"As things stand now, if we have a Democratic president and House, a Republican majority in the Senate would just devote itself to perpetual obstruction."
Ha! As if that could -ever- happen, with the statesmen (and stateswomen) we elect to Congress...
Oh, wait. You were writing ironically... got it. You left off the "again" at the end of that sentence.
2
I think having centrist Democrats in the House and the Senate is enough "divided government". I would say moderate Republicans too, but they're much, much rarer than - well - snow leopards these days.
Can anyone please name all the other countries that have fully adopted "the blessings of the American system"? I'm prepared to wait all day.
3
"It’s a shame because I think the Democratic field has some first-rate talents who could beat Trump, but that the party has just discounted, at least so far: Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar. What is it about them that just doesn’t excite the base?"
You, like many pundits, just don't get it. We are tired of getting walked over, ignored, treated like garbage, and watching the 0.1% of this nation rule with only their pocketbooks in mind.
Accepting any of those, just like accepting Biden, is just more of the same old which has caused stagnation of wages since the '70's as we have watched a handful of people getting richer and richer can complaining that the minimum wage of $15.00 is too high. Of course if the minimum wage had been indexed it would be higher than that.
When are you pundits going to figure out that you are part of the problem. Your echo chamber, right and left, never saw Trump winning while many of us, right and left, knew he would, knew WI, MI, and PA were likely to go red. Were we smart? No, just were paying attention to the facts on the ground.
Something operatives and pundits, it turns out, seem incapable of doing as they sit in their echo chamber.
7
“Bret: Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate.”
As Paul Krugman would say, Mr. Stephens hasn’t been paying attention. A Republican senate would mean more ideological rather than qualified federal judges and more incompetent holders of cabinet and sub-cabinet positions. While we are on that subject, it is now abjectly obvious that the4 National Security Adviser appointment should require senate confirmation.
4
...But Trump appears to be perfectly indifferent to what the return of the Taliban would mean to the Afghan people, particularly Afghan women... That kind of thinking will keep us in wars forever.
5
Regarding Bret Stephens closer in the article about Bernie's football team.
Bernie Sanders football anecdote #1
from 2016 USA Today Via The Washington Post:
“Washington has a very good football team but it doesn’t have to be called the Redskins,” Sanders said.
Bernie Sanders football anecdote #2
2016. A New York Times article:
"But Ms. Sanders, 64, could make her husband only so relatable. Asked how much he watched the television that is surrounded by porcelain tchotchkes, she laughed, and her daughter, Carina Driscoll, 41, shouted from the adjacent kitchen.
“We were watching the Super Bowl, and he turned it off at halftime!” Ms. Driscoll said. “What American does that?”.
Bernie Sanders 2016 (athletic) anecdote #3:
from The Guardian.
the Brooklyn Dodgers, moved to Los Angeles when he was 16. The Guardian reports: The Brooklyn Dodgers moved to LA when Sanders was 16.
“I asked him: ‘Did this have a deep impact on you?’ and he said: ‘Of course! I thought the Dodgers belonged to Brooklyn,’” says Richard Sugarman, who is one of the Democratic frontrunner’s closest friends. “It does lay out the question of who owns what.”
“I asked him: ‘Did this have a deep impact on you?’ and he said: ‘Of course! I thought the Dodgers belonged to Brooklyn,’” says Richard Sugarman, who is one of the Democratic frontrunner’s closest friends. “It does lay out the question of who owns what.”
He just doesn't seem like a guy into sports. (I understand.)
Stephens wrote: "Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system."
Really? REALLY? You're joking, right? How can you write that with a straight face after watching McConnell (and Gingrich before him) grind Congress's job (of actually doing some legislating) to an absolute halt?!?!
And I guess that you consider divided government "a blessing" when McConnell uses it to steal a seat on the Supreme Court from a Democratic president (but then hypocritically say that it's OK to allow Trump to fill a seat no matter how little time is left in his term).
Sorry Bret, but your cutesy banter with Gail rings hollow. At least for Gail, humor is an integral aspect to her shtick, and she's consistent with her views. But for you, well, being cute with Gail once every other week doesn't absolve you of your complicity with what your Republican party has done to our country.
5
Elizabeth Warren understands the plight of everyone who is not in the 1%. She has fought for us her entire career. She was able to get the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau up and running against all odds. She understands how government works and I think she has the smarts and talent to put humpty dumpty back together. She would also move the country in a more progressive direction. Something most Americans want even though they may not call it progressive. When polled Americans vote for progressive policies like health care for all.
6
Although this “bipartisan” series would like to contradict the idea that bipartisanship is a sham or a pipe dream, it only enforces it.
These are two writers who, despite their moral compasses resting in different places, have faith in neoliberal institutions. Ironically, the only issue I can think of where there is near-consensus in the electorate across both parties is the dislike and mistrust of institutions. This is not bipartisanship—this is the neoliberal order that I, and a lot of younger people, would like very much to go away, lest our futures continue to be mortgaged by our parents’ generation. I wish the New York Times would
publish some younger voices. The dancing around the issues is frankly hard to take.
6
49 % of american workers receive healthcare paid by their employer.
The average amount received from the employer is $5,655.00.
Employer Rule #1 Never take away from your "associates"
what you have been giving them !
The american worker trusts the $ 5,655.00 (average) they now receive in healthcare benefits even more than they trust
Elizabeth, Bernie or Cory Booker.
$5,655 now in the workers hand is more important than free Medicare for all which is still in the bush, with much opposition.
"You can count on America to do the right thing---after they have tried everything else" per Winston Churchill.
We can hope that eventually America will provide "Healthcare for all" as provided by the other advanced nations of the world.
But first, we must convince the 49 % of american workers now receiving employer healthcare that "Medicare for All" will benefit them more than their current benefits now provide.
The real opposition to Universal Healthcare just happens to be 49% of current american workers now receiving employer
healthcare benefits.
The Republican party is not as powerful as 1/2 of current
american workers.
You might be blaming the wrong group of people.
M.W, Endres
2
"Elizabeth Warren Continues to Persist"... and Trump continues to be president. All the enthusiasm for a woman president and all the new Scando-social-Democrats can't overcome all her bad policy recommendations, her flat and pedantic style, and her heritage appropriation.
3
I am surprised that no mention was made of Tom Brady’s critical role in Ted 2. Being overshadowed by a teddy bear says it all.
1
What a fun piece! Gail always makes me smile. I haven't read Mr. Stephens, but he sounds like a Republican with a sense of humor (the only one).
1
Shorter conversation each week from in touch in tune at the pulse of America, we got paid move along nothing to see here. Come on you two, this doesn’t deserve to be published.
3
Emerson very objective & one of the fairest NH poll out to today: Warren 2nd to Biden in Dem to Biden..........BUT........the ONLY DEM, repeat the only one, that loses to Trump in the NH general!!
Maybe now we know why the NYT et al are feverishly supporting her.
1
I can't stand Bret Stephens and given all his inaccuracy, misrepresentations, and distortions I have to wonder why he has a column here. And why make Gail suffer his insufferableness?
5
Only one question, Bret : What would your Mother think ???
Sad.
2
“Bret, that was so beautifully said that I am going to give you a break and not ask you if this means you’ll vote for Elizabeth Warren if she’s the nominee.
Bret: At this point, she’s almost tempting me, on the theory that an empty wallet beats an upset stomach.”
No break for Bret!
Sorry Bret,..just answer this question. If you were in Germany circa 1935, and a hardline communist, or anyone else you disagreed with vehemently politically who could plausibly have won against Hitler was a choice vs a 3rd party candidate who had no chance of winning, and whom voting for or abstaining would have been, in essence, a vote for Hitler, what would you have done? Giving you an out,..You might reply, in 1935 no one could know just what horrors Hitler would perpetrate, with Trump there is no such excuse.
6
When considering Elizabeth Warren’s ability to stand-up to Trump, what happens the first time he calls her Pocahontas? Or worse? The GOPs reacted like 5th graders, dooming their runs. Warren might stay above it, but you don’t really know. Whoever the nominee is his/her team better prioritize training for “not so sophisticated policy-based debates,” but for playground insults. Must keep cool, authentically, to avoid the breakdown.
1
Great column!
I defy you to find anything Trump has ever said that's more boneheaded stupid than Bret claiming Pres Warren will leave him with "an empty wallet". Surely the NYT can find a more suitable sparring partner for Gail!
8
I would ask the Bret-dissers to see that Conservatism isn't some rancid, evil ideology. Basically, it complements the priorities of liberals by accentuating individual rights to life and property over "brother's keeper" communal rights. Both parties, at their most decent, would endorse each value. It's Trump's brand that has killed decency and opted only for selfishness and destruction of the societal pact.
3
@Fred
Yes, ideally, you’re right. I grew up believing just that. I even voted for Republicans at times, as recently as in the mid nineties.
But where are those conservatives you speak of now? They are either supporting the current destruction of our country, or complicit in their silence. There are no actual conservatives left as far as I can see.
I don’t want a one party country, either. But a party of traitors serves no one.
4
@Chickpea Basically agreed. Conservatism is for now a "platonic ideal" only.
1
I'm already tired of this never-ending 2020 campaign. With that said, I have to agree that the Patriots are loathsome. Go Raiders!
It really looks like Warren will the nominee of the Democrats. Does anyone really believe that Biden will be the nominee?
Have you seen the results of the latest Emerson poll for New Hampshire?
http://emersonpolling.com/2019/09/10/sanders-slips-in-new-hampshire-biden-warren-take-lead/
It shows Trump defeating Warren in a state that he lost in 2016. This is going to be very interesting.
Aaahh, Bretbug. You ask, “Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar. What is it about them that just doesn’t excite the base?” How about everything? Their lack of energy, their lack of distinct policy proposals, their blandness? Add to that the fact that they appeal to you. Bretbug, consider yourself the campaign “canary in the coal mine”. Given your reaction, I am more inclined than ever to consider Elizabeth Warren...
7
Bret, It’s one thing to not like Elizabeth Warren, but what do you have against the Patriots? The fact that they are well managed? That they are winners? If only the Dems could figure out how to emulate the Patriots we could enter a new golden age of US creativity and success.
1
Please Democrats, don't be seduced by pretty dreams.
Sen. Warren has even less management experience than did Obama. Hey, being President is a huge managerial job! Warren has never had a single executive job; no experience as an elected executive official. Her only elected job is as a Senator & we all know how much they get done. Utopic ideas are easy to come up with. The hard part is to implement them & even harder, to pay for them.
Then there's the imperative of sending Trump packing. He would make mincemeat out of her.
3
"...Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar. What is it about them that just doesn’t excite the base?"
It's not about the "base", if by base you mean the most activist voters. The candidates you mentioned are failing to compete with Biden, who is the favorite of the mainstream, not the base.
2
I think its a little unfair to call Joe Biden median IQ. IQs are very limited, so I apologize for implying that it means more than it does. However, Joe Biden is just not very smart or street-smart or fast-on-his-feet or quick-witted or enough of a brawler to win the presidency. He is no Bill Clinton.
It comes down to this for a lot of people--who would I want having my back--verbal or otherwise--Joe Biden on the one hand, Donald Trump, or Elizabeth Warren. Joe Biden does not have the mental material to be a champion prize fighter. He is endearing only because he makes you feel bad for his incompetence. When push comes to shove, people will not elect incompetence to represent their interests.
Biden simply does not have the intangible makeup of a Democratic Nominee. If you are in a fight, which a lot of people feel that they are, who do you want getting your back? Its not Joe Biden who does not have the goods, its not Bernie Sanders who will alienate half the country while lecturing people on his moral superiority, it is Elizabeth Warren--she is a warrior who uses her mind.
No other candidate fits that description, and no other candidate will be able to take on Trump. For all those who point to Bidens head-to-head polls against Trump--that is a year before a vicious primary well Biden will be significantly weakened and his support will recede at the very least.
Warren is the only candidate who will gain momentum and not lose it.
5
Two people who hate the American President meet to decide what will happen to that man's party against an aging progressive. So glad I lived long enough to see this one.
1
"continues to persist " or " persists to continue " ?
What a literary accomplishment.
Please persist !
1
Win, lose or draw, I would big good money to see Elizabeth Warren debate Donald Trump. He should be shaking in his boots.
6
Now there's a columnist taking a position! Congratulations...
As for the note below me (Chris). Trump is THE problem. The Republican Party is a problem, but Trump is a problem more hugely.
1
I'm hoping this will be my president in 2020. Go Lizzie, go!
2
"Divided government is one of the blessings of the American
system."
Yeah, that worked out really well during the Obama administration. Is Mr. Stephens even paying attention, or does he merely tune in every six months or so?
GOP house + GOP senate + Democratic president = 4-year stalemate
7
Does Bernie scare Brett so much because he stands for the average person and not the richest? I suppose he could still believe in the "trickle down" theory even though it has been shown time and time again to not work for the majority. Seriously, why such disdain for a person who has devoted his entire life to helping others?
4
"...an empty wallet beats an upset stomach."
Let's try to remember to remind people that a tax increase for universal health care does not mean paying more money:
Health care paid for by taxes means no other health insurance premiums and deductions, unless an additional upper level plan is desired.
9
Pence is an honest and good man, faithful to his one and only wife. He would be a great improvement over the incumbent.
@Jonathan Katz My poor eyes have rolled out of my head onto the floor. Pence is a man without character, a sycophantic void who has gutted any potential self-esteem and independence to be his president's ventriloquist's dummy. What does his faith mean? He believes in an ancient book that he then interprets according to his own character flaws. He is a velvet glove over a pathological fist.
8
So Stephens would like a Democrat in the WH and a GOP Senate... which means continued refusal of the Senate to bring House bills to the floor, GOP in charge of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court judges and for approving federal court judges.
I can't see that working well.
7
@Karen Americans have often appreciated a politically divided government.
Such things never result in such ridiculous situations as the government DEVASTATING middle class family finances to provide free or reduced health care for 3% or 4% of the country as we had in 2010.
Divided government only does the most necessary things - the Founder's intentions all along.
1
@L osservatore It's all good as long as you're not someone with a pre existing condition. Do they not deserve to have access to healthcare?
1
Amy Klobuchar for prez pleez. Talk her up a little more if you can.
1
My long time best friend is married to a billionaire. He's always said that "If you want to live like a Republican, vote Democrat. If you want to live like a Democrat, vote Republican".
However, being a billionaire, he's now super enthusiastic about Trump after the tax cut he received, because his other saying has always been "I vote MY wallet".
2
@Entera Who doesn't?
You know what I find most disturbing about articles like this? How democratic supporters seem to think that if Mr. Trump isn't re-elected in 2020 all of their troubles will be over.
Mr. Trump isn't the problem, he's just a symptom of a deeply troubled news system that has the most watched network able to say or do whatever they want to without any journalistic accountability.
If the US has a democratic president in 2020, the GOP will find someone else for 2024 who shares the same heavily right leaning views, but isn't as publicly ignorant as Mr. Trump.
As much as you might hate the 45th president, at least his lack of understanding is obvious and his constant stream of lunacy leaves his most staunch supporters speechless. Even with all of this craziness he still maintains a 40% approval... what would that approval look like if Mr. Trump didn't have a Twitter account?
90
@Chris
Who besides you says Fox News doesn't have any 'journalistic accountability'? What is 'journalistic accountability in today's world anyway? Your own Liberal Government is paying $600 million to News Outlets in your own Country that they deem as news outlets, while suppressing others, such as Rebel Media. So where is the 'journalistic accountability' there?
4
@GregP
I, and many other Canadians, share your dislike of the subsidization of CBC, but it doesn't have someone like Hannity claiming our PM wasn't born in our country.
27
Does she have Trump's number?
If she ends up debating Trump, the Warren team had better make sure that the debate moderators shut Trump up. They should have the ability to turn off microphones, and they had better have an agreement that Trump will stand at the podium instead of walking around in an attempt to distract everyone and keep the attention on him.
Trump cannot debate. His handlers know it. The best he will be able to do is destroy the debates with bluster and distraction. It is his trademark. It is all he can do.
The Trump people know how much smarter Warren is than Trump. In fact, compared to Trump, she is Einstein.
7
c'mon Bret - take her seriously, not literally.
2
Sanders had 10,253 at his rally yesterday in Denver, according to CBS news. If Warren had that many, you'd declare her queen of the world..
1
Republicans hope that EW is the Democrat Nomination!
Bret 'says,'
"I’m the son of a refugee. My patriotism is deeply tied to my gratitude for a country that took in my impoverished mother and grandmother when they had no other country and no other place to go. The thought that the administration wants to deny the chance they gave my mom to thousands of similarly stateless people today makes me feel physically ill."
Gail remarks, accurately, that "that was so beautifully said..."
I agree with Gail … and wonder how such a 'thereby seeming' person of 'righteous' sentiment (and best-sense patriotism) can be a "Conservative" in a time when "Conservative" stands, in the most part, for "heartless" (and is not at all small-c conservative of anything much but the retention of power-and-privilege).
5
Given that "Republicans are dropping like flies", the critical question is "Who then is wielding the flyswatter?"
If it is The Chosen One then the world is in for the grief of another term or two or ...
All rational persons of good will toward Earth and her creatures hope that it is the Democrats.
1
Comments calling Sen. Warren a "hypocrite" because at one point in her life she was a Republican are the red flags warning of a progressive defeat. The "purist" attitude among progressives will be our undoing.
Good grief -- the senator was raised in Oklahoma, a conservative state since its inception. The surprise would have been if she had been a liberal in her younger years.
Surely, a human being can grow, learn and evolve their political views. I certainly have. Was a Reaganite extraordinaire in my youth, but am now a flaming liberal by anyone's definition.
We play right into the opposition's hands when the party espousing social tolerance is intolerant. THAT is hypocritical.
186
@John Longino
Odd, that among Warrens' issue positions, there is no mention of healthcare.
Mostly, Sanders and Warren have similar economic and domestic policies, but they differ significantly on foreign policy where presidents have the most power to act without Congress.
Obama became president, having minimal knowledge or interest in world history and foreign policy, and he inadvertently wrecked Libya and Syria and oversaw the rise of ISIS, oversaw the military metastasizing ISIS over the globe, and created avoidable conflict with Russia over Ukraine.
Warren, too, has minimal knowledge of world history and foreign affairs. Those advising her are from the Washington foreign policy establishment, boding little change.
While Sanders' passion for forty years has been improving the lives of ALL working people, he has always cared about foreign policy. Sanders instinct is a demilitarized, diplomacy oriented foreign policy.
Only Sanders has the vision and courage to stand up to the extraordinarily powerful, Washington foreign policy establishment and the military industrial complex.
The US desperately needs a foreign policy that makes the world more stable and sustainable, instead of adding trillions to the debt while making the US less safe.
Even the brash,bold Trump "is not allowed to bring our troops home" from Afghanistan.
Citizens should think about WHO controls US foreign policy... and whether any president can bring our troops home.
I trust Sander's courage and vision.
3
@John Longino
Odd, that among Warrens' issue positions, there is no mention of healthcare.
Mostly, Sanders and Warren have similar economic and domestic policies, but they differ significantly on foreign policy where presidents have the most power to act without Congress.
Obama became president, having minimal knowledge or interest in world history and foreign policy, and he inadvertently wrecked Libya and Syria and oversaw the rise of ISIS, oversaw the military metastasizing ISIS over the globe, and created avoidable conflict with Russia over Ukraine.
Warren, too, has minimal knowledge of world history and foreign affairs. Those advising her are from the Washington foreign policy establishment, boding little change.
While Sanders' passion for forty years has been improving the lives of ALL working people, he has always cared about foreign policy. Sanders instinct is a demilitarized, diplomacy oriented foreign policy.
Only Sanders has the vision and courage to stand up to the extraordinarily powerful, Washington foreign policy establishment and the military industrial complex.
The US desperately needs a foreign policy that makes the world more stable and sustainable, instead of adding trillions to the debt while making the US less safe.
Even the brash,bold Trump "is not allowed to bring our troops home" from Afghanistan.
Citizens should think about WHO controls US foreign policy... and whether any president can bring our troops home.
I trust Sander's courage and vision.
1
Note: Pence is not electable. Period. Impeaching Trump would be a circus because of Trump being who he is, but we shouldn't worry about a President Pence for long.
4
I’ve really had it with Republicans who warn Democrats about nominating a candidate who is “too extreme,” saying he/she can’t win votes from Republicans. Good grief!!! If we’re going to talk about extreme, I’d like someone to explain to me how Donald Trump can be considered non-extreme by any measure.
Furthermore, I’d like someone to explain to me why it’s smart to nominate a candidate so unexciting he/she can’t get 2% in the polls. Or why it would be smart to nominate a candidate so unexciting that many Democrats won’t see a point in voting.
Actually, after Republicans nominated and elected Donald Trump, I believe they lose all credibility to advise anyone on electability for at least a generation.
12
I think many Americans have no clear idea of who all these Democratic candidates really are. We get a few soundbites and glimpses of some of the Dem. candidates on TV as well as those squabbling, food-fight Democratic debates framed to entertain rather than to actually inform.
Another reason is the Mr. TV President, in his oversized Bat-Man black overcoat and red tie, intentionally eats up all the media time with his personally scripted and produced TV mini-series, full of nonsense, drama, and chaos that runs 24 hours a day.
Another reason is the press and media have a cottage industry just telling us every little tweet and disaster Trump is up to. No need to get out there and get the story the old-fashioned way. Just sit at a desk and write the next Trump story. Will he, or won't he; Trump fires _______; Trump insults ____________. Trump disregards the law;
About all we hear are things like the daily rundown of: Democratic candidate X is up, while Democratic candidate Y is down. Biden gaffed again. Warren is going to take away your health insurance. Trump says the Democrats are socialists. Trump insults The Squad....and so it goes.
Bret likes Michael Bennet. What do we know about Bennet except what little we saw and heard from him in a few seconds of the debates? I'd say the press seems worried about Warren, just like it was about Bernie in 2016.
And even if we bother to vote, our candidate who wins (by 3 million votes) isn't allowed to win the presidency.
1
@PB
there are too many Donkey candidates, because there's been too much Trump, so everyone and their brother/sister is eager to jump into the race. plus the fact that if a buffoon balloon animal like Trump can win, how hard could it be?
that being said, the candidates in 2016 knew the rules of the game, especially with respect to the Electoral College. the fact that you don't understand them, and the fact that you can't stand the result, just means you need to go back to school. preferably somewhere that professors actually teach American History and not Howard Zinn History.
"A blade that is too sharp" and an "empty wallet." Bret, are you paying attention at all to what Warren is saying? Or are you simply blinded by her, I dunno, gender? Because what she's saying is no different from what Sanders is saying (only it's more eloquently stated, more thought out, and comes from the heart and her life's experience). How exactly does Warren offend you in that comparison? With her female anatomy?
6
Bret, Please take a second look at Elizabeth Warren. She's an incredibly smart woman who is dedicated to American citizens, American morals and values She's decent and kind. She would let your mother and grandmother into this country. She's also very fiscally responsible. She will find a way to pay for her "plans" reasonably. We all need health care and a good education. Come on Bret. Give her a chance. If I was to vote today I would vote for Elizabeth Warren. She'd also surround herself with exceptional people who would help her find the way.
8
"Endeavor to persevere."
I suppose that reference is in bad taste, so I won't explain why, but this column brings the line to mind.
This column is a fine example of how we got ourselves in this mess in the first place. Neither of these writers is interested in the fate of the nation and would rather dither about what is "possible" from their isolated point of view. This should be filed under the Political Gossip heading and ignored.
Please New York Times, give us some writers with blood in their veins and imagination in their heads. Talk about other candidates with these qualities, as in Andrew Yang, Mayor Pete, Tulsi Gabbard, etc.
Get out of the middle of the road and breathe some fresh air.
4
"Bret: At this point, she’s almost tempting me, on the theory that an empty wallet beats an upset stomach."
This tells me BRET thinks that investment in the future is a NO WIN. I'm certain this is wrong headed thinking. The APOLLO program for example was the core of spin off businesses because of tech developments that pretty much lead to cell phones and computers in our pockets not to mention prosperity even as wall street and the rich took so much of the spoils. Those time would have been much better with more sharing just like we teach our children.
2
Mr. Stephens, the only way to remove Trump from office is to vote for the Democrat, no matter who it is. Each one is head and shoulders above Trump in intelligence, maturity, and morality. If Elizabeth Warren is elected, she will bring all those qualities into the Oval Office, and you will once again be able to sleep at night. If she is the candidate, I am asking, begging you to join us for the sake of the country. I look forward to your next column when you will admit that you have seen the light and are ready to support the Democrat, Senator Warren included.
7
I, too, would love to see a film version of the Trump presidency, but that I were powerful enough to resurrect Rodney Dangerfield, bless his departed soul, as the player of Trump's character. No one could more accurately depict our Bumbler in Chief than brother Rodney. Maybe there's a CGI genius in Hollywood who could make this all come to pass.
5
If you add Warren's numbers to Bernie's, they swamp Joe's. One of them, probably Bernie, will bow out for the other. In that case, she will be the Democratic nominee.
It is too early to predict who will win the general election.
2
"Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate — or the Senate and House together if the next Democratic president leans too far left."
So our dear Bret wants to return to the Obama years where Republicans made sure no policy ever got adopted. That is plain wrong. We need a majority in both the House and Senate and a leader who really has ideas. We need significant chance. Populism but focused on the needs of real people not imaginary foes like immigrants.
I think the people who believe Warren is too wonky have not seen her performances as a candidate. She is really amazing and actually can communicate with people who are not as well educated or good at critical thinking as the elites.
7
I don't know if Warren "has Trump's number" but believe so. What is so incomprehensible to me is the never-ending Democratic party saga of loading its collective gun and shooting itself in the foot, over and over. When will the candidates learn, and the party itself figure out, that they must actually talk to the people who vote or need to vote...actually say something meaningful, by addressing stagnant wages, poor healthcare and infrastructure (can commuting get any worse, for instance), education costs. Actually being normal, middle-of-the-spectrum if that's how it's perceived, about real-life plans that will work to address these issues. And that's not including climate change, the elephant in the room.
It appears a bit unpopular at the moment to say so, but it's my belief that Sanders and Biden...nice, well-meaning and intelligent people that they are...are simply at the point in their political lives when they should be elder statesmen, helping to direct the "ship of state" (which should be the Democratic ship, of course) with policy designs, course corrections, everything a well-seasoned politician who cares about the country can do. Sanders had that position in the Senate and squandered it; his policies that bend left are still essential in providing substance; Biden's calm hand is equally essential, but we just have to have one of the very qualified new Dem voices at the helm...we have seldom seen such a rich collection from which to choose, I just hope we do so.
3
My bet: Persistence pays
To get rid of the Trump malaise!
3
Bret, the Trump presidency WAS a darkly comic TV show - "The President Show" on Comedy Central with Anthony Atamanuik as Trump.
The back and forth in the column is a type of messaging.
So is my comment. Elizabeth Warren is the mosr clear eyed about what is necessary - a capitalist system with the same rules of the road for everyone.
At the same time, Warren is a person with limitations on the ability to message some aspirations.
My message to her is - Please recognize that absolute switching to Medicare for All does not compute as logically as Medicare for All who want it. She needs to convey that it is not a forced transfer to public run medicine but instead, the benefits and cost savings that individuals and corporations like IBM, Apple etc. will cause them to choose public Medicare where you can keep your doctor.
The goal of a transition is a carefully monitored reimbursement system, an expansion of publicly financed Medical schools, a purchasing system to negotiate drug costs and all the other careful attention including public service health announcements. With almost one in five dollars spent on health care, we need a national buy in to acknowledge perverse result of Reagan's warning "i'm from the government and I am here to help".
1
Bret: You know, if you squint hard, the Trump presidency could be a darkly comic TV show: Imagine “House of Cards,” but with Steve Martin or Rowan Atkinson in the role of President Underwood. ”
This! Please please please...ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO???
1
Warren certainly has the thinking man's vote. But she needs a majority.
5
Warren is the only candidate who has persistently called for the full re-establishment of Glass-Steagall protections and the break up of the "too big to fail" Big Banks. That repeal directly led to the twin financial and mortgage disaster of 2008 that destroyed the finances of countless Americans––and ultimately to the putrid reaction that is Donald Trump.
She deserves the big chair. If for no other reason than that she's the only one willing to face the nation's problems square in the face.
7
I can not respect anyone who would not vote in way the most likely to remove Trump from office. That's tantamount to voting for Trump, and that's how he wound up in office.
3
A lot of us work nearly every waking minute, Bret, and still have empty wallets. We need those of you being paid a living wage to care about the rest of us. No one wants to take your living wage from you, we just want the same, to earn something for all our time and work and life that we give to our millionaire bosses. As Warren says, it's not a revolution, it's a revival.
154
@Liz
Liz, you hit this one out of the park. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how Mr. Stephens and Mr. Brooks can get to a place, in their own clearly intelligent brains, where they just can't see pulling that lever for Warren. Legislation is not really equivalent to sausage-making. Any decent legislation (go back to New Deal) has required compromises, often difficult ones, to produce something worthwhile for a large number of Americans. That is how it will really happen, should Warren get elected. Neither Mr. Stephens' wallet, nor mine (not rich, but I have enough) will even notice.
26
The best ticket for the Dems to take the White House is Biden/Warren. You may not agree with all their stances but I don't believe any other candidate can garner the needed votes to do it. Lets paint the White House BLUE!
3
The NY Times "continues to persist" in the notion that Warren is too far left to win. If her plans and recommendations were actually covered, rather than this knee-jerk coverage and headlining, one might see that what she proposes makes a lot of sense.
12
Does Liz have Trump's number? And more close up drama photos. Typical media 'stuff', a nice word, on the horse race.
When will our news media and the Times do it's duty in a democracy---- take a few issues daily or weekly and discuss the pros and cons of various candidates positions on them.
