Slate: Why Elizabeth Warren Won't Run

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Don't mistake support for Warren as some sort of personality cult.

What it is, actually, is a "populism cult." Warren is the focus because at this moment she appears to be the best expression of progressive populism on the scene, packaged in a really appealing format.

She represents a lot of unknowns, such as where she may come down on military involvement in the Middle East, aggressive action against global warming, etc.

However political opinions tend to come in clusters, statistically speaking, so if one has progressive economic views, one is also likely to have progressive opinions in other areas as well. If this turns out to be a false assumption, then people, including me, will have some rethinking to do.

In any case, as I started out to say, Warren support is not actually about Warren. At least not for me. It's about the stances she is taking. Give me an equally electable candidate who more clearly represents my views, and I'll throw my support that way.

And, finally, the obligatory Bernie comment. I love Bernie. He more closely represents my views than any other major political figure. But he's 75, he comes with the Socialist label (which I sorta carry myself, but I'm not running for anything), and he could not be elected.

So, for the time being, I continue to show the Warren flag.