July 15, 2014

"Progressives turn from Obama to embrace Warren."

A headline at The Washington Post. Sample text:
The trepidation that some Democrats feel in standing with President Obama — along with former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton’s absence on the midterm campaign trail — has provided an opening for Warren, who excites the base voters and small-dollar donors critical to any Democratic contender’s chances.
Jeez, that's poorly written. Trepidation provides an opening? Standing with Hillary Clinton's absence? That's the kind of clutter that builds up when you carelessly cram too much into one sentence, something writers tend to do precisely when they have little to say.

Yeah, I know that's pedantic, but I take it schoolmarmishness is hot right now.

Here's a poll, and don't be boring and say you wanted to pick more than one or the one you want is not there. Pick the best option (or just take the poll in the spirit in which it's intended: political fun).

What's with this pushing of Elizabeth Warren?
  
pollcode.com free polls 

And speaking of political fun... and X turning from Y to embrace Z... this never gets old:


66 comments:

Tank said...

Whatever the right answer is, that poll was pretty funny.

MadisonMan said...

65. Well.

I remember when young politicians were actually young.

George M. Spencer said...

"...excites the base voters."

As in " servile, ignoble, abject, slavish, menial"

Or common slag, groundlings

B said...

Major outlets like WaPo won't go so far as to pretend Warren is mainstream. But they will treat Warren's extremism as benign while Ted Cruz's is ominous.

Eleanor said...

I had the "privilege" of listening to Warren up close and personal in her run for the US Senate. She's Obama in a dress. A blank slate people project their own desires for how things should be onto. While her proposals to deal with student loan debt wouldn't reduce student debt at all, just restructure how it gets paid back, students are convinced if she's elected, she'll wipe their debt clean. People with consumer debt problems don't understand Warren has been a leech on people with financial problems in her private life. She has a few sound bites that get played, but the "senior senator from Massachusetts" is actually pretty clueless when you get to hear the whole conversation and not just what the media reports.

PB said...

The left just doesn't get it. Their ideas are a failure, but they think if they keep with it they'll succeed. Never. Going. To. Happen.

Socialism, voluntary or involuntary, always fails. Every last bit of it.

PB said...

Why do people keep falling in line behind the Pied Piper?

Larry J said...

Oh, please. It's hard to imagine any potential 2016 candidate less qualified than Hillary! but Warren meets that low standard.

Anonymous said...

Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy says:

Althouse says: "but I take it schoolmarmishness is hot right now" but provides no evidence for this to be true. Indeed, I googled "hot schoolmarm" and nothing remotely hot turned up. As a double-check I googled 'naughty librarian' and the fourth selection was the Urban Dictionary with the following:

Hot ass chick that wears glasses. Usually defined as a woman that bears a hint of innocence to her look, but is without a doubt hotter than "MAGMA"

In addition, the Urban Dictionary has no entry for 'hot schoolmarm."

It is this kind of willy-nillyness that renders much of the Professor's writing as suspect in foundation. Dig deeper, Althouse, dig deeper.

Saint Croix said...

That video is brilliant!

You know what's key to that video?

Uploaded on Feb 11, 2009

When you read Blood Feud, in 2013 Hillary loves Bill, just loves him, loves him so much! But that Obama, oh he's awful, he's the worst.

She's a poll whore, that's what she is. How high is your poll? You better get your poll up there, Bill, if you want me kissing you. I'm with Obama now. Until his poll numbers suck. Loser!

chillblaine said...

Elizabeth Warren is the most exciting and promising candidate for president since George McGovern.

Tank said...

Hey, first Redskin President.

Cool.

Oso Negro said...

And she's sure enough Indian! Just think, we can have both Native American blood and a vagina in one single candidate! Best of times for this country, best of times.

MayBee said...

I was going to say what B said.

garage mahal said...

"She's pretty left-wing, and that excites the media, which flirts with leftism."

That's pretty funny right there.

Wince said...

Yet, no talk of a Democratic schism or crack-up...

The trepidation that some Democrats feel in standing with President Obama — along with former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton’s absence on the midterm campaign trail — has provided an opening for Warren, who excites the base voters and small-dollar donors critical to any Democratic contender’s chances.

In her remarks, Tennant took care to distance herself from Warren and President Obama on energy issues and talked up her support for coal companies. She said in an interview that Obama would have a “lot of explaining to do” if he visited West Virginia because of new proposals by the Environmental Protection Agency to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants.

