When Biden announces a running mate this month, he will be telling voters who he thinks has the competence, character and compassion he believes are absent in President Donald Trump and necessary to bring America out of the health and economic crises and restore security relationships.

But, as Trump has been slow to discover during the pandemic and conflict over protests for racial justice, basic competence is politics right now, writes NBC News’ Jonathan Allen. If Biden makes a choice that is perceived to be pandering to a particular constituency over the person most capable of reinforcing his approach to the presidency, he risks undermining his own message.