Elizabeth Warren: ‘I am not running for president'

[MADem]

133. Did he PLEDGE to finish out his term? Did he say "Five words--no, no, no, no, no!" and then

repeat those "no's" six more times? Did he say "Relax--I'm not running" to David Axelrod on a big screen? Did he say "I don't WANT to run, I am not INTERESTED, I am not running," in a half dozen iterations?

He never made anything approaching a Sherman statement in any video I saw of him. He used the non-denial denial method, along the lines of "Look, right now I want to be an effective Senator so I'm not entertaining any ambitions for higher office," or "I have no plans to run" -- but at the same time, he was meeting with campaign strategists, raising money like crazy, upping his profile by going on the Sunday talkers, travelling around the country, catching shit for not putting his hand over his heart at the Harkin Steak Fry, and doing everything he could think of to let people SEE HIM. Elizabeth Warren, by contrast, has said all these things and more, is avoiding interviews (running from the ambush stand-ups in the Senate hallways, in fact), going home to her Commonwealth on the weekends, focusing on constituents and MA issues, working across the aisle in more ways than one (see here and here -- surprising to many) and, basically, being one helluva Senator.

What she's not doing?

**** Setting up a fifty state ground game, all the way down to the precinct level. That needs to start NOW if you don't have the connections in place--and she doesn't. And where does one go first? NEW HAMPSHIRE. It's right next door. What could be easier? Only thing is, she hasn't even gone up there for some cheap liquor, never mind primary strategy meetings. Where else did she turn down an invite? Harkin's Beauty Contest--she said NO. That's not the behavior of a candidate, or someone who wants to be regarded as a "player" (e.g. VP).

**** Raising money. LOTS of money. She should be eating rubber chicken on Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun evenings, meeting and greeting, and having her crew grab the checks. That's not happening. She's meeting CONSTITUENTS in venues where no money changes hands--town halls, meeting the new Boston mayor, constituent service outreach.

**** Getting on the phone and asking for endorsements, trying to steal away support from other candidate(s). Someone would tell. Her aides, too, are giving the massive "wave off." No coy denials--no "Well, she SAYS no...." -- they're saying "Fuggedaboutit."

And then, there's that "Democratic Women of the Senate" letter. Anyone who thinks that leak was "accidental" and that every woman who signed the letter wasn't onboard with that leak is probably smoking better crack than Mayor Ford can get his hands on! That was phase one of a "rollout" and it was, I must say, artfully done. Good job, Barbara Boxer et. al!

Look, there's "Tee hee--oh, no, I couldn't POSSIBLY...." and there's "Not only no, but hell no." I think she's in the latter sandbox, myself. YMMV.