The hype over whom Kamala, a VP, will pick as her VP, is part of the astroturf effort to generate excitement around her non-candidacy. It really doesn’t matter which of the contenders she ends up picking.

The last vice president to take the White House before Biden was George H.W. Bush. And like Biden he was a one-term president.

The last vice president to exercise any meaningful influence in an administration was Dick Cheney and he was an exception. The average vice president is like the second son of a royal family, largely useless except for ceremonial events. Vice presidents tend to be lightweights (Kamala, Biden), not very bright (Kamala, Biden), and useless for anything that doesn’t involve having their picture taken (Kamala, Biden).

Even when it comes to elections, the idea that the VP brings along his state is debatable. Shapiro is currently a popular governor, but few people in Pennsylvania are so undecided between Trump and Kamala that he’s going to sway them. Having a VP who can talk to white working-class voters, basically the qualifier for Kamala’s aspirants, would be nice, but it doesn’t outweigh a presidential candidate (Kamala, Obama) who’s kryptonite to them.

The Veep search is just more hype for a campaign that has nothing to be hyped about but is trying to manufacture energy any way it can. Whomever Kamala picks won’t define the ticket, she will.