Anyone who has watched Senator Warren on "Desus & Mero" or the Jimmy Fallon shows can see how likable, witty, charming, and smart she is. I hope she comes roaring back.
6
Elizabeth Warren has two necessary advantages:
She’s a woman.
Among the top four candidates she's the only one who’s a person of color.
4
Once this candidate takes her gloves off, as she will have to, whether against other Democrats or President Trump, she'll show she can be just as brutal as the best and worst of them.
Biden is the only one that can beat Trump. Period. Can anyone seriously see either Buttigieg or Warren as president?
@Doris Keyes
Yes, President Pete Buttigieg expands the US map to include Iowa, where he will win the caucuses, and Indiana. He wins the Midwest with his Midwest Nice. Also, this week, only Buttigieg and Biden compete with Trump in Arizona.
2
If Elizabeth Warren is the nominee I will vote for her. But she is a very flawed candidate and this worries me because Trump is an existential threat. I wish her cohort went beyond white college educated voters. Her remarks about billionaire candidates rings hollow when she helped fund her campaign with $10 million from her Senate run. She has a brilliant legal mind so claiming Native American heritage on her bar application back in the 1980s isn't so easily brushed off. She's smart, Trump is nasty. Whoever it is they better be ready.
1
@Jmc
Why vote who you term a very flawed candidate? Buttigieg is as smart as Warren and he appeals to both college educated and non-college educated, which are the majority of the party and the majority of the country.
1
@Shawn
He couldn't even win in his own state. South Bend newspapers aren't exactly glowing about his actions as mayor.
As a college-educated woman, his vague pronouncements and prior actions as mayor do not make him appealing to me.
His treatment of Gabbard during the debates tell me he's the typical misogynistic consultant bro with very little self-awareness.
2
Were either Sanders or Warren were to win the Presidency none of their "bold agenda" ideas would get through Congress. They would be opposed by every Republican and a sizable number of Democrats. And in the very unlikely event that those programs get passed into law, the Supreme Court would take a hatchet to most of it. Obamacare was whittled down by the Court, and that was before Trump was able to appoint 2 very far right leaning Justices to the bench. The attacks by Warren and Sanders on the realistic proposals of Biden, Buttigeig, Klobuchar and the other moderates is doing real damage to the eventual nominee.
4
Elizabeth Warren is very impressive- she deserves the nomination. But her campaign (like many others) feels tired right now. This is not surprising given that she's been campaigning for a year and has to answer the same questions over and over...and over again. Candidates probably rehearse their responses so they minimize the risk of saying something that might backfire. But nothing ventured, nothing gained and voters crave authenticity. To rejuvenate her campaign, she might consider ditching the rehearsed story-telling and spend more time answering direct questions from her audiences. Asking questioners to tell their *own* stories (i.e., what in this man's experience made him ask me this question?) and providing responses in a more spontaneous/ conversational manner could be a good move. This could be dangerous for some candidates who haven't done their homework, but she's done it- so why not let the diligence shine through? Same goes for media interviews- ditch the catchphrases/tired anecdotes and speak more spontaneously.
5
But Warren got 2 million from bankruptcy cases for ... oh wait ... she won’t tell us who she defended. Was it Big money corporations?
3
In any good negotiating class, they teach what's called "the myth of the fixed pie." What it means is that, in a negotiation, an exchange, both sides can benefit. And they do - that's why the negotiation takes place.
In Warren's "negotiation" with the super-rich, we accept that non-rich Americans will benefit by getting decent healthcare. But the rich (the owners of everything) will benefit by a workforce that will once again be healthy, and mobile. Instead of folks sticking with lousy jobs because they are afraid to give up their healthcare, workers will be able to put their skills and drive to the best use.
So it's possible that the rich will get even richer once this country has universal healthcare. I'm OK with that.
9
“‘Pete’s use of false talking points hatched in insurance industry focus groups has temporarily scared some electability voters who psych themselves out by trying to predict what other voters will think,’ Mr. Green said.”
Well put.
6
Is there any evidence that any of Buttigieg’s talking points were “hatched in insurance industry focus groups” as claimed by one of Warren’s supporters in this article? If that’s a fact based statement, that’s a demerit for Buttigieg. If it’s hyperbole, it should be fact checked in the article.
I’m not supporting either at this point and, as a Dem, am looking for electability followed by a unifier. We need to heal the nation above all else.
1
@Eric C.
No, Pete is smart and writes his own material, including an excellent book. Then Joe, Elizabeth, and others copy his material, as described in this article (Elizabeth copying Pete).
Also, Pete Buttigieg unites people, including many who wouldn’t be caught dead at an Elizabeth Warren rally.
1
From her application at harvard, to her working with corporate America, against environmental law, she has proven to be a dangerous liability. Her medicare for all plan blew up. Trump will beat her in a heartbeat. She is damaged goods.
3
People love to feel that they are doing the right thing and dislike being pushed even if it is for something good.
I remember as a teenager when my room got messy and I actually felt I should do something about it. The times my parents managed to tell me what to do before I had started cleaning suddenly put me off of actually going through with my own plans.
Warren should allow the people the chance to do the good thing themselves and vote for the first female president. For this to happen she has to back off from telling people to do it.
She's still the best candidate by far. The yard signs and bumper stickers are coming out in Texas, and hers are the ones appearing most frequently. No one else even comes close. It's going to take something extraordinary to stop this extraordinary candidate. Warren all the way!
7
@Tired
No, Warren and Sanders supporters are just the people most likely to wear their politics. Pay attention to the polls in the states where voters are paying attention, Iowa and New Hampshire. Unfortunately for America, that’s the current list, 2 states out of 50 have highly engaged voters.
It is amazing and hard to believe our fellow-Americans. In France, the people are already in the streets angrily demonstrating to have the their quite good social programs left alone by the politicians. Contrast this with the American people who are fighting against the possibility that some politician wants to make this nation a little more equal, with universal health care, taxing the wealthy and other decent social programs. Millions of Americans want to protect the rich and continue to feed the health insurers with hefty and unfair profits. Goodbye Elizabeth Warren, so long Bernie Sanders, you both mean well but you are dreaming.
3
After having a hard time from mostly self inflicted wounds, Warren hits on the reactive tactic of doing what makes a Trump win in the general more not less likely.
Priorities baby. Priorities. She is telling is who she is and how she will handle those disasters that come with the job.
I’ve seen a few comments here that are clearly untrue, and probably deliberately. I worked at CFPB. The agency did not hire former bank executives. If anyone asserts otherwise, please identify them. One person even claimed that the agency hired people from Goldman Sachs. The agency deals only with lending and debt collection, not investment related activities. So why would anyone from Goldman Sachs be interested in working for CFPB since the agency hasn’t regulated Goldman Sachs? Anyone making these claims is either working for another campaign or delusional.
3
Working in the private sector shouldn't be an issue--most people work in the private sector rather than government and it is not unheard for professors to do consulting on the side--but if Elizabeth Warren wants to make it an issue it will hurt her more than it will hurt Pete Buttigieg.
It will likely hurt Warren more than Buttigieg because Buttigieg has never denied who he worked for whereas Warren has also done private sector work on the side but has tried to minimize or deny it.
As a consequence attacking Buttigieg for working at McKinsey makes Warren look hypocritical and reinforces the narrative (deserved or not) that she is inauthentic about who she is and cannot be trusted.
1
Well, actually, I do like that Elizabeth Warren is a woman and would be the first woman president. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to see a woman in the White House. Of course, I do care about Warren's anti-corruption and other policies. I plan to vote for Warren because I agree with her plan, not because of her gender. Still, after several hundred years of men running the executive branch, I would like to see a woman president. And I would like my young daughter to see one too.
14
Warren lost ground while not responding to attacks from both the left (thanks, Bernie Bros) and the right
She tried to stay above the fray while Biden (who’s net worth has increased by $15 million in the last 2 years) called her elitist and tried to take credit for her signature achievement while shouting in her face. While Mayor Pete attacked her for a word salad reason related to taking the fight to rich people (his donors I guess)
As one of Warren’s biggest supporters, I want her to take the fight to the 2020 Democrats.
I want her to embrace her fighter persona. No holds barred. The media will call her unlikable anyway and centrist apologists on shows like Morning Joe will anyway lie about her intentions.
I hope she treats them all like Wells Fargo CEOs and sends them to their well deserved disgraceful retirements.
8
She still gets my recurring monthly donation and I'm proud of it. She is intelligent, brave, honest, and her administration will be a welcome antidote to our current situation.
Unfortunately, if she's elected, I'll have to tolerate the unending false-equivalence articles from this and other news outlets every day.
8
I found this passage from the Sunday Review story called Finland is a Capitalist Paradise instructive and it got at the core of what I find missing in Warren's message:
"There’s a big lesson here: When capitalists perceive government as a logistical ally rather than an ideological foe and when all citizens have a stake in high-quality public institutions, it’s amazing how well government can get things done.
Ultimately, when we mislabel what goes on in Nordic nations as socialism, we blind ourselves to what the Nordic region really is: a laboratory where capitalists invest in long-term stability and human flourishing while maintaining healthy profits."
I feel like Warren thinks she needs an enemy (see corporations and billionaires) to create an anti-Trump populism, but I fear that so many voters who find a populist us v. them message appealing will vote for Trump because the racial appeal is more visceral. I know she says she is a capitalist but the young people who are enamored of calling themselves socialists without really meaning it seem to be deterring her from saying it loudly and proudly. She can sell her policies as good for capitalism which is good for America and I think a positive message in that vein would be more resonant than the snarky billionaire's tears stuff.
4
Elizabeth Warren is the best candidate. She is tough and knows how to get things done. The work she and her campaign have put into coming up with comprehensive policy plans will pay off once the field is narrowed down.
12
One must realize private health insurance is just one elaborate scheme to wordsmith insurance language to avoid paying for health care. The only way to control costs, including coordinating medical research where it is most needed, is through central government management and oversight.
10
@tennvol30736
Yes, and you control costs by paying people less for their work, restricting litigation/compensation rights of patients and denying people some treatment options.
No one is okay with all of that.
3
Complete hypocrite.
Lied to get in to a top notch school.
Lied to get a position in a corporate law firm.
Displaced actual minority individual when impersonating a Native American.
Lied about income from "unnamed" clients.
Dead woman walking.
Go Mayor Pete!
13
@Carol wood
Every word in your comment is a verifiable lie. Just further proof that Pete and his supporters are all in on a campaign of smear tactics and corporate talking points sponsored by Big Insurance, Pharma and Tech. Despicable.
8
@Carol wood
She didn’t even attend a “top notch school” or work for any law firm. She didn’t even lie about anything you mentioned. Your last sentence indicates your intentions regarding the truth. Facts don’t matter anymore. This is how someone like Trump can get elected.
5
She is preparing herself to achieve exactly the same level of success Hillary Clinton did - what a slow learner!
7
Elizabeth Warren has shown how tough she is by being bold in her plans. She has the right combination of brains and brawn to survive the coming Trump onslaught. We know with Trump it will be record breaking filthy election - that is a given. I wish her the best.
11
Having shown that her commitment to a single-payer Medicare For All system was the mirage that people were saying it was, here we go with the appeals to gender. She listens to too many of Hillary Clinton’s consultants.
9
Vote for me because I'm a woman didn't work for Hillary, and it won't work for Warren.
Yes, Harris and Gillibrand got knocked out. But so did Beto and deBlasio and a handful of male western governors.
I'm impressed by ideas, resilience and character. Not identity politics.
15
Warren is a fighter and she will not take dips in the polls lightly. Let's see how she performs on Dec 19.
7
Liz Warren is falling fast in all national and state primary polls, including all early states. Those are facts about which Warren's supporters appear to be in deep denial. She is in third in IA and NH. She is deep underwater in SC and NV. In the RCP averages in CA, Biden is within 0.2% of her.
Warren is not, as the column suggests, looking for a second turnaround. That's already happened, after the self-inflicted DNA wound. On the strength of enthusiasm for her M4A policy, however, she turned around rise rapidly in polling.
Warren, then, without so much as a trial balloon in a midwest state (such as here in MI) announced the M4A price tag of $20.5 trillion. I could live with that and I would be fine paying higher taxes. But Liz didn't say that. She said billionaires would pay for all of it. Like a lot of people in MI, I didn't believe that or even think it was good policy.
That ended the comeback. On a chart of her support, her trendline turned down about 330 degrees and never stopped. This accelerated when Warren, again with zero market testing, quickly backtracked to a plan no one likes requiring two major pieces of healthcare legislation, not one.
It was disturbing to hear Warren supporters at the WaPo calling these failures "genius" strategic moves and then hyping her in inverse proportion to her poor performance in numbers.
IA is 8 weeks from today, and Super Tuesday comes 28 days later. How is her campaign still viable?
6
Kudos to Elizabeth Warren for her spunk and determination. But I don't think the country, (that usually means the person who is saying it), is ready to elect an angry Grandma to be their President. Just sayin'
1
I will not vote for any candidate who will not support Medicare for All. Sanders or Warren.
7
@Zejee Then if Sanders or Warren is not the nominee, you will help to re-elect Trump. The voting booth on any presidential election day is not the place to make a personal statement. And in 2020 it will be the place to help to save our democracy.
5
@ML
If that person lives in NYC and Trump loses that state, then how would that person be responsible for electing Trump? Do people actually not know what the Electoral College is?
2
@Zejee - We must all hold tightly to our political priorities or values. Compromising will not achieve that.
1
Very proud of this unflappable candidate.
Need to catch up in the polls? Warren has a plan for that.
11
She is not the right candidate to beat Trump, and getting tougher is not a substitute for bringing people together.
2
I want full disclosure from the NY Times. Do you receive advertising revenue from big Pharma and others in our bloated health care industry?
At any rate, this junta of profiteers are spending millions right now to influence both politicians and media to reject universal health care. This article documents their campaign. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/03/big-pharma-insurers-hospitals-team-up-to-kill-medicare-for-all/
When you read studies about the cost of Bernie's plan (which are all over the map), ask yourself if these studies are relevant to the long term savings after the very expensive process of implementing the new system is complete?
It's insane how the media is covering this issue- show me the effect of costs over a 25 year time frame not only how much implementation costs.
