So I've gotta admit this whole thing with Warren intrigues me. Because I've known her name for much longer than I've known Bernie's name, mainly for seeing her positioned as the front spokesperson for anti-corporate legislation or scathing house floor speeches throughout the 2000's. It's really surprising to me to hear all this talk the last few months about how she's a traitor to leftist/progressive politics.
I actually haven't paid very close attention to her campaign. Just enough to know that I'd still prefer Bernie over her. But in the beginning I thought that if she won, it would still be a major victory. I'd like to have a better understanding of why this is not the case. Mind providing a quick summary of points as to why she's a traitor? Or do you have a link to a good write-up anywhere?
- Refused to run when Bernie asked her to run, then ran knowing she'd occupy Bernie's base to some extent. Also didn't endorse him in 2016, staying explicitly "neutral".
- Pivoted away from progressive policies
before the primary elections, which, holy shit.
- Rhetorically accepted all the credit for M4A and other Bernie policies from the corporate media while simultaneously working to muddle the waters on them and see them fail, as most encapsulated by this "public option for three years and *coughmidtermelectionscough* followed by Medicare For All who want it and with read my lips no new taxes, for realsies".
- Took on a bunch of Clinton staffers, which hey, turns out that paid some great dividends now.
- Allegedly tried to convince the Squad to co-endorse her with Bernie, which is both politically dumb and an early backstab attempt.
- Made a big deal about a "no corporate doners" pledge that only applies to the primary and then went to fundraiser dinners anyway. Then implied Bernie was taking dirty money because he wouldn't renounce Our Revolution PAC.
- Supported Reagan and Bush when they were in office, still likes Reagan, was a Republican until she was 45 years old.
- Dithered on US military aggression with this Iran thing, focused on how killing "a terrorist" was good but Trump needed to have Congress' approval.
- General political incompetence, which in our precarious situation is essentially a crime as far as I'm concerned, her instincts are beyond horrible with everything from the Native DNA test debacle to the total lack of focus on POC issues for a
year even though the only campaign whiter than hers' is Buttigieg's.
- Is still running now, when we all know damn well she won't win a thing, and would all but ensure a Sanders presidency if she dropped.
She's a fuckin disaster. She's such a disaster that even though I totally emotionally abstract from politics most of the time, I feel a
personal offense at the way she treated Bernie yesterday, especially given that he's essentially fighting to save the whole fucking planet when he by all rights should be relaxing on a beach somewhere. To actually play such an unbelievable, bullheadedly cynical political smear for the sake of her own pride
now of all times is unforgivable in my eyes. At least Biden and Klobuchar are honest about being deathdrive freaks who want to ride the flames one last time before the fall of night.
But if the response Warren is getting is any indication, this is about as good as could be hoped for short of her actually dropping out.