But Tennant also repeatedly praised Warren as the rare national Democrat who could help win over undecided voters, many of whom have soured on Obama’s agenda but remain skeptical of the Republican Party’s commitment to the poor and blue-collar workers.

campy said...

Warren is to the 2016 race as Bill Bradley was to 2000.

Sebastian said...

Anecdote: At a meeting of a leftish professional association I attended some years ago, Warren's name was mentioned in passing during a plenary panel on the recent economic crisis. The crowd burst into spontaneous applause. Never happened before.

If she runs, the Progressive true believers will line up behind her.

Bruce Hayden said...

And she's sure enough Indian! Just think, we can have both Native American blood and a vagina in one single candidate! Best of times for this country, best of times.

That's one on me. Last I knew, her claim to have maybe one Indian chromosome had been debunked and rejected by the (Cherokee) tribe she claimed membership in. And, despite her lies to the contrary, it is pretty clear that she used her claimed Indian heritage to get a law school post, and then to climb all the way to Harvard, inevitably as their very own (female) Indian. Just what we need - another affirmative action President, but at least Obama actually is half-Black. Warren may be one step worse - a fake AA candidate with no relevant experience for the job.

Levi Starks said...

The fact that a Warren presidency seems absurd to me, is a clear indication that - yes, she might very well be our next president.
She has not only the ability, but also the proclivity to lie in any appropriate situation. It seems this is what we desire in a president today.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

""She's pretty left-wing, and that excites the media, which flirts with leftism."

That's pretty funny right there."

That's pretty funny right there.

Curious George said...

Hillary snubbed the first black President to kiss the first half-black one.

RACIST!

Tank said...

garage mahal said...

"She's pretty left-wing, and that excites the media, which flirts with leftism."

That's pretty funny right there.


That IS pretty funny.

Renee said...

I wonder how the Native American thing would be played out. Or practicing law with an inactive license, didn't NJ or TX cared?

No other lawyer could get away with that. Even in federal courts, your state license(s) has/have to be active to appear.

Just sad how far elitism can break the rules in America.

Krumhorn said...

The lefties aren't finished with us. They're never finished. Even though the history of leftie practice is littered with failure and human misery.

Which raises the question of intent.

........nah, they mean oh-so well

- Krumhorn

Michael said...

I pray on my knees that E. Warren is the nominee.

garage mahal said...

That IS pretty funny.

That righties think the media is left-wing is outrageously funny. Because, they really do believe it!

Skeptical Voter said...

Well in a way Warren is an improvement over Obama. The Bamster is a proven disaster.

On the other hand, Warren is an as yet unproven disaster. So there's that in her favor. But give her a shot as President, and she will most definitely become a "proven disaster".

But you should never discount the American voter's tendency to keep ramming his or her head into a brick wall.

Anonymous said...

Single-moms in kitchens, working families trying to get a break from predatory lenders...this is your Okie gal, raised in modest circumstance, but with a tough heart and a sharp Harvard mind. She can do dirt-roads and Mass Ave. We all built those roads.

This brilliant, humble, woman is a fighter, standing up to big business and big greed. turning over complex legislation in her mind.

It takes a village to raise Progress and It will take a large regulatory state to navigate these troubled times, and it will take all of us to get there. Stand up for your community, our community.

Some slogans:

'Equality, Justice, and Progress for all'

'Out of One, Many'

'Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow'

Michael The Magnificent said...

Strangely, the embedded Youtube video I see is not of Hillary snubbing Bill, but:

1959 The Year that Changed Jazz

AustinRoth said...

So, we now see the D path to the White House.

1. Create a false narrative of your past.

2. Have the MSM "big lie" it to the public.

3. Call anyone who factually challenges your false narrative as a racist/bigot/misogynist.

4. Play the victim card.

5. Rinse, repeat.

George M. Spencer said...

Ah, she taught Bankruptcy Law at Harvard.

If she wins in 2016, her timing will be impeccable.

That will be just about when the U.S. defaults on its debt, the dollar is devalued, and we're all pushing wheelbarrows full of debit cards.

Original Mike said...

"The lefties aren't finished with us. They're never finished"

You may not be interested in leftism, but leftism is definitely interested in you.

Original Mike said...

The thought of four more lost years depresses the hell out of me.

Tank said...



garage mahal said...

That IS pretty funny.

That righties think the media is left-wing is outrageously funny. Because, they really do believe it!


You forgot the part where she's "pretty left wing."

HO HO HO.

I'm Full of Soup said...

"Small donor base" ? Isn't that a myth that Dems depend on small donors?

jr565 said...