Comparisons between countries with single payer and insurance based systems make a clear argument for the much greater efficiency of single payer.
11
@alan haigh She's dropped precipitously since she started touting her 30 trillion dollar Medicare for All plan. Hey wait a second! You don't really want a Democrat to be President do you?
@No big deal, what I want is for her to advocate a gradual transition because it makes sense economically as well as politically, but she hasn't hired me for advice.
What I also want is for the media to cover the issue accurately and make clear when they break down costs which ones are one offs (the cost of transition) and which costs are the long term ones so the public actually understands the numbers. The cost for the next five years is not so important to our nation's economy as the costs over the next 50 years.
It is absurd to suggest that in the long term single payer is not far more efficient than insurance based systems because the evidence from other countries is so compelling.
Is it too much to ask for journalists to provide clear information and not to confuse the public? Unfortunately, when they don't it inspires conspiracy theories about the reach of the industrial healthcare complex which wastes trillions of our citizen's money and makes our products more expensive on global markets.
7
I donated to Warren during her summer surge after Sanders heart attack. Now with her campaign floundering, I’m pivoting to Sanders. Biden is a fossil, no thanks.
3
The article last point is exactly right: Biden might beat Trump on paper right now but he has such negative baggage that will be used against him across many core demographics that he will lose due to low turn out.
Black Americans? Remind them of Biden’s role in the 1994 crime bill.
Single parents? Remind them of Biden’s support for credit card companies and the priority they have over alimony debt in personal bankruptcy court.
The value based voters? Hunter Biden.
I bet that it does not matter what Trump against Biden pools are saying right now. Biden will be the weakest of all democratic contenders.
9
Warren is the next President in 2020.
14
I like your positions but they will not beat Trump. Get tough on Trump not your fellow Democrats. Beating Trump is important than you winning....this is a message to all of you. Get rid of Trump!
3
So you think American families are NOT struggling to pay high monthly premiums, high copays and high deductibles? You think Americans can afford drugs that cost 4x what the same drugs cost in Canada? You think Americans have no problem paying off high interest student loans?
Your America is different from mine.
11
@Zejee I don’t believe I said any of those things. But if Trump is re-elected all those issues will be even more in trouble. So my firs5 priority is to beat Trump. I am from VT and live in MA . I like both Sanders and Waren’s ideas. But don’t think they can beat Trump. The Dems can’t tear each other apart during the primaries and except to then win a fight with Trump. I MHO
1
Sometimes acknowledging a mistake makes you more appealing. It is absolutely a mistake to take away a private option with health care. Her plan will never be voted on.
If Warren thinks she can get 270 Electoral votes running on that platform she is delusional. I will vote for her, but also I will get ready for four more years of Donald Trump.
With no private health care option, President Warren is never going to happen.
4
Ms Warren can’t face facts: her carefully crafted “plans” for governmental solutions to all real or perceived problems is not appealing to the primary electorate. Falling back on gender discrimination shows desperation and weakness. Lashing out on other Democratic candidates is not a productive strategy. This is an unelectable candidate and it is becoming more apparent every day.
6
Democrats need to unite around one candidate -- and personally my choice is Elizabeth Warren. The so called 'moderate' candidates are pawns of Wall Street.
13
Warren understands the underlying problems this country is facing right now and has offered real solutions. America is loosing its soul by giving up justice and freedom. First, the social/political system is no longer of the people, by the people, for the people. Warren's wealth tax and anti-corruption bill will tackle effectively this unjustice. Secondly, America is no longer a true free market economy. Each sector of the economy is increasingly dominated by a handful giant corporations, that kills competitions (which means higher price and worse service for consumers), innovations and small businesses (which means costing jobs). Her proposal of breaking-up monopolies will reverse this trend.
10
Warren is running for the nomination for President, not Queen.
Her plans are aspirational and will be adjusted by Congress.
If you like the direction of those aspirations, and you like that she has actually written down her plans, then support her.
14
Elizabeth Warren's biggest mistake may be in underestimating Joe Biden and the kind of voters who are still in his corner.
It remains to be seen whether she'll realize this before it's too late.
2
I notice comment disparaging the idea of Warren emphasizing her gender. What many of us Dems are not aware of is that the Republican convention is after the Democratic one next year. Trump will "check" the Dems with his pick of Nikki Haley as his VP. If the Dems don't pick an outstanding and fully qualified female candidate like Elizabeth Warren as their presidential nominee next year then it will be "checkmate" and four years of Trump/Haley followed by the first female president of the United States, Nikki Haley.
3
My choice of a candidate is based solely on the person's ability to come up with sound policies and get them done. I don't care about the sex, gender, sexual-orientation, or race of that person.
3
I'm all in for Warren. I think she's the candidate who can unite many factions in the Democratic party and carry us to a victory against Trump. I'm a progressive who supported Sanders in 2016. I still love that Sanders is out there pushing the envelope, but I believe Warren is the candidate who can truly lead the country.
25
Liz should not stoop to the typical political game of down rapping the other candidates. She should rise above it and play the underdog until her surprise win on Election morning. And follow the kiss rule! Keep it simple. Healthcare is already costing Americans trillions of dollars only the Lion's Share of that is going to health insurance companies. Those who think their employers are giving them" free" health insurance are actually paying for it through salary reductions. Inefficiency of the current system is wasting trillions that could be spent on on Americans health and well-being. Healthcare for all would save every American money and possibly their life.
2
Pete Buttigieg is becoming dangerous. He is pushing a moderate Republican agenda using right wing talking points to try to weaken any eventual Democratic party nominee. Who is financing his campaign? Yes, he is personable, very well spoken, and smart. But as someone wise once said " Once you learn to fake sincerity, the rest is easy."
Democrats must not forget the election of 2016. Totally capable moderation was defeated by disingenuous wild promises of "cleaning the swamp" and major changes. We can't make the same mistake again.
The American voting public demands major structural change. Not moderate Republican ideas in a Democrats clothing.
25
@Jack Robinson Well said, thank you!
3
@Jack Robinson
I couldn't agree more!
Pete Buttigieg is a Republican-lite corporate shill.
3
It’s only because of the NYTimes editorial board and Chicago’s current mayor that Buttigieg will now consent to list his McKinsey clients. Transparency is a good thing, it makes our democracy work.
It's only because of the pressure from Warren that Pete’s closed fundraising doors with BigTech, BigPharma and Wall Street execs will now be open. Our democracy is better and stronger for it.
This weekend, student activist Greg Chung asked Buttigieg: "I wanted to ask if you think that taking big money out of politics includes not taking money off of billionaires and closed-door fundraisers.” Buttigieg responded, "No" and walked away.
The reason nothing gets done in Congress is because of money and special interests. It prevents anything from getting done - from lowering drug prices to gun control to climate change. Warren’s central theme is about corruption in politics. It’s the same theme as Trump’s “Drain the Swamp,” but unlike him she has a plan to address it.
19
The nation is in crisis mode over a dangerous inept president in office, and Warren wants to play the feminist card?
12
Dear New York Times,
Your strategy has been nothing if not consistent. If Ms. Warren is slipping in the polls, logically that means someone else has taken second place in the race. It's not Mr. Buttigieg, who is in fourth place, and it's not Mr. Biden, who is in first. It's the person your article mentions only twice off-hand, and in a completely unrelated context: Bernie Sanders—the veritable He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the New York Times, the blank spot on your map of how the world works. Kindly take down the "Here Be Dragons" sign and realize the earth is round.
14
I believe Warren is honest, sincere, effective, and more capable than any other Democratic contender. I don't get bothered by multi-dimensional guessing games about electability. She is the right choice for Democrats and for America. I'm voting now with my wallet: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/warren-for-president
18
@Another Name You can make many claims about Warren but honest is not one of them.
5
Identity politics is the anathema of thinking. You lose me the instant you say "I am the best ???? in the race." Want my vote, have a platform, vision and let the voters decide whose ideas are best --- and best for all --- not simply your identity group.
16
all she's got are plans and taxes .... she has a plan for everything and they cost billions and trillions of new taxes and new gov't agencies ...
I don't trust the gov't to plan anything and execute on it on time and on budget.
6
Agreed. If merely having plans could carry the day, then elementary school children could run the country.
2
She is falling back on her old strategy, go the well with a politically correct status, be it sex or heritage. Yep, that's her plan!
7
If you wear a Timex watch and you lose it, you're out about $50.00. If you wear a Rolex Daytona watch and you lose it, you could easily be out about $350.000.00.
What do you insure, your Timex or your Rolex?
Insurance used to be a way to protect expensive luxurious items against loss. Then, capitalist sociopath parasites came in and replaced public and private provided health care with health insurance.
Now we pay health protection money every month.
And some benighted people want to continue feeding the health insurance mafiosi.
7
I think it’s time for The NY Times to stop describing the Dems’ contest as lacking a front runner. It is Joe Biden. He has polled consistently as the #1 choice since entering the race.
9
Article days "no true front-runner" yet Biden leads by 14 pts according to RCP. Hello?
6
@Dave To no one's surprise we all know its going to be Hillary AGAIN.
1
I was all in on Hillary. This gender strategy for Warren is a colossal mistake.
10
@Mark But unfortunately it is true. When Harris attacked Biden, it was such an outrage, but when Buttigieg attacked Warren, it was OK, but when she attacked him, suddenly it became bad. I ask why? Why is it OK for Buttigieg to attack her, but not other way around? Why the people demand transparency from her and details on her programs, while Mayor Pete got pass on the both accounts? If it is not gender, tell what is it?
5
So basically, when all else fails, play the gender card, like Harris and Booker did with the race card. The Democrats really have to find a different way to get votes than just reminding people about their immutable characteristics... Obama tried to inspire the country with ‘hope and change’ and common American values, while these knuckleheads try to gain votes by appealing to guilt, resentment, and victimhood. If Trump wins it will largely be the Democrats’ fault.
14
@Aaron. Thank you. It was the Democrats’ fault in 2016 and they still haven’t admitted it. I guess it’s easier to waste time and money on impeachment than look in the mirror. Hilary was their entitled nominee and the country was supposed to bend the knee. Guess what - NOT! Now we have an angry old failed Communist who’s never actually accomplished anything, another old guy with a long history, a know-it-all scold with a plan and taxes for everything, and a young, slightly arrogant mayor of a dinky town. All of them running on free stuff and identity politics. What could go wrong? Ugh! Will you please find a candidate who’s actually run something and could be a decent steward of the country for all Americans, not just the favored victims
2
For many months Elizabeth Warren had been at the top of my list. No more. Playing the gender card, on top of the Native American card, and going after Buttigieg for his entry-level work at McKinsey — this from a person who did legal work for Enron and Dow Chemical no less — smacks of desperation on the part of yet another opportunist.
37
2016: "You know, she's playing the woman's card," Trump told supporters at a rally in Spokane, Wash., over the weekend, reiterating a critique he has used against Clinton since becoming the de facto presidential nominee for the Republican Party. "If she didn't play the woman's card she would have no chance, I mean zero, of winning."
4
@David Warren transformed from being a corporate lawyer twenty-five years ago to being the toughest consumer advocate in Congress.
It was the NYTimes editorial board that pressured Buttigieg to release his client list while working as a consultant for McKinsey.
This weekend, student activist Greg Chung asked Buttigieg: "I wanted to ask if you think that taking big money out of politics includes not taking money off of billionaires and closed-door fundraisers.” Buttigieg responded, "No" and walked away.
Warren's central theme is about corruption and getting money out of politics. It's only because of the pressure from Warren that Pete’s closed fundraising doors with BigTech, BigPharma and Wall Street execs will now be open. Our democracy is better and stronger for it.
10
@David, what is the gender card? The one that is at the bottom of the deck with the woman of color cards? the same deck that has men making laws about women's bodies? the deck that throws out all the cards before the game even starts if they are not men? THAT gender card? i hope she uses it and i hope she can get lots of credit on that card.
8
Warren earned a fortune of $12 million by guiding corporations through bankruptcy reorganizations and liquidations.
She served as a professional and represented the interests of her client, not herself. This meant she helped corporations get out of pension obligations and renegotiate contracts with unions.
Now she is accusing Buttigieg of serving rich masters? That is something. And she is targeting Bloomberg for what, building a company that met public demand. For every dollar of wealth Michael Bloomberg has earned, his company has saved the public hundreds of dollars through better functioning markets. Reducing the bid-ask spread in stock transactions saves investors money and improves liquidity. Providing detailed bond information allows for more efficient transactions. Information about mutual fund fees leads small investors to the more efficient funds, taking money out of Wall Street traders and keeping it in the pockets of investors.
Warren's attacks on her rivals aren't going to bring what she wants once the mirror reflects back on her. Again, I don't besmirch her for acting as a professional or even for becoming wealthy, but by raising these issues she is inviting scrutiny on herself.
representing corprations
8
@James Where did you get the 12 mln? I've heard 1.9 mln in 15 years - hardly a excessive earnings. She did work for corporation to guide them through bankrupt law, but the laws are not written specifically for corporations, they are also applied to regular people, and protect them from unreasonable demands. If you starts to apply the laws differentially it will be bad for the law, that's how we got the citizen United. Remember, Ruth Ginsburg fought for women's right by defending the man.
4
@James
If you work in management consulting for 6 years, received hefty school scholarships and still can't manage to pay off your $120K "school loans" there's something very wrong with you.
“but this country probably works best when it’s gently pushed.”
This is so completely untrue! Our country is full of stubborn, obstinate people who rarely take the carrot when it's offered. We always wait until things are in crisis to even start talking about fixing the problem.
11
When the most loyal and long suffering base of the Democratic Party is black African American Protestant female who, what and why should they be enthusiastic, excited and motivated to turnout in 2020 for any of the currently poll leading primary candidates?
1
@Blackmamba
That may be true. But what is the alternative, or shall I say WHO? -- and can this country really stand 4 more years of Trump?
1
The divide and conquer approach has never worked for Democrats. Warren may get the vote of women and men who put female identity politics first, but that will be a small number of even her coalition. Indeed, Bernie’s support in 2016, we are learning now, as his old voters split between other candidates, was as much about his repudiation of the divisiveness of identity politics as it was his truly progressive economic agenda. It is the only thing that can account for candidates like Biden and Buttigieg having his old supporters behind them this time around.