Focus not just on polls, but how these proposals would affect the majority of average citizens, in ways crucial to our lives---economic security, equality, gun safety, taxes, jobs, health care.
Isn't this why we even have voting? Why else? Or are the campaigns just a way for the media to make money---and get high fees for campaign ads paid for by rich mega donors?
We the People are flooded with Reality TV politics to get readers and advertisers, while the issues remain muddy, and voters are confused, misdirected and thus vulnerable to propaganda.
The voter polls cause a feed back loop of more coverage and more polls, affecting poll results.
This Reality TV media has failed the voting public.
Enter Trump. In future, more swamp creatures lurk.
4
What’s it gonna take, Bret ? A Nuclear Strike, or threats of same? “ Never Trump “ is admirable, but doesn’t help a qualified person actually WIN.
Seriously.
8
In a country turned upside down by the election of a confirmed liar and probable criminal to our highest office, one can only imagine what the next election will bring.
The optimist in me hopes that those who voted for Trump will come to their collective senses and vote for ANYONE not named Trump. But the realist in me envisions those who still support him despite the overwhelming evidence that he has created and supported chaos, distrust, hate and racism in our once-great, now-diminished nation will believe Trump's hateful tweets and childish rants and vote, once again, for the worst "president" this nation has ever endured.
I hope that optimism trumps realism in November 2020.
3
I think Warren can win the presidency if for no other reason she scares Trump to death. Warren won't stand meekly on a debate stage like Clinton did when Trump hovered behind her, Warren would poke him in the chest and tell him to back off. She has experience in dealing with self-important children ( being a college professor) and her ideas and take no prisoners approach to dealing with the oligarchs of America make her my candidate. And a very good reason to elect her is every war and business debacle has been the fault of self-important old white men. Time for a woman to run the White House.
11
Stephens has drunk the Wall Street Kool-aid -- the same Kool-aid that wrecked the country's economic health in 2008. Does he believe in voodoo economics, too? Does he laugh at the Laffer curve?
Warren understands Wall Street, does not like what she sees, and will be very difficult for the Street to snooker. She also has the communication skills to make it hard for the Street to snooker others.
11
Odd, that among Warrens issue positions, there is no mention of healthcare.
Mostly, Sanders and Warren have similarly wonderful economic and domestic policies, but they also differ significantly on foreign policy where presidents have the most power to act without Congress.
Obama became president, having minimal knowledge or interest in world history and foreign policy, and he inadvertently wrecked Libya and Syria and oversaw the rise of ISIS, oversaw the military metastasizing ISIS over the globe, and created avoidable conflict with Russia over Ukraine.
Warren, too, has minimal knowledge of world history and foreign affairs. Those advising her are from the Washington foreign policy establishment, boding little change.
While Sanders' passion for forty years has been improving the lives of ALL working people, he has always cared about foreign policy.
Sanders gut instinct is a demilitarized, diplomacy oriented foreign policy.
Only Sanders has the vision and courage to stand up to the extraordinarily powerful, Washington foreign policy establishment and the military industrial complex.
The US desperately needs a foreign policy that makes the world more stable and sustainable, instead of adding trillions to the debt while making the US less safe.
Even the brash,bold Trump "is not allowed to bring our troops home" from Afghanistan.
Citizens should think about WHO controls US foreign policy... and whether any president can bring our troops home.
I trust Sander's courage and vision
1
Bret I can agree that in a perfect world a single party control of the executive and legislative branches is not ideal however...
If the Republicans keep control of the Senate it means McConnell will continue to be the one and only person in America to have a vote about anything. A Democratic President would have to wait until at least her second term to seat any judge and maybe not even then.
Divided government no longer results in vigorous debate and compromise. It just guarantees gridlock.
9
For many Warren Is too liberal, but compared to the hurricane in Alabama,the bad people from the Bahamas and the recent dismissal of John Bolton too liberal sounds much better. Even if she is forced to compromise,her ideas are well thought out and intelligently described.
13
I've held the thought that much of the American electorate has shown a bit of hypocrisy in criticizing the Democratic party for its large number of candidates. After all, isn't that what democracy is supposed to be about - giving all citizens a chance to participate in our government, not just through voting and meetings but actually running for office?
But that's not the main point of my comment: I'm so puzzled over the "disappearance" of Mr. Castro's candidacy; I felt he most certainly is qualified, highly competent and intelligent. But perhaps he will actually be part of my dream team of Warren/Castro as VP...what an awesome and delightful change and fresh air that would be!
5
@Aaron Taylor. I agree. I’ve been thinking about that ticket since Debate 1. Warren hasn’t thought as much about immigration as she has about other things so he could help her there. As former mayor of big city in Texas he could make the ticket less “academic.”
Elizabeth Warren is an outstanding candidate, with bright ideas and a genuine feel for the plight of the common man and woman. Biden has deep experience, is trustworthy, and leans mildly progressive. I foresee a Biden/Warren ticket, with experience and smarts, which can beat Trump.
108
@PT
Absolutely agree. The Trump voters on the fence are not going to vote for a woman for President in 2020. They will hold their nose and vote for Trump or stay home. That will put Trump back in the White House and this country will implode. They will vote for Biden/Warren. Biden needs Warren. Warren needs Biden. We need them both.
8
@PT: I just can't agree with that prediction. I don't recall any time, at least in recent history, when one of the two dominant candidates in a party agreed to take on the normally very secondary/almost invisible role of VP in acquiescence to the other candidate. The egos, the effort and emotion spent, almost preclude such a scenario. And I don't think it's a good thing anyway, as the potential for bickering between the two is almost a given, which would be very detrimental to strong leadership and policy development. Make no mistake, Warren and Biden are two very different people; while he may be better-equipped to play "second string", she is definitely not. And that's not Biden's goal at this last gasp attempt. His day is done, he's a good guy that needs to assume the elder statesman role for a healthy Democratic party of the future.
11
@PT
I kinda agree...Biden may not get me excited, but I think I'd breathe easier with him in charge. He has the relationships and experience to repair what Trump has been breaking down in our alliances, world reputation, trading partnerships, democratic norms, congeniality, negotiation skills...while Warren has plans...lots of them...some more realistic than others...both of them will move us in a better direction... the country is not ready financially, emotionally, or technologically for a huge progressive change by next year...it could simply produce another backlash, and then where will we be...another Trump or Trump like term will set us back 50 years. We need to heal...to not be wound up in politics...to allow the country to get to a better place before we can progress and implement progressive policies. Climate repair needs some extra help to get over the last few years of dismantling....we need to invest in our brightest to work towards a new energy policy that will move the globe into a cleaner and cooler future. Biden along with Warren or another progress will be perfectly capable of implementation.
6
There are many things you might call Brady, but overrated is not one of them. Six championships out of nine title games with three razor close losses.
2
I keep waiting for Trump to announce that the whole thing has been the most elaborate performance art in history and that America should be ashamed of itself for falling for it.
2
The only thing I fear about Warren is losing to Trump, but only because Trump is basically Satan with Christian followers; democracy is dangerous. Her "socialism" isn't really socialism, but just some good left-wing ideas that won't ever come about, except in compromises, a la Obamacare. Wouldn't it be great to have a smart President again, and be admired by the world? Of course, anyone but President Fakeweather Sharpie. Biden seems fragile and fading
10
This may be a little off topic, but it seems that John Bolton, that most chicken of chicken-hawks, has just been fired by Trump. So I'm proposing to Gail that in addition to the Worst Cabinet Member Award, perhaps she would consider a Shortest Tenure Trump Appointee Award.
Why not "The William Henry Harrison Award for Earliest Check-out of a Cabinet Level Official" ('The 'Willies?')?
I know many readers will say, "Oh, but that's already Anthony Scaramucci's! The Mooch has that locked up!"
My reply would be, (a) that was two years ago,(b) Communications Director really isn't cabinet level (is it?). and (c) this should be an award given annually. Granted, Mr. Scaramucci's performance sets a very high standard, but isn't that why we keep records and have awards?
We still have almost four months to go in 2020 and most of 2021 in which to take counsel and consider the possibilities. Beyond that, I simply don't want to contemplate. It makes my teeth hurt.
2
Barack Obama was an extraordinary campaigner? Ah...how soon they forget.
Obama won the nomination because he wasn't Hillary Clinton.
Obama won the Presidency because he wasn't George W. Bush (in fact, he won the Nobel Peace prize for the same reason).
4
@havnaer
That's . . . just not true.
Turnout among young people for Obama was astronomical because they love(d) him. Starting from his stand-out moment at the DNC, a speech I myself watched and was incredibly moved by, Obama had the hearts of the progressive youth on his side.
Obama had more grassroots support and genuine excitement for his candidacy than any other politician in my lifetime.
8
Is this childish nonsense necessary? You have a misplaced person still blabbering about “divided government” is better for “us” (Us being exactly whom?) and a pretty tired act of comedy (at least she didn’t bring up the bedbugs).
From the comments, it is obvious to everyone except to Bennet that Stephens is not much liked by the readership of the paper. And I think most readers have passed the age of hitting a piñata.
4
I bet Bernie Sanders is oblivious of football.
1
hey, yeah...the Seahawks!
Ridiculous for Bret Stephens to think he'd have an "empty wallet" with the election of Elizabeth Warren. Try making a sensible argument, Stephens, not stupid throw-away lines. If you care about this nation and its people, Wareen is the best choice by a wide margin, no matter the size of your wallet.
9
Bret is wrong. We are not living Stephen King's It. We are living his Dead Zone only no body stopped Greg Stillson from becoming president.
Donald Trump is mentally ill. He will say or do anything at any time for the purpose of self-aggrandizement or to shield himself from his previous actions or lies with no thought of the future effects. He is a rancid combination of hedonism, narcissism and belligerence to a level that is psychotic.
6
"Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system" says the conservative.
This is what cancer says when it realizes the chemo is working. "You can have the intestines back, just let me keep the gall bladder!"
I'll suffer no fascists and religious zealots in my government at all, thank you Mr Brooks. You can keep your compromise.
3
I'm still supporting Biden, the one true moderate besides Klobouchar.
4
This is great fun, but hoping for a divided Government that keeps Moscow Mitch (say it 10 times when you say it once just to make his ears turn red) as the Senate Majority Leader could possibly be worse than having Trump ...... never mind.
2
Hey Brett - you do realize that Warren was a Republican way back? And that she is an avowed Capitalist? Just because she doesn't want to go in the red to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires doesn't mean that we'll be a country of poor people. In fact, that's kind of where it's heading under (more or less) Republican control.
5
Stephens's stated refusal to vote for Warren points to the problem with too many people who claim to oppose Trump. They will always have an excuse for falling back to vote for him. There is no way that any current Democratic candidate presents the danger to America that Trump presents. The only motivation for voting for Trump is selfishness. Some people are willing to sell their soul and vote for an evil candidate if they think it will benefit them.
6
Bret’s revealing comment on his theoretical vote for Warren (an empty wallet beats an empty stomach) opens like a Republican onion: Warren might be ok except his main objective is she would be bad for business, and she would be bad for business because she is against cheating and stealing to the detriment of most Americans. Or, as President Trump has called it, being smart. A bleeding heart beats a lump of coal every time, Bret - one reason the GOP knows it has to count on a menu of illegal and unethical tactics to keep representing the interests of the kelptomaniacal minority.
6
Gail, please find someone else to banter with in this column. Stephens is the biggest empty suit in your business.
A divided government is not what this Nation needs now. It needs competent leadership, and it needs competent stewardship; and it should be painfully obvious that the republican party is capable of neither.
Perhaps after your party spends a decade or two in the wilderness your type might regain some ability to work in a bipartisan way with the other side. A party I will remind you that represents at least as many people as the republican, and probably a lot more.
You might recall that little nugget the founder of your party imparted those many years ago: "A divided house cannot stand".
republicans haven't believed in democracy for at least 30 years; they tried to delegitimize the elections of 1992, 1996, 2008, and 2012.
Your senate majority leader spat on the Constitution when he kept Merrick Garland from getting a hearing.
He and 21 others gathered on Barack Obama's Inauguration Day to plot sedition against the President, and against America.
And you, Bret Stephens, have given them a pass, and here you say we need McConnell to stick around.
Please, Gail, find someone qualified to write this piece with you.
9
To quote the article:
“Bret: Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate — or the Senate and House together “
In sum, Bret would like the govt to do nothing another 4-8 years just to give some time to the GOP billionaire owners to find another marionette with its strings a little less obviously tangled up.
6
"Biden, Warren and Sanders are the three candidates the voters are familiar with. It’s so hard to come out of relative obscurity and get the kind of attention and confidence you’d need to win a presidential nomination"
The NYT is in part responsible for this phenomenon. So much coverage of the frontrunners (who are already well known, therefore poll well), so little of the lesser-knowns. As the paper of record, you should at least give us something on each candidates policies & basic bio.
8
@Barbara Thank you - This is why I ask for more coverage of other than the "top 5". Have been following Tulsi Gabbard and her experience and appeal across party lines are very appealing as is her message.
2
It's funny because Belichick and Brady are 100% Trump supporters. Sorry Bernie.
2
Warren has knowingly baked a recession into her plans for the economy...that says it all I’m afraid.
I would bet on a snowball’s chance...
1
“Empty wallet” under Elizabeth Warren? Give me a break. Has Bret Stephens heard what has happened to wages — that is, pay for working people rather than the 1% — over the past 40 years? Warren’s policies are roughly similar to Germany’s — more education, more power for workers. Noticed any Mercedeses, Porsches, and BMWs on the streets lately? You think the Germans have empty wallets after they sell us these products of a “socialist” economy? Educate people, make it possible for them to raise their kids and produce expensive products. That’s what fills wallets, not “trickle down” from the 1% while everyone else struggles.
7
Too many Americans have nearly empty wallets now. Too many have empty stomachs as well. The GOP has controlled the government for a long time.
2
She can’t win in most of the MidWest. However irrational (and irrelevant) it may be, hatred of Hillary Clinton runs deep and continues, and Warren is seen as Hillary #2. Maybe Warren can do something about that, but it will be difficult. We can complain about the unfairness of the Electoral College, but it won’t be gone by the fall of 2020. The rest of the country matters. It’s not enough that lots of people who read the NYT like Warren.
31
@jkk I see Biden as Hillary #2, a moderate who will cause the progressive base to stay home or vote Green party, as many Sanders backers did in 2016.
12
@jkk Amen-Hillary ruined women's chances for the next 20 years minimum, because being a woman was her only reason for anyone to vote for her & some of us, including women, don't do identity politics. The rest of us do matter; if the Dems want to turn TX blue, don't run Warren or Biden. It will go red this time, due to its gross gerrymandering & poor educational system, but the demographics are changing & it is going purple slowly but surely.
2
@jkk @jkk I don't agree with your assessment of Warren. No one I know thinks Warren is Clinton #2. Besides them both being women, they are not alike at all. Many people felt Clinton was beholden to corporate interests and was part of the establishment status quo. Warren on the other hand is known for fighting against corporate corruption and for the average middle class. Compare her rallies and enthusiasm in the mid-west to Clinton's at this juncture. People in the mid-west are coming out in good numbers to hear what Warren has to say. (12,000 people came to see her recently in Minnesota). People in Iowa like her down-to-earth nature and her ability to break down complicated issues into understandable ones. There is an excitement about Warren that was missing for Clinton. In Iowa right now, depending upon the poll, she has been leading Biden or right up with him, who has name recognition. She has been on a steady upward trajectory even in places where no one knew her 6 months ago. And for those who say that people won't vote for a woman after 2016, remember that even though Clinton was not well liked, she still did win the popular vote. So Warren does have to appeal to those states which flipped electorally to Trump. There appears to be an interest from the people in the mid-west and elsewhere to at least listen to what she has to say. That's a good start.
22
It’s obvious that Elizabeth Warren is the best candidate by far. Trump’s insults will backfire. It’s time to get behind her and have a brilliant, passionate leader in the White House who will fight for the 99% of Americans.
4
I wouldn't say Obama was relatively obscure. His DNC speech slot at the immediately prior convention gave him the perfect launching pad...and significant attention and recognition. He already had a best selling book (or two) by the time he ran, didn't he? Not so obscure.
3
As for a split government, I am a California liberal and of course support liberal control of all levers of power. Despite our problems, we get things done and actually pay for stuff. (cue the whining about taxes.) That being said, I have no real problems with an effective split government. Unfortunately, Mitch McConnell happened and, I fear destroyed that concept forever.
6
My heart says Pete because he’s so smart and real. My mind says Elizabeth because she’s so smart and real, though I’m on the fence about her healthcare overhaul. My logic wonders about Biden, but that’s with big reservations about his aging. In any case I’m very glad Elizabeth is rising because she will wipe Trump off a debate stage. I fear Biden will perform his Mr. Cool act in a debate. I can feel the Warren call coming on with Pete as VP.
5
As every other comment here points out, we're not getting Medicare for all, the Green New Deal or a guaranteed income (darn!) So basing voting decisions in that is sillier than Trump's weather map.
Exactly what we will get with a competent president is unknown. But what we've already gotten from Trump is something we do know.
4
As a Democrat I must say that I can never vote for Elizabeth or Bernie. They are too extreme, and unelectable. Hopefully Democrats will put up an electable candidate to run against Trump.
1
@Robert -- time to give Pete a chance!
1
She is too far left and will drive the swing voters in the swing states into Trump’s arms. Plus she will not have very long coattails. She will rack up the votes in CA, NY and MA, however.
Mr Stephens' notion that a Democrat in the Oval Office equals an empty wallet is false. Nine out of 10 of the last recessions were instigated by Republican presidents. Our current president has followed suit - waging illogical tariff wars, and bribing the GOP moneyed class with a tax cut that will be funded out of low and middle income taxes and Social Security going forward.
Once again, Democrats will have to come in and clean up after yet another fiscally irresponsible president. Mr Stephens can't blame the Democrats for cleaning up these messes, he needs to assign blame to the GOP for causing them.
10
Getting ready for my second donation to Senator Warren's camping. I'm on her ten buck's a month climb. Best political investment I've ever made.
4
I am very enthusiastic about Warren, even though I too find her blade too sharp. I find her thoughtful, smart, creative, bold, genuine and genuinely devoted to helping the American middle class. As my friend puts it, she's "smart with a heart."
We are not electing a king, but a president who is going to have to deal with the push and pull of legislative politics the moment (s)he arrives in the White House. Decriminalizing illegal border entry, making Medicare mandatory for all, rather than optional, is not going to happen. Etc.
But she'll be pushing in the right direction, one which I feel the great majority of Americans want to go, to a revitalization of the middle class and the pact that government has with the citizenry, a genuine populist with a brain and morals, not a faux populist demagogue.
13
Who's afraid of Bernie Sanders?
The establishment/corporate media can barely mention his name, let alone report anything substantive on the guy who's polling right behind Biden.
After being cheated by the DNC Sanders has gone on to build a movement. He has inspired many young progressives to run for office, to work on the character of our justice system by electing younger public prosecutors. Journalist Shaun King has launched an effort to shift the Senate. These young people are the future.
Warren is impressive too--running together, Sanders and Warren would be unstoppable.
What Stephens thinks of as 'left' in the US compares in some ways to the GOP of Eisenhower.
After a proper shellacking in the elections at all levels, perhaps the GOP will return to its conservative roots. Republicans of conscience may be encouraged to run without having to clench their teeth and hold their noses at the xenophobic, vindictive,mean-spirited discourse that has prevailed of late. They may even see the wisdom of dumping their corporate welfare bum mneymen, the NRA and the gun-totin' god-fearin' so-called base that has distorted the party.
4
I generally agree with Gail Collins, but referring to Trump as a "reality TV star" supports a false if conventional notion: The Apprentice was clearly not "reality" TV, & Trump was a "star" only in the sense that the show got good ratings (as is too often the case with lowest common denominator shows).
4
You are both ignoring all the other 2020 democratic presidential candidates. Current polling does not determine the nominee. We are living with unprecedented politics in a chaotic world. Anything can happen.
1
... and it already has.
1
It must be part of a conservative personality to be reluctant to update long-held ideologies in conjunction with current reality. However, the storyline of Democrats overspending (leaving you with an empty wallet), or how if we have a Democratic President we need a GOP Senate to 'keep them in check' are just that... stories. Ones that have long since been proven to be fables more than fact. The reality of politics today is that the Republican Party stands only for enriching the elite. They will obstruct for the sake of obstruction, cut taxes on the wealthy to further degrade the social safety nets, infrastructure, education... all to avoid losing a few extra millions of their billions, and for power. They balloon our deficit, destroy our environment, steal health care from millions and find a way to blame it on immigrants and the poor. Meanwhile, the actual minority threat to our democracy, and the American Dream are the super-rich. Thinking people (conservatives included) need to set the fables aside and look at what's actually happening in our government. The current Republican Party stands for nothing of value, or for nothing at ALL. The sooner we wake up, and vote accordingly, the more likely we will be able to save this democratic experiment called the United States of America.
15
@Katrina Lyon. Hear, hear!!! I don’t know how much evidence will be enough for people: we’ve got almost 40 years of compare&contrast and those “swing” voters keep “buying” Republican - until the economy is driven into a ditch. Once the Democrats pull it out they just jump in that unreliable car and drive away. It’s flashy, it’s fun and (as they say in New Haven) “they think who they are.” Too many people love those Republican myths that R. Reagan was so good at selling as the “real America.” Our great achievements as a country have been collective actions- including our War of Independence- but no one falls in love with that idea.
1
Brett, please remember the compassion and refuge this country offered to your mother and grandmother when you enter the voting booth next year. This is what our country used to represent - and what it can offer once again to those in need of opportunity and a helping hand, whether citizens or refugees.
8
The problem with passion voters was was shown clearly in the 2016 election. For examples, too many voters passionate about Bernie, or Democrats uninspired by Hillary, didn't vote at all or voted for Jill Stein. Look what that passion brought us to.
I will vote for whomever Democrat is the candidate.
As an aside I wish Tom Steyer would end his candidacy and put his $100M into Sen.ate races. Just sayin'
9
“Bret: At this point, she’s almost tempting me, on the theory that an empty wallet beats an upset stomach.” I am getting very tired of conservatives getting away with assuming a Dem pres will be profligate. Look at the last 30 years. Democrat Presidents have repeatedly had to clean up GOP messes. Time to make Democrats the default good economic stewards.
19
Paul: You are exactly right. Clinton left your country in the black - Bush pushed it into the red and of course Trump is doing even worse - without any social benefits to show for it. Consistently, in both our countries, Democrats (for America) and Liberals (for Canada) have performed better economically than both Republicans and Tories. Yet the myth persists.
12
The people most afraid of losing their wallet contents when President Warren is elected is Wall Street. That is ridiculous of course. Losing two cents for every dollar does not make you poor especially if you started as a billionaire. But it does put American back on solid financial footing and allows us to do things for people other than the super rich. How about some childcare? How about some healthcare? How about we just get back to serving the people who elected you rather than your own self interests 100% of the time?
President Warren is going to turn this ship we call America around so we are a leader and champion of human rights and fairness again. Putin can watch and wave as we leave him and his machinations behind us.
12
Warren has my vote so far. Fresh ideas returning us to the ideals of the Founders of our nation. Let us pray.
7
Warren is the smartest, most prepared, most authentic and best qualified of all the 21. Not to mention the current White House occupant. The only question is: Is there enough brightness left in the US electorate to recognize this?
313
@Phillip Usher
It sure seems not. Everyone I hear keeps talking about how we can't vote for anyone too progressive like Warren and on the real left. We need someone more safe like Biden. We don't have time to be hesitant. The planet is in seriously bad shape. Democrats need to start talking about this and stop coddling the fearful populace. We need bold, courageous, LEADERship from these people instead of cautious, keep-to-the-road policies. We have rough times ahead and decisions to make.
30
@Zoli Interesting, given that Warren was once a Republican. Like Hillary before her.
7
@Phillip Usher I support Biden 100%. Warren is my senator and I cannot stand her - a total phony. But I shall hold my nose and vote for her if she is the Dem nominee. Trump must not win.
3
I'll cast my lot (and my vote) with Warren. But I'll bet that most NYT readers won't agree with two out of three of my reasons. She's brilliant, she thinks like a lawyer, and she is the best economist among the candidates.
11
"Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system."
Not at present, Bret. What the country needs now is a stretch of one-party Democratic governance to shake the Republican Party down to its roots and cause it to once again advocate conservative policies that benefit all(!) Americans. At that point I'll be OK with returning to "divided government".
11
I have been away. Does “divided” now mean ossified?
1
I’ve always like Bret Stephens but after reading his last paragraph about the Patriots I am thinking we are soulmates.
2
The two major sources of campaign money for Democrats are Silicon Valley and Wall Street
Wall Street considers her to be an enemy - but not as much as Sanders who on principle fought Wall Street.
One that could be won over. Like Obama
If she can work this out, she will have the money to beat Trump
1
I support Tulsi Gabbard. She has the potential to be a real "people's president". Her life experience has brought her rare insight into the problems our country faces.
Those who have the opportunity to actually hear her, and to watch how she listens, respond to her intelligence, genuineness and integrity. It has taken 60 years and another soldier to remind us of President Eisenhower's warning about the military/industrial complex. Though that is an important one she is not a one issue candidate. She makes the connections between our foreign and domestic policies.
The media and party continue to either ignore or to actually misrepresent and oppose her. Her support matches or exceeds that of some of the candidates who continue to get coverage. She has appeal across party lines. She deserves to get her message out and we deserve to hear it.
3
Except that many of her positions either (a) don’t align with the party or (b) are suspect. She was anti-LGBT, now she’s not. She was anti-abortion, now she’s not. Her coziness with Assad isn’t exactly reassuring either. I think a lot of people are—rightly—a bit skeptical of her, hence her low numbers.
5
@Aaron Your response seems to be colored by what you read/hear in the media which is exactly my point. She was never"cozy" with Assad only met with him as part of a fact finding mission. (as did Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry) and she has clearly explained her evolving support of the LGBT community much of which now supports her.
She is a lightweight at best.
Serving in a ridiculous war and then seeing her mistake is hardly qualification to become president.
1
Bret Stephens proves once again that he is clueless. Hoping that a Democrat wins the White House but that the GOP controls the Senate misses, somehow, that the entire GOP Senate has enabled Trump every step of the way. Not once have they stood up to him on bad legislation, and not once have they condemned his deeply unethical and sometimes illegal behavior. They are very much part of the problem.
20
Stephen, and anyone else who will listen, vote for Warren, or whomever runs.
Just like you should have (if you didn't) voted for Hillary. You may not like them, personally or politically, but their major role is to check the power of the Republicans, just as the role of Republicans is to keep the more radial liberal elements in check.
And you'd have a grown-up - a sane one - in the White House. That's a real asset in a crisis. The grown up might even appoint qualified people, and keep from stripping all the scientists and educated people out of our agencies.
The Trumpeteers voted for change - at least that is what one told me - because things had to change. He seemed non-plussed when I pointed out that change does not have to be for the better. It **was not** for the better, but boy it sure was change.
Vote for the Democrat in 2020. Even if he or she is the antithesis of whom you want, as long as it's demonstrated that he or she is a sane adult. Save us from fascism.
Vote to restore sanity. Then in 2024 we can resume voting for policy ideas.
3
@Cathy
You're right in one thing..
" You may not like them, personally or politically...."
Trump will win again because even though many despise him....they hate the Left even more and the damage they will do to our country.
And the Left knows this.
Warren's my choice because she understands economics, something precious few of our presidents have done.
9
All of you pundits will miss this election, too. Warren is going to ignite a movement to bring this nation back to an economic system that works for the rest of us, not just the ultra rich or the very well off winners of the meritocracy. At this point who cares about Trump and his ridiculous presidency, we are focused on the future and an America that is more equitable, and which provides the level of economic security that it can to the vast majority.
4
I find Elizabeth Warren's message too radical for me but that notwithstanding, I find her delivery worse than chalk on a blackboard. Her voice makes me cringe. If she is the nominee, I will sit out the election or find some Libertarian candidate.
5
Should you choose to do that, you will buy yourself another horrific Trump term - and the chances of a functioning democracy emerging from 4 more years of destructive lunacy are slim to none.
3
@SR -- Pete Buttigieg has a nice voice, try listening to him.
@SR. Better yet (than Lori’s suggestion) buy yourself some soothing audio books and listen to them from 2021- 2024. Maybe you’ll have someone whose dulcet tones are pleasing to your ears on the campaign trail in 2024. Maybe you won’t have a country at all. In either case it won’t be thanks to you.
Trump's puerile defacement of an official weather map is a straw that should be breaking the camel's back.
I agree with Gail that what Brett said was powerful. It bears repeating:
"I’m the son of a refugee. My patriotism is deeply tied to my gratitude for a country that took in my impoverished mother and grandmother when they had no other country and no other place to go. The thought that the administration wants to deny the chance they gave my mom to thousands of similarly stateless people today makes me feel physically ill."
3
Bret: "...if the next Democratic president leans too far left."
In my life,the definition of what issues and positions define the political left & the political right has shifted to the extreme right. Saying something is too far left these days means to the left of libertarianism, or, to some Trump voters, to the left of white supremacy.
The GOP definition of the political left now means what moderate Republicanism used to mean. Even Nixon thought universal health care was a good idea & he opened up China; the 1997 Massachusetts health care plan was taken from a 1980 Heritage Foundation health plan and implemented in MA by then Republican Governor Romney.
Now, the controlling far right-wing of the Republican Party wants to take away what weak government health care we have, ravage the public lands & environment for corporate profit, express bigotry & hatred for all but white males, and refuse to even fund the repair of our crumbling infrastructure. This is mainstream politics???
Somehow, and with a lot of money and propaganda, the definition of the political situation shifted away from bi-partisan mainstream politics--based on common sense, pragmatism, urgent needs, and the art of compromise--to ideological (faith-based) politics, driven by big money, corporatism, and super-wealthy ideologues who hate taxes, government regulations, & the government itself.
