Warren makes Democrats antsy. Sanders should petrify them. (W Post)

[Omaha Steve]

I don't agree with Rubin's opinion on electability!

OS


Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Chicago on Sunday. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

By Jennifer Rubin
Opinion writer
March 5 at 10:00 AM

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is fully in tune with the progressive wing of her party, has a boatload of detailed policy ideas and high name recognition. She seems to be working hard in early primary states, giving voters plenty of access. And yet, it haunts her. The Native American thing, of course.

She has slipped dramatically in polls since last year, and hasn’t matched others in small-donor fundraising, one indication of enthusiasm. And the Native American story just won’t go away. During this interview with CNN’s David Axelrod, Warren explains why she listed her ethnicity on her bar application:

The most telling part of that interview was her response when asked whether it was a mistake to release a video and give new life to President Trump’s nasty “Pocahontas” taunt. “I can’t go back," she says. But did she learn from it? And herein lies the ongoing issue: Warren insists Trump is going to be Trump, and that she’s just got to move forward.

On one level, it is true that Democrats cannot react to everything Trump says. But she made Trump the alpha dog in that fight by conducting the DNA test and releasing the video. She put him in control. Moreover, the notion that Warren is just going to let Trump’s barbs slide off of her raises the question: Does she really know how to fight back? Could Trump put her back on her heels from day one of the general election?

FULL story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/05/warren-makes-democrats-antsy-sanders-should-petrify-them/?utm_term=.e10a15265671

Donate to Senator Warren for POTUS through our DU ActBlue link here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/duforwarren

[MaryMagdaline]

1. Oy god, lectures now from the GOP

They’ve done enough to destroy this country. Jennifer Rubin on the Iraq War? That’s what terrified me.

[empedocles]

2. There is more there than 'opinion'.

There is 'electability' in the primaries, which is different from 'electabilty' in the general election. Even assuming for the moment that most, or even all dem candidates can probably beat today's trump - there is the issue of passing legislation in center right leaning USA.

[comradebillyboy]

3. Rubin is a Republican after all.

[Autumn]

4. A wise person once said

"Stop worrying about what Republicans are going to call you. They're going to call you that either way."

Ulysses S. Grant

[bigtree]

5. Rubin's a good Trump foe

...but she was insufferable throughout Obama's term, along with Ruth Marcus.

She only know Dems through her republican eyes.

[DavidDvorkin]

6. Sanders will fade away quickly

I suspect that Warren will, too.

[Gothmog]

8. I have a gut feeling that Warren will last for a while

I believe that she will outlast sanders.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. I'm thnk you're right

But I think she'll be out not long after him.

On the other hand, my political predictions tend to be mostly wrong. On the third hand, I'm sticking with this one, anyway.

[Garrett78]

12. I doubt it. Sanders has a larger following and more cash.

I think Sanders will prevent Warren from getting very far. They may prevent one another from winning New Hampshire, which is crucial for both. I think Warren is more likely to have a poor showing in New Hampshire, and that alone may lead to her dropping out.

Sanders will have the funds to continue but it's not out of the realm of possibility that Vermont will be the only state he wins. I think he'll face a lot of pressure to drop out after Super Tuesday (but, again, I think Warren will have already dropped out).

The bottom line is that neither has much of a chance in my estimation. I like Warren but I would not feel comfortable with her as our nominee. Her age, relative lack of charisma and the ancestry debacle (it's been way overblown but Trump will exploit it for all it's worth) would make me very nervous heading into the general election.

[kcr]

10. Pretty bold statement from a Pete Buttegiege supporter

[DavidDvorkin]

11. Supporting him doesn't mean that I think he has a real chance

I'm hoping he'll surprise me, but I don't expect him to.

[Gothmog]

7. This is a very interesting piece from the Washington Post

Thank you for posting the link to this piece

Link to tweet

Democrats are right to be concerned about their nominee’s political chops, but they should be more concerned with a candidate’s boasting about a socialist pedigree than one claiming to have Native American ancestry. The latter is politically dumb, the former raises questions ranging from electability to capacity for governance to possessing a unifying vision.

If Democratic are nervous Trump will skewer Warren over her ancestry, they should be petrified about what Trump is going to do with the socialist affiliation of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). It will frighten voters and transform the election from a referendum on Trump to one on socialism. The future for them, Trump already insists, would be Venezuela.

Sure, it’s ridiculous to claim that socialism is best exemplified by Nicolás Maduro’s Venezuela (Why not Norway?), but it sure doesn’t help when Sanders refuses to condemn Maduro outright.

Moreover, it’s not as though Sanders has ever gotten consensus for and passed his self-described socialist ideas. Other candidates can claim victories in passage of green-energy legislation and support for state compacts to adhere to the Paris Agreement, both of which address the problem of climate change. The Green New Deal hasn’t been implemented because, in its idealized version, it lacks substantial political support and won’t pass.