Which makes this pivot all the more surprising. There is not a candidate in this field who has used divisive identity based rhetoric and succeeded. Kamala Harris is gone. Castro never started. Booker seems to be holding on while speaking love and unity from one side of his mouth, while making hackneyed comments meant to dog whistle to the identity obsessed from the other.
Barack Obama did not have to resort to these measures. He won white Iowa to propel himself to the nomination, twelve years before we hear candidates and their mouthpieces in the media proclaim that Iowa not being representative of the nation is a roadblock for candidates of color. From laying out the red carpet to roadblock. Hmm.
Senator Warren’s instincts or staff have consistently led her towards securing a vote that only lives in a Twitter-media bubble. Good luck with that.
7
Warren is great....but any responsible adult will enthsiasticly get my vote over the current occupant. No question about it.
2
Warren knows what she wants to do. But no Democratic president would have a chance to pass anything if the Senate doesn’t flip. So, who might have the longest coattails to bring enough Dem voters to the polls? I am losing confidence in Biden as he was so outright stupid in allowing his son to take that board position in Ukraine, and now looks very shaky in debates. Furthermore, old-boy schmoozing didn’t get him anywhere in working with the Senate during the Obama administration. So, here I sit, wanting the best candidate— but who?
3
@Janet W Reid the VP whips the votes. None of the current frontrunners for the Democratic candidate would, IMO, be good VPs. They need someone with influence, history, and respect in Congress. Unfortunately because all three frontrunners are also on the older side of things, they will also want a young VP - and none of the Democratic leadership in congress is young. This makes it hard for them to choose an effective VP.
2
Others have addressed Medicare for all, let me take "Free college for all." According to the National Assessment of Educational Process (NEAP) testing for for 4th and 8th graders, all but one score decreased from 2017 to 2019.
Significantly less than half US students can read or perform basic mathematical calculations. And we want to make college free for all? The number of students in colleges that need remediation for reading in math is mind boggling. Where is the support for fledging K-12 students?
Reading
Grade 4 - 37% can read proficiently
Grade 8 - 36% can read proficiently
Math
Grade 4 - 41% can perform math task proficiently
Grade 8 - 34% can perform math task proficiently
These numbers are staggering for an OECD country. Billions of dollars have been poured into K-12 education over the decades, and student decline continues. I want a candidate who will address the very tough issue - of national economic and national security importance - why can fewer than half of our children read/perform arithmetic? This must be solved before we put non-proficient students into colleges.
https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
12
@Factumpactum this is my exact concern when I hear free college for all. i fear many colleges have already lowered their standards to accept students who would not have qualified for college in the past - college certainly can and should be free, but why isn't the MUCH bigger conversation about the number of high school graduates who are functionally illiterate?
5
@Factumpactum
Excellent comment !
This is such a supremely important issue, yet no candidate puts any emphasis on it.
Mentioning/obsessing about gender like your headline says will be the final nail in her coffin.
It was lethal to Hillary.
As the old starkist. ad use to say, Sorry Charlie (Elizabeth) people don't want tunas with good taste, they want tunas that taste good.
It is incredible how highly educated women like Hillary, Ms Warren and others continue to put nails in their coffin with identity politics.
They did not learn from the master Obama who ran as an American uniting everybody not as an angry young black man.
It is baffling.
We had two identity obsessors in the last election, Trump on the right and Hillary on the left and Trump won by a TKO.
The majority of Americans are sick and tired of identity politics.
6
@Paul I'm sick and tired of identity politics. Every day, the NYT has articles/op-eds on all the isms -- racism, sexism and especially transgenderism.. I never met a transgender person in my life and I'm 74. A politician should unite us as Obama did -- as Americans. I voted for Obama because he cared about all Americans and didn't try to divide us.
7
@Paul
We agree that identity politics is less electable than good plans.
How many of Warren's plans begin, "As a cis-gen'd hetero white woman, I plan to ..." ?
None.
4
@Night Heron -thank you for your reply. Read the headline Night Heron, "and emphasizing her gender as the top woman left". That sounds like identity politics to me.
Ms. Warren attended my HA support group ie Hillary's Anon., female candidates who want to break away from identity politics.
She did good for awhile like you mentioned but now she fell off the wagon.
It will be lethal to her like it was lethal to Hillary, Gillebrand, Harris and others.
1
Buttigieg and Trump are similar in that I look at Trump and can’t believe others don’t see the corrupt liar that he is. I look at Buttigieg and see a ghost - there’s nothig there.
Warren and/or Sanders are what the country needs and the Democratic establishment will fight them with everything they have.
5
I've never viewed Warren as the one true M4A or Free College Candidate. She has always been the Anti-Corruption Candidate to me, and the only way we are going to be able to help our country is to tackle corruption head on.
It's going to have to be Warren 2020 for me.
8
I wonder what will happen when Michelle Obama enters the contest. Which current candidate will beat her?
PERSIST, Senator Warren. It’s a marathon, not “ Dancing with the Stars “. You’ve GOT this.
8
When her campaign was coming from behind, Warren was disarmingly real while also showing herself to be more than competent as a leader on economic issues. That's a great combination and it made here a great candidate. Since she's gotten ahead, she's taking too many pains to be seen as "woke" on social issues and at the same time really struggling to make her healthcare plan appeal to the center. This bifurcation of her intellectual and political resources must be taxing, and it's showing.
36
@Jeremiah Crotser Nothing is quite so off putting to me as "wokeness," and its handmaiden, "call out culture." And, man, Warren worked very hard to be as "woke" as she could get. I would not have voted for her anyway. She destroyed that in 2016 when she stayed neutral during the primaries and would not endorse Bernie. And, now, for 2020 she has simply taken his platform and made it hers. Bernie has been consistent his entire career. He's never wavered. I don't agree with Bernie on all things, but I trust and admire him!
10
@Jeremiah Crotser Recently I saw footage of her sincerely answering then hugging a young women who asked her a question. An electrifying moment and in the spirit of everything since the beginning of her campaign.
2
Last summer we visited Scandinavia.We had always admired these countries and we had been dreaming about the US being like them.We had significant interactions with the locals and got a relatively good look of the countries. All of the countries have high taxes, high youth unemployment, very high living costs and with an exception of Finland we found them to have very poor customer service (reastaurants, etc).We tried to rent a kayak in Norway but we learned you cannot rent it without a special class to take.We had noticed an antibusiness attitude almost everywhere.We were puzzled with our impressions so of after vising Scandinavia we have read a lot on the subject.We were astounded to acknowledge that both Norway or Sweden seem to be run by an army of clerks or officials, who have a lot of power.For example they could take somebody’s child without a strong evidence of wrongdoing or if one of the parents has serious health issues.There are many such cases in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. It looks like their bureaucratic machine rather than people decide about too many things there. Among them how to spend the taxpayers money often breeding programs that need more clerks. It is definitely a case with a program of taking children away from their parents.We had a strong impression that the balance of the government’s influence on people lives is off and not acceptable. In spite of having many pluses, we stopped thinking that these countries should be examples.
2
@KDz As a European living in the U.S., I believe your observations are entirely correct. Even so, there's a balance to consider. The Scandinavian countries have an "army of clerks" who can come and take your child. In the U.S., we have an army of police and other armed forces who can shoot you in your home or deport you. The Scandinavian countries have poor costumer service. In the U.S., you can work 50 hours a week and not make rent, let alone insurance. I love living in the U.S. But I've stopped thinking a long time ago that this country should be seen as an example to follow.
3
@J
I have yet to hear of cases of children being taken away from their parents by "clerks" without good reason. Children need to go to real schools, get a real education and get their vaccinations. In the US, none of that is mandatory, and you see the problems it causes.
Unlike the US, there is no family court that siphons off $2 billion/year from people's pockets to adjudicate contentious divorces and custody fights. You don't see anywhere near the level of lethal violence as a result of of dissatisfied plaintiffs.
Warren is a great Senator and could have been a great President. She lost me on her Medicare for All Plan.
3
Warren is not going to get my vote just because she is a very smart woman. I want her to quit sniping at the other candidates and focus on demonstrating that she understands the issues that are challenging the future of young Americans.
1
$3,000,000,000,000 in new taxes = four more years.
That’s what we get if Warren wins the nomination.
1
Warren is at the bottom for me. I will vote for a tree stump over Donald Trump. For sure. But Warren has many flaws and often goes unchallenged by an adoring media. It wasn't until her miserable debate performances that I put her toward the bottom. Simply, she is not tested on the big stage. When she turned to Biden and said that she had Barack Obama to thank for the passage of the consumer financial reform law, I cringed. Anyone who knows politics or has worked in politics know that Biden was the one calling senators all night every night to get the last vote. She completely dismissed him. Likewise, she suggested that Biden run in another primary because he believed in Obamacare and not M4A. It's just hard to recognize her as a mainstream candidate.
2
“Tough women know how to get things done,” Yes, I am a tough woman myself yet I dislike this as an argument: I have spent my adult life pushing back as "woman" as a descriptor. Tough is the descriptor. We women want to be careful here in how we make our arguments. If biology is not destiny let's not use it as our banner. I frankly don't care about anything in a candidate other than the goods to get the job done. And now more than ever we need that.
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@Jeff Freeman
Jeff Freeman is a tough woman?
10
@Jeff Freeman forgive me for stating the obvious, but "jeff freeman" is a woman?
2
@john
He prefers 'they'.
Here we go again. Democrats and Trolls from somewhere on the other side, probably even the RNC, are attacking the Democratic candidate who has the best chance of beating Trump in the November election. Of course they don't like Warren because she, like Sanders, has the "plans" to really break the wealth inequality that is threatening America's future as a democratic Republic. Biden won't do any more to change the disastrous course we have been on since the end of the 20th Century. Obama couldn't do it, what makes him think he will be able to reverse course when Obama didn't? Incrementalism is too little too late.
People wanted "change" in 2016. Unfortunately Trump was not the change many Trump voters voted for. Buttigieg would make an excellent VP candidate to counter-balance Warren. But so would almost any of the other candidates now running. Too many voters who wanted change in 2016 will look at Bloomberg now as just another billionaire who thinks he can buy the presidency with all his wealth. He should have entered the race a year ago. Now his entry is suspect. He is wasting his money on TV adds for himself when he could be using that money to help Democratic candidates win the Senate and the House along with the presidency in 2020.
2
The so-called "center" has drifted steadily to the right during the last 50 years. That's because the right wing has moved steadily further to the right. So, any position that was once-upon-a-time at center is now well to the left of center. And anyone now at the center is much too far to the right for my political taste.
Go Warren!
2
@Duane McPherson The right wing has not moved at all. They've stayed put for at least a decade. I've never seen anyone say its the right that's been moving further to the right. What do you think all these "progressive" plans/policies are coming from? Obama even warned on the push left. You are right that the center is being perceived as right. That is only because the left is currently alienating voters. Whether you agree with the push left or not is irrelevant.
2
Opinion and news writers need to consider how their intrusions shape public opinion. It would be great to read just news, with less adjectives and predictions. Give voters information about candidates, then step aside and let us vote as we see fit.
7
I'm voting for Warren because she represents causes I believe in. I could care less about her gender or her race.
One of the things that turned me off from Hillary Clinton was her excessive focus on gender. "It's time for a woman."
Pleeeease . . . . it's simply time for a person of any gender or race to do something about the increasing divide between the rich and the poor, those with health care and those without, and somebody to bring billionaire carbon emitters like the Koch brothers to justice.
8
Nah. I'm thinking Biden and Swalwell. Yes, the one who dropped out. As VP he would be able to confidently perform duties that Biden is too old to do and would set himself up for election in 2024.
@Ayecaramba I'm not sure that would be the best ticket. Biden yes, but not sure who would bring in the votes as VP. I want to say Bernie or Warren, but having the VP and President be super old isn't a winning ticket. Maybe you're right. Either way the election is going to break records and be a close one.
1
"emphasizing her gender as the top woman left in the race..." Because that worked so well for Hillary. Sheesh. Who advises these people? Does Warren have a clue as to what people really want (Hint: It's NOT being forced into a government health plan, and most of us don't care if the candidate is a woman or a man, just someone who can trounce Trump). Clinton's campaign was the equivalent of political malpractice, and now it seems Warren wants to follow suit.
3
It is insulting to say that voters are psyching themselves out worrying about how other voters will vote. Warren has been running under the claim that she is smart and knows how to deliver her campaign promises. But her “Medicare for all” plan is not viable (relying on taxes which, in the long term, would eliminate the most wealthy and thus eliminate a major source of funds needed to pay for her plan). And for days after releasing the plan, Warren made it clear that she did not know the details of her own plan (claiming to only tax billionaires while really planning to tax more broadly). Her “Medicare for all” plan undercut her claim to being smart and to knowing how to deliver her promises.
Frankly, I and others were able to look past her foolish, romanticized notion of being part Indian. For example, I saw in her one of my sisters who always liked the notion that my family may have Indian ancestors. I could look past her foolish “Medicare for all” plan if she can replace it with something viable. Why not include a broad income tax that essentially would replace payments now made to private health insurance companies? I like her attitude of, “why run unless one intends to do something?” I and other want results and can forgive mistakes. But it is important to fix mistakes, even more than acknowledging mistakes.
6
There is an age old political maxim that a Democratic candidate runs to the left in the primaries, and to the center in the general. Trump promised the moon( e.g., Mexico will pay for his wall) but all these “ experts “ posting here that Warren is unelectable because she is for Medicare for All, or because she’s too far left, simply don’t understand politics and don’t see the fallacy of their position in the face of DJT looming before them.
2
Buttigieg’s climate change advisor is David Victor, whose research was funded by BP. It's “experts” like Victor that bamboozled the public about climate change for two decades.
Buttigieg is a personal friend of Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. Half of all Americans get their news from social media, and Zuckerberg has done nothing to protect our democracy. Zuckerberg is privately meeting with Trump (and Brett Kavanaugh) so that he can keep a grip on his social media empire.
Buttigieg’s national policy director, the one who shapes Pete's domestic policies, is a former executive at Google and Goldman Sachs.
