For a long while, all the #veepstakes activity on the left was in support of Warren. Now suddenly, it's shifting to Bass. Why is that?
Because...
Because...
...the left doesn't think Biden will pick Warren, the lone populist in the mix, and Bass has signaled she wouldn't run for president herself
If Biden picks an ambitious pragmatist, that person has the inside track. If it's a caretaker VP, then the next primary is wide open...
If Biden picks an ambitious pragmatist, that person has the inside track. If it's a caretaker VP, then the next primary is wide open...
......I don't believe for a second folks on the left see Bass as sufficiently and similarly left. She said Defund the Police was "probably one of the worst slogans ever"...
...then after an apology tweet, she took another shot at activists: "You can either make a point, or you can make a difference."...
...some may note Bass is a M4A co-sponsor, but she is a half-hearted one, telling Vox last year, "Probably a difference I would have would be whether or not ... there was still an alternative for people that did not want to do Medicare-for-all". That ambivalence is a red flag...
...for hard-core single-payer supporters. (Warren was burned on the M4A left for a whole lot less.)...
...what #veepstakes really comes down to is should Biden be effectively anointing the next nominee or not. More pointedly...
..., should Biden pick a woman of color to cue her up for '24/'28, deem her uniquely qualified, familiarize the public with her, and help her overcome the ultimate barrier, or have a "lame duck" VP, who might be seen as mere political window dressing...
...more thoughts in my latest @RealClearNews column, "The (Unspoken) Reason the Left Now Wants Bass for VP" realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/…
