To Warren and her supporters, the answer is clear. She ran the best campaign, had the most and best plans, and was the most effective debater. She deserved to win. That she didn’t was clearly the result of sexism. What else could it be?
The truth is more complicated than that. Warren fell short for three reasons:
- Her complete embrace of the Sanders agenda meant she would have no following among the moderates, who represent a majority of the electorate;
- Her campaign narrative changed from week to week. She was the wonky woman with many plans, an Oklahoma populist, Bernie with brains, and the Goldilocks candidate, just to name a few. Some of these were mutually exclusive. The voters were confused; and
- Yes, she was a victim of identity politics, but not just because she was female; the voters recognized that she was wide open to attacks on elitism in November. If you don’t believe it, just ask yourself if a male Harvard professor would have done any better. The honest answer to the question is no.
And so ends my Warren’s day blog feature. Regular programming will resume on Wednesdays.