This weekend, student activist Greg Chung asked Buttigieg: "I wanted to ask if you think that taking big money out of politics includes not taking money off of billionaires and closed-door fundraisers.” Buttigieg responded, "No" and walked away.
His campaign manager is the one who made the decision to open the closed-door fundraisers, not Pete himself.
It's only because of the pressure from Warren that those closed doors will now be open, and our democracy is better for it.
5
@Ed Advocate for Senator Warren to your hearts content, but please stop spreading misinformation. Mr. Buttigieg is a boost to the progressive wing of the Democratic party. Looking to two 70-year-old for leadership is not sustainable. The aggressive, militant style of the Squad only preaches to the choir. Mr. Buttigieg has been exceptionally effective in articulating and advocating progressive values to voters in much wider political spectrum. The Democratic Party could take advantage of Mr. Buttigieg's political acumen.
8
@Ed Remember when the Bernie-Bros attacked Clinton and her supporters instead of presenting convincing information to sway voters over to Bernie? How did that work out? I would suggest you stop cutting and pasting your misinformation smears from article to article and instead focus on explaining why you think Warren is the best choice. Otherwise, I conclude that Warren isn't strong enough to win without dirty tactics like yours.
4
@Susie Mayor Pete is advocating as a centrist not a progressive. Not sure what progressive policies Mayor Pete has been endorsing but I haven't heard them in any of the debates so far. In fact, if I recall correctly he criticized both Warren and Bernie for being too far left. What does Pete stand for anyone except that he's from the mid-west and therefor can beat Trump? Not likely.
1
Reality Check no doubt Senator Warren could do better job as our president then present actors we have. Suggest she address common people about jobs pay living wage. Creation of next form transportation in world hyperloop. Using our people first to Make Made In USA for government use. Health care is over inflated we need to address abusive life styles causes mental disease. We need common goal like manditory voting so every one shares in greater good no free ride. Public service for those who can should be manditory so we can reduce size government an create jobs.
@jerry lee Could she do a better job? Most are happy with the economy and jobs. We had a record black Friday, and probably going to have a record Holiday season when it comes to consumer sales. This is what she needs to run against. She needs to tell us how she plans to keep this good thing we have going while improving on the other aspects of American life. So far its just been super expensive plans that will not work. If Trumps personality was not a factor, it would be an easy win for him, but he can't keep his mouth shut so here we are.
1
Warren's false claim that she is "African American", or was it "Native American", fueled her professional and political career at the expense of others.
Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut reminded us of the legal principle "False in one, false in all" which applies to Warren's lack of character.
6
@jck My family told me for decades that we had Native American relatives way back but that turned out to be false. It happened, probably a lot, but how would anyone prove or disprove family stories until recently when DNA testing became available?
Why are we raking Warren over the coals for something so minor when there is someone in the WH that is abusing power out in the open and violating the constitution. It's like Hilary's emails, let's not make a mountain out of a mole hill and focus on what's really important.
4
Maybe people see her as unreliable after she backed down on M4A. She also has zero interest in foreign policy. Listen to her responses on Venezuela and the right wing coup in Bolivia - she has absolutely no opinion on it, choosing cold war propaganda bromides fed by whatever advisers she hires.
The choice is clear. Berrnie Sanders 2020
1
@Jimmy Herf Bernie and Warren are the same thing. They both have similar rathe expensive plans, and not much of anything when it comes to foreign policy. Not only that, but after the last election you really think the Dems are going to let Bernie become the dem candidate? They'll cut him out again in favor for Warren or Biden.
Medicare for 60+ and move on or her campaign is toast.
1
I’d prefer Mayor Bloomberg over Mayor Pete. It’s not even a contest. Mayor Pete is McKinsey smooth though, not sure that will be appealing once the spell wears off. And it always wears off.
Warren is a pragmatic progressive. In any transformation, you have to change the dialogue. She’s doing that.
Campaign finance reform. Doing it.
Stopping finance industry abuses. Done it. Wealth tax. Check.
Health care for all. Check.
Childcare. Check.
Affordable college. Check.
And so on. She’s a servant leader.
What has Pete done? Speaks 9 languages, vet, gay, super articulate and calm but lost statewide race in Pence country and South Bend has less people than a couple of city blocks in NYC. He needs more time doing something.
The problem with Joe is he’s known as a nice guy with many tragedies in his life. I’m a political junkie, and I can’t tell you what he’s done besides make Delaware a great place for credit card companies, run the Thomas hearing, and be Obama’s wingman. And if your gaff prone all your life, it doesn’t get better in your 70s.
It’s a long race. Hold tight.
3
@Rob The election may be between Trump and Bloomberg. Warren and Sanders are too far left -- a couple of horrors. Tired of looking at Warren in that all-black gym/yoga outfit. Maybe she needs to go buy some new clothes. Can you imagine her meeting world leaders wearing that outfit? I don't know about Mr. Pete B. Perhaps he has a chance.
1
@Rob In all sincerity, I ask what has Warren done as a senator? Or Sanders for that matter? Forming committees isn't getting things done for the American people. What actual impactful things have either of these two senators done?
2
The serfs don't want someone who has their interests in mind, they want a master like Trump, or at least a moderate democrat who will first service the wealthy. It's not only the Trumpies that vote against their own best interest. The Dems have been doing it since Reagan. Liz is too smart and capable for Americans, they want someone smarmy and who will continue the wars and capitulate with the fossil energy industry. They have been bred and educated to be good serfs and they cannot overcome their training.
Trump is going to win because Americans are brainwashed.
1
Warren cannot beat Trump. A strong ticket would be Bloomberg for president and Buttigieg for veep.
3
@BJM I agree. Warren is a hopeless case. Bloomberg/Buttigieg might be the best ticket.
1
Here is a winning ticket - Pete Buttegieg with Stacey Abrams.
1
@Vasu Srinivasan Is that a joke? I don't believe that you can be serious on that. Buttigieg, sure he can be on the ticket, but Abrams? She ruined herself with that performance in Georgia. We don't want that in the White House.
1
Warren's gender had nothing to do with hard ability to beat Trump and be a good president. I whish she would just go away as she puts all Dems on the left which we are not. Amy K is the right choice.
1
I thought Deval Patrick was in the race-but find it hard to read of it.
1
Warren's still my top pick. She's idealistic in her goals but pragmatic about getting things done. Look to her work setting up the CFPB for an example of the real change she could make in the lives of everyday Americans if she were given the reins to the executive branch.
However, when the general election comes around, I will be asking myself questions such as: Which of these candidates has respect for the rule of law, the Constitution, experience in government? Which of these candidates is most likely to appoint white supremacists for cabinet positions or put them in charge of immigration policy? Which of these candidates is actually working for Russia? And so on and so forth.
I'll take any Democratic candidate over Trump any day.
94
@Julie Respect for the constitution? Warren wants to eliminate a huge part of the constitution. That's not very respectful...
3
@Julie Warren populated the CFPB with former bank executives. She further praises former Fed chair Paul Volcker, who did as much as *any single person* to trigger our era of liquidity preference, capital hoarding, rapid deindustrialization, and the predatory financialized economy of neoliberalism. Everyday America indeed...
2
@Julie
I'm with Warren all the way.
I will never pull the lever for Joe Biden.
2
Uh-oh. Emphasizing her gender is a losing gambit. Everyone is well aware that she is a woman. Play the gender card and you turn off both men and women who might otherwise back you.
It did not work for Hillary, or any of the candidates this time around. Nobody wants to hear "Listen, I'm really fighting for you--especially if you know what it's like to be female in a male dominated...." It's the same with race; you're supposed to be the unifier, the one who advocates for all of us.
150
I wrote the same comment but you said it better. Thank you.
12
@Allen I'm a woman and it works for me. So maybe don't assume you speak for everyone.
14
@Allen For me the point being made is that as a woman she's a fighter because she's had to fight hard to get where she is due to the biased society we live in for the male gender. I don't hear Pete or Biden saying that they're going to fight for us all. I just hear white, privileged men telling me that they know what's best for me and I should vote for them, no thanks.
16
Elizabeth Warren has followed through on delivering the goods, come what may, in order to be a fully transparent candidate. She took the DNA test and shared the results with the public, she did the math and showed clearly how Medicare for All would be funded, and she kept her word to Pete by publishing her past cases, despite how the corporate work could sully her candidacy.
I want a woman in the White House who can stand tall despite the many attempts to bring her down and who through her work experience for corporate America can now defend the rest of us from their megalomania. Her determination, intellect, and pure grit makes for a formidable president.
235
@Ichabod Aikem All great stuff that I admire as well, but her scolding of people who make money is off putting. Better she champion the value of labor so that everyone makes enough to pay their own way and add to the economy. If someone wants to acquire a lot of money (through legitimate means), who am I to tell them they have to give me some of it to appease me? Higher tax rates for high earners? Fine. Tax what they've accumulated? You must be kidding. This isn't the Sherwood Forest.
13
@Ichabod Aikem
I don't care whether it is a man or a woman in the White House, as long as it is either Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders.
13
@PeteG I feel sort of the opposite … I am more reluctant to tax high earnings than high accumulations. I am less troubled by someone making a lot of money this year than by intergenerational wealth and the lingering effects of limited opportunities in prior generations. I would rather tax less the up-and-coming 30-year-old who has landed in a great job but is still repaying school loans, and tax more the retired 60-year-old who started with family money, made a lot more, and is sitting on a lot of accumulated wealth.
18
I believe Elizabeth Warren should be President of the United States. I am not afraid of Medicare for All, and I have excellent health insurance. I am willing to give it up if I believe that everyone can have the level of comfort that I have when I think about health care.
I think middle and upper middle class Americans, even Democrats, have trouble with the idea of change. I have teenage children who can visualize the importance of Warren's policies for them and for the country in the long-run. She will run into challenges in pushing through Medicare for all in Congress and some compromises will be made. But we need a leader who can at least start with the correct plan. These comments about the trillions that it is going to cost us don't seem to take into account the trillions it is costing us now to do it badly.
Buttigieg is young, and I am surprised for someone at his age, to speak such a calculated middle-of-the-road, "don't worry, I won't change anything" attitude. To me, his is the ultimate politician, catering his message for "electability." When I see the vitality, energy, innovation, and hope in the young generation today, I am sad that I do not see it in Mayor Pete. If he is this conservative in his 30s, he will certainly not become more bold as he matures.
139
@Deepbreath Why do you present this as Warren or Buttigieg when there are quite a few other candidates who pose serious primary challenges to Warren? I’ll support whoever the Dem is in the general election, but I don’t plan to vote for Warren in the primary. And I’m a progressive who’s not afraid of change.
11
@Deepbreath indeed. PB's bland soothing pablum seems to be going down amazingly well. Anyone but that evil woman, Warren, eh? She might actually do some of the things she says and then how could the rich keep getting richer, never mind that to continue in the way we are risks economic stability, for everyone, as the economy becomes ever more unbalanced. Just let the wealth keep flowing to the wealthy. And never ever underestimate misogyny in America. "I don't know why, I just don't like her". Misogyny is deeper in America than racism, especially since it's not fully admitted to.
22
@Deepbreath Pete Buttigieg’s platform would literally be the most progressive in the history of the United States and yet you are accusing him of saying that he won’t change anything.
And Elizabeth Warren’s support is largely driven by educated elites — aka the middle and upper middle class. It is the main demarcation between her support and Bernie’s.
It appears that reality is no match for what people would like to see and hear.
14
What happens if Joe Biden is elected? For the first two years, he will crow about how he "beat Trump"; then, there will be an election, and a brand new red wave will drown Washington. Joe Biden is not the president we need.
Donald Trump is not the real problem. The real problem is that too many people voted for him; they wanted change and all they got was "more of the same," or worse. Can Joe Biden or Pete Buttigieg bring about change? I doubt it.
If we really want change, we have to elect either Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders. The others will give up without even trying ("it is unrealistic"), or will just not bother. Being President is what they want; once they have the title, their big donors will take over.)
12
Liz Warren has done great work in areas like consumer finance, and I think she's made great contributions in the Senate. I also think that's where she should stay.
In the 2008 primary she remained conspicuously silent, never having the guts to endorse Bernie despite supposedly endorsing many of his main platform positions. That endorsement might have given him a better shot in the primary, and might even have led to his defeat of Trump in the general.
Now she wants to come in and run after basically grabbing Bernie's platform wholesale? Then walking it back when people challenge her numbers? It's no wonder people are gravitating to the real thing. If she wants to make sure a progressive wins she should drop out and endorse Bernie.
7
Mr. Buttigieg, in his refreshing and unexpected rise to the top tier, has never shifted his policy statements. I believe Ms. Warren should calm down the rhetoric about corruption and billionaires in light of her past work for Enron and Dow, two of the darkest corporations in our country. Moreover, she is lurching left and right in order to find a new position. This has sapped and will continue to sap her credibility going forward.
8
As soon as the $20 trillion over ten years number came out, she should immediately have pointed out that Americans are currently spending some $3.8 trillion on medical care every year. That's $38 trillion over ten years.
Most people are able to figure out that $20 trillion is quite a bit less than $38 trillion.
4
@The Poet McTeagle > Most people are able to figure out that $20 trillion is quite a bit less than $38 trillion.
Yes! In that regard, I think a NYTimes infographic on Senator Warren's Medicare for All did her an incredible disservice. It showed MfA blowing up the US budget instead of showing where those expenses were coming from.
Please NYT, be real. Show the whole picture.
3
A week ago, I used this opportunity to chastise Cory Booker for lamenting the fact that there are no black candidates among the Democratic field. Today I chastise Warren for the same thing as it pertains to gender and I remind her, as I reminded Booker, that Martin Luther King Jr. pleaded with Americans to "judge people not by the color of their skin (or their gender) but by the content of their character." As long as we as Americans continue to point to such meaningless differences among ourselves, we cannot truly unite as a nation.
4
I was looking for reasons to support you, Ms. Warren. Not any more.
3
Warren may have waited too long to acknowledge the unpalatable position of her "my way or the highway" approach to health care access. She will have to work very hard to rid her reputation of stubbornness and inflexibility.