Health care & the environment are mainstream, not "leftist. Get back to common sense politics! The GOP won't help
5
Bret should not give up on Pete Buttigieg so easily. Millions of Americans are just getting to know him. Buttigieg is an extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime candidate, and his campaign is blossoming. Gail, I will not be at all surprised if people are fainting with excitement at Buttigieg rallies in the coming months. More than any other candidate he inspires hope that we can actually restore our democracy and work together to get good things done. He is the real deal.
5
Let's not forget the power of Putin in Trump rise. The Internet was plastered with Trump political adds.
3
Packers rule!
Unfortunately, they only seem to win championships when the WhiteHouse is occupied by a Democrat (unless you go back to Herbert Hoover).
Divided government is not a blessing, in the face of the Republican slow-moving coup. Divided government is the poster child of do-nothing government: four years of the status quo, which would mean that most of what President Trump and the Republicans rammed through the Congress remains in place and the American people we wait for the next Republican, who blames the Dems for inaction, and promises "the base" that change is coming. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice . . .
2
I am not a fan and I am tired of the Patriots winning ever year.
But..."The Patriots are loathsome?" Along with the mid-century Yankees, and 50s-60s Canadiens and Celtics, they are the longest-lived, most consistently- great teams ever anywhere.
And Tom Brady "overrated"? At 42 he ranks among the handful of long-lived, consistently-great quarterbacks in NFL history.
Tsk, Tsk, Bret
4
I will definitely vote for Warren as she is the best candidate for the American people.
But living here in the south there is a hate filled group of people who say they independents who might accept Biden, but have an unreasoning fear of Warren. This group is reflected in the polls as her margin of victory in red or purple states is less than Biden's. I know polls do not matter at this point and we need to support the best rather than the most electable. But all the same, Trump's
reelection is an intolerable thought.
As far as football, it is less violent than our politics.
One more point about a Warren Trump match up. If there are debates the rules must not allow him to wander around the stage acting stupid as she is making an important point as he did with Hillary.
2
"Bret: Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate..."
+ + + + + +
If ever there was a reason to think that Bret Stephens is in desperate need of psychiatric intervention - perhaps even sustained electroconvulsive therapy - his desire for a GOP Senate more than proves it.
3
The idea that Donald Trump is somehow a more fiscally responsible option than any Democrat, including Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, is insultingly laughable. Its only a question of how funds will be allocated. Will we have reasonable (not ridiculously low) tax rates, particularly for people who are not struggling and maintain an effective safety net or will we have super low taxes (particularly for the very wealthy), slash the safety net and continue to have a bloated military. I support an agenda that puts Americans first for a change, every American should be able to afford comprehensive health care and an education which allows them to better their position in life, period. These are things that will make America great.
5
Next week there will be a high dollar fundraiser for Mr. Biden hosted by the same gaggle of rich trial lawyers who've run the national party into the ground. It just seems like we're slouching toward a Biden nomination, putting the nation right back on life support like it was in the Obama years.
It's disappointing that Mr. Stephens is under the impression that the glory of American democracy is divided government - complete stasis. But I guess for Mr. Stephens paralysis is preferable because it doesn't cost him anything, at least in the short term. For others not so fortunate as he, or for those future generations whose prosperity will be shattered by climate change - too bad.
2
Bret wants to see a Democrat in the WH, but Republican control of the Senate. That's just a recipe for more stalemate and getting nothing done. Damn the torpedoes, let's have a Blue Wave in 2020 so we can make some progress--the real meaning of "progressive."
8
I think Mr. Stephens will come around! Warren is the candidate of reason and she is the most talented candidate in the field by far. Biden is anti-intellectual, as is Bernie and obviously Trump.
Warren is the candidate of meaningful debate and I think that despite the fact that there will be some necessary changes, the environment of ubiquitous alienation will recede and one of meaningful debate will take hold.
Although I had beef with the clintons- despite the fact that I drove two hours to vote for them and never got credit for that- I think it’s a smart move to bring the clintons into the fold. Hillary is an inspiring figure and Bill is an extremely smart and bright man who has a lot of respect from the center. Warren can keep her populist message while extending olive branches to people who are probably misunderstood.
Joe Biden and Ed rendell are no Bill Clinton’s, today or ever. Whatever u want to say about the man, he does not have a median iq and is certainly wise, intelligent and charismatic enough to offer meaningful and sagacious advice to anyone he advises.
He’s not a demon, he’s a person, a very smart and potentially useful person at that. Bringing him into the fold underlines Warrens pragmatism beyond just her populist credentials.
She will make a great president, and turn the trump nightmare into a meaningless footnote
Bret, you sound like football’s version of an irrational crazed liberal who can’t see reality. The Patriots are greatness in our time. Your “reasons” to be hated are jaded by jealousy and delusion. Take time to step back and enjoy the final period of this unprecedented run, and appreciate the variables that made it happen.
And as long as Elizabeth Warren hugs Al Sharpton and calls him a hero, I’ll lean toward someone else. (Sorry)
2
Democrats are leaderless, rudderless and clueless. Not a spine or a backbone anywhere. We are the amoeba party. Adam Schiff? Oh, Adam, where are you Adam? You used to be on TV ALL the time when you were in the minority. Now? Witness Protection? Jerry Nadler? Oh Jerry, Mr. Impeachment, oh poor Jerry, we hardly knew ya. Nancy Pelosi, stealth Ninja fighter who would educate bone spurs on the art of hard elbow politics. Oh Nancy...oh I see her, hiding behind that potted plant Yoo hoo, Nancy! Oh, she just ran out the back door. Presidential contenders? FREE STUFF FOR EVERYBODY. Puhleeeze. trump is amoral, unlearned, fascistic, traitorous and possibly mentally unbalanced...and he has the democrats for lunch. Daily. Sigh
8
@MichaelMax. Don’t know what you consider “lunch” in Austin but the only people Trump is eating are other Republicans. Meanwhile every dictator in the world is eating HIM. I’m embarrassed to be an adult in fact: for sure no adult in Congress should dare stand up before a classroom of kids and tell them how to “handle bullies.”
Elizabeth Warren would make a superb president. She has the smarts, the vision, and really is intent on helping this extreme capitalist country find its bearings again.
I live in Minnesota. Amy Klobuchar has none of this. She reminds me of a student who gets a gold star for attendance and that is about it. I’m not trying to disparage her, but she does not have what it takes to be the president who succeeds this idiot who presently inhabits the WH.
5
A business headline today read,
___"Richest Could Lose Hundreds of Billions Under Warren Wealth Tax"
....should read
___"the working poor and middle class will get a small portion back of the 40% the 1% received from the mc-connell-trump gOP tax wealth transfer.
11
I love reading your columns and but the Brady comment has to be tongue in cheek.
2
I read a lot of comments in here that seem to simply be responding to DNC dog whistle rhetoric......earnest concern over New Deal programs.......most of them at least 50 years old.....some of them even EIGHTY years old.
As if we're still trying to solve the problems of "our boys returning home from war-time and facing a peace time economy"!
And then the same commenters like to preen in front of the NYTs mirror and call themselves "progressive".
What gives?
1
I’ll take the dull blade over the sharp blade any day. I’m too afraid I’ll get accidentally cut,
Any chef will tell you a sharp blade is much safer than a dull one. If this is what you really believe, find a better analogy. And watch those fingers!
2
If I could tell Warren anything I would suggest she make a deal with Booker and announce, today, a Warren-Booker ticket. They could campaign as a united front right now, right through the primaries. Sleepy Joe and Burning Bernie will be toast. Shine the light with lightening. That will also force Pence to talk and in that way America can see quite clearly the corrupt idiots we have in the White House.
1
We think alike, as that thought has occurred to me as well. Holding me back is Castro, who also makes a great VP choice.
1
@baltcate
I like Castro too, but it is absolutely essential to mobilize the black and brown vote. That's where Hillary failed miserably. Can't afford to make that mistake again. Better yet, Booker is a really smart and thoughtful man.
If you hope for a VP candidate who will really add to the ticket, look east of TX and south of NJ... to GA.
"Bernie Sanders probably roots for them, which means they must be Communists."
Trying out your chops?
1
Well Bret, Biden and Bernie "lost and looney" are the only 1st tier Dem candidates who wouldn't label Israel a terrorist state.
Warren v. Trump:
Brain v. Bozo
Competence v. Corruption
Hope v. Subjugation
.... and folks would vote against Warren because she wants things like Universal Health Care and controls on unbridled avarice and greed?
2
Republicans must really hate America to have voted Donald Trump president.
7
Odd, that among Warrens issue positions, there is no mention of healthcare.
Mostly, Sanders and Warren have similarly wonderful economic and domestic policies, but they also differ significantly on foreign policy where presidents have the most power to act without Congress.
Obama became president, having minimal knowledge or interest in world history and foreign policy, and he inadvertently wrecked Libya and Syria and oversaw the rise of ISIS, oversaw the military metastasizing ISIS over the globe, and created avoidable conflict with Russia over Ukraine. Warren, too, has minimal knowledge of world history and foreign affairs. Those advising her are from the Washington foreign policy establishment, boding little change.
While Sanders' passion for forty years has been improving the lives of ALL working people, he has always cared about foreign policy. Sanders gut instinct is a demilitarized, diplomacy oriented foreign policy.
Only Sanders has the vision and courage to stand up to the extraordinarily powerful, Washington foreign policy establishment and the military industrial complex.
The US desperately needs a foreign policy that makes the world more stable and sustainable, instead of adding trillions to the debt to make the world considerably less stable and less sustainable.
Even the brash,bold Trump "is not allowed to bring our troops home" from Afghanistan.
Citizens should think about WHO controls US foreign policy... and whether any president can bring our troops home.
These stagey conversations do the readership no favors.
3
The headline "Elizabeth Warren Continues to Persist" could just as easily read "Elizabeth Warren Persists to Continue". Any of the democratic candidates can beat Trump. The only chance that Trump has is to get enough people to give him credit for the economy. He will claim that He and He alone is responsible unless of course the economy goes south and then it will be Obamas fault. The American people do not like a braggart. He needs to keep quiet for a while. This latest thing about hosting the Taliban at Camp David, on or about September 11, is as stupid as much as it is a stunt. A stupid stunt. Even the most loyal Republicans are rolling their eyes.
I'll vote for Warren for the same reason that Trump supporters voted for him: This person will work for me.
I of course believe the difference is: Warren is intelligent, trustworthy, and works for the 'working man'.. people like me. Trump works for Trump, always has and always will. Trump is a liar, and an egotistical, self-serving fool. Warren is neither.
So I guess I do have something in common with Deplorables, I will vote for someone that I believe will work for me, and speaks my language. The difference? Outcome.
6
Just what will it take for everyone, including journalists, to admit the obvious that the emperor has no clothes and that the president is totally losing his cookies? I don’t know which is scarier, that the man with the nuclear codes is a fruitcake on the verge of a nervous breakdown, or that the country is really being run by a shadow government headed by malicious fascists like Stephen Miller.
6
I don't know if it's going to happen, but Warren would reduce Trump to a flapping, flailing, and demented fool on a debate stage. He would end up blurting one word insults and convulsions.
1
@Jordan
In your dreams. He will burst out laughing and call her Pocahontas. End of debate.
Warren’s rage and indignation at him gives him power over her, which is one reason I don’t think she can beat him.
So Bret your ideal situation is permanent gridlock where only the minimal gov't is accomplished because thats what a Republican Senate is going to do under a Democrat President. They played that record for 6 years under Obama stacking up empty Federal Judgeships and stealing a Supreme Court seat from a duly elected President, subverting the Constitution and Democracy. That's ideal to you?
3
Now that’s the real problem with America——failure of the vast majority to truly love the Patriots
1
How about “Elizabeth Warren Persists”.
We do not have a Senate with passion (on either side) but instead a zombie one, men and women who just wander around the halls aimlessly, their eyes blank. Their brains blanker.
Vote for Elizabeth Warren, Bret. With your legacy you need to do something positive for the country, not just continue to serve those who would have denied your mother and grandmother entry if given a chance.
2
Sorry, Bret; the Patriots are not communists. They are YOOJ supporters of Trump. Better red than Patriot or Trump fan.
1
So 95% of the country hates the Patriots for excellent reasons? What are those excellent reasons, Brett? And what makes them loathsome, Brett? You make assertions about without any reasons.
I submit, similarly, without any proof, that 95% of the country is jealous of the Patriots.
Bret, you had me until you said Tom Brady was not the GOAT. Get a grip, man. Stick with political commentary.
Stephens - wrong on politics, morals, and football. No one in the modern commentariat class is more spineless and shamelessly hypocritical than him. He tries to write pretty words but underneath is true support for the policies of lunatic Trump and the traitor McConnell.
2
Gail,
Stop doing this debate thing with Bret Stephens. You're extremely smart, witty, humane, have great integrity and compassion, and always tell it like it is. Stephens may think he's funny and smart, but he also has none of these other values and qualities of yours.
Note how he makes pathetic jokes to avoid answering your pointed questions, which manifests a basic slick dishonesty. Please don't give him the extra opportunity to voice his crass, intellectually dishonest Republican talking points.
Will miss your voice, but perhaps you can instead just write those many more op-eds of your own .
4
Dear Gail- How can you partner with Bret Stephens?
2
Yes Senator Warren can handle this lunatic with ease.
Opening statement of the first debate... Senator Warren to The Criminal Con Man in Chief .
President Trump I will not pardon you so I suggest you resign and pack your bags for Russia while Pence can pardon you and the New York State Attorney is not prepared to arrest you.
2
This article is about neither Ms Warren persisting nor her having 45’s number. What a very misleading title and subtitle! I enjoyed reading the article, but it was a waste of 20% of my freebies this month.
Mr Stephens wants a middle-aged straight white male for whom to vote.
GOP habits die hard.
5
Here in early September right before a whole slate of elections across the country for critical local and regional positions, why do people waste their time on something that truly hasn't even happened yet? It is a disservice that media source like the New York Times has so lost their way in providing needed coverage of needed events when it comes to politics... Stop obsessing on the Presidency. Please. It makes you look desperate. ;)
Thanks to Mr. Stephens the presidential race is now a clear contest between a sharp knife, a dull knife and the dullest blade in the drawer.
"We will have to return to your refusal to consider voting for Elizabeth Warren."
Bret wants a Democrat that a Republican can like better than his own, who will return us to the America of Dubya.
I want a Democrat who is a true Democrat, who will start to make this country what it should be.
Let the Republicans nominate their own candidate.
6
Sure, Bret, let's have 4 more years of a McConnell Senate.So much gets done. (not) Pro corporation/pro life judges who defer to racist legislatures. No infrastructure reform. No healthcare. Tax breaks for the rich. Me thinks you have some blind spots holding onto the Conservative banner that you proudly waved in college to separate yourself from your liberal friends.
3
@Al Singer
Nothing gets done because all the Dems want is to focus on investigations, subpoenas and impeachment.
And that's why they will lose again in 2020.
1
@DB...actually they've passed over 100 bills that McConnell is sitting on. And you know what, I'm glad they are investigating the most corrupt president in history. And you know what else.....the Republican party as a whole is made of self-interested people who think the government is there to make deals for them.
1
Bret worries about his "empty wallet." I worry about his "empty" GOP head.
5
The Congress has a constitutional duty to uphold their oath of office and hold The Criminal Con Man in Chief accountable. Democrats and Republicans must understand country comes before party and this is not about politics but our democratic system of checks and balances.
We made a mistake with this lunatic and must save our democracy for our children and grand children .
Please contact your members of Congress and request our laws and constitution be followed and that they proceed with impeachment and conviction./
2
The way the Commander in Chief is unhinging, the new slogan should be Make Donald Trump again..
Newsflash!! When queried by Gail Collins for the umpteenth time about a Warren/Trump choice, Bret Stephens did not mumble about wishful some third option. Ross Douthat and David Brooks please take notice. Maybe you can all swing your shrinking sliver of thoughtful, wistful former Republicans, Whigs, and true conservatives into the only real anti-Trump camp in town.
2
Intrigued by the headline and then clicked on to see Bret Stephens and clicked off just as immediately. Seriously, he has nothing worthy of offer. It's a scandal he's on the payroll.
2
Missing from all discussions (as usual) is Andrew Yang
He focuses on how to tackle the problems that got Trump elected.
The Freedom dividend
The Democracy $
Ways to move into the future
Biden and Bernie want to go back
Warren wants to correct the ills of a Trumpian megalomaniac Republican greed
Yang is forward !!!
1
Of coure, Warren for president. And the fact that Ms. Collins endourses her is icing on the cake.
Fantasy conversation. Warren is slightly less likeable than H. Clinton was. The usual negation of Trump, so boring.
The problem with Warren is that she has zippo executive leadership experience and has never really done anything. What are her past accomplishments? Does she campaign on them? The CFB? Set up so it can be dismantled because it was designed to be the para dom of government abuse of power? When is the last time anyone let a college professor run anything, let alone the largest organization in the world? She is simply a bag of ideas verses a career of action. Bad, Bad, Bad.
3
What's going on with Trump? Well, he is demented, and that's what keeps his republican pals and enablers up at night. It's only a matter of time until he sticks something odd on his head and goes around calling himself king of the world. And not much time.
2
So many conservatives worry about crazy leftist Democrats pillaging their wallets, but the truth is that for most of the US population, it has been Republican governments that have done the most overall damage to their wallets. The best Reps have done is bursts of sugar highs, leading to sharp busts that Dems have to clean up. That leads to the myth of Democrats hitting wallets because cleanups require collective pain; the sugar highs always give most of the sugar to the high end of the economic scale and the rest learn to be satisfied with the crumbs as that being the best they can expect.
The fact is, nothing truly wild could ever be successfully pushed through by even a fully Dem-controlled Washington. Obamacare was cribbed from a Republican plan and laced with concessions meant to placate conservatives, which ultimately limited its effectiveness. I see no evidence that Republicans have been that accommodating of Democrat sensibilities in the last 20 years, especially the last 10. And I think any Democrat in play for POTUS that could manage to be elected would be more amenable to bipartisanship than Trump and the collective group of Republicans currently in power. I don't see any of the Dem candidates rattling off more executive orders in 2 1/2 years than Obama did in 8, though there might be many just to undo some of Trump's undoing of Obama's. None would try to usurp Congressional power if stymied by Congress the way Trump does - enabled by the GOP.
2
Don't follow the title here. Why continue to tie Warren to Hillary? The only candidate persisting here is Bernie who has been on message for 40 years. He is persisting.
1
Bret: Divided government is one of the blessings of our system, but only when both sides operate in something approaching good faith. Surely, you don't think the way Mitch McConnell is running the Senate is an example of good governance, of advice and consent oversight of the Executive. Please tell me you don't!
4
Warren has some good ideas and she is likable but she would make a bad president.
She declined an invitation to appear on Fox news channel. Her rational was that she didn't want to contribute to the profits of the right leaning newscast. Really, so people who have right wing views can't question her? She is going to represent only one segment of the population.
Had she insisted on a live non edited interview and they refused; then she would have been justified. This kind of politicking is small.
Her background is all academic. I have a certain disdain for the slow pace of getting things done in academia, and the chummy living in a cloud attitude. Only professions worse lawyers and politicians.
When she ran in MA it was all about womens rights. I actually as a Democrat went to her campaign headquarters to ask that she be more inclusive (men) in her campaign.
Now the bad guys are wall street. Please most people do the best they can. No need to vilify the other side.
Light a candle rather than curse the darkness.
2
Despite the (alleged) interchange of differing ideas that I presume was the catalyst for these colloquies between Ms Collins and Mr Stephens, the conclusion I inevitably draw whenever I read one of their “joint” columns is that I VASTLY prefer it when the inimitable Ms. Collins flies solo.
2
Thank you for making me chuckle and giving me something to read to my husband that would actually hold his interest.
He agrees with Brett..............how about those Seahawks?
“Gail: Both of those [ golfing during Dorian and doctoring the weather map ] worry me more than his much larger recent bad decisions because they go beyond bad judgment to a kind of egomaniacal delusion.”
Which delusion? That he can get away with anything? Or, that the world IS as he wants to see it?
1
KOCH:
The Koch Bros. and their band of billionaires have been spending many millions for many years to convince the American people that:
(1) Government is bad for you, and
(2) global warming is a hoax.
They have succeeded.
The "radical" Left is ONLY ASKING FOR a return to what FDR wanted for Americans - a chance to thrive in the riches country the world has ever seen.
KRISTIANS:
RADICAL is the Christian Right. Who is more responsible for the ugly statistics of war and guns for no good reason than the majority of our Christians? These "poor of spirit" simply do not know what they are doing.
Christians want to look good, just like everyone else. Let them know how ugly they are.
Unless you prefer global warming armageddon.
1
After watching Harris fizzle, having zero warmth towards Biden who should have stayed retired, amused by Sanders not being enough, realizing that Bottli... what is his name anyway could not be elected I don't thing, Warren is the only one who could excite me because she shows she is a fighter who really knows what she is talking about and that she is not going anywhere but up and up. Plus she is a woman. Boy, don't we need to get rid of the old boys club! Go Elizabeth, go. Please....
2
I would vote for Warren just to see Trump live his nightmare fantasy of being "beat by a girl," as Warren herself taunted him in 2016.
4
Love the Time's pic of candidate Warren. The 'casual Hilary' look suits her well and the "well...I guess" gesture is perfect for a future President. It's so beautifully diverse to have a blond Native American. Not sure what the photo has to do with the chat article that it introduces, but c'est la vie.
America needs a strict maternal figure like Warren to wash out the currently filthy mouth of America with soap and a toothbrush. After listening to vile social debasement of this current administration for these past years, the public yearns for correction. Warren is the opposite of Trump, and many Americans secretly know that they have been naughty in their support of Trump and like wayward children desire discipline and a spanking from a righteous figure like Warren.
2
George Bush and Donald Trump proved, at least to my satisfaction, that dumb guys can't effectively serve as president. Pete Buttigieg is probably the smartest Democratic candidate available but doesn't stand a chance. The candidate with the greatest name recognition will win and that would be Joe Biden. Biden would make for a mediocre president but would be much better than Trump.
"Civil penalties" for those entering our country at will -- parking tickets? -- is a loser that will be ridiculed and mercilessly bludgeoned.
Bret hates the Tom Brady and the Patriots too?
I understand that they win a lot, but isn't that what they're supposed to do?
Of course, conservatives hate government for governing, so at least Bret's consistent.
Frankly, any football fan that hates a team for its excellence isn't really a football fan at all. More accurate to say that person is a football partisan.
With respect to Brett Stephens. His observation that ideally he would like a Democratic President and Republican Congress as that is the best way of maintaining "balance" is so obviously incorrect given what MoscowMitch has succeeded in doing to Obama. The split system has become a 10 ton weight on the neck of democracy. You'd be better off adopting the British-Canadian system (leaving aside the stupidity of Brexit).
2
Thanks, Bret. Just your mentioning the words "President Pence" and I lost my breakfast.
3
I stopped reading when Stephens proclaimed that divided government is a blessing. Divided government is anything but.
It's what puts the do-nothing into a do-nothing, dysfunctional government.
What lazy drivel.
1
The real credit goes to those misogynists who pulled the lever for Trump in the last presidential election. This is precisely what has unleashed the mega-liberal monster and the real possibility that Trump may be forced to exit stage left by your worst nightmare (a girl).
I'd rather talk about the Pats than Trump. Brady overrated? Hahahahahaha. Bret. Please. Brady thrives on that nonsense. Six rings and counting. Not bad for an underachiever.
Why would you want to support a Republican House and Senate, when they would support denying refuge for desperate and stateless people like your family? Is recognizing the human rights of such people too “left?”
1
I think she could win, but as a retiree on Medicare I must state that all the people I know in my age group are very opposed to Medicare for all. Getting Obamacare going was enough of a mess. Throwing middle class people off the medical plans they have worked for is a terrible idea. Once the government takes something away and says "you can no longer have it.
we know what is better for you". you have lost a large percentage of the older Democrates support.
I won't be able to vote for her if that's still her policy position if she gets the nomination.
I won't vote for Trump. I just won't vote for the presidential spot on the voter form
I held may breath and gagged when I voted for Hillary. I liked her but she was such a damaged candidate. I'm not going to vote for someone who I believe, if "Medicare for All" is enacted, the disruption pf the Medicare system would be epic. And not in a good way.
1
At least one thing is crystal clear and that's 'Trump’s number'. Less than zero.
If Bret Stephens will "never" vote for Warren, precisely what will he do instead? Vote to re-install our incompetent, egocentric, possibly deranged incumbent? Select some third-party hopeless hopeful? Stay home?
Warren is our best hope, and quite possibly our last.
1
Do you want to lose your private health care plan in favor of government run medical care? Do you want to see the Green New Deal implemented and watch hundreds of thousands of energy jobs disappear? Do you want open borders which will release the floodgates for illegal aliens to bum rush the southern border? Do you want taxpayers to foot the cost of $1.5 trillion in college debt which will be "forgiven" by presidential edict? Do you want the products produced by American industry to become even more costly for consumers because corporations will be even more heavily taxed? If you answer yes to these questions, vote for Warren. She plans to provide all things for all people, paid for my the evil rich, who by the way, already pay more than 85% of all federal and state income taxes collected. Good luck with that economy busting pipe dream.
2
Whatever your view of Bret Stephens you have to admit, he's spot on about the Patriots.
1
Don’t be so fast to forfeit your football credentials. Ask Roger Staubach who’s the GOAT. Don’t let hate and jealousy distort your perception of reality, in sports or politics.
1
Send Stephens back to the Republicans--who don't want him. Neither do Democrats, emphatically. He wishes neither well,
On a stage with Trump in an adult debate Elizabeth will /would make Trump look like the jibber jabber fool he is. Of course how to get an adult debate is the question.
In every series of general election debates, there is one moment that could, if manipulated properly, make a difference. The, “I knew Jack Kennedy, and...” line. Kerry allowing Bush to get away with attacking his war record. The Trump lurking inside Hillary’s comfort zone without being reprimanded...There won’t be any debates next year, Trump won’t participate because he now has a “record” and he knows that any of the top 4 democrats would eat his lunch.
She’s shrill and unprincipled. The left complains of Trump’s ethical failures while promoting Ms Warren who has plenty of her own ethical challenges. The repeated ethnicity lies are all that we need to know. Where there’s smoke there’s fire.
1
Now I am really confused. Do I have to start hating the Seahawks? They must be doing something horrible to earn Bret Stephen's approval. Anyone know what it is?
"wiser heads in the Senate". What is Stephens smoking if he thinks there are any wise head left in the Senate?
“We were about to pull the plug on Afghanistan until some last-minute disagreements snagged our withdraw-and-surrender deal. But Trump appears to be perfectly indifferent to what the return of the Taliban would mean to the Afghan people, particularly Afghan women.”
It was not even close to being a done deal — a full blown, disjointed farce that Trump flippantly derailed rather than face a melt-down fiasco at Camp David.
Trump at his absolute worst.
As for the return of the Taliban — well maybe you should sign up Bret for the duration as a grunt waiting for the next IED to catch you looking the other way.
Americas longest war and counting and the flag draped coffins keep coming to Dover and the often horribly wounded to Walter Reed.
Trump won with the help of Obama Democrats switching sides.
Warren won't attract Trump Republicans. No way.
So far, only Tulsi Gabbard has proven that she can attract both sides.
(Take the time to watch Tulsi "Live on the Road" on YouTube. You'll see.)
Republicans like Stephens who are merely visiting the Democratic Party out of convenience and necessity are amazingly out of touch: "Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar. What is it about them that just doesn’t excite the base?"
See Greenberg's opinion piece for an answer https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/opinion/republicans-democrats-2020-election.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
I so very much want to see Rowan Atkinson in that role. Please, please pitch that idea to someone who can make it happen.
Since, Elizabeth is clearly the best economist of any of the presidential candidates, she has the most responsibility to inform the American people that this Disguised Global Crony Capitalist EMPIRE is 'gaming' the market, and risking Americans' economy by this corrupt imperial system which makes most of its 'faux-profits' by exclusively, and only hiding and dumping 'negative exterality costs' --- like polluting our atmosphere, engaging in endless wars of the "Merchants of Death", and variously acting like a 'negative externality pumping' machine --- which as NY "Times'" Nobel laureate Paul Krugman knows could well lead to an entirely hollow, corrupted, and existential economic crash.
1
If you have Trump's number, for heaven's sake don't touch it!
I wish everyone would stop pretending that Trump is a functional adult. He is not. He is a prisoner of a serious mental disorder, probably a personality disorder, that leaves him unable to take an objective view of anything. His agenda is to protect his delusion of being smart, powerful, well informed, and widely admired. He does not concern himself with collateral damage that may occur from his incompetence and his efforts to deny the reality that he is ignorant, fearful, angry, and deeply insecure. With more blunders like the recent Afghanistan failure, he is likely to get people killed. Why does no one in Congress seem to care?
I am tired of being told by patriarchs that I have to vote for their favorite guy or be brought to financial ruin. I am tired of conservatives claiming they know better than I do what's good for me. I am tired of the racist/misogynist hegemony created by old white men to keep them in power so their world view can dominate everything. I'm voting for Elizabeth.
1
Really really weary of this Collins-Stephens column. I get it's concept and appreciate Gail's POV always. But Stephens is just another in a long line of conservatives hired by the Times for what purpose I have never figured out: To confuse us? To give them cover with the right?
I can tell Stephens is erudite but that erudition supports a political POV that undermines our country and needs to be placed in the dust bin of history.
1
Aren't the Patriots the very essence of America meritocracy, Bret?
And from liberal Massachusetts too . . . just like Senator Warren.
(Not that this Patriots season ticket holder and Warren supporter has any bias, of course.)
No empty wallet, sorry. When you give more money to people living paycheck to paycheck, it goes right back into the economy. The big shots will have a little less more than they could ever use, but the rest of us will be better off.
