This is too funny:
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) got a promotion on Thursday. She now has a seat at the Senate Democratic leadership table and, in a role created just for her, she will serve as a policy adviser and voice for progressives.
Her colleagues have no idea why this is happening.
"A liaison to liberals? I've never heard of such a thing," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), throwing his hands in the air. "I asked her about it and she said she was some kind of adviser. I don't know what it is. I don't know what that all means."
“I didn’t even know this was happening. I never knew it,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). “I mean, they can pick whoever they want to.”
....Democrats didn’t get to vote on whether to put Warren in leadership. Reid appointed her, so the caucus held a voice vote affirming the move.
"That wasn't really discussed,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said of Warren’s new role. “It's a fait accompli."....
"I don't know. I have no comment. I have no comment," Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) said, when asked if he thinks Warren's post is a good idea. ...
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was the driving force behind creating the role for Warren, and he and his leadership team worked privately to figure out where she would best fit ahead of a Thursday caucus meeting, where Democrats elected their leaders for the next Congress. As the new strategic policy adviser to the Democratic Policy and Communications Center, Warren will attend weekly leadership meetings and help shape caucus policies.
The move to bring such a prominent progressive into Senate leadership will certainly fuel speculation about Warren’s interest in a White House bid, a topic she regularly brushes off. It also signals that Democratic leaders plan to keep pushing progressive polices, even as Republicans take control of the chamber next year.
Looks like the Democratic leadership are preparing for a bit more political "compare and contrast" than we've been treated to in recent years, at least for the term leading up to 2016, no?
Good for them, and good that they've made this appointment.
Good, too, if they actually start following Senator Warren's lead, policy-wise.