As for her attack on all billionaires as being alike, Bloomberg and his political ads are hitting on all cylinders with their focus on protection and quality of life advancement of the poor and middle class. Plus, he seems a very credible opposite of our corrupt, grifting president.
4
If only Elizabeth Warren would switch her policy priorities from $20 trillion for "Medicare for All" to a woefully inadequate $3 trillion to fight climate change, I'd embrace her wholeheartedly. Warren has been losing ground ever since she released the cost of her Medicare for All proposal and she needs to change course to prevent further erosion in her support. She should consider, as she has, phasing in Medicare for All by pilot testing it with the 114 million Americans already receiving public health insurance either through Medicaid (74 million) or Medicare (44 million). That is a daunting enough challenge that could solve the health insurance crisis if she federalizes Medicaid thereby allowing millions of those currently uninsured to receive her Medicare for All. The costs should be substantially less allowing her to meet the nation's and world's most important challenge--reversing climate change.
7
@Paul Wortman I too am a voter who's top priority is reversing global warming. Of the top candidates, Sanders and Warren seem to be taking the issue much more seriously than are Biden and Buttigieg.
6
Senator Warren's current description of her health care plan as articulated during her recent appearances in New Hampshire sounds just like Buttigieg's "Medicare For All Who Want It." She now emphasizes "choice" and the option of maintaining private insurance. Regardless of the merits of the competing plans, the timing of these refinements to her plan create the appearance that she has modified it in response to her opponent's growing popularity and to her decline in the polls.
10
@DM I believe DM is correct. Warren is a great American and her work on the Consumer Protection Bureau is of great importance, but now that she is back on her heels a less savory side of her is showing itself, while Pete Buttigieg offers no contradictions in his policy articulation.
10
Re Warren’s health plan - In revising it I feel she is capable of listening to the people and finding a way forward without comprising anything. Her revised plan still supports her ultimate goal for everyone to have healthcare, whether they can afford it or not: this has not changed, only the way she has reconfigured the path to achieving it. She is not cunning, she is not only revising it out of a political interest, she is simply continuing to be the person she is—capable of finding the common ground necessary to keep moving forward in the right direction. Mayor Pete talks a good game, but he’s not ready to do what a Democratic president is going to have to be able to do not only after the Trump disaster, but what has also been necessary to do in this country for centuries and can wait no longer—make opportunities in this country match what the Declaration of Independence promises. He doesn’t have the experience nor does he have the plans. She has the experience, she has the plans, she has the strength and courage and if the Democrats don’t nominate her, a woman—and we are so lucky it’s her because we also need a schoolteacher—I feel we can probably kiss the election goodbye.
Senator Warren is a sincere fighter, and that is great as a legislator or a regulator. Her platform of fighting corruption is also better addressed through laws and regulations. For most voters, the differences in policies proposed by different candidates are not that significant, compared to Trump's GOP. So for many, it comes down to temperament, which voters now have a pretty good idea after 5 debates and months of campaign rallies. Senator Warren showed us she didn't hesitate to belittle her fellow candidates for their "not-as-bold" proposals (and yet she herself recently had to back track from her very bold plans.) Her campaign message is unnecessarily divisive (e.g. fundraising off a "billionaire's tear" mug). It casts doubt on her ability, as a president, to form political coalition, which is essential to move this divided country forward.
18
@Susie Your comment nails it. While there is much to admire about Senator Warren, the longer she campaigns, the more she reveals about her temperament and approach to leadership, and honestly, it’s not positive. I was interested in her when I first saw her speak at a campaign event for Clinton, but as this race has progressed, I like her less and less. The more I learn, the more concerns I have. But instead of addressing the sincere concerns of voters like me, she and her supporters have gone negative, smearing other candidates instead of being confident in her message and clarifying what needs to be clearer. I want a leader who listens; I want a fighter who knows how to pivot; and most of all, I want a uniter. Right now Warren is none of those things.
56
@Susie I believe Ms. Warren should calm down the rhetoric about corruption and billionaires in light of her past work for Enron and Dow, two of the darkest corporations in our country.
5
In the day and age of the self proclaimed greatest president ever, elected by less than half the popular vote, and supported by a dedicated band of politicians who consistently vote against what all polls show as the will of the majority of citizens, it’s cruelly ironic to read messages that proclaim that Warren or any other democratic candidate can’t govern, or can’t build a coalition, or in any other way are “ less than” realistic options when clearly the overwhelming evidence demonstrates that anything is possible, and no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.
1
As a woman, I don't vote just because of a candidate's gender. It's nice to have but by no means a deciding factor.
Buttigieg has risen and Warren is falling not because of their gender or sex orientation, it's because Buttigieg is far more superior in arguing for his pole position than Warren does. The goals of Warren (and Sanders) are noble, but they won't fly.
Don't call me a non-dreamer (or unable to dream big), I'm just pragmatic. A newly elected president has a little over a year of honeymoon period to push through anything big, and then mid-term arrives and Congress elections would come. When mid-term elections are done, the president would have to gear up for re-election. How much of a "makeover" agenda can a president push through, exactly?
I do give GOP some credits in strategic thinking. Rather than just fighting for the White House, they are all over the map in redistricting (to defend their House turf). If it was thanks-but-no-thanks to Trump, GOP would likely still have control of the House. Senate is far more evenly split. Although Pelosi controls the House now, Senate will not pass M4A. And then, there's the remaking of SCOTUS. Between the judicial and legislative branch, GOP (and Trump) has actually achieved far more than Obama has done.
Buttigieg is a perfect candidate, except that he's gay and blacks can't warm up to him. But blacks don't fancy Warren either. Between a gay guy and a white woman (or is she Native Indian?), my bet is, the guy still wins.
31
So, extremist Trump achieved more than moderate Obama, but you still believe that moderates are our best chance?
1
@tiddle the devil is always in the details-- and Buttigieg is short on details. Fuzzy generalities always are more palatable than concrete plans. Then we find that we have elected another president, sold to us as a reasonable moderate democrat, who is in reality a republican.
2
As a staunch Democrat, I wish she would just go away. Soon. She is doing more damage than construction. The right seizes on her agenda and paints the entire party with it.
25
Serious question - not rhetorical - Does anyone care that she sent at least one of her kids to private school but now she is vehemently against school choice?
32
On the other hand, at least one of her child went to public school ( actually, second also went to public school, at least for some time), should a it bother us? Doesn't that means she knows the both system and, therefore, to apply this knowledge to her program?
2
@Taxpayur Yes. This is one of my concerns about her. One of many. Not to mention that she offers no real plan for K-12 public schools.
5
Fighting for adequate oversight, governance, and labor protections of public education spending is not hypocritical or incompatible with choosing to send your child to a privately funded school. Maybe she wanted her child to have a religious-based education or some other configuration not compatible with the public funding model.
1
Warren will incite the same type of vitriol as Obama, and lead to another reactionary. Only Sanders can go toe to toe with Trump and beat him at his own game.
6
It isn't ttat Ms. Warren's plans are too much and too fast, it's that she pulls back from them when faced with criticism. It is of a piece with her insistence that she had Native American ancestry, and then taking a DNA test to prove it which ended up satisfying no one. Her campaign strikes me as wobbly when it should be pressing ahead each and every day.
12
Bernie who from Vermont where. The NYT has dropped Bernie from contention, skips over Joe Biden and sets a matchup between Warren and Mayor Pete. All the while stating Warren is responding to polls but the polls look nothing like the horse race described. This is how Trump slipped passed Hillary. No one was watching the real race.
17
Being a woman doesn't make h e's any more likeable or genuine.
10
Don’t start with the “I’m a woman, it’s my turn” mantra. Has she not learned from Hillary? We just want “any functioning adult”, as that ubiquitous bumper sticker should remind her.
30
I for one and so tired of everything being about Iowa.
16
I love watching Warren slander Buttigieg’s work at McKinsey, and his raising money from private donors, when she was a corporate lawyer, contracted with McKinsey for Harvard, and also raised money from private donors in her senate campaign and uses that money for her presidential race. No thanks to hypocrisy.
49
How about hypocrisy of Buttigieg, who went after Warren's health plan, while leaving the crucial details of his plan obscure.
5
@yulia He didn't go after her health care plan. Unless you consider presenting a different more achievable option as an attack. Progressive's constantly go for the jugular in their attacks on moderate candidates, but anytime someone has says anything even remotely critical of their preferred candidate they go into outraged victim mode.
1
Who is this "Bernie Sanders" I hear tell of in here? Is he running this year?
Another point: How do we know that commenters here are real people? I mean, pound on Facebook all you like -- and I'll agree -- but I know I'm actually Doug Tarnopol and I'm a human being paid by no one who lives in RI.
Don't bother answering: we know the biz model: clicks is all. Ad rev is all. Reform is for someone else.
9
Warren is the best candidate b a country mile.
Establishment scared even more witless than normal.
Why is Harris dropping out a surprise?
She had one moment and the rest of her campaign was inept.
8
The irony for Ms. Warren is that Speaker Pelosi has made it clear that she does not support mandatory Medicare for all, and would prefer instead to expand Obamacare with a Medicare buy in option, and as a result believes that more moderate Democratic candidates are a better choice than Warren or Sanders to win in 2020. I think Pelosi’s general election instincts should not be discounted, if the primary goal is to defeat Trump, as opposed to trying to win a policy debate. Pelosi could be wrong on where the general electorate will fall in 2020, but I for one just cannot bet against her.
14
On November 15 "Elizabeth Warren Vows to Expand Health Coverage in First 100 Days" appeared in the NYT and her downslide began immediately. Senator Warren's slide is truly a story of the Medical Industrial Complex focused on their most dangerous enemy, and the focus came when Warren switched from unpassable Medicare for All to a two step plan.
It happened right on our cell phones, our Google news feeds are not immune to influence from a $3.6 trillion a year industry and stories rapidly changed to dire warnings against a serious threat against the status quo. It's happening on our local and national news, with an estimated $6 billion a year spent on drug commercials producers know not to bite the hand that feeds them. It became the focus on K Street, health care companies spent nearly $568 million in 2018 and they will spend much more this year.
Elizabeth Warren was not a threat when she was standing with Bernie Sanders, both representing unpassable solutions. But when the first step became lowering the age of Medicare eligibility and offering competition to corporate health insurance for both groups and individuals during her first 100 days in office, all of that money became sharply focused on the woman with the answers.
Imagine healthcare with all of that influence money taken out of our drug cost, doctor bills and medical insurance. Big money knows how to convince Americans they are good for us, false propaganda coming out of our own pockets.
16
It's not her plans or visions that are the problem, it's the delivery.
7
@Jtk It’s actually both her plans AND the delivery that are the problem.
5
This democratic race has been interesting from day one, as the candidates move closer to the convention. I like Elizabeth Warren, but she is not my choice for president. I was worried about her progressive ideas without much knowledge as how to bring them to life. That was especially true of the health care program. I like Sanders and Biden both as senators, but worry they are too old and one sided. I would like to see someone younger with a more conservative approach like Buttigieg or Klobuchar who have a fresh perspective and can pull young people and perhaps more independent candidates into the race. But having said all of this, I would vote for my cat if I thought she could beat Trump.
12
What is the fresh perspective? The public option that was discussed in 2008, and yet was not passed, and what is now a convenient crutch for moderate candidate who wants to look more progressive than they are. The good public option will lead to massive transfer from the private insurances to this option, but where money will come to accommodate all? The bad public option will do nothing to ease burden of healthcare on the middle class. It will be Obamacare again with high premiums and high deductible.
3
Obamacare was a great deal for insuring the strip-mining of the resources left of the disappearing middle class. I paid $25,000 for ‘healthcare’ last year and wasn’t sick once. I’ve had enough of establishment corporatists Democratic-style oligarchy. Bernie is the only one I trust with my vote.
3
Warren has to realize -- it's the Medicare For All mandate that's doing her in. People want MORE and BETTER options, not a forced switch. Now she's in a pickle, seen as weak if she retreats but stuck pushing something no one wants.
11
Warren’s approach is very similar to what FDR did in his first term. In his “First 100 Days” he issued a slew of executive orders, then pushed for major legislative action on Social Security and Unemployment Insurance in his third year after the mid-term elections.
On Day One, Warren plans to reduce drug prices. In her First 100 Days, she plans to allow people to buy a Medicare plan if they want it. The plan also provides Medicare coverage for free to individuals who earn less than $25,000 or families who earn less than $50,000. In this way, her plan differs from Buttigieg’s, whose plan doesn't address the problem of affordability.
Warren’s transition plan is great news for entrepreneurs: people with creative ideas or ambition will be able to quit their jobs now to launch their own business without the fear of losing their health insurance.
Warren believes that the best way to build grassroots support for Medicare-for-All is to get as many people as fast as she can onto Medicare. Both Hillary and Al Gore believe that Medicare-for-All is the right goal. The problem is a political one - how do we get there. By the third year, Warren will be in a stronger position to push for her broader legislation once people realize there is nothing to fear.
16
@Ed, Please, give some credits to voters' individual thinking. I don't do social media, I don't watch TV, I can't care less about Facebook and TV ad, I pull news and go to candidates' websites to get the details, then compare.
In terms of representation, I'm impressed by Buttigieg who is able to articulate policy matters. In terms of policy coverage, I'm impressed by Andrew Yang (who has received far too little media coverage to do him justice, and which is also why the Yang Gang is miffied about this too.)
Warren? She's had the megaphone for a while, but does she have anything more left to say, except to attack billionnaires? The latest rub against Bloomberg is particularly irrelevant. Ok, so the guy has money, but he made it by himself (unlike Trump who's really just a trust fund whiny-baby), he's done his time as mayor in NYC and he's ok to me. And, don't even try to lump billionnaires with a small-town guy like Buttigieg who's a Rhodes Scholar and did work at McKinsey. It's all while Warren CHOSE her own clients during her consultancy work to represent big corporate clients. Talking about hypocrisy, it can't get better than this.
6
Her plans are not financially feasible; US government cannot borrow tens of trillions and have the fiat currency system survive on that path. Debasing $ has been going on for the past 30 years but she proposed such a big increase, it did not make sense to even folks who are bad in math. We cannot print ourselves to prosperity. Romans, Greeks, Ottomans tried; they are still in recession.
