If Joe Biden doesn’t run, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren will probably begin the 2020 campaign as the frontrunners. Which of the two is more electable, based on the criteria I posted a few days ago? Here is my analysis:
1. Relevant experience: Both are US senators and are thus equally qualified.
2. Skeletons in the closet: Socialism! Sandinistas! If Bernie is the nominee, the GOP will have us believing that Daniel Ortega is his running mate. Advantage: Warren.
3. Don’t rerun the 2016 election: Warren isn’t a clone of Hillary Clinton, but to the average, uninformed voter, she will look like one. Advantage: Sanders.
4. Charisma counts: Bernie offers a kind of gruff authenticity and a single well-worn speech. Warren’s speeches are fairly wooden, but she can come up with a good zinger now and then, and she clearly gets under Trump’s skin, which is a plus. Advantage: Warren (slightly).
5. Play the identity game more shrewdly: In his heart of hearts, Bernie believes that class is the primary source of conflict in American politics, and he doesn’t really accept identity politics. Warren gets it. Maybe it’s her Native American heritage. Advantage: Warren.
So the winner is . . . Warren! If these two are the finalists, however, all of us will lose.