David “Axis of Weasel” Frum got the Atlantic to publish him “encouraging” Senator Warren to compete in the 2016 presidential primaries, because nobody cares about what mere Senators do. (Unspoken, but latent in every line: If Warren bashes Clinton enough during the primaries, whichever clown eventually wins the Repub nomination has an easier job running against either of them.) Daniel Larison, not-insane conservative, treats this argument with the contempt Frum so richly deserves:
… This is a trap for Warren. If she does want to get anything done on the issues that she’s interested in, she won’t waste a large part of the next year running a quixotic protest campaign. She might not be able to do anything while Democrats are in the minority, but it is possible that they won’t be in the minority in the Senate for all that long. Depending on how a few 2016 Senate races turn out, Democrats could control the chamber again by 2017. If the goal of a protest run is to define the party’s agenda, Warren is already doing that more effectively where she is than any of the would-be challengers to Clinton so far. A presidential campaign at this point would be an unnecessary distraction…
Meanwhile, hometown paper the Baltimore Sun checks in with another possible candidate. “What’s Next for Martin O’Malley?“:
… In the short term, O’Malley will deliver paid speeches, seek a publisher for his book and become a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School – all part of the governor’s plan “to get my family back home and secure.”
O’Malley has said he will decide by spring about whether to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016. He offers little insight into the factors he’s weighing…
If he decides to run, political analysts say the governor will need to substantially increase his presence in early primary states, bolster his fundraising and draw sharper contrasts with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who polls show would be the overwhelming front-runner if she enters the race…
The governor said in an interview this week he continues to meet with policy experts “all the time” to form the basis of such a run, and has dedicated a lot of time to writing – both on his new blog and on a manuscript about his years in Baltimore. O’Malley, an attorney, has no plans to join a law firm…
O’Malley, who will turn 52 Sunday, is widely credited with pulling Annapolis out of the gridlock that characterized former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s administration and restoring Maryland as a national leader on liberal policy. He secured the legalization of same-sex marriage, tighter gun controls, a repeal of the death penalty and a series of policies to ease life for immigrants in the country illegally.
The governor thinks he’s “brought forward in our state – ahead of other states – a new way of governing” that relies on publicly setting goals and using data and science to monitor them, a concept he says resonates with people under 40.
He signaled that if he runs for president he would offer U.S. voters the statistics-driven governing style he outlined for Baltimore voters in 1999 and Maryland voters in 2006…
O’Malley’s “Letters to the People of Maryland” blog is here.
Baud
This is not a puppy thread.
Oh well.
Pogonip
The paucity of puppy postings perplexes Pogonip.
Baud
@Pogonip:
Positivity preposterous.
srv
Hillary will be the next president, and the sooner you people get on board the simpler this will all be. But go ahead and waste eleventy billion pixels on it.
Everyone else is just running for VP, so whomever that guy might be would be an interesting topic.
jharp
O’Malley sounds like an excellent choice for VP.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@jharp: Well, Hillary definitely wouldn’t have to worry about being outshone by his charisma. Warren made some comments this weekend that sounded pretty definitive to me, saying she’s more comfortable and effective as an outsider.
If I were a windmill-tilter, I think I might join a “Draft Sherrod Brown” movement. I know there has been some speculation in the ‘tubes, but I don’t know if Brown has given any sign of interest.
Schlemazel
@srv:
Well, she very probably will be the next Democratic nominee. She shouldn’t, as they say, be measuring for drapes just yet. One great negative here is that the amount of sludged heaped on Hilary along with many missteps that leave the impression of a ‘say anything to get elected’ impression could do a marvelous job suppressing turnout. If the GOP follows form & nominates a not totally insane clown like Jeb or even th Marquis we might be in for a perfect storm.
I’ll probably put in a couple hundred hours volunteer work for whomever the Dems select no matter who the noms are – good pasta willing & the marinera don’t rise – but my bleak crystal ball says we need to work even harder to get the less engaged excited.
jharp
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Huge fan of Sherrod Brown but.
No way in hell in Ohio do we anything close to his talent and we might even lose his seat to a Republican.
Warren and Brown are far too valuable as Senators to lose. They both need to stay right where they are.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@jharp: works for me, I’m a fan too. I’m just always confused why his name is left off fantasy lists.
