WaPo: Why Elizabeth Warren is the one to watch

[crazytown]

Washington Post, August 30
Rob Stutzman, GOP political consultant
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/30/why-elizabeth-warren-is-one-watch/

Why Elizabeth Warren is the one to watch
Warren is the only candidate who sounds like she might chew Trump’s leg off

(snip) Warren is hitting her stride because of two ... important traits: style and substance. We’re used to politicians being good at one or the other; rarely do we see both.

Consider the Warren style: Chiefly, it’s fearless. She was the first candidate to call for President Trump’s impeachment (likely a key to her fundraising), and to invoke her oath and fidelity to the Constitution as the imperative to seek Trump’s removal from office. On the debate stage and at her rallies, she’s pugnacious and has modulated her voice to be emphatic without screaming. “I’m a fighter” is one of her slogans, and it’s a credible one, especially when she implores those in the audience to “get up off [their] butt and volunteer!” She just doesn’t just want to fight; she wants to lead a fight.

All this is catnip for many rank-and-file Democrats, but don’t discount the potential for her to attract moderates who are looking for someone who can go toe to toe with Trump on a debate stage. More than one Democratic voter has mused to me that Warren is the only candidate who sounds like she might chew Trump’s leg off onstage. It’s a vivid contrast to Joe Biden, who at times seems to be observing the debates as much as participating in them. If Democrats come to define electability as a measure of who can take on a bully, Warren’s stock will rise.

Warren’s substance, meanwhile, is her killer app. Her proposals range from an “ultra-millionaire tax” to breaking up big tech companies to forgiving student loans; the decision to flood the zone with big and bold substance has become definitional. And, in a race in which Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) has had more positions on health care than toppings on a supreme pizza, Warren has emerged as a candidate of deep convictions.

So can Warren win this nomination? Certainly. Does that leave the Democrats with a nominee who can beat Trump? That’s not so certain.

I would say there's at least one other candidate up for a little dental engineered amputation - Senator Harris.

[Clash City Rocker]

1. I don't recommend chewing Trump's leg

I’m sure it’s high in cholesterol.

[crazytown]

2. Indeed.

[LincolnRossiter]

3. The author also highlights the concerns some of us who are impressed with Warren but supporting

Biden have.

Trump thrives on opponents he can demonize and demagogue, and Warren would be dry tinder for his flamethrower. She has called for decriminalizing the border and providing health care to undocumented residents and Medicare-for-all, while her soak-the-rich world view is out of step with a majority of voters. All these pieces may provide Trump with a way to recast her as a risky choice; some of her Democratic rivals are already giving this tactic a dress rehearsal.

[crazytown]

4. Yes he does.

One thing Republican strategists are good at is finding reasons why a Democrat can't win. M4A is a fair point. The wealth tax, which at this time, has 70% majority support, is not. Decriminalizing the border is a mistake.

[DrToast]

5. My concern

I’m concerned that Warren would get sucked into a mud-slinging battle and I’m not sure if she would walk away. I think Trump would (and already has) get under her skin.