Many Democrats Love Elizabeth Warren. They Also Worry About Her.
18th August 2019
Even as she demonstrates why she is a leading candidate for the party’s nomination, Ms. Warren is facing persistent questions and doubts about whether she would be able to defeat President Trump in the general election. The concerns, including from her admirers, reflect the head-versus-heart debate shaping a Democratic contest increasingly being fought over the meaning of electability and how to take on Mr. Trump.
The tension between ideological purity and supposed electability is constant in any electoral political system. Do you vote for the person you want and let the chips fall where they may? Or do you settle for the least objectionable candidate that can actually win?
And, of course, sometimes they can’t actually win, as Republicans found out with Romney and McCain and Dole and Ford. Most Republicans, I suspect, are passing the popcorn watching Democrats impaled on the horns of the dilemma that Republicans so frequently face.
The agony will be acute for the Republican establishment anti-Trumpers. From now until November 2020 will not be a good time for them.