Welcome to Sunday Puzzle, a weekly series for people who enjoy mental exercise spiced with politics, humor, odd bits of trivia, and the occasional furry mammal.
I know Kos asked us to wait a few more weeks, until after June 7th, before declaring the race for the Democratic presidential nomination settled, so that the good folks in California, Oregon, New Jersey, and New Mexico (as well as in Nebraska, West Virginia and Kentucky, where we now appear to have real chances of winning votes from people who normally vote Republican) can at least imagine their primary votes counted.
But the gremlins are an impatient and impassioned lot, and they insisted I let them post their VP picks early. And while I hate to go against the wishes of the good person who runs this site, I'm afraid the gremlins arguments were more persuasive than Kos' arguments. ᴴᵉʸ, ᴷᵒˢ ᵈᶦᵈᶰ'ᵗ ᵐᵉᶰᵗᶦᵒᶰ ᵃᶰʸᵗʰᶦᶰᵍ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᵇʳᵒᵏᵉᶰ ᵇᵒᶰᵉˢ, ᶜᵒᶰᵗᵃᵐᶦᶰᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᶠᵒᵒᵈ, ᵒʳ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳᵇᵒᵃʳᵈᶦᶰᵍ⋅ So I agreed to let the gremlins post their picks before the remaining primaries are held. Hopefully these VP-pick diaries won't be seen by too many people in the affected states (or by Kos).
Two weeks ago the gremlins revealed their top pick and their second choice. Last week they revealed third choice. Yesterday they revealed their fourth (and final) choice.
Tonight the gremlins have a bonus puzzle for you. There's something all 4 of their picks have in common -- something the gremlins feel will be very valuable to Sanders in winning votes. It's something obvious, the gremlins tell me, but something they snickeringly suggested some of you wouldn't guess unless they told you. So tonight they're going to tell you.
Oh -- and they said I should pass on the following hint to the answer: Sarah Palin doesn't have the characteristic; Herman Cain doesn't have the characteristic; and Ted Cruz certainly doesn't have it. But Eddie Bernice Johnson has it (and was going to be on the gremlins' list of picks, but they said she doesn't want the job so they didn't include her.)
What is the key characteristic which Lee, Braun, Bass and Kelly could bring to a Sanders ticket? Make your best guesses, then solve tonight's puzzle and see if you got it...