11
They are totally feasible. If we can afford most expensive healthcare and education in the World, we definitely could afford the programs that bring cost of these system down.
5
Elizabeth Warren should be very careful on how she takes on other candidates. If she needs any affirmation of this point, she can give Kamala Harris a call and see how her debate attack on Joe Biden worked out for her.
I like Elizabeth Warren a lot and think she could do very well head to head against Donald Trump from a personality standpoint. But she painted herself into a corner with M4A, and that's not going to play well in the six states that are going to decide the 2020 election.
9
I took my Warren button off my coat. I really have no one to vote for. It looks like I'm sitting this one out.
1
@Julia As someone in this commentary said: "I'd vote for my cat if he would beat Trump". I think you're missing the point of this historic moment. VOTE!!!
5
@Julia
The Democrats have candidates from center to left of center to far left of center. I find it surprising that you can't find one of them that fits your viewpoint. Since you once supported Warren I assume you are in the left of center to far left of center. Would not Sanders fit the bill? I worry that either one of them would be in for a tough race against Trump.
I am more to the center and am looking closely at Biden, Buttigieg and Klobuchar although I doubt Klobuchar can win the Democratic primary I think she would trounce Trump.
So, you’re voting for Trump.
1
Senator Warren should concentrate less on criticism of fellow candidates and more on an immediate vision that has a chance of passing.
9
How funny that Warren got slapped for criticism of other candidates, while other candidates got praise for attacking her.
3
Buttigieg questioned Warren policies and explained why he thinks his policies are better. She responded by smearing him with innuendos about his integrity. In doing that she showed her true colors and lost my respect. I want candidates to argue policy, not get into personal attacks. That’s what Trump does and I am fed up with it.
43
He smeared her health plan without explaining his 'public option', he smears her integrity while he is hiding behind NDA. Seems you don't mind Trump's tactics as long as it benefits to your candidate.
4
@AJBF - Didn't Butteigeig smear Warren's integrity by demanding that she release her tax returns and name her corporate clients? Isn't he doing the exact same thing she is doing? He is. So by your measure, he has now shown his true colors and lost your respect?
3
Elizabeth Warren WAS the front runner till the establishment created a false narrative around her policy proposals so much so that it prompted Mike Bloomberg and Deval Patrick to jump into the fray. I have nothing against Pete Buttigieg - and will vote for him if he becomes the nominee. However, imagine discounting Warren - a seasoned lawmaker in favor of an upstart newbie with limited governing experience! Warren’s slip has nothing to do with her experience and everything to do with her gender.
8
Warren has made every effort possible to avoid talking about MFA on her campaign stops.
It is a major liability for her and will be the beginning of the end.
Maybe she and Bernard can pool their votes and make noise at the convention.
Warren is now being revealed as the consummate opportunist who stole Bernard's plans, repackaged them every time her polls dropped, and now, we learn, defended Dow Chemical against environmentalists.
She is too shrill, hyper and along with Bernard could never carry the Midwest let alone a general election.
8
Warren and Warren supporters don’t seem to think she is strong enough on her own merit so they attack other candidates, and the voters who support them, spreading misinformation in a desperate attempt to deflect from Warren’s past failings and defects. Spend your time promoting Warren in a positive manner. Keep the focus on her policies, not these personal smears of others. The negativity from Warren supporters and Warren herself only strengthens my interest in “Not-Warren.” Feels a lot like a page from the 2016 Bernie-Bro’s playbook. Didn’t work then and certainly isn’t going to work now.
9
Well, apparently attack did work for Buttigieg. He was at the end of the pack, but after attack on Warren he propelled in the front row. Warren took the notice.
1
Thank you for proving my point.
1
Oh, yes, of course -- we have to have a woman in the race. We have to have a debate stage with diversity. We have to have Golden Globe nominees of diversity. We have to have TV commentators of diversity. We have to have diversity in coaching at every level, in every sport . etc.etc.etc. Few hairs remain on my head, and my teeth are closer to my gums than they once were; but I trudge on.
4
There is so much I like about Elizabeth Warren.
Some of her policies seem extreme, and it's perfectly fair to question her about those.
Like many others, I don't care about the "identity" of the candidates. And I urge Warren to not start describing herself as an 'inspiration to little girls everywhere" or blaming misogyny for a decline in the polls.
Those come across as excuses or bragging.
Stick to the facts, attack where you need to. Those qualities know no race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.
8
I certainly get the importance of beating Trump. But, beating Trump and failing to move the needle on policy and still leaving the very wealthy firmly in control is a very hollow victory. The so-called far left is advocating policies that people in other wealthy (and some not so wealthy) nations take for granted. Health care decoupled from employment is fundamentally about freedom. Education, support for families, freedom again. I'm sticking with the freedom fighters, and that means Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders.
5
@Fred. I would rather have a “hollow victory” than 4 more years of Trump.
1
My trust for Ms. Warren is waning. Her attacks on Mr. Buttigieg for being an employee of a consulting company (and thus performed work that was assigned) when she herself was an independent consultant (and thus decided what work to perform) are disingenuous. Her attacks on Mr. Bloomberg solely because he has money are designed to incite class warfare. Yes, Mr. Bloomberg has a lot of money, but he did not inherit any of it and there is no question and no scandal about how he got it. He has already given time to be mayor of NYC. A self-funded campaign doesn't have to dole out favors later.
34
@John, I totally agree. And that line from Buttigieg of Warren, that "if fighting is all you've got", that won't be sufficient to win in 2020. The way Warren is going now, she's doing exactly what Buttigieg has pictured her.
18
Yes, and he took no salary as mayor of NYC.
2
Senator Warren's slip in poll appears to correlate to her position on Medicare For All. It is, however, incorrect to attribute that to Mr. Buttigieg's contrasting differences in policy. It has been demonstrated in many polls that voters support Medicare For All as a public option much more than Medicare for All without private insurance. Senator Warren's initial high poll numbers are due to higher name recognition. As voters gain better understanding of her policy position, the poll reflects that.
9
@Susie, I don't agree. The megaphone approach from Warren (and Sanders) has made it sound like it's either M4A, or die. Her initial rise wasn't just for name recognition. Has it been so, Harris would have had as much luck too, yet she did not.
Moderates like Buttigieg and Biden didn't find their footing until this past debate. (Well, more so for Buttigieg than for Biden.) Either way, the more forceful assertion from Buttigieg about the public option as pragmatic and viable option is beginning to sink in for most voters.
Dreaming big is great, but if you can't execute, if your plan doesn't hold water, then I'm sorry, it doesn't mean squat. THAT's what voters are finding out about Warren.
3
Bernie worked over Hillary well after she beat him to a pulp in the primaries, painting her corrupt based on association. It seems to be the Democratic playbook of the left.
As Bernie and Warren turn up the heat on mayor Pete, Trump sits and waits.
The Republican party is reprehensible. So is the left wing of the Democratic party. Judges matter, the ACA matters, real immigration reform doesn't have to be cruel and unusual punishment. Left wing purity tests is a gift for Republicans.
Guess what Mike Bloomberg was a much better Mayor than Bill De Blasio.
24
@HL Sanders got 43% of the primary vote to Clinton's 55%. That's hardly beating him to a pulp.
And weren't his supporters entitled to prefer--and vote for--someone besides Clinton in the primaries?
7
Respectfully disagree. Bernie urged all of us to vote for Hillary even though what she and the DNC did to the candidate who beats Trump was reprehensible ‘Basket of Deplorables’ and then delivered us Trump. Bernie is only interested, and has been consistently his entire life, in increasing participation in democracy and making the lives of every citizen better, not l, as Clinton proved with her obvious distain for half the country, only interested in the wealthy she represents. Bernie2020
4
@Lily, ok, that is just not true. When she got the nomination he at first refused to publicly support her, then after much feet-dragging and public pressure, finally “endorsed” her.
7
Bernie is my candidate, the only one I trust to be running to increase participation in democracy, to enact Green New Deal and healthcare as a human right and build a civil, racially just and sustainable society, who will beat Trump, and unite the world against our common enemy of climate change. But, I very much appreciate how Warren is exposing obscene dynastic wealth created under Obama is correctable, and that Pete and Biden as the inferior candidates representative of the plutocracy they are.
11
You stated this so well. We need a corruption fighter and someone who can bring in the 90M who skipped out on last election to vote this year and pull in some of the states that voted red. This is not a secret. Why would we go with a moderate candidate who represents corporate interests and will not be a lure to engage those 90M in creating a better democracy? Yes to Bernie and to Elizabeth but No to Pete, no to the billionaires.
4
@Lilly A far left candidate will hand the election to Trump. Stop this madness. The Democratic Party doesn’t not want what you want. When will you see this?
4
@Lilly, Sanders would have been a godsend to Trump, so would Warren.
For all the "I have a plan" assertions from Warren, her delay time and again in offering up details on how she would pay for M4A, her reluctance in admitting that middle class could end up having higher taxes due to M4A, her cutting into Buttigieg about his McKinsey work yet refusing to release her own consultancy work in the years past until her hand is forced, all of these go into the painting of her picture, that instead of a "truth teller," she's just a "Pinocchio". I'm telling ya, Trump will have an even bigger field day, should Warren win, name-calling her.
25
It is sad when a candidate has to pull out party tricks when forced against the wall. It is clear she is the frontrunner (at least for now) among the female candidates. But to rub it in like it is not obvious is sad.
Warren keeps vacillating in her policies. She could not explain how she will pay for M4A and free public education. When pushed on how much this will cost the country, she could not directly point out figures. A leader knows the costs and consequences before muttering policy. When she finally gave the figures, whow! The price was just skyrocketing and astounding!
America will go bankrupt and of course she announces taxing the rich. I am not rich and I am already hurting with DJT's new tax law. There's backlash now from many people amidst Warren's proposals.
I cannot imagine her battling it out with DJT if she were the nominee. He will bully her around and twist and turn her words against her, and I see her getting rattled.
I am sorry, but I just do not see her representing our country as POTUS. Whoever the nominee will be, I will stand by that candidate. And we should all do. Vote BLUE!
12
@EKing, I agree with most of what you said, except on this: If you are miffed about people not acknowledging Warren as frontrunner, then ask yourself why you would not acknowledge Joe Biden as the TRUE frontrunner right at this point in beating Trump?
The early primaries are just song-and-dance for the far left, the noisiest bunch in the party, but they are far from representative of the country, nor electorates in general elections in winning WH. Have they got that chance, Pelosi would have been gone. (Judged by the measured and balanced approach in going about the impeachment, thank godness Pelosi is around, rather than some loud-mouthed PYT like AOC.)
What matters, in the end, is to have a candidate that appeals to the wider swarth of voters beyond the hard-core progressives. THAT's what matters, that's why Biden is still the clear frontrunner, no matter how you look at the polling numbers.
1
Media wants it to be Warren but really, with Bloomberg now in the race and Biden not willing to exit she has no path to the Nomination, outside of Super Delegate Fiat.
5
Yet again, another article barely mentioning Sanders as a candidate. You all could at least try to make it less obvious that you are intentionally trying to keep his name out of headlines. It’s really sad.
47
@wtfrick
A) Why would they mention Sanders in an article about Warren?
B) 1/4 of Bernie Sanders supporters say that if Sanders isn’t the nominee, they’re voting for Trump.
Bernie Sanders can feel free to drop out and go away any time, because many of his followers are not allies to progressivism. In fact, many of his followers are antagonists to many of the policy goals of progressives. I’ll be glad when we don’t have to “feel the Bern” anymore, because if anyone is going to guarantee another Trump victory, it’s bitter Sanders supporters who refuse to defend democracy if their guy doesn’t get the nomination again.
10
@wtfrick Because he will not, should not, and cannot be the nominee if we have any chance at winning.
5
@wtfrick, Same is true with Biden, as if he's at the bottom of the heap, when he's leading in every election polls by wider margin, and he's consistently polled to have the numbers to beat Trump.
1
Go Elizabeth go!
The men who run against you have no clue, they are out of touch.
One is a narcissistic, misogynistic, Mafia-like autocrat. One is rich who thinks he can simply buy it.
Another is a tried and true politician who has son issues. Be kind to gentleman from Vermont, he is a kindred spirit. The others do not matter so much.
As we’ve learned from our participation in Afghanistan and from Russia, men are always less than honorable. They have a habit of lying. A lot.
It’s time for an intellectual woman to show them how females can lead and change the world.
43
“Men are always less than honorable?”
Wow, now that’s a sexist perspective that’s out of touch with today.
8
Does she have a plan to disappear?
17
@Bill A.
No but maybe you should have a plan to go to Russia where the Constitution doesn't matter. Maybe if men could do a better job of governing we would not be in this nightmare. The people are this country not one draft dodger individual.
Trump broke the law and if a woman has to bring an elite man down to save the country then so be it.
Hopefully their is a plan to make the Russian loving GOP to disappear to their homeland Russia
3
No. Sorry.
@Tony I’m a Democrat.
"Ms. Warren has bought dozens of Facebook ads featuring Ms. Harris and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand"
Wait... What? Is the NYT implying Harris and Gillibrand are endorsing Warren? Or, is Warren implying it, and the NYT didn't bother to ask the question?
13
Men don’t like women who have power and are willing to use it. Period, end of story. They are threatened by Warren - as they were by Clinton. They’ll vote for a dolt (Trump) or - despite all the racism talk - a Black man (Obama) before they’ll vote for a woman.
13
@JJ I’m a woman and Warren doesn’t appeal to me. I won’t vote for Trump, but Warren needs to do more to appeal to a wider swath of voters if she hopes to win.
13
@JJ. Some day, this will no longer be true. I just hope it’s in my lifetime.
2
I agree that sexism has had serious effects on presidential campaigns, including the 2020 campaigns. But I don’t blame only men. Both women and men can feel threatened by powerful women, and attempt to punish such women as a result.
5
Warren’s biggest obstacle has been the Partnership for America's Health Care Future, a coalition of insurers, who view Bernie and Warren as an existential threat. Over the summer, they bought half of all political advertising in Iowa. They spent $300,000 on targeted ads on Facebook. . Their message: Health care reform will take away Americans' "choice" and "control" and empower government "bureaucrats" by forcing everyone into a "one-size-fits-all system."