Your fears are as misguided as a CNN hit piece.
Williamson was good at the convention. I love the way she looks at everything from a world perspective, saying “we must love the kids on the other side of town, and we must love kids from the other side of the world” versus “I met this kid in Albuquerque who was scared to go to school”.
Treating the disease instead of the symptoms in society would be refreshing and would probably lead to better outcomes.
Plus I love it when she growls.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xXRaYpF8vME
Reality Check untill we fix the voting process an make voting manditory we are doomed to have same old club. Most of which are in it for living or career. Our founding for mothers wont approve of abortion thats for sure. We need woman to to insist voting become manditory to be citzen ,problems solved .
"So that leaves the Democratic race coming down to a race between Warren and Joe Biden — that is, between a blade most Americans may find too sharp and one they fear is too dull."
This is truth. It's a shame Pete's not taking off. Maybe if the media got involved?
1
A Biden/Warren ticket - the Democrats can't do better than that.
If the candidate is a Progressive, which I am not, I can only say that she is better than Bernie. I think it will be Biden with Stacy Abrams as his running mate or perhaps or someone we are not even thinking about who will come in and save the day.
2
Bret speaks: "...Sanders can't. So that leaves the Democratic race coming down to a race between Warren and Joe Biden.."
I raise a question that arises after reading the excellent article about the only Presidential candidate who appears to know a lot about Universal Health Care in one of the many advanced countries I could name - Canada.
That led me who has consistently written here - Warren for President to ask in a comment there: Is there any possible way that a Warren - Sanders or Sanders - Warren ticket could be created?
The two people who would have to provide any reason at all for this being possible are Elizabeth and Bernie, meeting secretly somewhere.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
Few things make more angry than outrageous statements like these:
"Tom Brady is an overrated quarterback."
Thanks for the conversation. It's nice to spend time with intelligent adults, even when I disagree with some of what they say.
Hold your nose if you have to, and vote for Warren if she is nominated. You’ll be relieved that a self-made grownup is in charge, one who likes detailed plans, believes in taking on big companies and income inequality, and would rather teach people things they will find useful than lie to them. You may be surprised to find your wallet far less empty than you think, and many of your fellow Americans better off. But one piece of advice: don’t use any of that money left in your wallet to bet against the Patriots. They may, as 45 used to say, get tired of winning — but apparently not quite yet.
3
Stephens's support of a Democrat in the White House and a McConnell-controlled Senate shows his refusal to put country ahead of party. Does he really believe that McConnell would let a Democrat president name a Supreme Court justice? Does he really believe that McConnell will not stonewall every Democrat proposal for four years? The GOP is thrilled with the potential for a fascist government with Trump as president, a McConnell as the most powerful person in the country besides Trump, and a complete dismantling of government institutions that are not loyal to Trump. Examples - Wilbur Ross threatening to fire weather forecasters if they didn't support Trump's false statements and Barr's launching an anti-trust suit against carmakers because they want to install better gas mileage counter to Trump's efforts to destroy the environment. Stephen's has lost all credibility because by supporting a GOP senate, he doesn't care that this has already chipped away at the last vestiges of democracy in the U.S.
9
I suppose the Bret and Gail Show has its fans among readers here. More interesting to me would be a friendly back-and-forth with a Times writer and someone from, say, South Dakota or similar locale to escape from what feels often like a bubble.
They say likability is an important characteristic for Americans choosing a president. A political scientist said Americans tend to elect a president with the opposite characteristics of the sitting president. So...
Consider intelligence, humor, and perceived likability.
People thought Bush was not very intelligent (when they had no idea how un-intelligent and mean President #45/Individual-1 would be). But Bush had a sense of humor, could laugh at himself, and was perceived as likable.
In 2008, the relatively unknown Obama was viewed as intelligent, articulate, even witty, and likable--more likable than Hillary (unless someone just didn't like all black people).
So enter Trump: who is not intelligent, has no sense of humor, and and is disapproved of by 57% of us. Trump's disapproval rating has always been far higher than his approval rating.
Besides having no/zilch sense of ethics, law, character, decency, sanity...), a really tragic Trump flaw is he has no sense of humor and must never be corrected no matter what aspect of reality he decides to reconfigure with his Sharpie pen.
My point: The contrast to Trump is a Democratic candidate who is intelligent, has a sense of humor, and is likable--that is just about every Democratic presidential candidate, if they can get any airtime bet. Trump disasters.
Who is the Democratic candidate most unlike Trump? I bet Warren, because what people don't yet know is how likable she is said to be on the campaign trail. Stay tuned
1
I stopped reading at this point:
"Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate — or the Senate and House together if the next Democratic president leans too far left."
4
I appreciate Bret's stand in support of the people of Afghanistan, particularly its women, who, after millennia of oppression, finally had a glimmer of hope in the past 20 years that life could get better. Ceding Afghanistan to the Taliban for a political win is beyond disgusting. And, I agree, I doubt Trump cares on bit about the fate of Afghanistan's girls and women. I don't know what the answer is, but I definitely feel that simply abandoning them isn't it.
1
Every day the list of Trump's outrageous, ignorant, wrong-headed, dangerous, divisive, anti-democracy, actions and comments slap America in the face. Still, his "base" is unwavering and they seem to not comprehend what he's doing to the rule of law and the norms of America. They are devoted reality tv fans who just like the chaos and surprise of what comes next.
The Dems have to be the adults in the room and shut down the destructive show in The White House. The Congress needs to impeach Trump and put a halt to his, and his accomplices', corrupt behavior. They can't wait for the Senate to wake up and do their job. Just do it and tell the country and the world that America has not gone off the cliff. Warren has the strength of her convictions and was one of the first candidates to say that Trump should be impeached. I trust her morals and ethics and I believe that she will find ways to cut corruption and hold people and corporations accountable.
2
Democrat Sen. Warren truly has the little guy's best interests at heart. She will fight tooth and nail to protect and exalt the middle class. Trump & the GOP only care about the richest among themselves. If this message is not getting through to enough Americans the democratic party is failing in its' communications/advertising department. Great to hear Sen. Warren explain her plans in detail but we also need simple mantra/slogan/tag lines, whatever you want to call it, in place. Have all democrats repeat it on all media outlets.
3
Does Bret Stephens not realize how repulsive he sounds clinging to these maxims like "divided government is one of the blessings of the American system."
Any person with a brain could realize divided government is EXACTLY what has stalled your country in a regressive rut for decades. But Bret Stephens will be quite happy to continue on in his segregated lifestyle because he won't have to ever challenge his enlightened centrism for as long as he lives.
2
Bret is basically wants to vote for a constant gridlock, his words...
"Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate — or the Senate and House together if the next Democratic president leans too far left"
Doesn't he see that GOP in it's present reincarnation is dead & over, hopefully forever.
2
There's an easy solution to the Biden/dull, Warren/sharp conundrum. A Biden/Warrent ticket.
1
Mayor Pete needs to become Governor Pete before enough of the electorate gets the message that he is “The One.”
1
Interesting thoughts here and an injection of football... I'm old enough to remember folks thinking that Barry Goldwater was a menace. The list could go on but in my opinion, nothing has ever been so dangerous as the current occupant of the white house. I sincerely hope that whoever wins the Democratic nomination will get the FULL support of the party as opposed to last time when Bernie's multitudes stayed away from the polls and brought us to where we are today.
1
According to Republicans Social Security was socialism. Later came Medicare and again the Republicans cried socialism. The Republicans always scream socialism when a goal is to make life better for those that are not rich. We can’t afford those wastes of hard earned money. Of course continuing to build antiquated tools of war isn’t corporate welfare or pandering for votes. Of course the very rich needs more money and we can’t afford not to give it to them. Of course we need to bail out banks that go off the rails. Really uber rich, how much money do you need?
I would like all the right leaning voters, that fear socialism, to renounce their Social Security and Medicare. Send the money back. You surely don’t want to participate in demolishing democracy do you? I’ll take Warren over Trump any day.
1
It would be nice to enjoy once again that blessing of the American system, divided government. Certainly we need to recover it when we can.
That was the life, all right. Agreeing on some things while disagreeing on others, accepting the same few inviolable constraints, cooperating here, cutting deals there. Listening to the drolleries of Everett Dirksen; a pleasure even Democrats could indulge in as long as they kept their eyes on the ball. But to get there from here, we'd need a DeLorean DMC-12 with a flux capacitator.
The process will have to be longer than that. The unsound Republican Party must be demolished. The Democratic Party must rise to the occasion by pitching the biggest and noblest tent in its history and actually listening to the various Americans who gather there. While striving to provide good long-term governance, it must allow factions to coalesce around different political visions and eventually become separate parties. Meanwhile, the debris of the old Republican Party will have done some coalescing of its own, for better or worse.
Here the crystal goes dark, as it probably ought to have done after the second paragraph. But, God willing, our future does hold another era of synergistic division in government.
Regarding Elizabeth Warren, don't most of us already understand that when you want to sell your house, you're going to ask for as much money as you can get? And, don't we all realize that you may have to come down on your price, pay more sellers' fees than you originally anticipated, and maybe even pay for some repairs before the contract is completed? I believe this is really what's going on when candidates have pie-in-the-sky proposals for voters. Plan for as much as you can, but realize that you may have to settle for less in the process. Look for progress rather than an expensive and exhausting overhaul.
5
Bret wants a divided government. Look what divided politics is doing to Britain and the Brexit mess. There is no deal that is good enough for everyone, a no-deal Brexit is not wanted by anyone, and there's no desire to have another vote about the matter. It's just stuck - can't move forward or backwards.
Do we want American politics to be in permanent stalemate like that?
4
Let's cut to the chase. Bret Stephens is neoconservative who doesn't get out much. He grew up in Mexico City and must have observed the devastation poverty has on a country. This should have instilled a sense to promote change, but instead was turned into a natural order. He has no financial worries and no tax system will disturb that. Government programs that promote life success pay back in multiples of dollars spent. This makes his underlying suppositions false. If this remains inapparent to Mr. Stephens, his views are worthless.
It would be more helpful if Conservatives as traditionalists would state what they want to keep, and Progressives, as change oriented, should state what needs steep reforms.
Disparagement language is a delaying tactic to avoid proper political negotiation. Naturally lying, untrue premises, and distraction would be off limits.
3
President Warren is going to be very good for our country.
I'm finally excited about the election again, and it's taken me a while to get here. I'm ready to start campaigning for Warren. (If Biden gets the nomination I won't be able to force myself to campaign for him. I'll vote for him, of course I will, but with extreme discomfort.)
4
Bret, I agree that Mayor Pete is a longer shot than Biden or Warren, but don't you think it's a tad early to dismiss his chances of winning the nomination? His "Phase 3" push has just begun, with offices springing up like mushrooms across the early states. He has the money and the youthful stamina to sustain this pace. The excitement at his rallies equals or beats anything you see for Biden or Warren -- in fact, it reminds people of 2008. The same can be said for the commitment of his followers: I'll vote blue no matter who, but if it's Pete I'll lick envelopes, knock on doors, man phone banks, register voters, and drive folks to the polls.
Since you obviously appreciate Pete's intelligence, decency, humility and vision, why haven't we seen any Stephens essays making the case for a Buttigieg presidency? Jennifer Rubin over at the Post has written a whole slew of them. You have one of the most powerful posts in punditry. Use it.
6
As a progressive, I frankly don't like Warren's statements that she is "capitalist to the bone" and "I'm a capitalist, you bet." In fact, ideology aside, America has a vast public economic sector and has had it since at least the 1930s, with the public share vastly increasing during World War II and the Cold War. We are both capitalist and socialist and will remain that way no matter who is president. It's a matter of emphasis.
Right now, we have far too much unbridled capitalism which has led to the near-depression of 2007-2009 and unchecked destruction of the environment. . More politically conservative candidates than Warren, such as John Hickenlooper, have refused the bait of pegging themselves as capitalists. I am concerned that when Warren says, "I'm a capitalist you bet," she is currying the favor of big money and corporate interests. I don't fully trust her progressive credentials as much as, say, those of Bernie Sanders.
2
@Caleb
She is talking about traditional capitalism that is regulated and there is competition and it is not government subsidized.
A traditional capitalist believes that a business should be able to pay their workers a living wage, pay fair taxes, and make a profit. Traditional capitalists believe that a lot of competition improves both quality of product and the price of the product. This benefits everyone, the community, the workers and the owners. That is what I learned in Econ 101 way back in the 1970's.
No American capitalist believes this today, monopolies that benefit only the rich.
8
@Caleb
You're getting hung up on random words.
Warren's record is crystal clear that she supports regulated capitalism, which inherently concedes that capitalism is allowed to exist, as long as it is overseen and its excesses are regulated.
Warren is no Robber Baron; she essentially invented the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to regulated unethical, shady and immoral excesses of capitalism.
Reevaluate your fear of the words capitalism and capitalist.
7
Aw. Cities and people don’t thrive because government adds more buildings. It’s the burgeoning business climate that creates jobs, consumer choice (never greater), innovation and opportunity. And while a robust role for regulation exists, as any honest capitalist would admit, things can go awry. Yet the last recession had government partners like Clinton and Frank who wanted to magically stimulate the housing boom by lowering credit qualifications. Libs like to say, “We’re the richest country in the world and should be able to...”. Well, don’t lose your grip on how we go to be so successful. And what funds your progressive aspirations.
1
Rather than talk about government programs and attacking Wall street, the candidates should lead efforts to tap into our nation's greatest resource: our you people. I remember the day when our youth joined the Peace Corps, traveled down South for civil rights and joined unions for workers rights. It appears this generation is waiting on the government to rescue them while their heads are on their cell phones looking for likes. We need real leadership.
2
I'm glad to hear that you don't believe Mayor Pete can win the election because that's the perfect spot to be in 5 months before the first caucus.
Pete will win Iowa. And I believe there's a good chance he'll take New Hampshire 8 days later.
4
I think that the most important point that this article makes is that Democrats really need to win the Senate (and keep the House of course) if they want to get anything done. This is more important than the Presidency. Trump has no policy convictions and will go along with whatever gets passed so he can claim victories. Let him, they would be the right ones.
1
I wonder how common it is among ordinary Americans Bret Stephen's perspective that:
"The thought that the administration wants to deny the chance they gave my mom to thousands of similarly stateless people today makes me feel physically ill."
As a country of immigrants which has demonstrated amply that capability and value is inherent to the person not their identity...and that immigrants tend to strive harder and value America more than many of those who have been Americans for generations....how could so many Americans forget this core and uniquely American value?
6
@Miguel Valadez
I value diversity highly... but it is absolutely true that immigrants take jobs from citizens and work for less.
They have made the richest ten percent much richer.
The huge spike in immigrants to the US beginning in 1970 correlates with stagnant wage growth for the vast majority of US citizens.
The Great Recession, where the banks/bankers were bailed out, but the vast middle was left to despair, particularly in areas of the US already left rotting by NAFTA ... thus Trump was elected.
The US needs to focus on repairing its very broken society as the priority, not immigration.
I am the opposite of Bret. It would be better to elect a Democratic President like Joe Biden, Bernie or Elizabeth Warren with a younger VP like Rahm Emanuel or Mark Warner of Va. and build a solid Democratic Senate and House to re-stabilize government and deal with Climate Change. This mission will require about 12 to 16 years of Democratic stable government and a government that is less polarized.
3
Bret Stephens says he favors a divided government. Was he saying the same thing between 2016-2018 when the executive and legislative branches were Republican controlled?
3
Mr. Stephens continues the conservative line that single-payer medicine will be all cost and no benefit. The real question is how much more would you be willing to pay in taxes to make your health care costs go away?
The most expensive socialized medicine systems on the planet cost 1/4 to 1/3 less than what we have now, no one becomes homeless over health care costs, and everyone gets what they need. Everyone here knows our system is insane, but conservatives would have us believe, despite vast evidence, that we have no other choice.
17
No matter who the Democrat running against Criminal Trump will be it's the electoral college that will get him in again. He will lose the popular vote as he did the last time.
If the 50% of Americans who don't bother to vote sit this one out again that in it's self shows this country is beyond help.
7
"Bret: At this point, she’s almost tempting me, on the theory that an empty wallet beats an upset stomach."
That's an unnecessarily harsh statement, not to mention a bit strange.
Warren is a woman of exceptional accomplishment.
Warren was a full professor at University of Pennsylvania Law School and obtained an endowed chair in 1990. In 1995 she left Penn to become Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. As to the depth of her expertise in commercial and bankruptcy law, only two other law professors at Columbia and Yale were cited more often than Warren
Of particular note, as of 2011, she was Harvard's only tenured law professor who had attended law school at an American public university.
As for her views on Israel, of the leading Democratic candidates her views are well within views on Israel expressed by Biden and Sanders.
Given the crop of Democratic candidates and the movement of Republicans to authoritarian government, we could do far worse than having Warren as president.
24
I think he actually admitted that...look, I disagree profoundly with Bret, but he IS a conservative who thinks Warren's policies will bankrupt the country. He's wrong, but he just said he'd rather go broke than feel morally bankrupt. That's progress, right?
4
@GerardM She says she will ban offshore leasing and fracking on her first day as president. I don't know if she can do that, but it is an extraordinary statement, almost Trumpian.
@Willy E
The power of an Executive Order is more than most Americans realize as Japanese-Americans learned when they were all summarily placed in internment camps surrounded by barbed wire fences and guarded by armed troops for the duration of the war.
1
The candidate's detailed positions don't matter. If you don't win, you don’t get to implement your propositions. Warren comes across as brilliant, hard working, pugnacious, and thoroughly unlikeable. I see her chance of getting elected as zero. So her positions, while well thought out, are irrelevant. However, she is a great senator.
On the other hand, Trump's margin of victory in 2016 was the Green Party vote.
If the Green Party voters are willing to sabotage the environment for a third time by not voting for the only viable pro-environment candidate, the Democratic Party candidate is in trouble.
7
How I wish reporters would stop saying Buttigieg is toast. Readers read that and take it as fact. Yes, he is imperfect on policing, he but admitted to it when he couldn’t fix the problem. He was candid at the debate, honesty that was a breath of fresh air. His heart is in the right place and the guy is whip smart and more moderate than Warren. Also, he’s highlighting the importance of vocational education. That, too, is much needed.
I love Bret a Stephens dearly but also disagree with him regarding Kamala. I do think she could get the nomination. I also think she could defeat a Trump. But I don’t like her. She attacked Biden for not being more progressive on busing, but when asked why she herself hadn’t been more progressive on criminal justice matters when she was a prosecutor and CA attorney general, she blamed it on the political winds at the time. She could have stood up to those winds (and invoked her race as she did when confronting Biden), but she chose not to. How convenient for her.
2
@Liz morrill
And Buttigeig has some excellent ideas about infrastructure re trains. Why can't this country have a good continental high-speed train from east coast to west, from Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border? The United States built the transcontinental railroad in 1869 but vested interests is asphalt, highways, cars, airplanes etc. have languished since, switched our attention away from the form of travel that makes touring Europe so easy and pleasant. More trains, fewer roads and cars: a wish.
1
I was feeling badly that Bret Stephens won't vote for Elizabeth Warren, but then I realized that a conservative Republican would not have voted for FDR in 1932 either. So we are going to have to do this thing without him.
20
@Ladyrantsalot
FDR's New Deal would never pass today. Much too far left. Much too radical. Look at FDR's results. Increased middle class, an infrastructure for the next several decades, social safety net. No Conservative wants that. Ever.
3
@gratis FDR did not undermine his agenda by raving about revolution and "socialism" He understood American sensibilities. He was attacked by rightists as a "socialist" and by leftists as a "liberal."
The headline, subhead, and photo are totally misleading. I thought I was going to read a considerate take on Warren’s persistent growth in the polls and her chances against Trump. Still waiting.
9
In principal, I buy into the divided government concept. But the country needs change and the GOP is now deeply reactionary and, to make matters even worse, in thrall to a demented clown. The last time Democrats controlled government the result was the ACA, which led to medical insurance for an additional 20 million people. The last time Republicans controlled everything, we got a massive tax cut for corporations and the rich, plus skyrocketing deficits. Any questions?
12
Biden-Warren ticket. Sane and experienced-intelligent and female. A great combination to bring America home again. Yes.
4
I’m with you, but only if Biden promises a one-term presidency leaving room for a Warren tun (or a younger generation coming in). I still like Mike Bennet though.
1
@Anne Russell. Too old as a pair. A candidate over 70 should pick someone a decade younger at least. Mayor Pete has a promising future ahead but needs to run a government bigger than South Bend to be ready to take over as POTUS if God forbid something should happen to the senior.
Not surprised to see such vocal support of Warren in the comments. The fact of the matter is nothing will ever get done without the vision for a fundamental shift in the power structures of this country. That's why I'm going for Bernie. His Congress would yield at every far-left policy change but then meet him closer to center-left. People all too often forget that whereas Warren excites the left, Bernie has proven to activate the most diverse coalition, both in identity and political leaning.
3
@Isaac Jimenez
Good point.
So just who will Bret Stephens vote for if Elizabeth Warren is the nominee (which is beginning to look more and more likely)? Or will he stay home and sulk, as some Dems did when Hillary became the nominee. If Mr Stephens fails to understand that any Democrat is to be preferred over the incumbent, then he is a lost cause, and as far as I'm concerned, his opinion on anything is irrelevant.
6
As far as I can tell, the left-leaning Democrats messaging should be:
INVESTING IN PEOPLE
Investing in your health, your education, your communities, your safety and our shared prosperity.
If the Dems can do that and have the numbers to back up their plans...I think they'll be okay.
2
Smartest thing ever to come out of Mr. Stephens' mouth: "Seahawks, however..."
"...an empty wallet beats an upset stomach".
Really Bret? I respect your take and your thinking on many subjects, but you definitely don't understand what Warren is about. Your mother and grandmother would appreciate what she's bringing to the table. Giving every one a fair playing field is all this is about - along with establishing the US on a sustainable trajectory for economic success in a new economy based on what's going on in the real world. Now that's conservative, isn't it??
2
Recognizing the difference between goals and reality is the trick. Warren knows how to reach the idealistic goals while also respecting reality. Listen to the difference she’ll make when running for the general election (if she’s nominated) vs the ideal policies she’s putting forth as a Candidate for the nomination.
The GOP candidate has no goals other than to make himself and his wealthy minions richer and has no grasp on reality. They all shift and re-adjust for the general election. A shame, but that’s how American politics work these days.
1
"Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate — or the Senate and House "
bret really has not been paying attention. we already tried that during the Obama years and it didn't work out too well. he mistakenly still believes that there are republicans capable of governing...... that went out of style 30 years ago. what we need now is a complete and utter crushing of the Republican Party.
15
@coale johnson
Republican party needs a saviour--someone decent and with a sense of moral fairness, someone who can attract more justice-minded men and women to the party. There were once rational grits-and-gravy sorts in the Republican party instead of the "very fine people" that make up its roster these days.
1
Should the democrats gain control of government, they will doubtless waste their opportunity with infighting and intransigence. It is likely little will change.
Sanders and Warren aren't too far left to win the Presidency, but they are far enough left to give Trump a legit chance of running a campaign that could beat them. Why? They are the candidates that will give him the best chance to paint himself as the moderate choice, even if that's a false narrative.
In my opinion, if Warren or Sanders is the nominee, Trump's election playbook goes as follows:
1. Hammer social media, TV and radio with all manner of attacks on socialism as anti-capitalist and anti-American. It won't matter if its true or not, because the message will resonate.
2. Use core socialist policies - like single payer healthcare - to bludgeon the opposition. Cite longer hospital wait times, less access to the Doctors people want to see, rationing of access to specialists, etc, to stir the pot and get people worried. Again, true or not, this message will scare people.
3. Make the "Squad" the lightning rod of the campaign. Run ads showing the Democratic nominee in the Oval Office with the "Squad" plotting the demise of Israel, national security, eliminating healthcare choice, raising taxes and giving out reparations. The Squad is only popular within their own districts and among the far left, so this is a no brainer.
4. Remind people that it's better to swim with the Devil you know, then the Devil you don't. Use the fear of a socialist "coup" to get enough moderates to hold their noses and vote against the Dem nominee (rather than for Trump).
2
@John
Those tactics might work against Sanders, but not necessarily against Warren (who's not a socialist). As Biden fumbles and falters, and the race between Warren and Sanders tightens, the difference will become apparent -- and this will serve Liz well in the general election.
@John
Do you think that Democrats are unaware of all this?
Gail Collins notes that she "wouldn’t call any of them [Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar] electric" following which Bret Stephens writes, "If you elect me [Michael Bennett] president, I promise you won’t have to think about me for two weeks at a time.” Lord, give me a president like that."
Isn't it interesting that we look for a candidate who is electric when campaigning but a boring when sitting in the Oval Office!
Part of the reason is that thanks to the 24X7 endless media coverage of the campaigning process, we treat campaigning as a horse race rather than a serious debate and discussion of ideas.
5
@chickenlover
We're talking about an election, not some sort of genteel salon. In the end, someone will wion.
Nonetheless, a serious debate and discussion of ideas remains an important aspect of what the horse race is all about.
2
Another factor helping Obama defeat the far more well known candidate is the more well known candidate was terrible in many ways, as we found out four years later.
A Biden/Warren ticket (Pres and Vice) would be a formidable one. But, as always, egos are involved.
Mr. Stephens... if the "wiser heads" in a Republican Senate can't save us from Mr. Trump, what makes you think they would save us from a President Pence?
5
Bret, thank-you for sharing those heartfelt words about being the child of immigrants, and the unspoken conclusion that you might not be the man you are today were it not for U.S. immigration laws that protected and saved your mother and grandmother.
I, also, am not in favor of Trump's recent "reduce the number of immigrants" policy. Besides going against standing immigration law, it is a cruel idea based in racism.
As to Warren, I don"t think she'll empty your wallet. If taxes do go up, they will be earnarked for their respective constituent use-- no pilfering to make up for shortfalls in other parts of the budget. So your tax follars will work for you, and for America.
And, that daily clench of the stomach at each new Trump tweet and dangerous utterance will disappear.
I am not optimistic that progress would be made with a Democratic president, and a Republican Congress. Congress would still be in thrall to Big Oil, Big Pharma, ConAg, and Big Chemical donations and lobbyists.
America must move forward on climate change science, restoring diplomacy with allies and rebuilding confidence that America is still a democracy. The Republican agenda doesn't include these elements.
Totally agree about the Patriots.
but many left leaning Americans are tired of milquetoast centrist democrats and want someone with bold policies and ideas to challenge Trump.
Michael Bennet is not a milquetoast--he's an incredibly intelligent, balanced, thoughtful legislator who will bring America back to its senses and its moral center. That is boldness enough in this era.
3
Has anyone seriously looked at Warrens proposals? She would halt all drilling and fracking on day one. Do you have any idea what that would mean? We just got ourselves energy independent. That would not only put us completely dependent on foreign oil, but energy prices would skyrocket. Why do you think natural gas is only 2.5 per BTU? We are the worlds largest producer of it. She wants to cancel all student debt, spend 700 billion on childcare (God forbid parents should be burdened with taking care of their own kids), and making public college free. she also wants to create a "down payment assistance program" for folks of color who say they were discriminated against. How she going to pay for this? Sure, tax all those millionaires, and raise the corporate tax back to where it was before. Millionaires and billionaires arent go stand idly by and allow you to take their money. They will just make investments in tax friendly countries. Corporations were already moving their headquarters overseas through inversions to take advantage of lower tax rates. With it went all the decent jobs. We just put an end to all of that, and incentivised investment here at home. Now were going to go back to that? Why, because you folks would cast your vote for any Democrat? This is not just socialism, its policy based on ignorance. Investment in this country will come to a screeching halt. Jobs would vanish like cassette tapes. Think 22 Trillion in debt is a lot? This is pure lunacy.
2
@Sports Medicine, or you could not make things up and actually read her proposals.
@Sports Medicine
"Millionaires and billionaires aren't go stand idly by and allow you to take their money. They will just make investments in tax friendly countries. Corporations were already moving their headquarters overseas..."
What was that about patriotism?
Since Warren joined the Senate a few years ago, she has been gearing up for the national ticket. It's nice to have plans to address the big issues of today, and thinking big is a great idea...once you've got the brass ring. But Warren's committee work has been less than stellar and she rarely gets bipartisan support to enact her sponsored bills into law. She is too far from mainstream on a multitude of issues to win over the practical, pragmatic voters in mainstream America.
2020 will be a nip and tuck election regardless of who Democrats put up. A Democrat who can beat Trump in battleground states where moderate, centrist positions will tip the scales.
Senator Klobuchar has the right balance of toughness, smarts, work ethic, and balanced temperament to win in 2020. Her superb resume (high school valedictorian; B.A. magna cum laude from Yale; J.D. University of Chicago; private and prosecuting attorney for years; U.S. senator for 12 years), stellar Committee work, impassioned statements during the first two debates on health care, immigration and other topics, and midwest creds will help her grab the battleground states. And she gets things done, being near the top among Senators in introducing bills, getting bipartisan cosponsors and getting laws passed.
Klobuchar's coolness under pressure, and keen ability to get to the heart of the matter while treating others with respect and fairness are the best antidote to Trump's pugilistic, hit before thinking approach.
6
@Ed
I agree that Klobuchar has much to offer. I've had my eye on her for years, and always thought she might run.
Résumé aside, I thought she showed some mettle when Kirsten Gillibrand went about recruiting other women Senators to join her in calling for Al Franken's resignation.
Klobuchar refused to jump on the pile (though she spoke with him privately) on the grounds that regardless of outcome Franken was entitled to due process, and that their fellow Minnesotans should determine who represents them in government. So she's definitely capable of independent thought.
And she acquitted herself perfectly during the Kavanaugh hearing...
