Sen. Elizabeth Warren is a smart person who has accomplished amazing things. She didn’t just create the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau—she did so despite stiff opposition from Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner himself. That showed that she could play the inside game better than most, despite lacking much of a portfolio at the time (in essence, she chaired a Congressional oversight panel keeping tabs on Wall Street bailout money).
And yeah, she then followed that up by ousting a popular Republican senator when no other credible Democrat in a state overflowing with them was willing to challenge him.
Now there’s a debate over whether Warren would be most effective as a senator or vice president. I’ve been on both sides of that fence (senate vs VP), so I understand the validity of both positions.
brooklynbadboy has the definitive argument in favor of a Warren pick, so go read that if you haven’t. Re-read it if you have. It’s excellent and persuasive. But let me add something.
Warren isn’t in this thing for personal aggrandizement. If she’s earned anything these last years, it’s trust of her sincerity and convictions. She’s held true to them, always fighting for what’s best even if at times she ends up being the reluctant warrior. Remember, we had to drag her kicking and screaming into the Senate race. Regardless, we know she can play the inside game and win, and she knows that as well. We know she can play the electoral Senate game and win, and she knows that as well.
It’s rare to have someone with that skill set. It gives her multiple hands, and she gets to decide which play gets her closest to her goals.
In short, she can 1) stay in the Senate as one of 100, and try to influence enough of her colleagues to make shit happen, then worry whether the House will follow suit, or 2) be the nation’s No. 2 elected official, be in the room when myriad decisions get made, and only have to worry about convincing one person.
We’ve seen the importance of nominating good people to executive posts, and we’ve seen the power of executive orders to bypass congressional intransigence—two areas that a Senator Elizabeth Warren would get shut out of. The executive branch simply has more power, and it doesn’t have to be showy power. “I don’t see Joe Biden” doesn’t mean he isn’t working his influence behind the scenes, were real power is wielded.
In any case, she’s making those calculations, and it’s clear she’s decided that being vice president gets everyone closer to fulfilling her goals. So if nothing else, trust her to know where she can be most effective.