Sound familiar? Buttigieg spent millions on TV and social media ads in Iowa and New Hampshire with the same message. In fact, it’s his brand. That is why it’s important to know who is funding Buttigieg’s campaign. It’s important to know who is advising him and what promises he is making to his donors.
Health care costs have increased over $1 trillion since Obamacare was enacted. When the top 63 CEOs of health insurance companies make $1 billion a year, they will do anything to protect their increasing profits. It does not matter if people die from lack of insurance, or are locked up in jail for failing to pay a hospital bill. It does not matter if 500,000 people go bankrupt a year from medical expenses.
71
@Ed
People have health care and people pay their own bills. people don't believe the ads because they know the deal. It would be wonderful it people had quality health care but the greed of Wall Street is to ensure people dying on the streets because they cant have their prescriptions filled because they don't have the money.
No wall Street CEO is going to get over on our group.
2
@Ed, Please, give some credits to voters' individual thinking. I don't do social media, I don't watch TV, I can't care less about Facebook and TV ad, I pull news and go to candidates' websites to get the details, then compare.
In terms of representation, I'm impressed by Buttigieg who is able to articulate policy matters. In terms of policy coverage, I'm impressed by Andrew Yang (who has received far too little media coverage to do him justice, and which is also why the Yang Gang is miffied about this too.)
Warren? She's had the megaphone for a while, but does she have anything more left to say, except to attack billionnaires? The latest rub against Bloomberg is particularly irrelevant. Ok, so the guy has money, but he made it by himself (unlike Trump who's really just a trust fund whiny-baby), he's done his time as mayor in NYC and he's ok to me. And, don't even try to lump billionnaires with a small-town guy like Buttigieg who's a Rhodes Scholar and did work at McKinsey. It's all while Warren CHOSE her own clients during her consultancy work to represent big corporate clients. Talking about hypocrisy, it can't get better than this.
2
@Ed I read a story about the Partnership for America's Health Care Future in Politico a few weeks back called The Army Built to fight 'Medicare for All'
https://www.politico.com/news/agenda/2019/11/25/medicare-for-all-lobbying-072110
I've heard of them before and knew they were a serious threat to progress, I just didn't know the scale.
Now with you linking Buttigieg to them, it all comes into focus. I could not understand how some small town mayor that would have a hard time passing the Turing test could generate so much interest. You have pretty much explained it all to me.
4
I was an early and enthusiastic Warren supporter. But when she dodged and equivocated on how to pay for Medicare for All - to the prime time debate audience, she started to deflate.
It’s very difficult to rebuild momentum out there. She will need a miracle of timing and opportunity, when everyone is watching.
For a progressive to win, she or he need to make an air tight case - and articulate it with compassion and deep conviction. We need the kind of leadership that will embolden us to take risks for what can deliver us to a better future.
It’s unfathomable to me that then-leading candidate Warren would go to a national debate unprepared to close the deal. And it suggests that strategic and aggressive Republicans could undermine and defeat her.
23
We Democrats have a unique way of playing willing victim to whatever soundbite is making the daily rounds or we just downright like tocannibalize ourselves. I don't care that Warren made a million dollars from corporations spread out over 20 years - she was a lawyer, she is suppose to represent people she doesn't agree with - and its not that much money. I don't care what Buttigieg did in his few years as a junior consultant. I do note that Warren seems tone deaf to efforts for the democrats to unify.
21
Ms. Warren’s “reshaping everything under the sun” in the way we do things from healthcare to education to taxation is pollyannish in nature. The lack of reality inherent in anyones’s ability to create these programs in our current governmental climate, even if they made fiscal or practical sense is off base. Buttigieg, as a moderate, has a more practical sense of what makes sense to push and when.
27
Really? What makes you think so?
Because he sounds like he’s regurgitating every Republican talking point about democrats since 1981?
1
Warren stalled because of a systematic campaign by the establishment/rich people to scare voters away from her. There was a constant drumbeat of op-eds and articles for two weeks or so after she achieved front-runner status. They dragged her through the mud.
It is truly a shame because she is smart, fiery, has good plans, and would make a great president. She would generate enthusiasm and bring out voters. She CAN beat Trump. Warren 2020!
46
Playing the gender card will backfire- as well it should. Everyone is aware she is a woman-leave it unsaid. Be the best candidate because of ideals, integrity, and honesty.
44
The corporate media is afraid of Warren and is holding her to much higher standards than any of the other candidates.
152
@SV
What you call the "corporate media" in fact have not covered some of Senator Warren's biggest missteps.
Most recently, Warren lied to a charter school activist when the activist asked if Warren sent her children to private school and Warren said no, I sent my kids to public school. This wasn't just some mistake. No parent does not know that she pulled her kid out of public school in the fifth grade and then sent him to two different private schools.
Then there was her statement that Michael Brown was murdered by the police. This is a myth. The Brown shooting was exhaustively investigated by the DOJ Office of Civil Rights then led by civil rights advocate Vanita Gupta who reported to African American Attorneys General and appointed a Black President, It concluded that Brown had attacked the office and tried to wrestle away his gun. Warren who is a sophisticated knows better than to say the cop murdered Brown.
But what you call the corporate media have given her pass on this stuff.
20
@SV
Yes, it's all a conspiracy to keep her from the nomination. It has nothing to do with her many missteps, double down debacle on healthcare, insistence on framing everything within the tiresome construct of "a plan for that" and failure to move beyond her core coalition of progressives. Oh wait....it's none of those things.
Newsflash - 2/3 of Democrats identify as either moderately liberal or somewhat liberal. That's why Biden is still the front runner and progressives remain outnumbered. That's not a conspiracy, it's a reality.
6
@David Correct. Warren has had the easiest road, with reporters from this very paper burying the story about her misrepresenting her leaving the teaching profession that other perfectly reputable sources considered news.
4
I still think she's the best candidate, and I will vote for Elizabeth on Super Tuesday.
The folks I know who are fretting about her don't live in early states, so for the moment, their opinion doesn't hold sway.
The bigger question is what will happen to Joe Biden when he fails to make the top two, or even the top three, in either Iowa or New Hampshire?
86
He’ll probably forget and then randomly challenge a potted plant to do push-ups or try to book an appearance on Charlie Rose to defend invading Iraq and Clarence Thomas.
5
Stacey Abrams is the key --she needs to be on the ticket --I have my personal favorites in the Presidential primary, but any of the top candidates can win w/ Ms. Abrams as V.P.
16
@Jim Bishop
She is the democratic version of Paul Ryan. Looks good on paper, doesn't sell well at the ballot box or at least, not well enough. Otherwise Romney would have been President.
8
@Jim Bishop I wonder though if a Buttigieg/Abrams ticket will feel like two children running the country. I like them both VERY much and I thought they would make a great combo until a friend pointed this out to me.
4
@Jim Bishop I agree Abrams could be the key, but two women (Warren, Abrams) on the ticket would be a non starter IMO. If it's Biden or other white male, then Abrams as VP would be perfect. Warren would need a male person of color. I don't believe an all female ticket could win next November
4
Here in Canada, everyone gets basic health care,: doctor's visits, specialists, emergency room visits. No one dies because health care is not available.
We also have private employer insurance that covers drugs, medical appliances, physiotherapy, medical certificates, counselling and so on.
Don't be afraid, America. Be well.
183
I have had one friend and one associate die while waiting for life saving operations in Canada. That seems to be an accepted truth. Where do you live?
7
But we’re a poor country. The only big ticket item we can afford is war.
15
@Tammy Sorry for your loss
Warren is falling in the polls because voters realized that Medicare for All is ruinously expensive, would not really leave the middle class unscathed, would result in lower-quality care, and most of all is an incredibly easy talking point for trump to use against her. Not to mention it is a political non-starter in a likely Republican Senate. She is falling behind because of bad policy.
49
@CP Spot on. Policies won't get a candidate elected but that they can prevent one from being elected. Dems need to get party concurrence on improvements to Obamacare, medicare option, offer it at age 55, whatever, just not M4A, then let the primaries determine who the people want to answer the phone at 3am.
I could vote for Warren. I think she is tough and would look out for all citizens, at least those not in the 1%. But her trillion dollar policies are self-inflicted road blocks.
1
Now her Medicare for all will come in stages but she still talks as if she’s a raging liberal. In the end she’ll move to the center. So her early tirades were just pieces of flash paper to get attention. I’m shocked that gambling is going on here. Shocked, I say.
10
Unfortunately she revealed a part of herself years ago that now impacts her credibility, sensibility and suitability.
Sure, strong women are great— but she is more hysterical than strong.
19
@choose life The American Medical Association dropped the diagnosis of “hysteria” for women in 1952. This condition is most often seen today in Victorian novels. I am very surprised to see someone still ascribing the condition to a 21st century woman.
6
I’ve never seen anyone in politics who is more hysterical than Donald Trump.
Warren may be many things, but hysterical isn’t one of them.
5
Please allow me to point out hasn’t been appropriate to label any woman as hysterical since, unavoidably, the Middle Ages.
1
I had great hopes that Elizabeth Warren would be our first female President but her stubbornness about her "medicare for all" plan, in insisting that she would abolish private insurance, without stating that it could be incremental with increased taxes still making it more affordable than private insurance. This is sinking her, including with me because she cannot win a general election with this stance. I had hoped to see her go nose-to-nose with trump in the general election because I know she would not back down the way Clinton did in the face of trump's bullying on stage and would be all over him with her grasp of the issues and facts that would appeal to all Americans.
10
@fg - I am not sure you read this whole article. The candidate has now tempered her view on insurance and favors an initial choice offering private insurance.
1
@ScottC Unfortunately, she is still sinking herself with a vague plan to abolish private insurance "later in her administration"; not good enough. She is so very capable of being a good teacher but is not using her skills to give us real substance. As someone who is on medicare I still have strong reservations about the ability of all Americans to afford the supplemental insurance needed to protect against the potential of bankruptcy over the uncovered 20%.
2
Warren is a solid candidate with a message that resonates with the working class. She's obviously a fighter and a great debater. She will beat Trump soundly.
44
@Clayton Marlow I’ve lived most of my life in the Rust Belt. The areas we used to win and now do not.
They do not like her. They do not like Bernie. If we pick either as our nominee, I guarantee we will lose.
4
@Paul You should look at some polls, Bernie does very well in the Rust Belt. He speaks directly to people whose jobs and communities were destroyed by deindustrialization.
3
@Paul
I like Warren and I like Sanders. I have been living in Michigan since 1978; isn't Michigan in the Rust Belt?
4
I have serious issue with her populist approach. It seems so disgenius.
Wealth tax will never going to happen with this Supreme Court.
Some countries tried it and it never worked.
Her all policies are free for all.
She reminds me Santa more than serious candidate.
20
Unfortunately hit pieces like this quoting people who are worried and scared of Medicare for All and questioning her electability are just scare tactics from big insurance and big pharma.
Remember every industrialized nation spends less on healthcare with better outcomes then the U.S.
Funny how M4A is Bernie's signature piece of legislation and somehow he gets a pass on it's funding.
Folk's we are already paying for Medicare for All, we just aren't getting it.
237
What you consider to be a hit piece the rest of us consider to be accurate reporting.
20
@mlb4ever
Except Sanders has been very clear about M4A's funding. He admits the middle class would see a slight rise in their taxes, which would be offset by the amount they don't have to pay in private taxes to insurance companies (co-pays, deductibles, premiums). Warren's drop in the polls directly correlates to her waffling and backtracking on M4A and her inability to give a straight answer on its funding, which is why many on the left have abandoned her.
4
@mlb4ever
Honestly, this is such a tired argument and it has no traction outside of the progressive base. Big insurance and big pharma haven't had to do much at all to debunk the "funding" gaps within M4A, as the math issues speak for themselves. Taxing the ultra rich simply will not pay for it, period. The polls show much much greater support for medicare for all who want it, for good reason. M4A is DOA.
1
Pete has no game except in Iowa, where he has poured millions of bundled tech dollars into slick ads.
I wouldn't vote for someone who participated in a war to build his resume-- that shows extreme lack of judgement. (Kerry was the real deal, but the small town mayor, not so much.)
Liz is amazing, genuine, and she can absolutely win.
Liz and Bernie or Bernie and Liz.
68
@Emily Adah
Yes, they would make a wonderful team.
4
Def a resume builder - Naval RESERVE while also serving as a mayor?? C’mon man
6
@Anon Buttigieg was deployed to Afghanistan and shuttled officers outside the wire. He had colleagues who were killed, and he could have been, as well. Also, are you denigrating reservists? Have you served in the military, in any capacity?
6
I just hope she persists. As she has before. NYT and other media claim Pete is running to the center. What is that center? I think we should be more concerned about running off the cliff. Bold ideas are part of the urgency required.
37
“I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for.”
For a moment, those words from Senator Warren were considered the best line of the night in the July Democratic Presidential debate.
But voters are right to be skeptical of promises that won’t be kept and bold plans that will never be implemented.
It appears the Senator has a plan for that too.
1
“Slip from the top” is media-speak. Warren has full-fledged support from a massive swath of voters. Whatever she’s doing now re The Mayors is dictated by her campaign managers, who spend day and night collating data and determining direction. She’s trying to win the nomination and necessarily relies on her strategists; they all do.
At this point, thanks to her communication skills and said strategists, we have a clear picture of who Warren is and what she wants to accomplish. I’ll vote for her.
130
After a brief week or so making nice with party centrists, Warren lapsed back into socialism and lost her credibility with both sides.
13
@Kirk Cornwell
Please define Socialism.
Why not emphasize that she's also the top native American in the field?
I'd be more impressed were she simply the best candidate, not the best candidate of this or that identity grouping....by that path lies perdition.
30
You are absolutely correct! I care not one whit whether the candidate is male or female, white, black, brown, yellow, or even pink with purple polka dots! I care that my candidate's instinct when presented with a problem, immediately seeks a solution to the problem.
