Influential Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren may be the most powerful Democrat in the field right now. A vituperative tweeter with indisputable liberal bona fides, Warren has so far withheld her endorsement for either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. Instead, she’s watched as the scorched earth primary torches Clinton with Sanders’ insurrectionist flames. That battle fuels one of the biggest fears among centrist Democrats — that by the time Sanders is done his Clinton conflagration, she’ll be unpalatable to voters. Part of that fear is that this election won’t see Dems rallying behind the candidate if indeed Clinton emerges — many Sanders stalwarts pledge a Bernie-or-nothing stance.
Warren may be the only politician who could persuade the Sanders faithful. An all-female Clinton-Warren ticket would be not only historic, but it would presumably satisfy at least a portion of those Sanders voters who think Clinton needs a watchdog on the left. Warren has earned her canine status in that regard. Warren also fits another canine role traditionally dispatched to a VP running mate: attack dog. Presidential candidates trying to take a version of the high road usually delegate much of the name-calling and negative campaigning to their running mates. Warren, who is a notorious Twitter attack specialist, has already proven willing to go after presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump with the same vehemence Trump employs. And he may look even more insensitive that usual fighting back.
.@realDonaldTrump incites supporters to violence, praises Putin, and is “cool with being called an authoritarian.”
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) May 4, 2016
Here’s what else is real: @realDonaldTrump has built his campaign on racism, sexism, and xenophobia.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) May 4, 2016
There’s more enthusiasm for @realDonaldTrump among leaders of the KKK than leaders of the political party he now controls.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) May 4, 2016
