Elizabeth Warren's Fiery Attack On The Bankers' Club That Runs America
Yeah, it was me who recently wrote:
Don’t ask for Elizabeth Warren as Vice President. Please don’t.The vice presidency is where people go to hide, tucked outside of public view, muzzled by the messaging demands of the president. They don’t challenge the president publicly, or get to crusade for causes unapproved by the top gun. And while they might have influence behind the scenes (looking at you, Dick C.), ultimately, the president makes the final calls (which is why Dick C. didn’t get his war in Iran). So if you want Warren fighting hard against Wall Street excesses, then you want her right where she is today—in the Senate. You know she won’t be shy about calling bullshit if President Hillary Clinton takes a wrong turn.
And that’s all still true. But I’ve changed my mind. I now want Hillary Clinton to pick Elizabeth Warren for the VP slot.
Forget geography or demographics. I’ve long argued that the vice president pick should be based, for the most part, on base engagement. The ideal model for a VP (during campaign season) is someone like Dick Cheney, someone who will rally the base and lob the kinds of attacks against the opposing nominee that our own nominee can’t.
Warren certainly qualifies on both counts, with unparalleled credibility among the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. And, it’s been fun watching her get underDonald Trump’s skin on Twitter. (He called her “Pocahontas” over the weekend.) She’s certainly well-suited for the attack dog role. Trump already reacts poorly to criticism, but criticism from women sends him into another realm of tizzy. We don’t need to guess as to whether she’ll be effective at it—she’s already proven that.
Interestingly, at least some Clinton people seem to be thinking along similar lines:
Multiple sources close to the former secretary of state say that her aides took note of the senator’s ability to rile the real estate tycoon. And they recognize the value of such dart throwing from, say, someone filling out a presidential ticket.One close Clinton confidant said that she and her aides were “thrilled to see Warren get under his skin.” Another senior Clinton adviser, who is advocating internally for Warren as a vice presidential pick, said the senator has “very influential people in the campaign pushing for her.”A longtime Clinton veteran said the campaign definitely noticed Warren’s attacks. “You want a running mate who can take the fight to the other side with relish,” the veteran said. “Geography does not matter, but attitude and talent and energy and bringing excitement to the campaign, Senator Warren does all that.”
Of course, there’s the big question: Would Warren take the job if offered? I argued hard against the Ready for Warren effort because having spoken to her several times, I knew she had zero interest in the gig. But she certainly does seem to be auditioning for Top Trump Antagonizer—and nailing the role.
So why don’t I ask her now? Because if she was seriously considering it, she couldn’t publicly tell me “yes.” Outward ambition would be a turnoff to the Clinton campaign. They are currently impressed with her, in large part, due to her savvy and understated performance. And if she wanted to be honest and go off the record, I couldn’t report the answer. And, worst of all, what if she said “no?” I’d rather advocate for the idea without knowingly going against her wishes (in case she really wan’t interested).
(How was that for a meta look inside my thought processes?)
In any case, there’s one glaring problem with Warren for Veep, and it’s the one I highlighted in the blockquote at the top of this blog post. We’d all celebrate a Warren pick, and that would probably do more to unite the Clinton and Sanders camps than anything possible (they may not agree on Clinton or Sanders, but does anyone around here disagree on Warren?). She would bring great energy to the ticket, rally the base, drive Trump to madness.
But we’d lose her from the Senate forever. In a perfect world, Clinton would hand Warren the Wall Street portfolio and fight for Warren’s recommendations. But it’s not a perfect world, and Warren would not be in a place to publicly criticize Clinton if she strayed on Wall Street. We’d lose our strongest ally in the Senate to a hazy situation inside a White House that could end up hostile to Warren, sidelining her and rendering her impotent.
The reward could be huge, especially during campaign season. But after campaign season we’d be rolling the dice. Is the risk worth it for the potential reward?
Then we’d have to hold that Senate seat, in a state that gave us a Republican senatorlast time we were in this position two special elections ago. Again, more risk.
On the other hand, Warren’s popularity and credibility with the base would theoretically make it harder for Clinton’s people to muzzle her. Not impossible, but if Clinton’s people want to harness the energy she brings to the base and to the party, that carries risks for them as well—they have to respect her influence and power.
Ultimately, this isn’t an easy call one way or the other. It’s perfectly reasonable to advocate for Senator Elizabeth Warren, rather than Vice President Elizabeth Warren.
For my part, I’m now on team “vice president”—but not without acknowledging the real risks.
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