LIZ SEES PREZ AS PRIZE
Recent availability points to 2020 bid
When Elizabeth Warren gets a sudden case of accessibility, you know something’s up. And it’s not about re-election.
The Massachusetts senator is boning up for a 2020 matchup with President Trump, and tuning up with a rare home state public appearance blitz.
Warren’s clearly not ready for the presidential trail yet, so she’s trying to up her game by showing up in Massachusetts more and trying oh so hard to actually take reporters’ questions in an unscripted setting.
“Anybody else want to do one?” Warren politely asked the gaggle of TV and print media after a speech in Boston on Monday.
But she has a long way to go. Despite all the accolades from her devoted followers, the Cambridge Democrat has not had a hard test since her 2012 election. She excels when making a speech or grilling a Trump Cabinet nominee, because that’s not a real debate. She has a script in her hand and her opponent can’t fight back.
And Warren still has a habit of repeating the same rehearsed lines, over and over.
The liberal phenom also could get into trouble by veering so far left she’d be unelectable. She recently seemed to embrace the old idea of a governmentrun “single-payer” health care system, which makes Obamacare look conservative.
“I think every option needs to be on the table and single-payer sure ought to be at the top of the list,” she said on Monday.
And later this week, she’ll be appearing with socialist darling Bernie Sanders. Yikes. Could there be a Warren-Sanders ticket in 2020?
Despite the pitfalls, Warren’s 2018 re-election is a good time to start toughening her skin. It’s like spring training before the real games count. Warren may get a few opponents, but it doesn’t look like she’s in any danger. Massachusett s Republicans may be good at press releases, but not at recruiting viable candidates.
GOP Gov. Charlie Baker actually will be much better off if Warren doesn’t have a real opponent. The last thing Baker wants are Democratic voters flocking to the polls because they think Warren might lose.
But Warren should not just coast. She can use the 2018 campaign to prepare for what’s looming ahead: a full-time battle against Trump.
In the last few months, the Harvard law professor has begun holding open town hall meetings, and leaving time to make herself available to the media. And not just one-anddone available. Warren answered questions for nearly seven minutes on Monday, and even ignored her own aide’s call to end it early.
OK, this wasn’t exactly a grilling.
“Is the Trump administration worse than you ever imagined?” one obviously unbiased reporter asked.
Warren couldn’t miss this softball with her eyes shut and hands tied.
The Bay State senator won’t get such easy treatment if she hits the presidential campaign trail. At least not all the time. The Democrat superstar still hasn’t fully resolved why she once claimed to be a Native American, and her legal work for the types of major corporations that she now vilifies.
So get used to seeing a lot more of Liz. Whether you like it or not.