Below is an interesting article by Robert Borosage of Campaign for America's Future.
The article focuses on Borosage's suggestion that Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon would make a good vice presidential selection. After reading the article, it seems to me that Borosage might be on to something.
Not only is Merkley clearly a progressive, but he was a Bernie Sanders supporter, which could help bridge the gap between the remaining Bernie supporters who haven't yet been able to come around to supporting Hillary now that she's the presumption nominee. In fact, Merkley was the ONLY Senator to endorse Bernie in the Democratic presidential primary campaign. Unlike other Senators, however, (Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, to name three), putting Merkley on the ticket wouldn't put a Democratic Senate seat at risk. Orgeon has a Democratic governor who would likely appoint another Democrat until a special election could be held.
Other advantages for putting Merkley on the ticket include the possibility of creating some enthusiasm among younger and independent voters who were the core of Bernie's supporters, as well as to reassure labor activists, according to Borosage. Other advantages: Merkley's still relatively young (59), is a solid progressive and could help bridge the gap with on populist issues, like trade. Merkley’s also a reformer, good on the campaign stump and has demonstrated a penchant in his career for building coalitions.
This particular kossack would prefer a vice presidential nominee who would not put at risk a Democratic Senate seat that could mean the difference between Democrats being in the majority or the minority in that body. And Merkley seems to fit the bill in terms of not only being qualified, but being a good bridge to Bernie supporters.
https://ourfuture.org/20160705/for-vice-president-senator-jeff-merkley?utm_source=progressive_breakfast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pbreak