Elizabeth Warren: "I’m still cheering Bernie on"

[dynamo99]

88. A lot of that is true.

It's foolish for people to pretend Bernie doesn't have vulnerabilities. I think that your recitation is a little overblown, though. Yes, the Repubs will try character assassination. But their own candidate will be vulnerable as well (and hopefully Dems will have their own sharp knives out), more so if it's Trump. In my view, this is one of the few presidential elections that Bernie would have a good shot at, because the Repubs are starting with their candidate in the penalty box. (Cruz is different than Trump, but not that much better if his own party colleagues call him "Lucifer in the flesh" and "the most miserable SOB I've ever worked with", sound bites one would expect to find in TV ads if he's the candidate. And if it's not Trump, Trump may well run anyway, or at the very least do what he can to turn his followers against the Repub nominee.)

There's no question that Hillary is competent, experienced, and smart.

The trouble is, she's also old-school Realpolitik, where "principles" are irrelevant. She's personal friends with Kissinger (a war criminal from the '60s), tight with Wall Street, a supporter (I believe) of the DLC and "Third Way" styles. She believes attacking countries and killing people is good (or at least she doesn't care about the deaths). She's not a right-winger, but neither is she a progressive. She might be able to swipe votes from Cruz, but Trump's votes will be harder to get, because Trump's supporters are mad at the insiders who they see as being the cause of their problems, and she is the consummate insider.

I just want to have a candidate I actually approve of. Ultimately, though, I think either Hillary or Bernie can beat either Trump or Cruz.