God liberals are so dumb.Elizabteth Warren is their Savior? Elizabeth Warren?!
Because the last thing we need is more Keynesianism.

jr565 said...

Elizabeth Warren will be the first American indian president!

jr565 said...

Levi Starks wrote:
She has not only the ability, but also the proclivity to lie in any appropriate situation. It seems this is what we desire in a president today.

But what she lacks is charisma. It's actually the same flaw as Hillary and why she lost to Barack. At least the media can pretend that Obama was some great orator even with his Burt (or is it Ernie) from Sesame Street voice and his "um's".
Clinton had real charisma. Obama played at having charisma. The women are always angry school marms. It was true of Hillary, and even more true of Elizabeth.

jr565 said...

By the way the woman are all school marms was Hillary & Elizabeth & the current crop of democratic women in congress.Not all women running for office.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

I bet Warren'll use a pie chart or two. Hey, did you know her Native American ancestry isn't the only "fact" she's been credibly accused of making up? Not that "facts" or "academic honesty" matter, though, I hasten to add.

http://elizabethwarrenwiki.org/academic-research-controversy/

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2009/06/elizabeth-warren-and-the-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-utterly-misleading-bankruptcy-study/18826/

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2009/06/why-warrens-new-bankruptcy-study-is-so-bad/18834/

Alex said...

She'll forever be the "you didn't build that" woman.

Brando said...

I wouldn't rule out her candidacy--that is, if she decides to run. There's a lot of people angry these days at the rich, particularly big banks and corporations. After seeing a lot of people lose their jobs and homes and savings, and then the big banks getting bailed out--that sort of anger and anxiety about our future has fueled both the Tea Party and the populist left. Though those two groups have very different ideas about what should be done, their anger and anxiety resonates broadly and hasn't been addressed since 2008.

While doing what Warren proposes would be disastrous for the economy, it doesn't hurt her a bit to propose that stuff because it's very popular among the left and even much of the middle. Look at how many people support raising the minimum wage, or breaking up big banks ("too big to fail? Too big to exist!"), or adding surtaxes on the very rich (usually defined in such a limited way that it won't frighten the "somewhat rich". There's always some plutocrat up the chain that you can get mad at--it's why it's so much easier to complain about the one percent rather than the twenty percent). The thing is, when you worry about your job--or don't have one--and are depressed about the direction of the country, this stuff resonates and it doesn't really matter whether these measures would help you in any way. If the economy takes another dive by 2016, look to a groundswell of support for the populist left and their best spokeswoman, Senator Warren.

The challenge for the GOP is to avoid the usual trap of thinking they can just discredit her on a personal level--the fake Indian thing, the elitist Harvard professor thing--because it can backfire and besides the listeners care more about the message than the messenger (same reason they don't seem to mind conservative politicians who are on their second or fifth marriages). Instead, focus on why these populist measures would make things worse, and more importantly, explain what you would do to address these same problems.

David said...

Bill executes the one person air kiss.

This may explain even more than first appears.

Gahrie said...

That righties think the media is left-wing is outrageously funny. Because, they really do believe it!

Every poll, every survey, every study has confirmed that the media is dominated by Liberals, by at least 80% to 20%. this bias is shown not just in how stories are covered, but in choosing which stories to cover in the first place.


Why is Fox so hated and villified? Because it illustrates the myth that the MSM is objective.

hawkeyedjb said...

"There's a lot of people angry these days at the rich"

And Elizabeth Warren is one of them.

Oh well, the country needs another part-term senator as president. We elected the wrong one last time around; let's get it right.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

AJ I read "small donor base" to mean the "small number of rich people who keep the Dem party afloat." But the press' proclivity for eliding that fact may indicate your interpretation is correct.

Of course, Garage is correct too. Only 95% of journolists are liberal. The rest are socialists and we all know socis are righties all the way!

Michael K said...

Blogger garage mahal said...
"That IS pretty funny.

That righties think the media is left-wing is outrageously funny. Because, they really do believe it!"

garage, you're a riot. I'm sure you think Obama is a right winger. Too bad you missed out on the great intellectual exercise called The Great Purge where you got the chance to learn who is really left wing.

Michael K said...

" focus on why these populist measures would make things worse, and more importantly, explain what you would do to address these same problems."

What ? You've got to be kidding. The LIV watches "The View"for policy questions.

Paul said...

Journalists poll 10 to 1 registered democrats and yet in garage's world the media is right-wing. Of course the sky in his world is chartreuse with pink and purple paisley shapes dancing about.

Michael said...

It's not quite that poorly written. It should be read: "trepidation" - along with "absence" - "have (not has) provided..." But it's awkward.

