When DailyKos started this campaign to draft Warren, I thought it a romantic notion. She has a nice populist message, but is politically untested and has not much of a compelling story -- and that's not to diminish her achievements, but she never served in the armed forces, or fed hungry people in India, or did anything that would make you want to read a book about her, and that can be extraordinarily helpful when running for senate. If you want to know why Coakley lost to Scott Brown -- well, there are many reasons, but I think they can be summed up in the following side-by-side photo that was published on Boston.com during the race:
I don't think those photos were chosen at random.
So you'll forgive me if I was a bit skeptical about drafting a Harvard professor with no political experience.
But then I saw her testify before congress. I saw her tough, folksy charm, and how fearlessly she confronted the committee. And I was struck by another quality in her as well -- one that has really not gotten much attention. She's very Massachusetts.
It's hard to believe she's not originally from the Bay state. I was born and raised, and I can tell you, everyone in Massachusetts knows about a dozen Elizabeth Warrens. That hard-edged, but personable woman down in the church basement making sandwiches for the AA meeting, or standing on the street corner with a clipboard registering voters, or even arranging furniture in the dining room of the Bed & Breakfast where you're staying. Whatever her real origins, she comes across as a dyed-in-the-wool Bay-stater. And that matters. It matters a lot. I think the people of Massachusetts are going to like her, and feel that she is really one of them.
And now that she's out there on the trail, I'm delighted to see that unlike Coakley, she's a real campaigner. This also matters a whole lot.
When watching her on Morning Joe the other day, I really got a very strong feeling -- this woman is the rightful heir to Kennedy's seat. Maybe it's good that Coakley lost. I'd so much rather have Warren in congress.
This all comes with one significant caveat though. The only reason Warren can be the hot candidate right now is because the economy is such a major issue. In 2004, when the war in Iraq was the topic of the day, I don't know if a candidate like Warren would have made any sense to the voters. And if she gets elected, the political landscape will change. Foreign policy will eventually take over the headlines again, and we will have to see how she adjusts. I decided it was worth donating $50 to her campaign to find out.