6
@Ed
Thank you Ed. Amy both has the outstanding educational background and though political acumen. It is just astonishing to me that when both Bernie and Warren are just too strident to make to 1600, they still are running ahead of the pack. They no doubt will be branded as SOCIALISTS by the Know Nothing Repubs. A killer if their ever was one in American Politics. Mid Western values, modesty and accomplishment will win the day. Go Amy(For America) !
@piet hein Everyone should get out of their heads that the Republican attack machine won’t have labels for any candidate the Democrats run, including Amy. E.g. the stories that have ALREADY come out about how she treats her staff will be bedtime stories compared to what’s coming. So just choose a candidate who can deal with it. I’m not impressed with Biden’s school yard metaphors: puts him in a different era altogether.
"Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system." Not in the time of climate crisis, it isn't.
4
I would normally support a divided government until tRump and #moscowmitch came along and who could forget that odious Eric Cantor?
Maybe after the Republican Party is completely disseminated, new ones will form. I can live with progressive democrats, center democrats and conservative democrats as new political parties.
1
Bret: "Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate."
More inertia, more corruption, more hate, more McConnell. God help us – this is not the way forward. Been there done that.
4
You’d think at this point Pennywise could beat Trump and as Republicans across the country purge voter rolls, limit the days, times and methods for people to vote, and seek to limit voting opportunities wherever and whenever they can, it’s obvious they think so too. Having a president who sees no problem spending a week focused on making himself right when he was clearly wrong; clumsily altering a weather map; and generally ignoring an impending disaster continues America’s grotesque downward spiral toward becoming a calling card for DJT’s twisted ego.
The doctored weather map reminds me most of the famous Monty Python skit where John Cleese tries to get a license for his pet halibut, and proves there is such a thing as a cat license by presenting a dog license with the word "dog" crossed out and the word "cat" written in crayon ("the man was out of the right form").
This goes way beyond bad judgement, to the president's sanity. Cleese and Palin were deliberately acting crazy to make us laugh.
1
I don't know of a Senator today, inlcuding Senator Warren, who has worked to build consensous to pass effecitve legilation on any of these issues:
-immigration
-spending restraints
-term limits
-ending the endless wars
-real health care cost reductions
-eimproved diucation choices that work for students
We have 100 examples of people not being effecitfe Senators, why would any of these make a good Presidentr?
1
So it really is just about the cash, then, Bret? You'd overlook anything Trump does as long as you get your low taxes?
That's really, really sad.
6
So Warren continues to persist and yet the dialogue pays short shrift to the candidate leaving the headline questionable. Elizabeth Warren is doing considerably more than lingering, enduring, surviving or perhaps better said, treading water. Her campaign is catching fire and the DNC-Biden-NYT camp is clearly unnerved.
Warren, as Stephens would have it, is simply too sharp to Biden's dull edge. She is a threat to his wallet (he believes).
Let's jump ahead to the presidential debates. Which candidate would be able to deal with the bombast, insults, and non-sequiturs streaming from an outrageous opponent? I see Biden flubbing his rehearsed retorts and becoming increasingly rattled and incoherent. Warren, just the opposite, she demonstrates the ability to think on her feet every day.
So, please. Stop the defense of the candidate destined to lose to Trump and quit attacking those whose followers are passionate about change. Passion will drive the voters most needed for a Democratic victory to the voting booths.
Biden's dull edge will keep them at home watching the returns, shrugging and rolling their eyes.
4
I stopped reading when Bret expressed the need for a split government. In normal times I would see the value in one party being able to provide a check on the extremes the other party might promote but we are a very long way from normal times.
Regulatory agencies have been gutted, immigration has gone from a part of how our nation grows and improves to being treated as an invasion of criminals by nativists and racists in the White House, court appointments are done entirely by litmus testing and our relations with our international allies are in tatters. In addition the current crew in the White House and Senate have decided to ignore laws and to ignore norms such as not bragging about using one's office to line one's pockets.
No I want an all Democratic government for at least eight years so that we can reduce instead of increase water and air pollution, reconstitute treaties and alliances that have been kicked to the road and reaffirm this countries values as expressed in part of Emma Lazarus's poem " The New Colossus" ;
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
1
@greg
How'd you manage to write all that without invoking the word "planet"?
@Mitchell Is this criticism? Is this humor? Is this intentionally obscure? Please clarify.
@greg
All the above, I suppose. Gentle ribbing, more of the boilerplate rhetoric in general than of you in particular. :-)
It is not a question of voting "for" Elizabeth Warren, or anyone else, but of voting against a man who will not do anything to curb gun violence and is bent on destroying the environment (take that! Obama).
1
The GOP under McConnell is not interested in governing.
2
@Gone Coastal
It was not interested in governing under Ryan, Boehner and Hassert, either.
Perhaps Warren, being "too sharp a blade," will go overboard giving us health care and slowing environmental destruction.
I still find that preferable to being bludgeoned to death by the wrecking ball that is Donald Trump, who wants to give us nothing.
1
Elizabeth Warren is the only candidate who can tie Mr Trump
in knots. She won't let Mr Trump prowl around behind her,
menacingly, like he did with Mrs Clinton at the crucial debate.
Elizabeth Warren will tell Mr Trump to get back in his corner.
Gail and Brett, thank you very much.
1
Voting your wallet is how we got into this mess.
1
What Elizabeth Warren has going for her is that keen brain of hers, empathy, kindness, that even temperament, and the life-lessons she learned as she made her way down that road called 'life' which had some hard-scrabble patches in it.
And because she's not going back, not having to play catch-up, you just feel it-that she's the adult in the room. And you just know you can trust her, warts (we all have some) and all.
1
It os so disheartening.
I love Elizabeth Warren, as I did Hillary Clinton- she could step into th Oval Office on Day One and be qualified to run our country (and dig us out of all the troubles the current Golfer-in-Chief has gt s into and reverse policies).
BUT, she is running too left. Instead of just saying she will improve on the ACA- Medicare for all and eliminating private insurance?
Eliminating all student debt? Decriminalizing illegal border crossings and giving free health insurance to immigrants (heck- my family had to move because we could not afford our health insurance costs and illegal immigrants will get free health insurance?)!
She is eloquent and can out speak and outthink Trump on any stage. She will give it right back to his degrading Trump-speak but keep it appropriate for our children to hear and look up to.
The world has Trump Fatigue, and he is primed to go down in a landslide defeat.
But- the packaging of the policies above are so far left, people ready to vote out Trump will not be able to do it.
We know candidates run left or right for the nomination, and then to the center for the national.
But I'm afraid she is painting herself so far left, the median strips to the center will not let her cross over.
PLEASE- run center, get in the White House, and then work on negotiating further left policies...or else the country and the world will be doomed with another four years of the Golfer-in-Chief...and we just can't endure that!
1
Bret Stephen's "empty wallet" comment notwithstanding, let's all keep in mind (and reminding skeptical voters) that the policies Elizabeth Warren proposes are favored by a majority of Americans. Let's hope she persists!
I don't understand how anyone can disregard Bernie Sander and compare him to Pete and Kamala. Have you seen the maps published by your own NYTimes? He has so many donors they needed a second map to show the rest of the candidates. Mainstream media is trying to push Warren but without POC support she will not win the Nomination. And if its Biden, he will lose to Trump in 2016.
2
Bullock could crush a Trump. Red state governor who won the-election in the face of a Trump landslide. A moderate middle-American whom crossover voters can and do support!
3
I don’t believe that Warren can beat Trump in key Electoral College states here in flyover country. She will be tarred and feathered as an East Coast Harvard “elite” by Trump and the Republican super PAC’s. Warren showed a lack of skill in dealing with the “Pocahontas” issue. The few moderate Republicans remaining and the independents I know would vote for Biden, but have a hard time countenancing a vote for Warren. Personally, I favor Buttegieg, but will campaign for and vote for whoever the nominee is. Four more years of Trump will be the undoing of our nation.
1
@J.
Since when is Ohio "flyover country?" (Although I'll be glad if we get fewer political ads this cycle! ) Democratic and Republican voters in Ohio are about equal in number; it is just the gerrymandering that makes us seem to be a solidly red state. Also, I think it is way too soon to talk about who is "electable."
1
Maybe Elizabeth Warren actually deserves to be our president, based on nothing more complicated than pure merit.
Thank you Gail and Bret. Reading a column that mentions Trump and yet actually smiling. AWESOME!!! It's been too long. Keep'em coming.
Donald Trump had one of his goons draw a circle on a hurricane map with a sharpie and threatened to fire anyone who said it wasn’t a real map. Oh, and did he ever figure out which country his father was born in?
Anyone who thinks Warren is ANYWHERE regarding the same level of criticism as Trump is not someone to take seriously.
And I can hear some people now saying “You’re right she deserves more hardy-har-har” Those are also people that are not to be taken seriously. Because they have less of a clue about what they’re talking about than Trump does.
Elizabeth Warren is the only Democrat speaking directly to the suffering middle Americans that put Trump in office. And she is the only candidate that can make Trump sputter without flinching. If she can’t win, no Democrat can.
Elizabeth Ann Warren is a superb snake oil salesman, telling us all the things she's going to do, give us and how happy we'll all be as she leads us into the land of Oz. The problem is that Ms. Warren doesn't have the backbone or the chops necessary to get any of this done. She has no plan, nothing to indicate that outside of a wardrobe of black accented with colored jackets or sweaters and a motherly voice that sounds likes she's been up too late, drank a little too much and is on the verge of a breakdown screaming at her kids. I can just imagine how she'd react under the real pressure of the Oval Office. The Dems would be better off resurrecting Hillary; she's got class, moxie and the clothes to match.
3
Bret: At this point, she’s almost tempting me, on the theory that an empty wallet beats an upset stomach.
Bret, have you conveniently forgotten already about the $1.5T Billionaire and Corporation Welfare Bill Congress passed not even two years ago under the guise of “Tax Cut and Jobs Act?”
Oh, I get it, you mean YOUR wallet, not the rest of us average Americans. Right. This is the same guy who once said, “If it were up to me, I’d double defense spending.” So, not only do you wish an empty wallet on all of us, but also no infrastructure, health care, or education funding—because that’s exactly where the money then comes from.
Bret’s our own modern-day Diogenes, Prophet of Indifference.
A divided government works? Next time Stephens spouts that garbage I hope he is caught in the middle o a tornado, hurricane or cataclysmic flood- and is reminded about this nation's criminal neglect of the climate crisis- a direct byproduct of his Republican friends stranglehold on government.
Don't know if Amy is a Red Sox fan even so, I'd happily vote for her. Smart, heartland savvy, female and an accomplished executive leader and vote getter. Biden are you listening?
1
Bret, when you say "Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system. " have you been watching this government's inaction since the start of the Obama administration? When you vote for a president's agenda, you should also vote for congressional support of that agenda, otherwise you get McConnell.
2
I don't see the people of Connecticut, Minnesota or Illinois going for Mrs. Warren.
She's promised to put health insurance companies out of business on day 1 of her Administration; through executive orders if need be.
That would put Hartford, Minneapolis and Chicago (BCBS) right in the sights of this woman who is reminding more and more people everyday of the junior high principal who scolded every single child as they entered the school each day.
Many of us are also still curious about her history. Not "HER" history, but the real history of her family. Based on where they grew up and based on looking at the family tree available through public records, looks like she's got some real close kin that likely owned slaves while fighting for the Confederacy.
That would make her Cherokee Nation...Cherokee Tribe...tribute to Cher seem like small potatoes.
If only there was an organization that paid people to go out and uncover these uncomfortable truths. If only there was the means to dig into public records and do DNA testing to find out a persons 'true' story. If only the Constitution permitted someone the right to investigate and report these facts to the public....all in order to speak 'Truth to Power.'
If only....
2
"too far left"...
In the USA, it is either socialism for the Super Rich, or socialism for the 99%.
Maintenance of the House and gain of the White House by Democrats would assure total economic collapse.
Watch Steve Bullock. He would be a great president, or a great vice president. If Biden falters, look to Bullock.
1
Bret Stephens should not be calling for a Democratic President and a Republican Senate. That is what got our country into this mess because the Republican Senate, among other blockages, effectively shuts down the President's ability to appoint Supreme Court Justices. Power has swung way, way too far to the right and this must be corrected. The will of the majority is being ignored and will continue to be ignored for decades due to the judicial appointments in the court system. Stephens, like many other conservatives, is leaning fascist, and, like most conservatives, intent on minority rule.
1
I have nothing against Biden but there are some of us eager to see something other than an old white man in the WH. ANY change is an improvement, and ANY Democrat will get my vote, but on the wish list, I'd like someone besides Biden. And what kills me is Warren and Sanders are virtually indistinguishable as candidates on major issues. M simple math says each has about 16% in polls, if one dropped out the other would probably shoot to 32% which would be above Biden. If only one (Sanders) would drop out! But, not happening.
1. Warren for president.
2. Gail Collins for vice president.
3. Brett Stephens next Supreme Court justice.
In my dream world...
Warren will never be elected. From her absurd Native American heritage claims, to her disgraceful manipulation of the Kavanuagh hearings, her reputation is shot. It’s will come down to Trump vs Biden.
If the Democrats continue to promise ending school debt, medical debt, and all the other leftist schemes they talk about Trump will have little to worry about.
1
Warren and Bernie are what Republicans need. "No to big money now that I have it" is looking to remake America. No thank you
1
How long have we been playing the Afghan women card? I remember their plight was Laura Bush's cri de coeur 18 years ago. Sorry Bret, but Taliban or no Taliban, a woman's lot in that country is going to be dismal for some time to come.
1
According to Bret, Michael Bennet has answered the question that I have wanted to ask all of the candidates. "How often will you tweet or otherwise attempt to keep the nation's attention on yourself?" I want a president that can go to work and keep the communications relevant and selective. Here is the quote from the article that got me excited about Michael Bennet.
Bret: "True, though you have to love Michael Bennet’s latest campaign pledge: “If you elect me president, I promise you won’t have to think about me for two weeks at a time.” Lord, give me a president like that."
The scenario of Stephens of "a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate — or the Senate and House together if the next Democratic president leans too far left" will maintain the status quo. And this status quo is an absolute decline in life expectancy, growing maternal mortality and ongoing gun slaughter. The USA has the greatest poverty rate among OECD nations [ https://data.oecd.org/inequality/poverty-rate.htm#indicator-chart ] bar Israel and the greatest income inequality except for Turkey, Chile and Mexico [ https://data.oecd.org/inequality/income-inequality.htm#indicator-chart ]. This scenario may rid it of Trump but will not stop USA decline and descent into fascism.
1
She speaks to my heart
Now is not the time for Dems to go crazy. Its easy for rich white folks to go crazy for Bernie or Warren because after 8 years of Trump they will still be rich and they will still be white. Warren's immigration position is wrong. It is open borders. See Mother Jones article in July 2019. Also she has a look when someone disagrees with her like that person is the craziest person in the world. Klobuchar will stick around and whether in a brokered convention with Sherrod Brown as VP, will win up and down the ticket.
1
The demo candidates advocating for a far-left socialistic USA are obsolete. Biden is old and lacks charisma and nobody wants a Warren like America. Trump Is great. He is bold, thinking out of box and has a hard-boiled fan base. He will be re-elected 2020.
1
Wow, Bret appreciating the founders idea that obstruction due to balance of powers as a good thing sounds conservative. A positive view of a conservative idea was literally the last thing I thought I would ever see in the NYT Opinion pages. Thanks Bret!!
1
Look at Warren, Andrew Yang, full of ego, manic, gleeful from the crowd. It's not a good look is it? Let her behavior warn you. Be presidential.
This is misleading fluff. On what grounds does Stephens argue that a Warren presidency would lead to an empty wallet? The wealth tax hits at 50 million. Also, much to some of her supporters’ consternation, Warren is now doing her best to appeal to the Democratic establishment and has tailored her proposals to build a platform that is progressive but well within the mainstream, historically speaking.
Does NYT give its columnists subscriptions? It would be great if Stephens read the paper, in addition to writing for it.
2
I think Democrat's best strategy is a ticket with Biden/Warren.
you want another term for republican control of the senate so McConnell can do what he did before. Think man before you open your mouth; we already have the most polarized and politicized supreme court in living memory; and ask yourself in terms of concrete accomplishments what a republican controlled senate has achieved. The answer is nada besides raping, looting and pillaging the pocket books of the middle class with that so called tax reform bill. Have they acted as a break on the autocratic total fail in the white house. Naaa they're a big part of the problem. No gun control, no protection of the environment, enabling the worst deficits in history while paying lip service to "we gotta control the debt" which in this case really means " we gotta get ride of entitlements like social security and Medicare". And kissing up at every possible turn to the president like Tom Cotton saying we should really buy Greenland. I say no to this posturing bunch of clowns who have utterly failed to do their job and have made a mockery of the American Political system. Think well before you speak Mr. Stephens
I wish the NYTimes and other media would stop writing and saying Joe Biden has the nomination locked up. I strongly believe Warren will be a great President and she can beat Trump. Joe Biden will be sleepwalking through the campaign.
3
I guess it’s ok that 3/4 of the country has a empty wallet as long as you don’t?
3
I enjoy Gail so much. She is the reason for my first subscription to the times, some years ago. But we hardly ever hear from her without Brett's opinions scattered throughout, making it Not Gail. It is something entirely different, perhaps a Times' effort to force a conversation and bring together democrats and republicans with rational, shared, goals. That is a mistake of the first order, as republicans are not interested in this lovefest, at all, and democrats would prefer Gail without Bret. Republicans probably would, too. All in all a waste of precious, front-page space.
Steve Martin or Rowan Atkinson? No, the Sta-Puff marshmallow giant from Ghost Busters.
Gail and Bret in your DC/NYC bubbles you really do not understand some dynamics. I am firmly for Warren as she is smart, measured, has a plan. You may not realise how far the US has fallen. We need a clean-up. Bernie is too old, Biden is ridiculous. Warren and Pete or Kamala will do jest fine, with Kirsten and the Castros in the cabinet.
Have either of you heard about CLIMATE DISRUPTION?
There is a global student strike happening the week of September 20 - 27. You are the problem. OUR planet is burning. Our house is on fire. But business as usual is gossiping about NADA!
The Petroleum- Fossil fuel lobbyists seemingly have total control over not just the politicians but also the pundits and the main stream media.
1
“You know, if you squint hard, the Trump presidency could be a darkly comic TV show: “
You and I are clearly living in different realities, Mr. Stephens; I wake up with dread or grief in the pit of my stomach every day.
1
The media overt preference for Warren is really over the top, the folks at the times and others could really do a better job appearing to be objective. Evaluation of all the polls indicate she's dead heated with Sanders, both behind Biden. Can she win Michigan, possibly? Wisconsin or Pa, less likely.
1
Apathy is the magic bullet that can and will destroy any democracy. I fear that America is on the brink of a disaster that might be the end of the American Empire.
My question is, “How and Why is this happening and when did it start?”
I”m a child of the 60’s although I was in my 20’s when that started. Look at everything that actually started in the 60’s.
Music! Protest! Innovation! Peace! Love! Hope! Individually! Woodstock! Space exploration!
This list could go on until “the cows come home!”
Now, look at today!
Trump rallies!
Need I say more?
1
"The confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was a snoozer.
A few Senate Armed Services Committee members spent nearly three hours heaping praise on Esper, a decorated Gulf War veteran, for his decades of service in the military and as a staffer on Capitol Hill. The comity was interrupted only once, when one of the panel’s newest members, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), chose to focus on a more recent line on Esper’s resume: specifically the seven years he spent lobbying for the defense giant Raytheon.
“This smacks of corruption, plain and simple,” she told him. “Will you commit that during your time as defense secretary that you will not seek any waiver that will allow you to participate in matters that affect Raytheon’s financial interest?”
Esper declined Warren’s request to make such a commitment and passionately defended his record. Committee chair James Inhofe (R-Okla.) apologized for what Esper “had to be confronted with” from Warren, describing the interaction as “unfair.” No one else had followed up on Warren’s efforts to have Esper stay out of Raytheon’s affairs entirely. Days later, 90 senators voted to confirm him.
Warren, a consumer protection icon who entered politics with a reputation as the bane of Wall Street, has spent the past several months treating defense contractors, generals, and civilian Defense Department officials to the same sort of withering criticism she grew famous for heaping on banking regulators and Wells Fargo CEOs."
1
Bernie is toast. Biden with Warren or Mayor Pete. Warren with Mayor Pete. Either will be the ticket and they will win. Trump (who is clearly suffering with dementia) and his band of lying apparatchiks will be shown the door, if for no other reason than the shame they bring to this country and its citizens.
Joe Pa will run for POTUS and pick one of the great gals as VP- likely comely Kamala, the all-ethnic who is highly experienced and a top campaigner. Warren or Klobuchar
might be the choice. Joe has announced he will not run for re-election, and the whispers are that he would serve only a year or two, passing the baton to Harris.
Guy's world is ending very soon. The gal would lead us into
the gal world, which is surely coming.
Why did she support Hillary and not Bernie
in 2016 ?
She knew Hillary would lose and open the field for herself.
Bernie would have won, going forward in history as a clone of FDR.
Trump uses Bernie's planbook and wins.
Liz uses Bernie's agenda and wins.
Why all the shenanigans ?
It would have been far easier to just elect Bernie.
That's right, then it would still be Sen.Liz.
4
"first-rate talents who could beat Trump, but that the party has just discounted"
It isn't the party it is the people, they are just not interested in the others running.
Bret just doesn't understand economics. For example, when someone like Warren proposes things like "health care, the environment, free college, child care", He asks HOW WILL WE PAY FOR IT? HOW MUCH WE WILL NEED TO TAX OR BORROW TO PAY FOR IT? That's the wrong question. The federal government can create as much money as it needs out of thin air. It can PAY for anything. What are the right questions?
Well, first of all we have to ask will the new money cause too much inflation? That leads to other questions. Since prices depend on other factors besides the amount of money in the economy, we have to ask how useful, how effective, will the new money be in domestic commerce, & how much new production will be caused by this new money?
If the new money just sits in the vaults of banks or is just used for financial speculation by the Rich, it will not raise prices very much. (BTW that explains the absence of inflation since 2008 in spite of the FED pouring TRILLIONS into banks.) But in this case, it won't help the economy very much either.
If the new money causes our production to increase, that will LOWER prices and mitigate the effect the addition of the new money has on prices. The new production will soak up the new money. Fortunately, the things Warren and Bernie want to do, health care, the environment, free college, child care, etc., are exactly the things that will increase production.
Gail refuses to consider voting for Elizabeth Warren
Bret wants a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate. Maybe House too.
And you guys read what they say?
No kidding.
1
@dave
Who are you donating money to to fix our infrastructure? I don’t think your $10 will go very far.
I know with this administration we are firmly planted in a post-truth, anti-intellectual era, but I long for the day when intelligence and rational thinking are in favor. Like Bret, I am disappointed that Mayor Pete remains a second tier candidate so Warren is very appealing. But let’s never lose sight of the fact that the Republicans and trump are masters of spreading fear and disinformation, and unless Warren can figure out how to smooth her rough edges, Uncle Joe might be our only hope. (PS: I live in New England and hate the Patriots.)
@AJ
Uncle Joe's fumbling (and outright incompetence) is frightening, especially in the face of Trump's cruelty. Pity won't win the election, and I'm no longer sure Biden has much else going for him at this point. Bernie will turn the race into the second coming of Joe McCarthy -- and the stakes are too high to indulge in self-righteousness, given the risks,
Liz needs to play up her hardscrabble Oklahoma roots, and she'll do fine against Trump. She's avoided becoming mired in the "identity politics" quagmire and could well recapture Obama/Trump voters. If Trump brings up the "Pocahontas" nonsense, all she has to do is highlight his slimy background -- his cheating, and all the people he's shafted in his rise to the top. I think she's the best bet to win.
The Democratic Party must find its former ability to unite behind a candidate as it leaves the convention. If Warren continues to modify her platform to permit this, the fact that Democrats outnumber Republicans could mean something again.
1
Another thought about Elizabeth Warren, she has a rare combination of traits in that she can be warm yet steely. That's a hard combination to pull off. She also seems to be the kind of teacher that would be tough but would stick with a student till they 'got it'. We could use another "explainer-in-chief".
President Warren is sounding better and better to me.
6
Odd, that among Warrens issue positions, there is no mention of healthcare.
Mostly, Sanders and Warren have similarly wonderful economic and domestic policies, but they also differ significantly on foreign policy where presidents have the most power to act without Congress.
Obama became president, having minimal knowledge or interest in world history and foreign policy, and he inadvertently wrecked Libya and Syria and oversaw the rise of ISIS, oversaw the military metastasizing ISIS over the globe, and created avoidable conflict with Russia over Ukraine.
Warren, too, has minimal knowledge of world history and foreign affairs. Those advising her are from the Washington foreign policy establishment, boding little change.
While Sanders passion for forty years has been improving the lives of ALL working people, he has always cared about foreign policy. Sanders gut instinct is a demilitarized, diplomacy oriented foreign policy. Only Sanders has the vision and courage to stand up to the extraordinarily powerful, Washington foreign policy establishment and the military industrial complex.
The US desperately needs a foreign policy that makes the world more stable and sustainable, instead of adding trillions to the debt to make the world considerably less stable and less sustainable.
Even the brash,bold Trump "is not allowed to bring our troops home" from Afghanistan.
Citizens should think about WHO controls US foreign policy...
4
As a Massachusetts resident, I am proud to call Elizabeth Warren my Senator. She truly has the best interests of her constituents in her heart. She's bright and she's trustworthy and there's not a selfish bone in her body. She has a fertile mind that gives rise to solutions to problems that benefit the many and not just the few. She will always have my vote!
6
I truly wonder why more Democrats aren’t attracted to Senator Klobuchar. She has the good sense and the solid mainstream values that we associate with the best of middle America, she represents the citizens of Minnesota faithfully and well, she exhibits sound judgment in the policies she favors, and she’s as steady and sturdy as Mt. Everest in a howling blizzard. Too often voters are attracted to candidates who have the most cash and flash, forgetting that their job is to choose the candidate who would make a great president.
5
@Drusilla Hawke. I can’t speak for all Democrats, but she lost my vote for being so ugly to her staff. It’s not sexist — I would feel that way no matter who disrespected staff.
On the other hand, were she the nominee, she would be my choice.
I'd like to reiterate, Mr. Stephens, that while you do not need to like or support President Trump -- if you actively advocate for a DEMOCRAT in the White House...you are a Democrat. You are not a conservative nor a Republican.
You also want to repeal the Second Amendment, call for reparations and want open borders. These are not conservative positions.
YOU, sir, are a LIBERAL DEMOCRAT.
Why not own that, and proclaim it proudly?
4
@Concerned Citizen
Bret Stephens wants to repeal the Second Amendment, calls for reparations and advicates open borders?
I must have missed that column.
2
@Concerned Citizen
I think it is fairly clear that he doesn't "own it and proclaim it proudly" because he is not a a liberal Democrat. I am a liberal Democrat and generally disagree with Stephens far more than I agree with him. To me, Stephens is a patriotic American who has come to realize, along with the majority of Americans, that what you call "Conservative" is a perversion of the word, that what such self-described "Conservatives" and "Republicans" advocate is the continued destruction of this country led by the deranged bloviator in chief and his deranged supporters. When I read comments like yours, I find that I am the one who is a really concerned citizen.
1
"the fact that he doctored the weather map to make it look as if he was actually right about the storm going to Alabama?"...You don't understand what really happened. Trump knew where the storm track was headed, but he was confused about where the states of Alabama and Georgia were located. When his aides realized that he had switched the two, they figured that it would be easier to draw a new storm track map and intimidate the director of NOAA than it would be to order Alabama and Georgia to change their names.
5
Bret, thank-you for sharing those heartfelt words about being the child of immigrants, and the unspoken conclusion that you might not be the man you are today were it not for U.S. immigration laws that protected and saved your mother and grandmother.
I, also, am not in favor of Trump's recent "reduce the number of immigrants" policy. Besides going against standing immigration law, it is a cruel idea based in racism.
As to Warren, I don"t think she'll empty your wallet. If taxes do go up, they will be earmarked for their respective constituent use -- no pilfering to make up for shortfalls in other parts of the budget. So your tax dollars will work for you, and for America.
And, that daily clench of the stomach at each new Trump tweet and dangerous utterance will disappear.
I am not optimistic that progress would be made with a Democratic president, and a Republican Congress. Congress would still be in thrall to Big Oil, Big Pharma, ConAg, and Big Chemical donations and lobbyists.
America must move forward on fighting climate change , restoring diplomacy with allies and rebuilding confidence that America is still a democracy. The Republican agenda doesn't include these elements.
Totally agree about the Patriots.
2
When I hear about the 52% winners in an election...taking it all, I often find myself with the remaining 48%. And when I Read about the 99% of population pointing at the evil 1%... I start asking questions: What Kind of poeple are These super rich? How did they get there? What is their profession and other way of contribution to society? How much taxes do they pay and how much have they Paid before? and so on...
I might know some of them. But I might not know the answers to the above questions. If - however - we assume, These people got there within the legally binding laws, and further assume, These people are no better but equally no worse than everyday people (among the 99%), then I might start worrying. As an increasingly noisy part of the 99% shows quite serious intentions to go after this (wealthy) minority. What will be, if we allow them to do so? While EW reminds me sometimes of a "know-it-all" University scholar, she actually impresses me with her Determination to handle Problems and change our lifes for the better. But, when she Talks of the "just two pennys", I do not feel well. I do not want to go - year after year - and take away from people (vast or Little) savings and Wealth... and leaving them after just one Generation with only half of it in their hands. Eventually, EW and the majority of the 99% should remember the merrits of capitalism...rendering alsmos all of our 99% far more wealthy than any socialist plan has ever proven in reality.
@j.keller
"Go after" the 1%? It's not as if she's planning to march them off to gas chambers. I doubt that any of them will even need to sell off a yacht.
