Why in the world should Elizabeth Warren choose to run for vice president?
The obvious answer that can save you the time of reading further or, you know, thinking, is my blatant sexism. Clearly, every time I've supported female candidates in the past for City Council, House of Delegates, Congress, and the White House has been part of an elaborate plot no doubt hatched in Moscow to create a cover for my secret but very real sexism, which I was saving for just this crucial moment. Also, my considering a dozen male candidates to all be dramatically worse than Elizabeth Warren is an obvious pretense and scam, as also therefore must be the positions I've taken on public policies for decades.
Or, there could be some other reasons worth considering. Here are six.
1. A Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren ticket would take the nomination, and take it early, allowing the pair of them to focus on defeating Trump-Pence.
Here are the four most recent polls:
Emerson: Biden 32%, Sanders 25%, Warren 12%, Buttigieg 8%.
Economist / Yougov: Biden 29%, Sanders 19%, Warren 17%, Buttigieg 7%.
USA Today / Suffolk: Biden 23%, Sanders 14%, Warren 13%, Buttigieg 8%.
Morning Consult: Biden 31%, Sanders 22%, Warren 15%, Buttigieg 8%.
Here are those results with Sanders and Warren combined:
Sanders-Warren 37%, Biden 32%, Buttigieg 8%.
Sanders-Warren 36%, Biden 29%, Buttigieg 7%.
Sanders-Warren 27%, Biden 23%, Buttigieg 8%.
Sanders-Warren 37%, Biden 31%, Buttigieg 8%.
Obviously one cannot simply do the math or predict how every potential voter would react to the combining of two campaigns, but this gives us a rough idea. The momentum and excitement and instant front-runner status might actually result in a larger lead than these numbers suggest.
2. Bernie Sanders is leading Elizabeth Warren in the polls.
3. Bernie Sanders is older than Elizabeth Warren. A successful run by these two could mean eight years for Warren as Vice President plus eight years as President.
4. Bernie Sanders has a stronger platform than Elizabeth Warren, including on foreign policy, budget choices, Green New Deal, free college, and Medicare for All.
5. Elizabeth Warren is the strongest running mate Sanders is likely to find. Her platform has more overlap with his than does that of any other presidential candidate. This is true completely regardless of Warren's sex, race, age, ethnicity, home state, or anything else, but in an age in which tokenism has been elevated to complete respectability, the electoral importance of nominating a woman is significant.
6. Joe Biden is an amazing disaster as a candidate and as an elected official.