@Schlemazel: an incident like Paris, or Boston, could screw everyone’s expectations. I think it was replaying ISIS videos in his campaign commercials that put Cory Gardner over the top in CO.
Mike in NC
Lived in Maryland when Bobby Ehrlich and Michael Steele were in office. Less than useless, that pair.
Major Major Major Major
Cool post, was hoping to see a big thread, oh well.
At any rate, thanks for posting so that the WordPress gods would compel Cole to update the puppeh thread ASAP
kindness
Good on Mr. O’Malley but if anyone thinks Republicans will play well with Democrats legislatively on the National stage because a group did at the state level….You are in luck! I have a bridge to sell you! But you have to act fast because CalTrans is tearing down what is left of the old Bay Bridge.
Cacti
We need more good, strong, liberal voices in the Senate who live in safe blue states.
Stay where you are, Liz.
Kay
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I went to lunch with a friend who works for him about a month ago and she said “no”. She said he’d have to be raising money by now and I think that’s true.
WaterGirl
@jharp:
That’s how I feel about Warren, and you may be right about both of them. But damn, I would crawl over broken glass to vote for Sherrod Brown as president.
@Kay: I guess I won’t need my knee pads, then.
Kay
@WaterGirl:
He’d be an interesting President. He doesn’t sit up straight and he always looks kind of rumpled.
An oddly informal President :)
Imagine the Oval Office outrage: “is he sitting on the floor?”
Tree With Water
These next two years could well witness the American people drawing a long overdue bead on the GOP clown show, one that will spell its doom. Too many clowns, no ringmaster… keep in mind, it did happen already in California (and not that long ago, either).
I for one believe Warren, and approve both her decision not to run and the reasons why. She’s in a perfect spot right where she is. My feelings for H. Clinton being what they are, I’ll also take a egregiously sympathetic look at any potential challenger- as will millions of others, I suspect.
James E Powell
@Tree With Water:
I’m not sure I understand what you mean by “drawing a long overdue bead on the GOP clown show.”
Unfortunately the American people include the ‘Murkin people and the GOP clown show is their idea of a perfect political party. These ‘Murkin people are far more numerous than any of us like to recognize. They are out there and they are not going to stop voting for the party of Bigotry, Anger, and Fear in our lifetimes.
ETA – If Tommy Carcetti runs for president, will David Simon bring the show back for one more season? I’d be down with that.
Tree With Water
@James E Powell: It’s a reference my experience here in California. The GOP went around the bend- witness their attack on hispanic Californians- which is why today that party a cipher in this state. It didn’t have to be that way- they were in the drivers seat. More to the point, because the inmates are running that asylum, there’s no going back. The California GOP launched itself off the diving board and into an empty pool. Consequently, I’ve predicted a similar fate is in store for the national party. I still hold to that, too, but freely admit 2 years may be a bit optimistic of me. Then again, maybe not.
Tree With Water
@James E Powell: One last point. California’s democratic party had very little to do with its own resurgence. Rather, the GOP managed to alienate entire constituencies in a very short period of time, all on its own. They’re impolitic radical nuts, and when enough Californians wised up to that fact- which they did- California’s GOP was finished.
Marc
@jharp:
My assumption is that, if he runs, he will be doing so as an audition for Hillary’s VP.
But who knows, maybe he thinks he can win it. The guy ran for mayor of a majority-black city and won, and then he took on an incumbent governor and won that, too. He has a history of choosing tough races and winning, which is more than I can say for HRC.
GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)
@srv:
The same thing was said in 2007. How did that work out for VP Obama?
lol
@GHayduke (formerly lojasmo):
At this point in 2007, Clinton had a 10-20 or so point lead nationally and hovered in the 30s-40s while being *behind* 10 points in Iowa. Clinton didn’t collapse so much as the most of remaining electorate eventually coalesced around Obama. African Americans are probably the only major portion of her coalition that he took away from her.
Today, Clinton has a 50-60 point lead nationally and regularly polls 70+ in primary states including Iowa. O’Malley (or anyone else) not only needs to get every single not-Clinton voter but take away a third of her coalition. Raise your hand if you see a white guy pulling that off.
You’d need a woman to challenge Clinton but unfortunately for you, all the qualified ones are backing her.