16
@DrD Native American? Is this a joke, because it’s pretty offensive to actual Native Americans. Even Warren apologized for her pathetic DNA gambit which showed an ancestor SIX TO TEN generations ago may have been a Native American, hardly the heritage she’s claimed. I despise Trump, but this was a real low for Warren and is a fair point for criticism.
8
@DrD
Said by someone who has never put himself in the shoes of a young girl whose options are limited but who can look at a woman president and feel that she can rise above her circumstances.
Poor Liz, turns out the AOC base isn't that big, and attacking success while invoking identity politics is a losing strategy. Pete, Amy, Bloomberg, Biden, any of them can defeat Trump.
25
@Keith Biden/Amy ticket, or the other way around
2
Warren’s tactics of reminding voters that she’s a woman are as dumbfounding as the very same attempts by Mrs Clinton in 2016. Yes, we see your gender. And we like it. But we do not vote on our favorite sex, but rather on policies. Mrs Warren has proved through her blindness to the request from many Americans to keep private insurance as an option in the wider choice that includes Medicare-like government program, that her policies are driven by stiff ideology instead of inclusiveness of ideas. She is a horrific candidate who - if by some weird luck similar to Trump’s in 2016 got elected - would dedicate her presidency to proving everyone how right she is, while at the same time, accomplishing nothing. Let’s stay away from this soft-spoken yet similarly extreme version of Trump-like political stubbornness and tunnel vision. She will leave us the legacy of unfulfilled promises. Who cares what chromosomes our collective disappointment will be sealed by.
22
@Paul
My guess is that your incredible hostility to her as a candidate is triggered in part by her being a woman. It's one thing to disagree with someone. So you don't vote for them. But this degree of under-your-skin hostility goes way beyond policies.
3
The NY Times and other media aren’t purposely hiding anything. They just don’t believe Sanders has a real chance just like they didn’t believe Trump did. Sanders advocates who see intentional bias are mistaken. The media calls it as they see it. Their vision is so wrong that they can’t accept their own numbers.
This is why NY Times readers and most of the public don’t know that Sanders is leading in California—the biggest prize—and could win most of the states before that.
Every time Sanders is on top, it’s called a virtual tie. But when he’s behind by a point or two, he’s trailing.
Yes, like last time the DNC is trying to stop Sanders. How many times readers know that in 2016 Sanders won every single district in WV but the majority of delegates were awarded to Hillary Clinton? The DNC may fail this time because they had to give up some of their weapons against Sanders.
The public will be as confused and surprised as the media.
14
@Ray Katz Right, because “as goes California, so goes the rest of the country” no one has said ever. Sad but true, winning the coasts means squat.
3
Sanders/Warren
Warren/Sanders
Either way is good for me.
3
@Ray Katz We will lose with Bernie as our nominee. 100%. No doubt whatsoever.
4
Another day, another Times article throwing shade on Elizabeth Warren.
Just listen to what she's saying, folks, and how she's saying it. She's one of us. That's why they're trying to stop her.
249
@Green Tea How exactly is Warren, worth approx $12 mil, “one of us”?? Any connection to working-class America, she bolted from long long ago. She talks a good game because she needs our votes but what has she actually DONE? Santa Claus is a nice fairy tale but I don’t want him for President.
16
@Green Tea Who is the “us” you speak of? I have listened to Warren and although she tells everyone she’s “one of us,” it’s hard to reconcile that with her 12M net worth and a record of not doing much for “us.” Policy talk is great, but what will Warren actually deliver?
13
Normal people don’t wake up in the morning and go, “you know what? I think I deserve to be the leader of the free world, the most powerful person on Earth.” Please. It takes a huge ego to run for president of the USA. NONE of the candidates are “one of us”, who hardly even dare ask for a promotion or raise, let alone the highest office in the land.
10
Let’s see who she can create the next petty squabble with. Have a job out of college? She is going to come after you and question what you did as a 20yo.
Her Medicare idea is pandering to the extreme left and the Twitter crowd - her falling numbers are the proof. Wake up people - you already have liar pointing at others with invented crisis’ as a form of attack at the White House. Do you want another one? There are 8 more candidates than don’t have to resort to this pettiness.
11
A chameleon approach (a little Bernie, splashed with a little Pete, nice granny but now dissing competitors) is way too confusing. Warren needs one big clean pressing issue. Her true stand out strength is intelligence. She must use that now or go home. She cannot be a high pitched bully granny. Flip flop from a woman will be translated in our country only as a weakness.
10
@SC " She cannot be a high pitched bully granny. "
But that's how she comes across, and her delivery turns off a lot of people, which is too bad, but there it is
1
NY Times I love you, but please stop with the near total blackout of Bernie Sanders coverage. How am I supposed to reconcile my trust on big news like the impeachment hearings if he barely gets an aside or two in a massive column peppered with Biden, Pete, and Warren?
He’s surging in the polls, is in the lead in California, and is wholly ignored by the press.
77
@RickNYC thank you, Rick. I totally agree. I cancelled our NYT subscription in 2015 in frustration about its Sanders blackout.
9
@RickNYC
"Surging" in the polls? Where do you see that? I just checked RCP and looked at the national polls, and then IA and NH. I see no surge.
Bernie has a durable base of support - to his credit he has maintained it. But he is exactly where he started way last spring.
The press is ignoring him because there is a widespread understanding that Bernie has no room to grow. He has already gotten everyone who would ever support him. Biden, Buttigieg and Warren have had significant ups and downs - that's news.
I am a deep progressive, but I would vote for Bernie only if absolutely necessary. Much the same as I feel about Biden.
13
Yes. As a Warren supporter, I’m not sure it’s hurt Bernie to fly under the radar, but now it is just getting weird.
3
As much as I want Medicare for all, she scared folks who are afraid of change and feel that they are 'better off' right now with their employer provided insurance, that is until they lose their insurance.
And honestly, most people who have insurance through their employers are paying more for it every year through higher deductibles and co pays and don't love it, but are afraid of losing it.
She should be given credit for laying out a plan, and then responding to the reaction by modifying it. A public option and improving the ACA should be part of the expansion to M4All. I do think she is held to a higher standard.
And I think ultimately she will rise again to meet it.
55
She needs to come clean on how Medicare for all will impact the typical middle class budget. Taxes would go up, but private health insurance premiums and deductibles would disappear. And for those who think their employers are paying for the health insurance, they are only deluding themselves. Health insurance is part of the overall compensation paid to an employee. Relieving employers of that expense will allow for higher salaries and wages. The competitive market might result in higher wages and salaries, but some legislative "help" might better assure it actually happens.
The attacks on her work for private clients is silly. Scholarly lawyers want to get involved in some cases for the precedents that need to be set, or to avoid bad precedents from being set. The ACLU represents many reprehensible groups to protect the First Amendment for all. Similarly, Warren sought to protect bankruptcy for all, including Joe and Joan Sixpack.
31
@RM I am a bankruptcy lawyer and have known her since the late 80’s. She has taken some cases pro bono, but by far the most were for fees and had nothing to do with establishing precedent. She is not the bankruptcy heroine you depict her to be. Why would any principled lawyer represent Enron?
5
Senator Warren's slip has nothing to do with other candidates and everything to do with herself. She has a plan for everything, but her plan to implement Medicare for All turned off a lot of voters. Her delivery, her message and her waffling on the issue has further alienated potential supporters. She needs to look within to see why she is losing support and not attack Bloomberg (does he have support?), Buttigieg and others.
Senator Warren also doesn't seem to understand that there are some who actually do like their insurance...especially some civil servants. I don't want to lose my insurance or drug plan. Thus, Mayor Buttigieg's plan appeals to me and my co-workers while hers puzzles us. Why take away something we fought hard for as a union???
79
I am a Sanders supporter, but to give Warren credit on this, her Medicare plan calls for employers, like the New York city government, to pay directly to the Federal Government instead of to GHI or HIP. You will keep your benefits, and with health care coming out the bargaining and negotiating calculations, it will be easier to win wage improvements.
18
It’s not about taking it away from you, it’s about what you’ve achieved to everyone else.
Look closely and you’ll find you and your coworkers are not loosing anything
4
Because public employees are paid by the taxpayers (who don’t have the same cushy contracts and benefits) and wonder why the people who work in congress or the DMV or drive a bus or deliver mail should have infinitely better health insurance than they ever will — at least until they reach 65.
The real question is why should you get all those benefits funded by the taxpayers while millions of your fellow citizens can’t afford to go to the doctor or visit a dentist or fill a prescription.
6
Support for Pete Buttigieg is clustered with white baby boomers.
And his appeal to young voters and voters of color is going to dive daily if he continues to attack progressive ideals.
There’s next to no hope for increasing voter turn out in states like Georgia with a Buttigieg ticket; which could be a devastating loss for Democrats in the senate. But if attacking Medicare for All and accepting insurance PAC money will get him ads in rural markets, I guess he doesn’t care. He’s selling out his future electability and the cohesion of the party for short term gains in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Maybe he should have stuck to the venture capital route from McKinsey. Short-termism seems to suit him.
110
I find this an example of the attitudes that Pete speaks against, and is a primary reason for much of his appeal, that is, a swift descent in our politics to demonization of our opponents, along with purity tests that each candidate must pass, rather than listening to what the candidates are saying and who they actually are.
40
@Joe B Warren supporters don’t think Warren is strong enough on her own merit so they attack other candidates, and the voters who support them, spreading misinformation in a desperate attempt to deflect from Warren’s past failings and defects. Spend your time promoting Warren in a positive manner. The negativity from Warren supporters and Warren herself only strengthens my interest in “Not-Warren.”
18
@Joe B
I find this to be a false narative. Buttigieg does not accept PAC money. His appeal has been growing exponentially, and I believe it will continue as more Americans recognize his name. If one thinks that Buttigieg has leapt to the top tier with no name recognition, and left his well-branded competitiors scrambling, "Attention must be paid to such a man."
16
I respect Elizabeth Warren and support many of her progressive opinions, e.g., Medicare for All. But she can't win the general election and we *must* defeat Donald Trump.
The most liberal candidate who can beat Donald Trump is Bernie Sanders, and, as someone just observed, the press -- including the New York Times -- is assiduously ignoring him just as it did four years ago. For shame.
20
Democrats should be focusing on jobs - why do I need The Guardian to read about the slowing US economy? How about the bankruptcy of the nations largest trucking company and the economic slowdown. 200,000 jobs were considered peanuts in the Obama years and hides the slowdown and layoffs in Caterpillar, autos, and soon to be technology with China’s ban on Microsoft and Cos.
9
Someone should really tell Ms Warren that there is this Sanders guy running, competing for the same pool of left of center voters.
Does she know?
Actually, I’ll bet she does. It just seems like reporters at the Times don’t.
Mayor Pete is a flash in the pan. His relations with billionaires and big money donors, as well as his time with McKinsey, a major training ground for future vulture capitalists, will kill his candidacy.
Warren’s real competition is Sanders and the DNC’s current golden boy, Biden.
86
@Objectively Subjective I don't think it is wrong. Why should she attack Bernie Sanders? She and Bernie Sanders have an interest in their side winning the democratic nomination.
I think to either Warren or Sanders it is a form of win if either one of them makes it. But if Pete or Biden wins that is a great loss. It means their progressive agenda will not be implemented.
48
@Erik E , please explain how the US Senate passes a Sanders/Warren agenda? A Biden/Buttigieg victory means there is a chance for some progressive change.
14
@DoctorRPP
Biden has already made it clear that he has no interest in forwarding "progressive change". We have seen what happens when we put centrist Dems in charge. They will immediately capitulate and sell the farm to the Republicans. Not saying that Sanders would be able to get his agenda through the Senate, but I at least know he would fight for me unlike spineless Dems like Biden and Buttigieg.
4
Why do I have a feeling that this pivot on strategy is somehow going to backfire? I don't care about Mayor Pete's former job with McKinsey. And trying to make Bloomberg out as a villain? People are going broke trying to pay their medical premiums and bills! I wish they would all stick to the issues, particularly explaining clearly and consistently their signature positions on helping people with healthcare.
274
@dc
There is no amendment in the Bill of Rights that Bloomberg supports. And the answer to all our individual problems is to be like him, and become a billionaire.
16
McKinsey is a good company, they advise a lot of the best companies out there. Also having USCIS as a client doesn’t mean supporting Trump policy, that’s ignorant. The country needs an immigration system no matter who’s president, and ALL government agencies hire consultants. A lot of the government is contracted activity.
10
@dc I do care who Mayor Pete’s clients were at McKinsey. Was he helping gut a healthcare plan in the Midwest? Who knows. It also concerns me that he’s holding 11 closed-door big donor fundraisers this week. Not good.
28
Ok, it’s an article on Warren, but every candidate gets a mention except the one who can beat Trump on paper and platform... Bernie Sanders, missing in action in the major media.
141
@Marc Kagan Did you even read the article? Because it does mention Bernie.
An article about Warren that speaks more about Warren than about Bernie sounds fair to me.
If the article was about Bernie, would you complain that it doesn't mention Warren enough?
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Mr Sanders got so much attention in 2016 that he served us Trump on the golden platter. It is a wise idea not to give Sanders too much attention this time around - he will lose the primaries again yet he will continue vilifying the winning candidate so long that the party will not manage to bridge ideological divides on time. At least if the media doesn’t give in to his tantrums, maybe the convention will be more celebratory than with hordes of his supporters acting in an infantile manner.
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@Marc Kagan Bernie hasn't got a chance to beat Trump, too far left for most Americans and a tendency to be too set in his ways, add that his age... Warren or Buttigeg have a chance; Biden too is not on, his vice presidency was a non-event, age, problems with his son in Ukraine, etc. So, like it our not you need follow one of these two, I prefer Warren, but either will do.
5
Warren slipped from the "top" when she revealed her flip flop on Medicare for all. She will be just like Obama if elected. Hope and change then govern like a Republican.
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I agree that Obama flipped. I don’t agree that Warren would. She’s the real deal.
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@gene Nah Pete will be like Obama. While Warren is not everything one could have wished for, she is IMHO the best choice after Bernie Sanders.
If progressives want to win they cannot spend all the energy attacking each other. Focus on Republicans first and corporate democrats second.
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@gene , I see what you did there indirectly referring to Warren’s past as a Republican.