. He has also created a scenario for the media to go out and ask every Democratic Party female politician if they would run with Joe. There can only be one winner. Those who are highlighted by the media, but passed over by Biden, might feel slighted.

However, Biden may already have a choice for his female running mate and that could be announced soon and serve as the death blow to the Sanders campaign.

Perhaps Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren will be his choice for vice president.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.