I wouldn't worry about impoverishing Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. They'll never be unable to afford health care, or be living under a freeway in a tent.
Only in Bret Stephens' world does a Warren presidency, with pushes for higher minimum wages, cheaper health care, and fewer corporate tax subsidies, equal lighter wallets for the populace writ large.
If you're wondering why Bennet, Klobuchar and Bullock aren't appealing to the Democratic base, it's because middle and easy and a lack of bold ideas isn't going to get it done. To paraphrase a quote from my Texan upbringing: the only things you'll find in the middle of the road are dead armadillos and losing candidates.
8
Gotta love this "too far left" stuff.
That would be like, Scandinavia, with budget surpluses every year (too far left), living wages for all workers (too far left), great infrastructure, roads, water, electricity (too far left), health care for all citizens (too far left), affordable education (too far left).
Did I mention budget surpluses? Definitely nothing Conservatives are interested in, based on decades of legislation, including at the state level. Budget surpluses are too far left.
11
@gratis
Also 80%+ voting participation. Conservatives find that "too far left" as well.
3
When Bret says he wants a Dem president and Republican Congress, he is saying he wants no progress on any of the important issues that affect the standing of Americans and the United States. No improvement to health care. No strong action against climate change. No infrastructure plan. No leveling of the tax system. No change.
After I read that, I didn't bother to read anything else. He is so out of touch with reality, what's the point?
12
I attended the New Hampshire Democratic Convention last weekend, and when Warren appeared onstage, the crowd went absolutely bonkers. It was nothing short of electric. I was reminded of the Obama effect of ‘08. Warren’s got it, and no other candidate on that stage came remotely close.
8
A good example of how identity-driven the mainstream press has become is that the reportage on the proposed Afghan peace deal always mentions how it might effect the women in the country. The U.S. went to Afghanistan to end its role as a terrorist haven because the attackers on 9/11 had received succor there, not to reform its society. The President's goal is to end the U.S. involvement there with a political deal, the only possible solution. What happens next with the role of women in Afghanistan is a matter for those who live there.
2
@David Godinez Well said. Thank you.
I am very progressive, but have not been paying much attention to the Dem debates. Because I will vote straight Dem regardless.
Sen. Warren has great policies, but at this point, even that does not matter to me.
8
Is deep knowledge of how Wall Street and banking work really the scariest thing in the world to the plutocrats who bankroll the public political put-on in the US?
3
I would happily vote for Elizabeth Warren and will do so in the upcoming primary. I also am a fan of the Patriots.
6
Bret, like many middle class Americans, has been brainwashed by the billionaires. His glib comment that a Warren presidency will result in an empty wallet for him is case in point. Warren's policies do threaten the concentration of wealth and power in the millionaire and billionaire class, not the middle class.
The shrinking middle class has much more in common with those who have fallen out than the millionaires and billionaires, and yet they defend the unlimited accumulation of wealth and power in the top one percent.
When power is concentrated in the top one percent of a country, that country is an oligarchy, not a democracy. So what is America today? Follow the money. Wealth equals power. If wealth is not distributed among a large middle class, then those people do not have power. Democracy distributes power from a concentrated elite to the people. Wealth follows. It is past time this country returned to being a true democracy and not a playground for the rich to exploit.
28
So many readers making an impassioned case for Warren. But, to play devil's advocate, isn't her perceived intellectualism coupled with her gender precisely why Hillary lost the critical swing states in 2016? Not saying this is right, or "fair" - but the democratic candidate must be electable in the swing states. Must!
7
@Aerys " isn't her perceived intellectualism coupled with her gender precisely why Hillary lost the critical swing states in 2016?"
No! Hillary was considered by many, left and right, as a Wall Street elitist, with a lot of big-money donors, but not a grass-root favorite. Together with her email-gate, she lost a very close race, albeit only by electoral college count.
7
@Aerys
I think Hillary's biggest issues were Comey, Russia, and lacking in that warm and fuzzy "likability" factor. I think she would have won if it were not for the first two.
I think Warren's only issue for swing states that tend to be more moderate, or they would not be swing states, is simply that she is not perceived as a moderate and is not trying to be seen that way.
We have had smart Dem females in office here in AZ, but they were moderates.
Hillary did spark a lot of rage back in the 90's from males threatened by women's liberation, so I think some of the men from that generation jumped on board with Trump, but I don't think Warren gets quite that response from men - since she was not in the forefront during that time- don't know though.
3
@Aerys
Warren needs to play up her hardscrabble Oklahoma roots, and she'll do fine against Trump. She's avoided becoming mired in the "identity politics" quagmire and could well recapture Obama/Trump voters.
If Trump brings up the "Pocahontas" nonsense, all she has to do is highlight his slimy background -- his cheating, and all the people he's shafted in his rise to the top. She speaks for decency, and for the precarious (and shafted) middle class.
I think she's the best bet to win those swing states.
1
....Ideally I want a Democrat in the White House and Republican control of the Senate — or the Senate and House together if the next Democratic president leans too far left....
too far left in the usa would probably still be considered right wing or middle of the road in many/most western democracies.
supporting a national health care plan is not enough to be considered a radical crazy in any western country i can think of.
the excited states of america could probably pay for the whole shebang by cutting the defense budget 1 or 2%.
of course, it'd mean the usa could only destroy the entire planet 4000 times over instead of 5000.
11
I welcome Bret Stephens’ opposition to Warren.
In my experience after reading him for years and hoping for evolution to take its course, I’ve determined that, in a pinch, a simple heuristic for decision making would be to adopt a view contrarian to Bret’s...
13
I am a lifelong Dem who is very nervous about Elizabeth Warren and not because of her policy ideas. I just don't think she can beat Trump. She is so similar to Hilary with just enough Bernie to possibly scare moderate Republicans. She comes of as stilted and disingenuous and very preachy. I think this would play right into Trumps hands and excite his base who don't like women telling them what to do and do not like being spoken down to. If Dems can really turn out and show up then it might not matter, but otherwise I am still holding out for another Dem to rise to the top before the primaries.
5
@momma4cubs
Are there any "moderate Republicans" left?
1
@momma4cubs. No one from Trump’s base is going to vote for a D. even if he too is old, white and male. Do you think they won’t be able to tell the difference between them? Talk about the lowest common denominator! The Democrats should not lower themselves to the level of people who can’t vote for a woman if she’s actually competent- these are the same voters who were OK with Sarah Palin on a ticket.
Millions of Americans empty their wallets, face bankruptcy or homelessness to pay for medical expenses.
Millionaires will still be fine if they pay a little more taxes.
18
I want to recommend this comment a million times.
Bret: In re to "Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar. What is it about them that just doesn’t excite the base?"
They all oppose Medicare for All, for starters. Like it or not, that's well outside of the mainstream (even a majority of Republicans support it).
9
@Matt: Medicare falls far short of most first-world public health plans.
@Steve Bolger
According to the Commonwealth Fund, which regularly ranks the health systems of developed countries,the United States has the worst health system in the world, even though it spends the most. That suggests a new system is needed. A few tweaks won't do it.
If you have a comprehensive system in mind that addresses underperforming primary care, administrative inefficiency, and a lack of insurance coverage for tens of millions of Americans please share it with us.
1
@Matt They’re younger versions of Biden and that’s not what the times call for. The time for driving on cruise control in the middle lane is over. The Republican Party is not interested in compromise.
Independent voter from NH ...
Phones are ringing off the hook here in New Hampshire from a data gathering company. I finally picked up last evening after having researched its call display that appeared three times this weekend.
"If the elections were held today..." I selected Elizabeth Warren. This is the first time I committed to any D candidate. Then the remaining nine candidates, one at a time, to elicit support if each in turn was the D nominee. I chose "strongly support" right down to Yang, even though his monthly income plan would need some fleshing out before I would support it. As an aside, Alaska's yearly stipend seems to work there. Again, need more information...but it was Warren for me. And then any other D without reservation...Oh, and did I mention the U.S. Senate? The very thought of Corey Lewandowski running for the U.S. Senate from NH makes me sick.
We must, must, must reclaim our democratic and constitutional values before we become unrecognizable.
14
The probability of shifting the tax burden to the rich still very low as long as the Democrats continue to combine such tax proposals with plans to spend the proceeds on various social programs like free college tuition. However, a plan to raise taxes on those with assets above $50 million and/or incomes above $10 million and use all of the proceeds to reduce the taxes on everyone else might have a much higher probability of being enacted.
It is hard to envision the Democrats being politically savvy or ideologically flexible enough to embrace a policy of directly shifting the tax burden away from the middle class and onto the rich. The Democrats have generally been deluded in their belief that the current level of taxes on the middle class is politically sustainable. In Hillary Clinton's speech announcing her candidacy, she said that the middle class pays too much taxes. She never mentioned a middle class tax cut again. Presumably, due to pressure from Sanders, who pushed her to the left, which severely hurt her chances in the general election. Most Democrat politicians are not aware that by far the best thing government could do for most middle-class households would be to lower their taxes. Thus, in many cases, middle-class voters have been willing to grasp at any chance they think could lower their tax burden, and thus support candidates who promise them a tax cut, no matter how odious the candidates might be otherwise..."
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4279198
2
@Lance Brofman: The $700+ billions spent every year on "defense" provide no tangible benefits to most taxpayers.
1
"Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar. What is it about them that just doesn’t excite the base?"
Hmm. Maybe it's that the base isn't as moderate, middle of the road as Bret and all the other political commentators out there believe. You just don't understand that when Amy Klobuchar brags about winning big in a state Trump did well it just provides evidence that she's as much GOP as DEM. In a polarized environment, getting partisan support means you've got no vision and no hope of addressing pressing issues with anything that goes beyond a milquetoast compromise.
7
You can tell that Republicans are once again winning the semantic war, which is crucial to a general election. They even have Warren and Sanders supporters saying that Democrats would get rid of private insurance. NO! They're saying that universal coverage will not be private. It's like saying that Democrats want to get rid of private schools. NO! Private schools will always exist, but public schools are available to everyone. Please stop letting Republicans make the frame for every picture.
14
If policy matters, and that is a big "if", then Warren's platform of plans sets her apart from her competitors.
5
Please PLEASE...whichever candidate ends up against Trump, can you please make sure the push is for a PUBLIC OPTION and not for Single Payer? Single Payer only has 40% support, as many moderates are reluctant to turn over sole control of health care to the Government, while support for a Public Option is a whopping 70%.
8
@Joe Arena
Yes, I think this is the only major flaw in Warren's campaign, she picked a policy position that is far less popular than that of the moderate candidates, so much so, that it could cause her to lose in many swing states. This could mean losing to Trump. This causes some who might otherwise like her, so shy away from her. In addition, she already had a reputation as far-left and in her campaign for the nomination, she has been promoting her more liberal credentials and this does not help pick up moderate voters in swing states in the GE. In contrast, Obama was a far more moderate candidate.
4
@Joe Arena
Medicare for all is the most cost effective way to provide healthcare.
Taking the profit out of healthcare results in better healthcare decisions, enabling a better quality of healthcare, yet taking less than the current17% out of the economy.
A healthier society will be a more thriving society/economy.
Maybe the US could use some of the savings to train more medical professionals, instead of poaching them from other countries.
1
It has right now, but when it turned out that people have to pay taxes to support public option AND pay premiums that support could go down pretty quickly.
On my personal financial spreadsheet, the GOP has done far more to empty my wallet than any Democratic politico. The new tariffs are decidedly not helping as I have to consider some new tech purchases at end of life for a phone and computer not to mention my old boots won't make another winter. I won't ever go into the 1% tax that costs me money or the threat of an uncovered medical bill that bankrupts me.
Bret needs to get out and talk to people more. Really. That includes a sit down with Warren. And a review of what is "left" aka moderate in the rest of the world.
12
"Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system. " Really? After what the Republican Congress did to impede everything that President Obama worked towards?
In theory, yes. The system of checks & balances should work better. But if one side has only partisan loyalty & will stop at nothing to hurt the other... I dont know how divided govt can get anything done.
13
@Oceanblue
Yes, it has created a team sport that has become obsessed only with winning and in destroying the other side, forgetting that in reality that we are all supposed to be in the same team, team USA.
8
Why no mention of Corey Booker in this column? It is still too early to predict which candidate will gain traction and appeal to primary voters. It’s still a long way to the nomination.
Americans need to decide what they need and want and insist on/vote for congressional candidates who will deliver.
When only the wealthiest can afford health care, when the gig economy employs more workers than big companies offering “benefits” Sanders and Warren won’t look radical; they’ll look necessary. After the dragon eats its tail - what will hospitals do without patients? They’ll go broke - and that’s not going to happen. We will have a government bail out of the health care system. . . and we’ll call it Medicare for All.
2
Interesting that the top three candidates are at least 70 years old, with two closer to 80. Sanders is only a Democrat for expedience. After one term, Sanders and Biden will be past 80.
Warren seems to be the one candidate in that age bracket with the energy and vision to effectively lead our nation in the 2020's.
8
Ms. Collins apparently has a very short memory.
She says that Obama managed to go from unknown to known. What she forgets is his keynote address at the 2004 Dem convention gave him a great deal of exposure.
But as to some unknown coming from nowhere to make a legitimate run at the nomination, how about Sanders in 2016? I doubt many people outside of Vermont even knew who he was prior to then and certainly far few people knew him than knew Obama in 2008.
Sanders is very well known now but he certainly wasn't the first time he ran for president. And he got famous, unlike all the other candidates including Warren, without bending his principles to become popular or accept money from the 1% who only give money so they can control the government as witnessed by the fact that many give money to both parties and multiple candidates at the same time.
1
"It’s a shame because I think the Democratic field has some first-rate talents who could beat Trump, but that the party has just discounted, at least so far: Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar. What is it about them that just doesn’t excite the base?"
Bret, if they were first-rate talents they would have polled over 1 or 2%. Get out of the ivory tower where you assume that you know better than what the democratic electorate wants in a presidential candidate.
Yes, I believe people can be deterred by extremism but progressives are far from extreme. They do propose radical change from the American system of governance, but many left leaning Americans are tired of milquetoast centrist democrats and want someone with bold policies and ideas to challenge Trump.
Progressive ideas may not win out in the primary and if so, then that would prove that moderates have a better chance at winning against Trump in the election. However, I wouldn't discount it too soon when the combined support of Warren and Sanders outweighs Biden by a substantial number.
The Republican party has shifted to the right and that did not stop Trump from winning the election, so who is to say that the democrats must be willing to meet in the center when the opposing party makes no such moves?
10
Bret, What exactly is the “too far left” that you are so worried about? The problem here is that the Republicans have drifted so far to the right, that anything else can be labeled “left”. Many of our most cherished programs could have been labeled “too far left” in their day. Elizabeth Warren is a “Capitalist” by her own admission and a pragmatist, not an ideologue. She, or any other nominee, would need control of both houses to right this ship of state and once again get the government working to provide for the general welfare of its citizens.
12
Brett, just up here in Canada wondering how a country that once taxed its wealthiest at rates over 80%, and thrived and grew, would shrivel and die by implementing a 3% wealth tax on income above $10 million? Would the prospect of only raking in $14.5 million a year, as opposed to $15 million, really stifle that great American entrepreneurial spirit?
40
A vote for Warren is a vote for someone who knows how the economy works and who knows where the bodies are buried in the financial world. We still need a reckoning for 2008 and it seems that the wars in the middle east were a convenient distraction from the essential task of holding financial executives responsible for their criminal behavior before the statutes of limitation run out. Warren is a moral as well as an intellectual force akin to Obama and as the first female President she will help heal the nation much more than the other candidates. Democrats need to get on board the Warren train and start fighting for her...
26
@BearBoy. Does the POTUS do those things? How does a CEO skill set translate to political leadership and governance? Even with a very good CEO, e.g. Bloomberg, there are gaps and we see right now how very badly a bad CEO performs. As POTUS you don’t get to hire and fire the citizens, though Trump seems to have a vague notion that he can. The POTUS also has different “targets” than a CEO and they are MUCH harder to achieve: the prosperity of a nation is not found on a spreadsheet and cannot be achieved alone. Of all the silly statements that have spilled from the mouth of Donald Trump, “I alone can do it” may have been the silliest.
I live in what is now considered a swing state.
We just elected a female Senator, Sinema, a Democrat. She was already a very popular figure as a congresswoman, with a good reputation for helping military families. In the past, we also had a female governor who was a Democrat, Napolitano.
That said, Sinema, had to fight very hard to convince the voters of her moderate credentials in order to win the Senate here.
Bill Clinton also won AZ.
Warren is already considered far too liberal to pull votes from moderates and independents here, and does not poll well, whereas Biden actually beats Trump in polls in AZ.
Biden also beats Trump in TX and all the swing states, and only ties Trump in FL
So, I get the "too liberal" to win the swing state arguments
When you consider that 2/3 of Democrats prefer the moderate's approach to healthcare reform, and that Democrats running for the House and Senate in swing states are already distancing themselves from Warren and Sander's plan that abolishes private insurance, so they can win - that says a lot.
Warren and Sanders have even had to assure union members that they will be exempt from their plan.
Their plan is clearly not a winning proposal and does not poll well, whereas the moderates idea of a buy-in polls well over 75% (Kaiser).
So, for Warren, this is not good.
I agree that there are other moderates besides Biden that could get good traction here, like Klobuchar, and I think O'Rourke is being underestimated as well
5
@Meg "whereas Biden actually beats Trump in polls in AZ."
No, Meg. Don't take too much consideration into winning states like AZ, TX, or NC for Warren. The key states are still FL, MI, MN, OH, PA, and WI, especially winning one of {FL, OH, VA}, given that Warren will firmly win MI, MN, PA, and WI this time.
@VonG
Polls have warren tied with trump in OH and FL with the margin for error in PA. Trump beats her in NC and NV though close there as well (margin for error). It is looking very uncertain for Warren
@Meg. Why are you poring over polls now? Especially candidate polls. They won’t tell you much. If you want to know something now about Election 2020 find a crystal ball.
What Stephens seems to miss is that too many American wallets have been emptied since the 80s. Most are living paycheck to paycheck as critical factors in a good life: health, housing and higher education balloon in cost. The status quo is broken and we need to drastically change course in order to make the American dream a reality again for most.
I simply ask anyone to project out current trends and ask themselves how it ends well?
11
I can't vote for Trump and if the Dems nominate Ms Warren, I'll be forced to write in a candidate. First on the list will be Bret followed Peggy Noonan or Maureen Dowd or David Brooks. Hopefully this won't be necessary if Michael Bloomberg runs as a third party candidate.
@paulm. If you can’t vote for the Democratic nominee, then don’t waste your time going to the polls. A write-in vote in key states will help ensure Trump’s victory. If you want a return to the rule of law, ethics, and greater national security, you have to vote for the Democratic nominee, whoever he or she is. Otherwise, you forfeit any right to complain after 2020 when Trump continues on his path of destruction.
7
If Ms Warren is the Democratic nominee and you do not vote for her, it will mean that our petty, vindictive, proudly-ignorant president will be one vote closer to re-election. And you’re ok with that?
What I dream of is a televised appearance of the three Republicans who are opposing El Trumpo for the nomination. At the first mention of Trump's name, the audience begins to chant: "Send him back! Send him back!"
The question is, back to where? My money is on Florida. Not necessarily Mar-a-Lago, however, because by the time a RICO prosecution finished up, he might be living in The Villages.
9
I urge the readers of the New York Times to go back and examine the campaign that was run in 1988 against Michael Dukakis and the 2004 campaign that was run against John Kerry, because the same campaign will be run against Elizabeth Warren in 2020. And yes all three of these candidates are from my home, Massachusetts. Here is the question, can Elizabeth Warren win Ohio in a general election? As of today the answer is no.
6
I think, alas, that Ohio is lost to the Democrats for the immediate future, regardless of who the Democratic nominee is.
I'm heading more and more to Warren. She about has it all; she's charismatic, warm, thoughtful yet passionate, from humble beginnings and she happens to be brilliant, with a good teacher's way of being about to explain things.
Trump would't know what hit him in a debate either.
9
'Grassroots funding' with $10m big donor seed money seems to complicate Warren's 'Progressive' bonafides. Same with problematic big military budget support in the past. The not-so-subtle trend towards the corporate middle of the party is quite disheartening as well. This will not be lost on a charged and engaged electorate, which is key to D success in the coming election. This also aligns Warren more closely with personalities that unify the Right in opposition, which is troublesome.
1
I used to think like you that " Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system". But now I have doubt.
The two parties are doing too good a job to keep America divided while enriching themselves and stagnating the income of middle class.
Ain't we talking about changes? We don't need cosmetic changes. We need real changes that bridge the inequality gap, to counter the climate changes, to fight the racism and other social injustice. Identity politics is just too divisive.
Then I discovered Andrew Yang. His proposals make the most sense to me. He is intelligent, a political outsider and solution provider. He is winning the voters from left and right.
He is the hope for America.
5
Warren has been my top pick pretty much since the beginning. And for all the hand-wringing about her being a far-leftist (for such radical ideas that the richest country in the world is in fact capable of delivering health care to all its people, and that the world will not end if the uber-rich pay tax rates approaching those of the prosperous 1950s), I think she is the candidate who can thread the needle. She is less radical than Sanders, so moderates will feel relatively safe voting for her, and she is more progressive and more exciting than Biden, so she can bring progressives out to vote.
And, most importantly, she is whip-smart and knows how to get things done in the US government.
11
Message to readers:
Bret wasn't being serious when he wrote that 95% of Americans hate the Patriots. In 2014, both ESPN and AP conducted polls (probably not scientifically valid but that's another issue) in which about half of Americans indicated that they were fans of the NFL. So right there, it's technically impossible for 95% of Americans to hate the Patriots.
In any case, it seems to me that hating the Patriots is absolutely un-American. We're supposed to love winners. The Patriots have done just that for the past 18 years. Considering free agency and the violence of the game, that streak is much more impressive that any other sports record including the Yankees' dominance between the late 40's and early 60's.
3
I am a proud, patriotic NY Giants fan and I am repulsed by the Patriots. Being a patriot and hating the Patriots is not mutually exclusive.
1
@Michael. Nonsense. I'm not an NFL can and I hate the Patriots.
1
". . . I think the Democratic field has some first-rate talents who could beat Trump, but that the party has just discounted: Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar. What is it about them that just doesn’t excite the base?"
Maybe it is because they don't stand for very much of anything? Centrists have learned nothing from 2016. Hillary was not a good candidate precisely because of her relentless pursuit of the middle. Her every move seemed politically calculated and lacking any principle -- she was against a $15 minimum wage until she was for it, for the TPP until she was against it (while having Terry McAullife and other surrogates winking to donors that she was "really" for it) and she courted support from people like Henry Kissinger! Is it any wonder that poll after poll shows the electorate doesn't know what Democrats stand for, except for being anti-Trump? You never see Republicans tacking to the middle -- they learned long ago that in our polarized political environment, the party that wins is the one that can energize its base and get them to the polls, not the one that tacks to the elusive center. "The perfect is the enemy of the good" and "the country's not ready for that" are slogans for putting the base to sleep, not rallying them.
That Bret Stephens has written off Bernie without a shred of supporting evidence is telling -- polls show he would beat Trump handily head to head. Democrats will never win until they stop cringing and start leading.
6
Elizabeth Warren is clearly the most energetic of all the candidates and more alert than Biden. It is likely that she will win both Iowa and New Hampshire and rise to being the front runner. Whether one agrees with her policies or not, Ms warren will emerge as a front runner and the Democrats should nominate her to have any chance at retaking the white house.
9
@Girish Kotwal What you perceive as "energetic" comes across to others as frantic and desperate, a bit scary, definitely not presidential. Of course, next to the abomination that we currently have in the WH anything looks presidential.
1
@AJBF. The one good thing Trump has done is draw the circle (with a Sharpie?) much bigger around who & what can be considered “presidential.” It really is true now that “Anyone can be President.”
Her policies make her unelectable, but should she still win, we'll spend another four years with nothing to show for it. Nobody is going to put the insurance companies out of business, and there are no free colleges nor will there be, and no freedom from paying your tuition bill, either.
5
FiveThirtyEight currently puts Trump's disapproval rating at 54.8% as opposed to an approval rating of 40.9%. Far from fearing Warren's sharpness, most Americans will be delighted to watch her cut him down in the debates.
8
Trump will decline a debate schedule. Might participate in one event.
So what Bret is suggesting is another paralyzed Democratic president. Unless the Republicans adopt and O'Neill approach vs.a Gingrich tact nothing will get done. And this country needs to get some stuff done.
12
I'd like to see Steve Bullock start pulling out from the pack, but the person I really want is Tulsi Gabbard. She is polling at 2% in several polls, but not the polls the DNC is counting. Again I am angry with the DNC. Actually, she and Bullock are the only candidates that I could get excited about. The WAY left, open borders and free everything for everyone candidates, have left this lifetime Democrat behind. Literally every friend I have is a Democrat, and not one of them wants socialism and they want secure borders. The Dems better wake up or we will lose - again!
5
Warren 2020 ! If Warren does not get the nomination, we will all need to get out and vote for the democratic nominee. Let us not do what we did in 2016 by staying home because our candidate did not get the nomination. The stakes are high this time than any other Presidential election in the history of this country. The bar to be the Republican President is set so low, even Joe Walsh sounds like a better choice than what we have now.
19
I don’t understand the spin that has literally become ingrained into citizens will most will have empty wallets if they vote for Warren or for Democrats. In fact, quite the opposite - any multimillionaires slightly affected would live in a country where their family would be able to live in functioning communities. Bret, I think you can have a full wallet and a settled stomach and vote for Warren. Remember, also, that if Republicans have the senate 1/3 of our governmental safeguards will be crippled - due to R’s absolute insistence on stifling Judicial nominations.
1059
@Cynthia Nouri
Certainly the Establishment, while dreading either Warren or Sanders as a Democratic nominee, sees Warren as more acceptable, as her foreign policy is “the usual”.
Sanders and Warren have similarly wonderful economic and domestic policies, but they differ significantly on foreign policy where presidents have the most power to act without Congress.
Obama became president, having minimal knowledge or interest in world history and foreign policy, and he inadvertently wrecked Libya and Syria and oversaw the rise of ISIS, oversaw the military metastasizing ISIS over the globe, and created avoidable conflict with Russia over Ukraine.
Warren, too, has minimal knowledge of world history and foreign affairs. Those advising her are from the Washington foreign policy establishment, boding little change.
While Sanders passion for forty years has been improving the lives of ALL working people, he has always cared about foreign policy. Sanders gut instinct is a demilitarized, diplomacy oriented foreign policy. Only Sanders has the vision and courage to stand up to the extraordinarily powerful, Washington foreign policy establishment and the military industrial complex.
The US desperately needs a foreign policy that makes the world more stable and sustainable.
13
@Cynthia Nouri
It's simple: Propaganda works. Republicans are now deploying the campaign they would've used had Sanders become the nominee in 2016. They just say "socialism" over and over. They don't even need to back it up with facts, since their base buys it hook, line and sinker.
77
@Lucy Cooke --- Wrecking Libya and Syria was started by the invasion of Iraq by Bush which destabilized the region allowing the rise of Isis (promoted by the Saudis) The Republicans blocked Clinton's requests for funding for Embassy/consulate security which led to Benghazi. Put the blame where it belongs. Obama may have made some errors but they were there to be made because the Republicans created the root problems.
129
On voting for Elizabeth Warren if you are a Republican "Never Trumper" -- Every candidate's so called promises are really nothing more than a window into one's overall governing philosophy. For instance no candidate will successfully get rid of private health insurance, but setting that as an aspirational goal tells us how they think and feel. Thus Warren is for the little guy, but no one should be scared of her progressive policies. They are only a way to say how she thinks.
1194
@Mark Cohn - In the same vein, agree that Dems should not nominate someone who does not lead Republican President 45* by double digits in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania polling of registered voters.
Voters need to see Dem candidates meeting with farm families in those states, where farmers are losing markets it took 30 years to build up, and where farm foreclosures and farmer suicides are spiking - the very human toll of deliberate GOP'er policies.
152
@Mark Cohn
Thanks for pointing to a reality that a single presidential nominee is not going to deliver us from the evil and gridlock in DC, because that's not how politics works. Gotta win the Senate as well, deal with the entrenched interests with deep pockets, etc.
The only reason to fear Warren, and Stephens should know this, is a (debatable) concern that she will scare off too many swing voters next fall compared to Biden. And this only matters at the nomination stage.
Voting third party is not an option in 2020, Bret.
139
@Mark Cohn
I'm willing to bet, though, that if Warren alters her stance to Medicare for all who want to buy in/public option, she wins the nomination.
The fact is, a lot of people are afraid of the "Big Change", but it's also untrue that most people are really satisfied with their employer provided insurance (at least those who have that); they get security from it until they have to actually use it and fight for authorizations and permissions and the like. A buy in would gradually shift people out of their employer provided insurance while still leaving room for those profit-making companies to offer supplemental policies; we might wind up with a system more like Germany's than Canada's, but it would still be better than what we have now, and it would give both the covered and the coverers time to adjust.
49
In the days after I attended Elizabeth’s kickoff in Lawrence Massachusetts, I reported back to my friends that her speech was elegant and her rationale was clear.
And I didn’t think she could win.
Now, I think she can win. No one will fight harder and smarter than Elizabeth. No one has as good a premise for their candidacy. No one has as compelling a life story.
I’m getting excited.
1432
@Cousy I couldn't agree more. Her virtues are the precise antidote to the horrors of the Trump disaster. Democrats need to get over this electability fetish. Who thought Trump was electable? Warren will excite the electorate and will win, hands down.
226
@Cousy
If you think no one has as compelling a life story, you clearly have no idea what Bernie's is. Trust me, it beats Elizabeth's, but he won't talk about it. He focuses on policy, not pathos. It is unfortunate because he fore-goes a powerful tool in the campaign.
