Secretary Clinton’s campaign staff suggest that she is looking for a vice-presidential nominee who would dominate debates and take on the traditional role of “attack dog.”
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren seems to have taken her audition to Twitter.
Warren previewed her Twitter prowess with a devastating attack on Sen. Ted Cruz, who sent a fundraising email detailing how hard it was to be on the campaign trail. She gave him “2 words: Boo Hoo” and suggested he think more about working people who don’t always get to choose what they sacrifice.
Warren attacked Trump just after the exits of Cruz and Gov. John Kasich left a clear path to the Republican nomination. After tweeting “It’s real – he is one step away from the White House,” she hit him for building “his campaign on racism, sexism and xenophobia,” and because “There’s more enthusiasm for @realDonaldTrump among leaders of the KKK than leaders of the political party he now controls.” She finished by promising to ensure that Trump’s “toxic stew of hatred and insecurity never reaches the White House.”
Trump, whose road to the nomination is littered with candidates that attacked him, hit back Friday, calling her “goofy Elizabeth Warren.” Warren called his counter punch “lame” and “weak”, and reminded Trump his recycled attacks had not worked for Sen. Scott Brown. She signed off with “No, @realDonaldTrump – your racism, sexism and xenophobia doesn’t drive me nuts. It makes me sick. And I’m not alone.”
Would Clinton consider a female running mate? Her campaign says yes, and it would be an odd misogynist who would vote for a female president only if her Veep were male. More beloved by Sanders voters that Sanders, Warren is the obvious choice to heal any primary wounds. She built a small donor fundraising machine during her 2012 campaign, and added to her list with a tour for 2014 Democratic Senate Candidates. She also has a strong appeal to the rust belt voters Trump is hoping will scramble the electoral map for him.
Many of the arguments against Warren apply to any selection with a strong base of his/her own. Will she outshine Clinton? Will she fall in line? Can she accept that Bubba is the real #2? Her home in Massachusetts is a double hit against her: Democrats don’t need her to win the state, and the governor would replace her with a Republican, making the Senate one seat harder to flip. She also adds little diversity to a ticket that will depend on voters of color.
Pundits seem to think that Warren would be a net positive, but won’t want the job given the power she is accumulating as one of the Senate’s best messengers and fundraisers. Her Twitter war with Trump may reflect nothing more than her desire to keep him out of the White House. If it is a VP audition, however, she’s clearly earned a call back.