Original Mike said...

"Every poll, every survey, every study has confirmed that the media is dominated by Liberals, by at least 80% to 20%. this bias is shown not just in how stories are covered, but in choosing which stories to cover in the first place."

Perhaps we need to provide garage a pie chart, Gahrie.

averagejoe said...

Later that day, Senator Warren activates the #WarOnWomen hashtag to assert that the government shutdown was a Republican plot to deny wymmin the right to force their employers to pay for their abortions. Yes democrats, you truly are the party of the little guy...

From Inwood said...


@SenWarren: Remember the government shutdown? That was started by a GOP effort to let employers deny workers access to birth control.

@RBPundit: LOL. These people are shameless liars & propagandists. https://twitter.com/SenateDems/status/489150475879841793 …

H/T Baseball crank

If the GOP has another nice/nice campaign against the Dems, they'll lose.

David R. Graham said...

Not Warren, Jarrett.

sort of runic rhyme said...

She knows how to walk a mile in another man's moccasins.

Victor Erimita said...

Warren may be an exciting speaker to Occupy types and socialist deadenders. But she is a dull as dry toast bore to anyone else. She'll be 67 in 2016. A Nader-like figure. But the Democrats have become so unhinged and moved so far into the Occupy alternate universe, that yet another unaccomplished, unproven blowhard fundamental changer may be just what they want to hear.

But she'll be a much harder sell for the corrupt media. Her Mammy Yokum looks, her bugeyed, frenzied zealotry don't compare to Obama's slick, polished fakery. I think even the lazy, hopelessly media gullible American voters won't fall for this one, although these days,who knows?

The Democrat debates might be fun, though, watching her and Hillary trying to out Harpy each other.

Michael K said...

I think it was a Frenchman who said;

The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you've got it made.

Jean Giraudoux

Warren is working on it.

Moneyrunner said...

Warren will be a real candidate. Obama, on the merits, was arguably the most unqualified presidential candidate in history when he ran in 2007 – 8. But he won. Why? Because there are a lot of Garages out there… and Althouses who are willing to suspend their critical faculties for reasons that are psychological more than anything else.

Warren, of she runs, has a solid base of 40% even if she were to do a war dance, naked, in Copley Square. Althouse will find a reason to vote for her, trust me on this. Why? The same reason Obama won: a solid Democrat base that will vote for anyone with a “D,” racial or gender identity, the chance to make history (first woman president), Harvard, abortion on demand, homosexuality (or LBGT solidarity), abortion, free stuff, for the children, bash the “banksters,” distribute the wealth, and for David Brooks we may even be able to find a perfectly creased pantsuit.

Why would the Democrats nominate a used up, elderly, hag whose primary claim to fame is being married to a philandering good old boy when we have a fresh face with absolutely no experience outside of academia? Warren’s a shoo in.

Stephen said...

it is pretty clear that she used her claimed Indian heritage to get a law school post, and then to climb all the way to Harvard, inevitably as their very own (female) Indian.

I just got out of an FBI briefing on how cyber criminals penetrate corporate (& personal) computer systems. That's basically the approach: They slip in by appearing to provide a match for something desired or trusted and then acquire privileges to subvert things for their purposes.

That's kind of the way pathogens work as well, come to think of it.

Unknown said...

Now THAT'S funny.

epobirs said...

The media flirts with leftism? I daresay they gave it up on the first date.

Rusty said...


That righties think the media is left-wing is outrageously funny. Because, they really do believe it!"


Now that's funny.
Mainly because you have no idea why.

Fernandinande said...

Oso Negro said...
And she's sure enough Indian!


She used to own a Jeep Cherokee.

harrogate said...

Tank wrote:

"garage mahal said...

'She's pretty left-wing, and that excites the media, which flirts with leftism.'

'That's pretty funny right there.'


That IS pretty funny."

Now THAT'S funny.

Robert Cook said...

"Journalists poll 10 to 1 registered democrats and yet in garage's world the media is right-wing."

You make two assumptions, neither of which you have demonstrated to be true: that being a Democrat makes one a "leftist," and that a journalist's party affiliation is necessarily reflected in his or her reporting.

You can be sure Fox News reflects the views (and interests) of Rupert Murdoch, (and his man in charge, Roger Ailes); that among Fox's many employees there are probably persons with views (or party affiliation) dissimilar to Murdoch will have no influence on what we see on-air. Which is to say, the political leanings (if any) of a news organ will reflect the views of its owners (and higher management) rather than that of its low echelon employees, including its reporters.