Personally, I think it is because it is still too painful for him to remember the year when, as a senior in high school/freshman in college, he cared for his dying mother whose health care the family could not afford.
Bernie's story makes a family bankruptcy - which is indeed tragic - seem more mundane by comparison.
23
@ManhattanWilliam
Doesn't have the personality, too professorial? How many Warren speeches and talks have you actually watched and heard? She is incredibly passionate and fiery in her delivery, and she connects with voters/attendees at every event she speaks at! Moreover, she boils down all of her positions and policy papers [those, on the other hand, ARE too professorial] when she speaks, into easily understandable sound bites and remarks! I have heard many law professors in my time, and she is light years away from the rest of them, in terms of personality, passion, and purpose! She will make a great nominee and candidate, and of course she will tack to the center after nominated. And if all Trump has to attack her with is Pocohantas, then bring it on! Every such attack will only add to her base, and will add nothing to his base, if not erode it. Finally, she is capitalist for all, not socialism - that attack might work against avowed democratic socialist Bernie, but it won't work against Warren.
71
"Bret: At this point, she’s (Elizabeth Warren) almost tempting me, on the theory that an empty wallet beats an upset stomach."
Bret Stephens reveals his true small self for all the world to see.
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
- John Kenneth Galbraith
What is about infrastructure, mass transit, public schools, voting rights, affordable healthcare, campaign finance corruption, environmental protection, consumer protection and the common good that so offends Republican voters ?
That they might have to pay for a little civilization.
Sad.
325
@Socrates Thank you for sharing that Galbraith quote!
14
@Ryan
Yes, because whites make significantly more money than minorities, some of whom, although working, pay no taxes because they don't make enough money to break through the glass ceiling to taxable income.
But you did remind us that it's all about money: I've got mine, so forget you.
13
@Ryan
Actually, it's the one percent and the corporations that pay no taxes and hoard their billions overseas.
13
Senator Warren is a bit nerdy and definitely comes across as one of your junior high school teachers. But there's something refreshing about that.
She's sincere, went into politics reluctantly and for a clear public service cause and she's smart as a whip. We want a president who reads more than cue cards and can figure things out.
Stephens of course is cut from the neoconservative crowd so Warren's focus on corporate domination of our political economy won't appeal to him. But that's understandable. He gets paid quite well to be their mouthpiece. The rest of us have to live with their destruction of our democracy and planet.
I think Warren can beat Trump because she is just as relentless with her facts and figures as Trump is with his lies. She also conservative enough on some issues, like defense, to appeal to middle of the road Democrats.
My preference is still Bernie, but Warren is my number two. The major media keep propping up Biden but his time has come and gone.
We need some fundamental change, not a new program here or there. Obama promised it and then became Wall Streets guy. Hopefully Bernie or Warren can actually deliver.
20
Kirk here - I don’t have a vote but my hopes rest with Warren and a younger candidate for VP. Sanders has done honourable service and can retire with great dignity.
6
Umm, the Patriots represent a lot of things, many quite good. Like discipline, hard work, strategy, excellence over a long time. Sort of like the Yankees who are hated around the league too. Bob Kraft is loathsome, the Patriots and Tom Brady? Not so much.
1
@Denis
I think the point being made is that most Americans don't view the Patriots favorably. The reasons why are irrelevant. The stats (95%) speak for themselves.
1
@John The 95% stat is made-up. I doubt that 50% of Americans even care about the NFL. Of those that do, maybe half "hate" the Pats.
There are no nationwide surveys conducted on Patriots-hatred. One only needs to view the stadiums when the Patriots play away from home to understand that they have fans everywhere - and rightfully so because they do what most Americans think is admirable, that is win.
1
Again, it’s not about swaying the Trump voters, which is a waste of time. It’s about mobilizing the complacent and demoralized voters, and turning out the vote, regardless of the Democratic candidate.
20
Enough hyperventillation folks. President Warren will not with the stroke of a pen implement every idea she has trotted out. She will be able to do is to install a cabinet to pursue her progressive agenda, but she still must convince the Congress to go along for the ride. Best case scenario: 250 Democrats in the House and 52 Democrats (including the two independents) in the Senate. There will not be M4A or a Green New Deal, but there may very well be a public option. Taxes will go up for the wealthiest Americans and there may very well be a wealth tax. We will re-engage with Iran, return to the Paris Climate accord, attack global warming in a serious way, put a price on carbon and pursue carbon sequestration, end the idiotic trade wars that are punishing farmers, and replace a retiring Justice Ginsburg with a liberal. But the idea that electing Warren will pave the way for radical leftism is silly. What Americans wanted in 2016 was to change the status quo and real reform. We got Trump: a man bereft of ideas beyond himself. You can't effect real reform without big ideas. And big ideas require buy-in to enact them and that means compromise on the specifics. Radical? Hardly. After all, at this point, a return to the Eisenhower Administration would be almost as a big swing to the left.
981
@G. James
Perfect summation of Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. I live in southern Maine, and have seen many candidates at forums in NH. Warren is the real deal.
43
@G. James: Thanks! This is one of the best, most hopeful, thoughtful posts I’ve seen in the NYT, maybe ever!
34
@G. James
Why is it silly? What assurances do we have that she won't eliminate private healthcare or abolish ICE? These are legitimate concerns about her platform.
2
"The Patriots are loathsome. Ninety-five percent of America hates them,"
Bret, this is probably the first time in my life I can say, I'm in the top 5%. Hailing from Boston, it's been a pleasure to watch the Pats these past years. And boy did they trounce the Steelers or what. And our youngest son has a bet on that they'll go undefeated this year.
Thank you Gail and Bret, so enjoy reading "The Conversation".
3
If you really want her to win someone needs to tell her to stop the Angry Act. She has been stomping around quite stoked up lately and that may get her the Nomination, but she won't beat Mr. Trump by being Angry.
3
@GregP. Why nkt. It works for him.
2
I have never told anybody, but I hoped Elizabeth Warren would run for President in 2006 but she didn't. 2014 I had the same wish, again there was Clinton, this time she became the nominee, even though Sanders had the momentum.
Now in 2019, I sit at my screen and smile. Finally, my secret wish has come true. Will she be the nominee? Most likely not. After all, she is a female, she is smart, articulate and a fighter. She is passionate, she is passionate for America and Americans. Just listen to her!
She stands up for the little guy, that's all she ever fought for. Yes, it would be my wish to see her be the first female President of the United States and with that Sanity and Intelligence would move back into the White House.
9
"But Trump appears to be perfectly indifferent to what the return of the Taliban would mean to the Afghan people, particularly Afghan women."
If Trump negotiated with the Taliban the same way he negotiated with Kim Jong-un, then I dare say the Afghan women dodged a bullet. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have negotiating on my behalf than Donald Trump. If he'd reached the bargaining table, those women wouldn't have been a speck in his thought bubble. This was all and only about his lust for the Nobel.
3
@D Price
Needless to say I meant "I can't think of anyone I'd rather NOT have negotiating on my behalf than Donald Trump."
@D Price
Most sites have an 'edit' button that is enabled for a few minutes after the post to allow you to correct that kind of thing. It was needless to say though your meaning was clear enough.
The media frenzy about "doctoring the map" has helped Trump, as the Fortune article clarified the time line which showed that Trump tweeted on Sunday and even on Monday there was a likelihood of Alabama being hit even by models tracked by National Weather Service.
Media, along with other Trump critics, took such mere projections on an arbitrary map as the Bible only because they wanted to use it to make Trump look bad - it was obvious.
Any scientist worth his salt understands that there is substantial uncertainty in models and projections and the lines that are drawn between Fla Panhandle and Alabama are arbitrary.
Media are now at the lowest approval ever historically, so anything that gets them outraged to the point of looking foolish like this Alabama projection helps Trump.
Trump is the culmination of decades of GOP “ Greed is Good “ and trickle UP Economic theory, inbred with TV Celebrity.
If not for a Rich Father, He would be selling Timeshares at a Fly by night, exceedingly tacky “ Resort “ on the Gulf Coast.
The ultimate Huckster.
8
Stephens is absolutely correct in saying that the Democratic primary race will come down to Biden-Warren. And Warren will overtake him because she has energy, ideas, and authenticity with her personal story. She actually should be ground zero of the Trump demographic considering where she came from. She will excite the almost as much as Obama did. I can’t wait to see her eviscerate Trump in the debates!!
1
I think Sanders is the only person though enough to take on Trump. Biden and Warren will be chewed up and spit out by Trump and his Tweets. The dirt is already being shoveled by the Republican smear machine.
2
Bret informs us, the "Patriots are loathsome. Ninety-five percent of America hates them, with excellent reason.."
Meanwhile only 60 percent of America hates the much more loathsome non-patriots, Trump and Republicans in Congress.
The contrast between hatred of a sports team in a national pastime and hatred of an unpatriotic, unAmerican political party and their leader who together are an existential threat to the country, only demonstrates to the world how messed up America is.
Too bad the retiring Republicans aren't retiring from the Senate.
2
I’d prefer Buttigieg over Warren. I prefer Biden over Warren as long as he pledges to have all the other candidates in his cabinet, less DeBlasio. I think Klobuchar is a better candidate than Warren. She seems to me more grounded in reality. I also hope for a Democratic House and Senate so we can regain our democracy as well as allow RBG to retire. And I would certainly prefer less football talk!
1
Bret Stephens dislikes the Patriots. Likely to be the only thing we ever have in common.
"So that leaves the Democratic race coming down to a race between Warren and Joe Biden — that is, between a blade most Americans may find too sharp and one they fear is too dull."
Great line! Right to the point. Yes, this democrat feels like a piece of demographic meat sliced, skewered and confused. I won't go into details, but Warren doesn't represent me and Biden can't represent me.
Football is a terrible metaphor. I prefer the old, "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out."
Did Trump root for Medvedev in the US Open?
3
Warren is clearly superior to the rest of the pack. Her grasp of each significant issue and her passion for doing the right thing for Americans who are not filthy rich is inspiring and sets her apart. Pundits are asserting Biden is best positioned to beat Trump but I would suspect Trump's camp has the greatest fear of Warren. She's smart enough to realize she'll have to smooth out some of the more radical proposals in the general election and she'll do just that. If she's the nominee Trump will not debate her because he knows she would wipe the floor with him.
634
@nzierler That would be great, if being smart and well spoken and understanding specific issues were actually things that were valued in the United States.
Being smart is a point AGAINST her, not a point for her, in somewhere between one third and half of all American states.
8
@Samuel
Well, let’s not forget that Warren was an exemplary teacher. She is extraordinarily good at breaking down complex stuff to make it understandable. And she can analyze a problem, conceive of a solution and use her smarts and savvy to implement it. See the CFPB in this regard.
26
@Samuel I agree that intelligence of the candidate certainly did not factor in the 2016 election but enough intelligent swing voters are now on to Trump's sham of a presidency and they will decide the election.
8
Let's hope the Republicans lose one Congressman (Bishop) today in the North Carolina redo of 2018 Election. Dan McCready is 36, his G.O.P. opponent is 55. A generational difference which will give us Americans the knowledge of which way the wind may blow for next year's general election.
If McCready, the moderate Dem Marine in a wholly Red district, wins tonight, we'll figure he's the bellwether for Democratic victories next year. If Dan Bishop wins, then Trump's and Pence's stumping for him bore some kind of strange fruit.
Can't comment on Elizabeth Warren. She's a woman with a plan (several plans) and is in Trump's age cohort (the 70s). Isn't it high time for a newer broom to sweep clean? Like JFK in 1960, RFK in 1968, Clinton in 1990, Obama in 2008? The new Gen Y voters may well consider age, race, gender, and surprise us all with their choices next year.
1
Thank you for an interesting dialogue. I agree that a person of character and intelligence who is elected will learn and grow in the position, and compromise appropriately so that actual policies will be moderated from proposals.
But enough already on the doomed headlines for stories about Warren.
The truly shocking headline is "Biden Persists". Democrats favoring Biden for qualities extrapolated from his perceived respectable appearance are the shadow side of Republicans favoring Trump--unwillingness to take personal responsibility to examine content and reality. I have never said this in any other election, but if Biden is the Democratic candidate, I will vote a third party or write-in. Whatever the cost, my vote will be my vote of conscience. Pardon the dramatics.
2
No. This is a race between a candidate for president and a candidate for dictator. Doesn’t matter who the candidate for president is - a vote for the dictator or a third party candidate will help to insure that you won’t have to vote in another presidential election.
1
Oh, yes.
I think Senator Warren has Trump's number.
And she knows exactly how to dial it and what to say.
She will be a remarkable, dedicated and globally respected first woman president.
9
Elizabeth Warren is electrifying. People just cannot accept how well read, accurate in her assessments and progressive policies she is.
I dream of Elizabeth Warren for President and Stacy Abrams for Vice President.
That would energize, women, minorities, and all who want a competent, well informed, executive.
15
I love Senator Warren and nearly everything she believes in, but she will not defeat BabyHands Trump in a General Election. She's not mean enough, and I can't see her sinking to his level effectively, which is ultimately what will be needed to defeat him. I would love to see her appointed to the Supreme Court, or given the Chair of an important Senate committee (My choice would be Judiciary or Budget), but I do not think she will win a general election against President BabyHands, and in 2020 winning is far more important than ideology at this point.
1
Folks, remember your history. It's way early days in this race. In 1992, when Dems were running against George HW Bush (who was very popular) most folks thought Bush was a done deal. The top Dem vote getter at the beginning of the primary season was Tom Harkin, not Bill Clinton, who was WAY at the bottom. Enough with the hand-wringing about Warren and how she is too far left to beat Trump and therefore the Dems will not win in 2020. Not where I come from (Arkansas).
6
We probably will end up with divided government after 2020. But as Gail points out, the Senate would swing from a presidential rubber-stamp to perpetual obstruction. And that's the more damaging thing about our system. One person -- King McConnell or whoever is the majority leader -- is allowed to wield far more power than he/she deserves because of the Senate's rules. The rules need to be changed so things get debated and voted on. If they really like their filibuster they can keep it, but votes must be taken so that citizens can hold Senators accountable at the ballot box.
8
I am not worried that a Democrat would bring a socialist state to America. It will never happen. The views of the candidates on health care are varied, but the basic premise is that they all believe that Americans should have universal health care. These ideas will be debated, even among Republicans, and I would suggest that a sensible solution would arise. Whoever wins the nomination will have ample advice from the roster of thoughtful candidates, and any solution would be better than anything that Trump could possible imagine. He's an empty shell and a thoughtless, morally bankrupt person.
23
40% of all Americans can't afford a $400 emergency. Those empty wallets are courtesy of the GOP and the 1%. It's telling that Bret is concerned about his wallet but not the rest of America's.
87
@Shannon "It's telling that Bret is concerned about his wallet but not the rest of America's."
Or I'd suggest that your wallet leads you to the name on the ballot you root for.
But we have a huge chunk of the voter bloc called "middle class" that are hard to figure out their self-recognition of their wallet. Do they think they've paid too much in taxes to help the "poor"? Or do they think they've gained too little from the GDP growth? There is such a razor-thin difference between the two perceptions among those voters that can tilt the 2020 election again.
How to win these voters over this time?
2
Warren not only persists but her poll numbers are rising.
Trump couldn't be more delighted.
She represents the extreme left of the party, the friendly face of the Bernie wing.
Bernie, the man who took his honeymoon in the Soviet Union where he sang communist songs, the man who wants to be the Democratic nominee but, to this day, refuses to become a Democrat, is a proud Socialist.
Warren, who is tied at the hip to America's most famous Socialist, parrots the exact same policies.
This due is even more left than the lands they praise like Canada and Sweden. They will ban all private health insurance, something which will only alienate the millions of Americans who will thus lose their workplace related healthcare.
They will increase the role of government in our lives and forbid any real choice for all of us.
And, most importantly, they will give Trump four more years to wreck this land.
They both must be roundly defeated and their hostile takeover of the Democratic party rejected.
Let them run a Socialists if they want to be elected.
4
@simon sez--Warren supports a national health care plan, the Green New Deal and a $15 minimum wage, all of which will benefit working-class Americans, funded through higher taxes on the wealthy. Unless you're one of the wealthy that will be taxed more, what's not to like? (BTW, as a millionaire herself, her plan would increase her own taxes.) She has defined herself as a capitalist who thinks the system needs fairer rules. She's not wrong about that. If you listen to her, you'll find that she's concerned with families and working people. Isn't that what most Americans are?
What's Trump done for regular Americans? I can't name one thing. My life is no different, no better than it was in 2016. If he devoted as much time to thinking about Americans as he does to Central American migrants we might all be in much better shape about now. But, his time is taken up with Twitter feuds, golfing and his obsession with immigrants. He's got no time left over for American families and their problems.
6
@simon sez
Your post shows just how far to the right our political views have been pulled over the last fifty years. Nothing Warren is proposing would have been considered "extreme left" in the 1960s, and your tone of "If Warren is elected the sky will fall" strikes me as a talking point from right-wing talk radio and Fox News.
I'm afraid of Trump because what he has already done is frightful. I'm not afraid of a sane Democrat who wants the bounty of our country to be shared by everyone. Warren's campaign song should come from Woody Guthrie: "This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land, This Land Was Made for You and Me."
2
I want Elizabeth Warren for Secretary of the Treasury. She would be the greatest since Alexander Hamilton.
7
Thank you Bret and Gail, I needed your humor. Trying to get through this time is difficult. Thank goodness I have many friends who feel like I do, we couldn’t deal with this Reality Show without each other. I especially thank Bret for his ability to see past all the nonsense coming from the WH and the silence that comes from the Senate.
3
Bret is extremely humorless.
There is well over a year until the presidential election, and almost a year until the Democratic convention.
Somewhere there may be a golden escalator that someone who no one is talking about at the moment may ride down into what may seem at this time like an improbable Democratic presidential candidacy lead, an individual who may actually end up saving the Democratic party from itself. Could that someone be, say, Tom Steyer? He has already been discounted by some pundits apparently suffering from billionaire exhaustion, but he does have some very reasonable ideas. His voice needs to be heard on the national stage.
Stay tuned.
1
Uhm. No it couldn’t. Steyer is an ego driven empty shirt.
1
@DJ McConnell
Tom Steyer made his billions off of oil sands and private prisons. Is that really the kind of standard bearer you seek?
Trump fears running against Biden, but would love to run against Sanders or Warren. Why?
Biden easily captures the disenchanted moderates, Independents (me) and even some right-of-center Republicans. That robs Trump of the key swing votes he's going to need to win. He's hugely popular among African Americas, will hold the base and win handily in swing states because he is the only candidate that can give the left and the middle enough of what they collectively want to safely secure their votes. With Biden, suddenly the Electoral College isn't a problem for Democrats.
But a Warren or Sanders candidacy changes everything. Right or wrong, true or false, they are far enough left to give Trump the ammunition he'll need to woo the middle back to his side. Case in point - 55% of Americans do not support single-payer healthcare, yet both candidates are on the record supporting it. 67% of Americans do not support decriminalizing illegal border crossings, but both candidates support the idea. Etc. etc. etc.
5
@John
It's becoming obvious to me that the US amongst so-called Western nations is the mentally challenged member of the family. Slavery was illegal in much of the western world by 1830 - without a war being fought, and by about 1880 even in the backward parts of the western hemisphere.
The sheer nonsense about single payer healthcare... is just that... and Bush and Congress in 2003 with their gouge the American public with high drug prices act?? unbelievable. Somehow single payer - with various modifications in other places does seem to work just fine.
Other countries are serious about education and it's usually not conflated with soccer. Education is for those who qualify and not everyone does. Fewer legacy admission, student loans which cannot be discharged via bankruptcy -- high tuitions because?? they can!
If there was less OVERPOPULATION there might be less of an immigration situation. BTW exactly what does decriminalization mean? Does this mean that illegals will not be sent back to country of citizenship/origin? I don't know the details. OTOH what is the history of the US as regards immigration quotas -- when were these first set?? I am only aware of the horrible actions of FDR pre WWII in not permitting German Jews in even when there was space so to speak...
1
My comment is only about Elizabeth Warren.
She is the best campaigner and as bright as any candidate and has a likable way about her but she is not my choice because the average American worker won't vote for her because of MONEY!
Money (income) is still the #1 issue of the American voter but senator Warren insists that workers insurance will no longer be paid by their employer.
Most american workers feel that Ms. Warren's idea for health coverage will affect them negatively so she had little chance of winning.
I think that Biden, Warren is a good ticket as she has the brains and Joe Biden (In his own way) will get the vote for president. It's as good a combination as any.
The candidates pushing for Medicare for All will not have the vote of the average american worker because most american worker's insurance is now being paid for by their employer and money counts in this society.
Money is even more important than Elizabeth Warren with her ideas. Most of her ideas are good but taking away employer paid insurance is a sure loser .
4
@M.W. Endres Most Americans don't get their insurance from their employer. It's less than half. Still a substantial number, but not "most".
Additionally, Medicare is better than any private insurance plan offered anywhere in the United States, either to an individual or to a corporation. People love Medicare, so I don't understand why everyone gets so upset about just expanding it to all ages, instead of 65+ or whatever the age limit is now.
Medicare is accepted by the VAST majority of doctors in the country, it spends less on administration costs and overhead than any private insurance company, and it gets you results just as quickly. What is the problem exactly, with a system that works so well for EVERY OTHER FIRST WORLD COUNTRY ON THE PLANET?
6
@M.W. Endres
"Most of her ideas are good but taking away employer paid insurance is a sure loser."
I got my company paid insurance taken away. The private school at which I taught, folded. Bye, bye health insurance.
A conservative friend of mine has a sister who is very ill. Fortunately, she had insurance. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to his sister, there was a time limit to how long you can use it. Of course, there was no time limit as to how long she could pay into it.
People who love their company insurance have never needed their company insurance. This is an exaggeration of course, but knowing what I know, people being fearful of Elizabeth Warren taking away their private insurance is a sick joke. (Pun intended.)
8
Mr Stephens. You are a very smart person. If given the choice between Trump and Warren, how could you even hesitate? Seriously?
You're also making the case for a division between the three branches of government - this will likely happen in 2020 (GOP senate, DEM house). In other words, a potential president Warren would be subjected to the checks and balances and couldn't simply, say, abolish all private health insurance.
You know very well that a president Warren wouldn't be able to implement half of what she is now proposing, and the things she will implement won't nearly go as far as she wants.
So why the hesitation? I simply don't get it, especially given the fact that not voting for the Democratic nominee is a vote for Trump. Why, just why?
42
@Fred Wyler
Let me offer a response, for arguments sake. Please note that I don't subscribe to this, but its a narrative I've heard that may gain traction if Warren is the nominee.
First, Warren is an academic. She is not a natural speaker and can sometimes talk down to people. Right or wrong, "likability" is a real thing and it matters. A CNN poll of likely NH voters found that less than 10% of those polled found Warren "likable".
Second, Warren supports some policy ideas that are very unpopular with a majority of Americans. This includes Medicare-for-all, Reparations, decriminalizing illegal border crossings, etc.
Third, Warren has struggled to win over moderates and independents - in her home state - which potentially shows a weakness that could translate to a national election. Warren is actually #5 on the list of the top 10 most UNPOPULAR senators, with a 41% disapproval rating in Massachusetts.
Fourth, Warren's policies align too closely with the Squad, which could be toxic considering they are viewed overwhelmingly negatively by Americans outside of their districts.
Any one of the above considerations or issues could push an undecided voter over to Trump. The biggest folly in politics is assuming that everyone things like you do. What's rational to you may be irrational to someone else.
1
@Fred Wyler
Bret Stephens is a Republican and like all Republicans, they really could care less about anything but themselves.
Stephens demands a candidate who will do everything he wants or he plans to help elect Trump. That is the choice that most Republicans believe is their right - give us everything we want or we will continue to allow Trump to do whatever he wants to the most vulnerable children. What truly ugly people deep down. Their only loyalty is to themselves.
2
@John
What we learned in 2016 was that it was fine for a major party candidate (like Trump) to be incredibly unlikeable and spend his time specifically alienating huge swaths of the American public with racist and xenophobic campaigning.
What works is exciting your base. That was clear from Trump's victory even if he didn't manage to get a majority of voters. He got them where he needed them because his supporters came out and despite a majority of people not liking Trump, those people didn't bother to show up at the polls.
She is smart enough, she has enough energy and integrity for the job. But sorry to say, for the USA she's too far left. Gauge this country on the right left political scale versus other G7 countries and we are further right than most. Pelosi has it correct - Dems must own the middle. I am afraid we are (again) going to lose another sure-thing election.
7
@Realworld Yeah, that's ridiculous. Democrats must be moderates because Republicans are so much radically further to the right than the actual population is? The population overall might be closer to center-right than center-left, but that doesn't mean Democrats must ignore progressive values, and move further to the right in order to match the Republicans who charge as far to the right as they possibly can, as fast as they possibly can.
Most people in America don't support putting children in cages. Most people in America don't support allowing mining companies to poison our waterways with impunity. Most people in America don't support the complete and unfettered access to firearms for anyone who wants one. Most people in America don't support women being unable to make medical decisions about their own bodies. Most people in America don't support giving some people fewer civil rights than other people. Most people in America don't support blithely watching as the Earth tries to wipe us off its face.
Right-wingers do NOT represent the majority, and saying that Democrats must abandon all progressive ideology to pander to a radically reactionary Republican party is absolutely absurd.
2
@Realworld Maybe it’s time to stop being afraid!
2
Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems to me that the person who runs the most effective primary campaign is the candidate most likely to beat Trump. Isn't that the point of the primaries? Those candidates who are not gaining traction in the primary, though they may be very capable people, are, by definition, not running the most effective campaigns. How could they win a general election if they can't even excite their base?
With regard to Republican retirements, a significant number could easily have won re-election, so it is not that they think they will lose their election. Maybe they are just frustrated at being caught between Trump and the demands of their billionaire bankrollers, which they cannot accommodate with the House controlled by Democrats.
9
@CH
Without the middle, that is, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, moderates and independents, we won't get the White House. These states are not bastions of liberal progressives. If four more years of President Trump is not enough to excite the base, then they will deserve another Trump term. Unfortunately, the only candidate that can draw the middle is Biden. It's too bad that Bulluck entered so late because no one know who he is.
1
@CH
" Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems to me that the person who runs the most effective primary campaign is the candidate most likely to beat Trump. "
With some exception, primary voters are Democrats or Republicans choosing their candidate from within the party. In the general election the voters are from both parties (plus a significant number of independents) and cover a broader political spectrum.
Different audience, potentially different result.
It's possible for a candidate to win primaries with great enthusiasm only to see their campaign fall flat in the general. Also possible that a candidate who failed in the primaries could win the general thanks to independent voters if they had the chance.
At this stage of the game predictions are about as trustworthy as a White House hurricane forecast...
2
Gotta love Liz and her passionate persistence. But, as a fellow progressive Democratic, you have to wonder whether "Medicare-for-All" that would totally restructure one-fifth of our economy which is not close to being capitalism since there's no free-market choice as with the "public option" is one plan too much for most independents and moderate Democrats. Then there's her personality. Is she too much the thinking wonky professor and too little the feeling compassionate person that Beto and Biden are? After the immense psychic damage of Donald Trump people may want a "wounded healer" and father figure like Biden over a torrent of "plans" that may ignore how people feel. So far, that seems to be the case despite all Biden's "foot-in-the-mouth" gaffes. They seem to have the endearing effect of making him all the more human rather than a hard-nosed polished professional politician.
4
@Paul Wortman
If you insist on identifying as "democrat"....there is absolutely no way you can be "progressive".
The Democrat Party stands firmly in defense of a Status Quo that fossilized sometime back in the 1960s.....
Democrats insist on condemning the Military-Industrial Complex as something "the republicans" thought up....when in fact, the Complex is vital to the whole New Deal structure, now 80 years OLD.
Its no longer progressive.
Its a creaky old bureaucracy, run by the Democrat Party for patronage.....just as a similar Soviet Bureaucracy was once run by the Communist Party.
This seems easy for me. Offer Medicare as a public option for all, then show a third grade bar chart showing the cost of Medicare along with the increased taxes vs employer-sponsored insurance. Make sure you offer something like Medigap to keep the deductibles and out of pocket low.
I’m on Medicare and keep hearing horror stories about ridiculous deductibles and premiums from my kids who have employer offered insurance. I had to have insurance when I had a small business and could only afford catastrophic coverage, paying more than I am now for Medicare.
Medicare works for millions and should be made available to all. A big problem I see is the appearance of “forcing” Medicare on people (remember the early days of Obamacare?). Offer it as an option and IMHO things will take care if themselves.
2
@Paul Wortman
So interesting.... so it really is all about sex....and charisma...
I find neither O-Rourke nor Biden compassionate -- charming and manipulative definitely… Trump of course is the consummate bully posing as business man.
I did not expect to like Warren but I do and I find the Oklahoma part of the woman shines thru. (Blunt!)
1
Bret Stephens should realign his perceptions of what is "left" and what is "right" in politics. Having lived and worked on both sides of the ocean, I can confirm that in Europe someone like Elizabeth Warren would probably be running for a position such as chief of the European Central Bank or some other major economic policy-making institution. By no stretch of the imagination would anyone consider her "too left wing" here. Her ideas are basic common sense in most European countries: health care, workers' rights, old age pensions, high quality affordable education, equality of opportunity, environmental protection, regulation of the financial industry, regulation of polluting industries, regulation of monopolies... America stands alone among advanced OECD countries in denying its citizens these basic protections.
It is not Elizabeth Warren that's too far to the left: it's America that has veered so far to the right that it can't even see the left shore anymore.
546
@Andy
Interesting, but not unexpected coming from someone from Europe. Of course applying the standards and expectations from a country completely and utterly divorced from the reality on the ground here in America doesn't make much sense. Here, socialism is still largely a dirty word.
