- There was a time when everyone on the left in the United States liked Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), when she seemed like the most left wing option available in a sea of swamp creatures. Warren gave the left the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2011, and in return she became its darling–the person everyone on the left wanted to see run for president, the person everyone on the left hoped could someday win. This is the story of how that changed.
Today, party insiders increasingly believe Warren is politically tactless and young left-wing activists increasingly believe she is an obstacle for the left rather than ally. This happened in stages.
Stage I: Picking Hillary over Bernie
. . .
Stage II: Rejecting Democratic Socialism and Ignoring Indigenous Causes
. . .
Stage III: Falling for Trump’s Trolling and Embarrassing Our Movement
. . .
Stage IV: Attempting to Split the Left Vote in 2020, to the Advantage of the Center
. . .
That DNA test was an embarrassment. I was a huge Bernie supporter during the 2016 cycle (made hundreds of calls, gave around $300 to his campaign), and it was frustrating to watch Warren sit on the sidelines, especially with how close Bernie ended up coming. I would still be OK with Warren as the Democratic nominee, though. I'm definitely less of a fan that I was 5 years ago, but I have reservations about Bernie's age, and I'm still annoyed that he gave my contact info to some part of the democratic machine; I still get texts asking me to volunteer for random candidates I don't give a shit about. Him as the president, Giffords as his running mate, but I would be OK with Warren instead