A Monmouth University Poll survey released in May found that 57 percent of voters believe that socialism is incompatible with American values, compared to 29 percent who said it is compatible. So yes, in America, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders still have a long way to go to convince people that socialism is better than capitalism.
That's not because America has veered to the right. It's because Americans value competition, choice and freedom above all else. It's why a single-payer healthcare system is opposed by 67% of Americans (published in the NYT yesterday).
8
@Andy "It is not Elizabeth Warren that's too far to the left: it's America that has veered so far to the right "
So true, Ronald Reagan, even Richard Nixon would be considered "too liberal" for today's conservatives or republicans.
81
@AndyNever sure of what the point of that common observation is ? No doubt what goes for "left " in America is quite different than the edges in various European countries but as we are speaking of American politicians and the American electorate the fact that say Bernie Sanders is no Jeremy Corbyn doesn't signify very much in my opinion .
1
Loathsome? The Pats?
I'm guessing that Bret Stephens has never seen Super Bowl 49. Particularly the end.
I'm also guessing that he hasn't seen last Sunday's game against the Steelers.
Good storytellers will tell you that the best characters aren't the heroes, but the villains. The Patriots are great opponents because they have smarts, talent and a higher degree of discipline than most other NFL teams where the emphasis is on individual stars. It's therefore a badge of honour to win against the Patriots, but if you lose, how you react to that loss is a great measurement of the health of the team's collective ego.
8
@Victor Wong
Easy, Victor II, Bret was being deliberately hyperbolic to stess his wish that all that enmity should be unleashed in a safe place, like a manly discussion of why we all hate the Pats.
Which is, objectively, true.
@Victor Wong
Loathsome may be a bit strong but outside New England- and apparently parts of Anglo-Canada- everybody hates them.
I'm sorry but Ms Warren just doesn't exude the leadership quality or skills required for the job (everyone don't go crazy cause I'm not implying that the current white house occupant does). We need serious leadership, not constant twitter feeds or plans to give away all of the money we have just to solve perceived social injustice. I personally don't care what party a candidate is from as long as they can get the country back on a even keel.
13
@S W Slover
She’s tough. She’s bold. She has a vision for a better America. She wants to address basic kitchen table issue and long-term problems.
Those are the very qualities of real leadership.
Her major plans can be easily funded by a combination of restoring truly progressive tax rates, taxing wealth, taxing inheritances, taxing short-term financial training, instituting progressive Social Security taxation, ending corporate welfare especially to Big Oil, Big Coal, and Big Pharm, reversing Trump’s tax cut giveaways, and slashing spending on the military-industrial complex by a third to a half.
Don’t fall for the rightwing, 1%, political elite arguments that her programs can’t be funded. It seems that argument only gets brought up when the plans are progressive ones that would help the majority of people, but never when it’s throwing money at defense or giving it to the rich and corporations.
26
@S W Slover
Stealing a cue from Socrates, please explain what leadership skills are? It is always one of those vague accusations thrown out, and it is hard to grasp what it is that others see.
I think she has them: the ability to stand up and keep going; the ability to explain complicated ideas in an understandable manner; an understanding of the underlying problems; a willingness to utilize others' expertise are a few.
15
@S W Slover
SW, watch E. Warren win the nod, because she's flat out out working everyone else. I sense, or certainly hope, there's a pragmatic side to her that will emerge as she begins to wrap things up.
5
If checks and balances means not resolve our problems, how can that be good? Sometimes we need a government that can get things done, and in this deliberately infused age of division, that will entail controlling the legislative and the executive. Destructive extremism will be checked by the courts, the more moderate wing of the party in control, without whose assent no legislation will be passed, and by public opinion.
At this time Elizabeth Warren strikes me as the most qualified candidate. I don't believe she is right on M4A - I prefer a Medicare Choice type of system where individuals can buy in and employers are required to do so in if they don't subscribe to a private plan - but that's about it. She believes in free enterprise but understands that freedom is not a blank check. With freedom comes responsibility and corporations and wealthy individuals are not being held adequately accountable, largely because, as she points out, the system is corrupted by money. Lots of it.
Elizabeth Warren can win. Why not? Why, over a year before the election, does media keep spreading the idea that she can't? Instead of conducting polls, and drawing conclusions from them, and in so doing encouraging the visceral over the informed, present detailed policies and the rationale behind them. If we can move beyond soundbites Elizabeth Warren is the clear front runner, and I hope, naturalization processing speed willing, to cast my first vote in a Presidential election for her.
53
@Roger C
I feel you've covered Warren's positions.
And the fact that the media - inadvertently - strengthens the "meme" that she's "too radica"l by repeating that " assessment" over and over again. People look at ( or listen to) headlines, most don't dig for information. Even with Bret, I would beg him to 'splain exactly what he hates about her positions - - and it will come down to more traditional conservative/liberal splits, not on fear of becoming the USSR.
What we end up with as a universal medical plan is NOT going to look quite like anything proposed, because creating one is going to involve looking at the alternatives and incorporating different opinions represented by Congress. But the goal for Democrats is getting to affordable, sustainable, universal coverage.
25
Photo of Elizabeth Warren and the headline made me think the article might discuss the topic of her candidacy, or maybe whether she has Trump's number. The discussion between Collins and Stephens is interesting and funny, but I think the headline was switched with another article. I would have have like to have read that article.
42
“Bret: It’s a shame because I think the Democratic field has some first-rate talents who could beat Trump, but that the party has just discounted, at least so far: Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, Amy Klobuchar.”
So, let’s stop discounting these highly qualified candidates. It takes a little effort to get to know them since they didn’t enter the race with sacks of money or novelty appeal, but we shouldn’t be rejecting them without first understanding who they are and what they have to say.
15
@Ribollita
Some of us have looked at all of them closely. I'm a fan particularly of Klobuchar for her effective pragmatism, but I have decided that the more progressive policies of a Warren are more what the country needs now. Our economic and environmental problems are just too large right now to be solved by centrist incrementalism. The Trump phenomenon is one response to decades of the Clinton/Bush/Obama centrist consensus. As much as the Never Trump Republicans and moderate Democrats want to return to that consensus, it's done. We need an alternative—and I think our choice is between Trump and someone like Warren. I'm going with Warren.
26
@Ribollita Amy Klobuchar is likeable, intelligent, feisty and tries to operate with humor. Her bumper sticker is on its way to our house.
1
@Ribollita When you define 2020 as "Must Beat Trump".......you've already lost.
Without Democratic control of the Senate, nothing proposed by Biden, Warren, Harris, Sanders, et al, goes anywhere.
Sure, a Democrat in the White House can make repairs and restore justice and order, put smart and ethical people into the right roles to return us to actual government. But healthcare, gun control, climate, voting rights, civil rights, class disparities and inequities, Social Security . . . none of these issues will be addressed in a meaningful way.
Equally important, without Democratic control of the Senate, the compassion and common sense of RBG will be lost for generations.
77
@Franco
True.
I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that regaining control of the Senate is as important a priority for Democrats as winning the Oval Office is--perhaps even more so.
And it's why a lot of these lower polling candidates such as Bullock and O'Rourke should definitely be putting in for Senate runs, as Hickenlooper has. (And Bennet should stay there, as Gillibrand now is.)
4
Divided government is not one of the blessing of the American System, unless you are a conservative like Stephens who wants the government to do nothing about the problems of the day. No action equals no expense equals no taxes. What's not to like? Health care, global warming, infrastructure can be solved by the free market system, or not all all. Who cares? I got mine Jack.
58
@Charles Vekert Divided government means trusting the people more than the government to solve problems.
I think that's an easy call .. if I have an extra $10 --- I don't give it to the govenrment to solve a propblem, I find a cause I know will get the job done and give it to them.
3
@dave Coming from a country that has universal health care (Australia) I am always surprised by the idea that people working for private companies deserve our trust more than those in government positions!
27
@Charles Vekert
Agree-
Also Dave in San Diego- Our government is taking away $10 from me like it or not for a do nothing Senate, now I have no $10 to give to someone else.
1
Unlike the neoliberal tag-alongs who have found religion--rather feebly, in most cases--on single-payer Medicare for all, the fight for healthcare as a human right has remained at the core of Bernie Sanders's personal and political convictions throughout his life. That's one of the "tells" that allows you to distinguish a true progressive fighter from opportunistic frauds and demagogues (such as the establishment political PR firm of Harris, Warren, and Booker).
9
@Michael Sorensen
It would be great if Bernie had more than what little I see him campaign on--since I haven't explored his suggestions I just sort of hear a male voice ranting about something....is it build a wall? or something? He doesn't seem calm or rational.
4
"Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system."
We've already seen this reality show, scripted by Republicans to destroy our tripartite system of government. Divided government has been a curse of the American system for a long time thanks to Republicans who do nothing but obstruct and delegitimize. Illegally taking control of all 3 branches of government so you can exploit minority rule means you definitely don't believe in divided government.
The GOP Senate "majority" Stephens extols exists because Republicans represent a mere 18 percent of the electorate; Trump is Executive after losing by more than 3 million votes.
Conservatives forever repeat Reagan's mantras that "Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem", and "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help." The only reason Trump exists, and the GOP protects him, is because he's one of them. Trump makes real what Reagan pretended was real.
The only people who believed divided government could work, meaning they actually believed in American ideals like democracy and a functioning republic, are Democrats. Stephens with his "Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system" refuses to accept that his GOP is now a right-wing authoritarian party which exists solely to protect and enable authoritarian GOP presidents, and make it impossible for Democratic presidents to accomplish anything.
67
@Robert B
Yes, this current republican party is full of Swamp Things and this bears no resemblance to the Party of Lincoln. I cannot believe that I ever sympathized with any of their fake values, such as fiscal responsibility and democracy. What a farce! Let them regroup and decide what they represent ...or govern from the minority, until they do.
1
How about “I’m from the Fortune 500 and I’m here to help.”? Any comfort there?
2
If Obama and leading Democrats had been on the ball, and cared about accomplishment more than posturing, Warren might now have a good chance of becoming the first female presidential nominee of a major US political party...and the first female US president, and she has many good ideas for America (though it will be difficult for her to implement them as president unless a good half dozen like-minded Democrats can manage to win seats in Senate).
As it is, however, if she becomes the second female nominee come next summer, she will -in the fall general election campaign- be compared to the first. Many of the differences will help her, but some of the similarities will not.
5
@Sage Accomplishments - who pulled the US out of the Great Recession when Republicans were sitting on their hands watching Wall Street and corporations implode? Trump’s accomplishments? A repeat Recession - while he doctors weather reports - sad man, sad country.
2
@Sage
Yes, misogyny is alive and well!
With the exception of age and sex, I find few similarities between Warren and Clinton, but then people believed the "Pizzagate nonsense about HRC or at least pretended to.... and the non e-mail scandal.)
1
Escape through Football? I respect and sympathize with your intention here but CTE is irreversibly damaging the brains and long-term quality of life for virtually every player. And why dismiss Sanders? Your paper recently published a map showing that Sanders clearly dominates online donations in almost every state.
12
@Susan
Sanders is flat out too old. We have a minimum age limit, and we should have a maximum age limit. A person should not be able to be able to run after his or her 70th birthday. We should also have mandatory retirement ages for Congressmen and judges of all levels. Cognitive function in most people does decline with age. Although the actual onset of this effect varies greatly, we should not pretend it doesn't exist.
1
Indeed football isn't humorous nowadays and those persons do not deserve damage for the sake of entertaining people. I now watch tennis and similar.
1
Thanks for this column. Interesting as always. Bret, do the right thing, vote for Warren.
21
Bret, the last three Democratic Presidents came out of relative obscurity, not just Obama. Clinton and Carter would certainly fit that category.
16
@James Kriebel I’m going to disagree. They both had multiple terms as governors of their states. A junior senator is generally pretty obscure.
3
Speaking of McConnell, the best thing that could happen in the Senate is him losing in Kentucky and all of the Republicans Senators who are now "retiring" to vote for Impeachment of Trump on their way out the door. They have no reason not too. After all, they are not returning to the Senate. they might as well show a spine on the way out the door
And if the vote is scheduled just before the 2020 Election Day Pence would only be in office for a short time.
I hope Bret seriously considers Warren. She may pick his favorite, Buttigieg for V.P. Now that would be a dynamic duo..
49
@Jean
Great idea Jean but the GOP senators who opted not to run again in 2018 did not come forward to oppose the disastrous, corrupt T. administration. Keeping their options open? Not wanting to anger donors who might become sources of employment or enrichment? I don't know. But with "no reason not to," they still said nothing.
4
@Jean Re: your last comment: Senator Warren and Mayor Pete have been the pairing I've been hoping for since I don't know when. It is, to me, the ideal pairing (at least in theory). Both smart, both attractive and well-spoken. One a progressive, one a moderate, neither in reality an "East-Coast Liberal". What's not to like. Well, I'll tell you what- you'd hear nothing but (on Fox, the RWNJ Media, and the Trump campaign) "Pocahantas and the (chose your homophobic slur)". That would be 24/7, on every TV and radio station in America adn all the RW owned newspapers, on every op-ed page, and letters to the editor. I'd have a stroke listening to those ads, as would a lot of others. Indeed it would prove that America was as anti-intellectual 'everyone' says.
After 4 years of Trump's instability, lies, and ignorance, the Nation will elect Warren for her stabilty, honesty, and knowledge and Congress will be Democratic. It will be a real honor for Trump to be placed between Obama who served 8 years and is still highly regarded for his accomplishments and demeanor, Trump*(lost popular vote, election aided by Russia) helped the wealthy and soiled the planet, and Warren who will serve 8 years after landslide victories in the popular AND Electoral Vote, as she went on to clean up after Trump and brought America into the 21st Century.
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@Jon: Warren looks good for her age (70) but if elected, she'd be 72 her first year and if she served 8 years...80.
@Concerned Citizen
Ugh! Can we get past "looks good" and just care about intelligence, ideas, truly caring for humans beyond our own self? Read in depth her proposals on her website and her book.
The thing I can't figure out about the weather map thing is not why he defended his Sharpie drawing for so long--after all, he never admits he was wrong and never apologizes--but why he did it in the first place. Why was it so important to him that Alabama been seen as in danger from the storm even though it wasn't?
The only reasons I can possibly think of are that Trump wanted to (1) reinforce his standing with his base in Alabama , and (2) use the storm as an excuse to funnel some money to Alabama, maybe to benefit the Alabama governor and the Republican running against Doug Jones for the Senate.
The only other possible explanation is that he truly does believe he is some kind of deity and actually wanted to prove he could bend the weather to his will. Perhaps this is not such a leap from the run-of-the-mill delusions of grandeur he suffers from every day.
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@Jack Sonville he just wants chaos - so that in the resulting mess, no one will notice that he’s stolen the money and taken the keys.
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@Jack Sonville
He made a mistake and couldn't admit it.
My elderly father also becomes very defensive when he makes a mistake. It is a sign of mental deterioration.
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He made a statement based on outdated, misunderstood information, the media called him out on it, and then, typically, he refused to admit he misspoke.
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Of course Bret Stephens wants divided government. How else will he kept his tax cuts and ensure Democrats achieve so little that a Republican president -- Trump policy without Trump -- is always queued up next?
Real change? That would be disastrous for Republicans. You don't want the public to realize what it's been missing all these years.
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@jrd I’m in that large segment of the country that considers itself independent, though I’ve always voted (D) at the state and federal levels. The only thing I want less than having all three branches in Democratic hands is having them in Republican hands. I want to see change without either party feeling totally unfettered. That won’t be popular here, though.
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@jrd Absolutely he does. And why should Democrats field a candidate that he, a Republican, wants? Better that he spend his time cleaning up his own sty-- ahem, party.
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@Lindah
There are so many right-wing Democrats, that a Democratic majority *is* divided government. Look what happened to the so-called "public option" of Obamacare. A majority of Democrats wouldn't support it. Neither did Obama.
I'm far to your left, but you really have nothing to worry about. The party will never cater to people like me.
Besides, you might be surprised. We Americans are brain-washed from an early age. What tens of millions of other take for granted in Canada and Western Europe, is deemed to radical here.
Well, it ain't....
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The Democratic political machine in Massachusetts decides who will be the state's representatives in Congress, not the people.
That machines power stops at the state border.
Warren is a radical leftist, and is an unelectable presidential candidate.
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Objectivist? Oh lord. I thought that sort of thinking went out when it folded its tents in Central Square, 1974. Be honest at least: Social Darwinism. To Objectivists, Adlai Stevenson was “radical leftist”.
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@Objectivist this rural midwestern mechanic looks forward to voting for said leftist.
@Matt
Whether you do or not doesn't matter. Chicago controls the Illinois vote and the Democratic machine in Chicago decides who wins the Illinois elections.
I love Elizabeth Warren because she is smart and passionate. Although I wish our top democratic contenders had not swung so far left, I agree that really, there is nothing to fear because none of them will be able to actually get the most liberal ideas (free college, reparations) passed into law. There is still some balance of powers in our government. So, the question is how to convince swing voters to vote for a democrat. More talk about how Trump's policies are hurting the heartland would be wise.
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@Carolyn
Shes so smart that none of her proposals would get passed into law?
We shouldnt be afraid of her because her proposals are pie in the sky nonsense that would never become realities?
Why on earth would I cast a vote for her then?
Theres a real world out there. Seems you folks arent living in it.
@Sports Medicine
I support most of Warren's proposals, such as healthcare for all, just not the most radical ones. For some reason (perhaps the fact that the news media will give more coverage to radical ideas and perhaps an attempt to draw more young voters), the candidates think they have to embrace those far-left ideas. In my opinion, Amy K. actually puts forward a more reasonable platform but voters seem to need a more passionate individual to get them to the polls. Many people vote based on personality. Hence, the cult of Trump. I haven't decided who I am going to vote for yet.
The coverage of Elizabeth Warren is so unabashedly complimentary I cannot take it seriously. “Continues to persist?” Is Warren a coal miner or a patient battling a life threatening illness? A marathon runner in the Olympic with a nagging injury? Let’s not be hyperbolic. She is running for President, hardly a challenge for the bravest of souls if 45 is any indication. (And yes, I grasp the “persistence” reference through I don’t believe Warren’s grandstanding on the Senate floor was one of her finer moments.)
As a resident of the electorally decisive Pennsylvania suburbs, which quite literally decide presidential elections, I would strenuously caution voters contemplating voting for Warren in the primaries. Her politics- and attack dog demeanor- may play well in New England, but it is perceived far differently here and likely in other swing states like Michigan and Ohio.
2020 offers a unique opportunity to defeat a particularly vulnerable President. Let’s not squander it but by nominating a candidate who is off-putting to legions of swing voters.
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@Mark doesn’t sound like you’ve ever listened to her speak or seen her videos.
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The fact that Bret stated in his last column that he would rather vote for a third-party candidate rather than Warren says it all. The GOP, even the "empathetic" ones, cannot be trusted whatsoever.
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Mr. Stephens, I’d like to hear more about your impoverished mother & grandmother who were refugees and were welcomed in US when they had no where else to go. This sounds like there were no men in their lives & that they were fleeing some disastrous situation. How does that line up with the fact that you were born in NYC, grew up in Mexico, went to a fancy boarding school in Massachusetts, and ended up at the London School of Economics?
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Bret, you are correct to point out that the Democrats have some excellent candidates who are not getting the attention they deserve.The three front runners are all from the east coast, PA.,VT., and Mass.That is a huge media market and they benefit from all of the coverage.Also,Biden was Vice President For 8 years, Sanders ran for president before and Warren has been a high profile senator.The mid westerners you mention Klobuchar, Bennet, and Bullock are appealing because they have good ideas and are quietly persuasive..I am hoping that on more reflection the electorate will listen more carefully and opt for a younger candidate,someone we can all trust to put country first.
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@JANET MICHAEL
Love Amy Klobuchar--she has good sense. No there is no "free lunch". Programs paying for this or that take the money from "somewhere". We need some understanding of budgeting in the nation.
I would vote for Warren and Klobuchar in a heartbeat.
My worry is rich white women scraping their win by asking if any woman is electable to the presidency in the USA.
What is this country- Saudi Arabia?
There is no way I will vote for Trump. Not a chance. As I write this, I am leaning toward Elizabeth Warren. She is so clear as to what she wants to do. I also believe in Universal Health care. Every American deserves to live.
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Most nominees shift towards center from their pre-nomination platforms. Likely Warren would. Sanders unlikely to.
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@Rethinking
That shift to the center tactic does not work any longer. Everything is saved.
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The most important takeaway from this article, in short, is Gail's statement that even with a Democratic President, house and Senate, the republicans would wield a lot of power with McConnell as minority leader.
The reverse is not true of Chuck Schumer. He seems impotent. He has no fight in him and the image of him in the oval office with trump and Nancy Pelosi, with his head down, snickering, was a microcosm of his time as leader of the senate democrats.
He needs to be replaced as democratic leader of the Senate either in the majority or minority position. He needs to be replaced as New York's senator as he is a one issue politician too influenced by wall street.
They also fail to discuss the fact that with a democratic president, house and senate we still have a republican supreme court and judiciary.
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Bret is hesitant to prefer Warren’s “empty wallet” politics to the upset stomach Trump gives him every day.
How Republicans delude themselves is astonishing.
Trump has brought the deficit to new highs, borrowing nearly a trillion dollars a year to support his borrow and spend policies. That’s not an empty wallet presidency?
Warren’s most expensive programs, all rolled together, won’t cost half that. And she’s got the plan to pay for them, unlike Republicans, who lie about where the money will come from. “The tax cuts will pay for themselves.” Sure.
But what is most sad is listening to Bret’s deeply held belief that America should be open, welcoming, and run by an executive who is not visibly deteriorating every day.
Very moving sentiments, Bret.
And you are willing to give them up and vote for Trump because Warren might find a way to ensure health care for all. Understandable. She’s a monster.
Republican values, right there. Money, money, money. And yet they still can’t balance the budget.
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@Objectively Subjective My goodness thank you! Your second-to-last paragraph gave me an authentic laugh this morning, something I've found difficult to achieve when reading about politics over the past months (and getting harder).
Warren is definitely my choice - I've been gravitating to her for some time, and now that I've heard her common-sense approach to governing, I'm all in. She's the sensible choice.
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@Objectively Subjective
Also,it needs to be said that 95% of Americans do not hate Tom Brady, NEPatriots quarterback. He is admired by many, especially those in states who have severe Winters and understand that air shrinks whether in a tire or football !
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@Flotsam
All true. Republicans aren’t afraid that Warren’s policies will fail, they’re afraid of them being wildly succesful.
Let’s all not foget how Obamacare became a flag for Republicns to wave. Half the country does not have $500.00 saved for an emergency, yet they were asked to pay for the “Bronze Plan” with a 10K deductible. This alone, got Trump elected.
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Elizabeth Warren can win. I was all in for Bernie in 2016 but I'd be fine with her. Bernie will campaign for her passionately if she is the Democratic nominee. Most of the former Hillary supporters could like her. She's chosen Jay Inslee's climate change plan as her own so his supporters will get behind her. She'll pick a great VP.
Can she sway Trump voters? I don't know. But she'll get a lot of support from Democrats and Democrat-leaning Independents.
The United Nations has reported we, the human species, have twelve years to address climate change with any agency. We need a progressive. Warren is progressive enough to help us achieve this Herculean task. Not Biden - nor Bennet, Klobuchar or Bullock - who are Bret Stephen's moderate choices.
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@the quiet one
It seems profoundly unlikely that the laws passed on climate change would be very different depending on which Democratic president is elected.
As far as regulations, etc, won't they mostly say "trust the scientists" and go from there?
By far the biggest environmental impact would be simply winning the election and working through international agreements (including on trade). A 1% drop in global emissions is worth about a 6% drop in domestic emissions.
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The Dems are coming up "snake eyes" in their quest for a presidential candidate. I don't blame Bret for not wanting to support Warren. But if we're going to get Trump out of the White House and in to a new reality TV show, Dems have to (a) come together on policy, (b) support their candidate with money, and (c) vote.
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The President who played more golf than perhaps all others combined was Dwight Eisenhower. It earned him a spot in the Golf Hall of Fame.
While playing all that golf, he kept the Cold War from becoming hot, ended the active warfare in Korea, and kept us out of Suez.
Ike was a multi-tasker, always simultaneously thinking about golf and keeping America out of war.
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Bret says: "Divided government is one of the blessings of the American system."
This is such prevalent conventional wisdom in the US that I presume most readers will hardly notice it. One of the things that puzzled me when I moved to Canada was just how much people here hate the idea of a coalition government. As an American, I figured a coalition would be good because more parties would be represented in the government and no party could be too powerful. With a parliamentary system that gives full legislative and executive power to the party (or coalition) in control, I thought this would be particularly beneficial as a check on any one party's excess.
Over time, my American mind has come to understand the wisdom of the Canadian view. First, coalitions are not very efficient or productive. When one party controls everything, things get done. Someone actually runs the country. And that's good, because countries need government that actually works.
But majority government is even better for a second reason. When one party controls everything, that party cannot avoid accountability. Everyone knows who gets credit for success and blame for failure. The check on the government is not some byzantine (and ineffective) system of internal checks and balances—it is the one thing that works: an election. If the government succeeds, it is voted back in en masse. If it fails, it is voted out en masse. Canadians call it "responsible government." The US needs more of it.
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@617to416: you only think that because you ASSUME the majority and government would ALWAYS be hard-left liberals as in Canada. But what if it is a massive coalition of the RIGHT -- as with Reagan?
@617to416, but in Parliamentary systems, you have the option of calling a vote anytime, in particular, when the party in power is obviously incompetent. In the US, you have to live with your mistake for at least 2 years, more likely 4.
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@Concerned Citizen
I moved to Canada while Stephen Harper was prime minister, so I am well aware what it's like to live under a right-leaning Canadian government. Believe me, the prospect of an election hangs over all prime ministers and their parties, right or left.
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oh Bret you had me until the rant about the Patriots. And I agree. What is it about the Pats that brings out the angst by other sports team fans. Their mantra is I love two teams, my team (seahawks?) and who ever the Pats are playing. What about striving for perfection with a short term horizon? ( ie next week's game) Trump could learn ( well maybe not) from Belicheck and Brady, by keeping their comments about the team, bringing in the best team oriented talent, and doing their job. Let's you and Gail invite tem onto this column. Yea go Pats
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@Jeff Bryan
There are the repeated cheating scandals, and the parochialism of New England sports fans, but the friendship and support that Brady, Kraft, and Belichick have shown for Trump is enough for me to hate the organization.
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Back in 2016, I thought that we could not afford Bernie’s proposals, but I also was not listening. Now I see that he makes perfect sense. Instead of more of the same, he is proposing that we do things differently.
Time to listen to these detailed proposal from Warren, Bernie and others. At least give them a chance. These details are more than we will ever get out of Trump. We are also due for change that will help workers and everyday people.
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Good stuff, today. Thank you both. From thousands of miles away, I lit up in a huge smile when I read Bret's remarks about the Patriots. And I don't even like American football.
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Elizabeth Warren is showing her stuff - running a smart and effective campaign that has her gaining in the polls. This is yet another reason why we should elect her as our president - in fact, we'd be missing an opportunity if we don't.
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And not only that, she keeps going on with her continued persistence.
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Elizabeth Warren needs to cave and start advertising on Fox, so that she can share her populist message with Trump voters. And if Trump can't get out of debating her, these voters will see that Warren is far more prepared to take US citizens to a higher standard of living.
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@PD
I'm also interested in how voters would react if Trump refused to debate her - a real possibility, considering that it's Trump we’re talking about.
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Her ACTUALLY-populist message, let's emphasize, as opposed to that bizarre redefinition of "populist" the non-fake media have grown to use for some reason!
Warren, in short, is Sane.
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@PD I couldn't agree more. I am a MA liberal currently living in TX. She would be well received my many of the people I know. The problem is most watch Fox. Her hard work, pull myself up by the bootstraps life story would appeal to them. Bu,t she can't explain how her policies would help them without an appearance on Fox. They will not watch the debates as they are not on Fox,
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I always look forward to this column, though I think Bret underestimates what Trump represents to this country. It's not a stomach ache. It's more like Stage 4 lung cancer.
As bad as Trump is, it's some of his staffers that really worry me. Bolton, Miller, Kushner, etc. - talk about Monsters from the Id.
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@newsmaned, they'd be worse if he actually listened to them. I think this is one case where Donald Trump saying "I only consulted myself on this" is a good thing. Well, not good, but the best of all possible bad outcomes.
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@newsmaned Absolutely agree, but maybe you should add Wilbur Ross to your list, now that he seems to have awakened from his usual catatonic state in order to threaten weather forecasters who disagree with his boss. Who knows who he might threaten next?!
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I wouldn't write off Mayor Pete yet. Biden's polling is due as much to name recognition as anything else. Remember in 2007 when everyone thought Hillary Clinton would be the nominee? But I wouldn't write off Elizabeth Warren either. Frankly, any of the top five can beat Trump, so I say to Democrats, focus on the person you want to be president. The primaries will sort it it out. And then vote for the nominee. Period.
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@kjb And I would say to all the Democratic candidates; Try hard to get the nomination, but if you lose, do everything you can 24/7 to make sure the nominee beats Trump in the general election.
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Not to belabor the point, but never forget that in 2016, Hillary Clinton won three million more votes than Trump. Vladimir Putin has already taken the credit for installing Trump into the White House, and has stated publicly that he’s already working to do so again in 2020. I have no reason to doubt him, especially when I see Trump drop everything when Putin beckons.
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@kjb Pete Buttigieg is the progressive who can appeal to non-progressives, work to restore our democracy, and affect generational change. His Douglas Plan is bold and innovative and will combat systemic racism. His polling in early states, ie IA & NH have him nipping at the heels of the top 3 contenders. Consider him seriously. There is a lane for him. Informal discussions with moderate Dems I know say Warren will be too polarizing and her plans lack specifics. All in for Pete Buttigieg.
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