Mar 16, 2016

Elizabeth Warren's Silence

by Brad Benson

Last night Senator Elizabeth Warren weighed in very critically on the Donald Trump Candidacy, calling it “ugly and dangerous” and imploring, “decent people everywhere…to say No More Donald (sic).” Senator Warren’s comment has since “gone viral” and been lauded by many.
Sadly however, the hypocritical irony of her final sentence, “There’s no virtue in silence,” has been largely missed in the mad rush to trumpet her attack on the much-loathed, and greatly feared, Trump. Quite simply, Senator Warren cannot seriously implore others to “Just say no!” to Trump, while she continues to sit on the sidelines of the Democratic Presidential Primary.
Senator Warren has rightfully earned her reputation, first as an economics professor that could not be silenced; next as the visionary behind the legislation that authorized the much needed Federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB); and finally, as an outspoken Senator—still demanding Wall Street Reform, even after Obama “threw her under the bus” and refused to fight for her to become the CFPB’s first Director.
That being said, it is obvious to everyone and should be abundantly clear to her that there is only one candidate in the Democratic Primary Race that shares her values. That candidate is Bernie Sanders and he needs her help right now.
In marked contrast, Hillary Clinton’s coziness with the sleaziest oligarchs and dictators around the world has long been known and her Wall Street Speeches have become a recurring theme in the campaign. Moreover, her waffling, weasel-word responses to repeated requests that she release the speech transcripts have been universally mocked, despite being strategically recrafted and “focus-grouped” after each quixotic failure.
Finally, Hillary’s Candidacy is founded upon a Clinton Machine that was always based upon the charismatic cult of personality surrounding her husband Bill. However, this machine has long since lost its luster and, to many, she was never more than a hood ornament. As a result, her support has been lukewarm at best and, if the Democratic Party Establishment proceeds with this long-planned coronation, a very weak Hillary Clinton will face off against an emboldened Donald Trump over a long hot summer.
Nor should anyone believe this delusional and diversionary talk about the break-up of the Republican Party. When and if Trump secures the nomination, Republicans will fall in line and, like lemmings, will march over the precipice with him. It’s what they do.
For that matter, after years of denigrating Hillary almost daily in their beltway “talking points”, no self-respecting Republican could ever openly go against any Republican Candidate in support of Hillary Clinton and not expect to be run out of office on a rail. They know that their power lies in their unity and that truly would be the end of the Republican Party!
On the other hand, a Hillary defeat would most probably signal the end of the Neo-Liberal-Interventionist Control, which has gripped the Democratic Party since the first Clinton Presidency and, while this might not normally be a bad thing, there’s a little matter of three and, perhaps four, Supreme Court Justices in the mix. These Justices will most certainly be named by the next President, whether Democrat or Republican, and therefore, a Republican win in November has the potential to lock-in right-wing extremism for possibly the next quarter-century.
All of this brings us back to Senator Warren who remains popular, with many still wishing that she had run for President. While she sits on the sidelines and refuses to endorse her ideological twin, who only ran because she stayed out, Hillary Clinton continues to limp to the nomination and almost certain defeat in November.
Therefore, if Senator Warren truly believes in the economic reforms which have been the hallmark of her meteoric rise to fame, it is time to endorse Senator Sanders and give these goals their very best chance to achieve fruition.
Even in the unlikely event of a second Clinton Presidency, Senator Warren has to know that no one who has taken more than $15 M from Wall Street could realistically be expected to lift a finger for her reforms. So why is she posting distressed Facebook comments about the more likely outcome of a Trump Presidency, when she probably is the one person in the whole USA whose lent prestige might yet stop it in its tracks?
Finally, an endorsement of Senator Sanders might still not be enough to beat Trump in November, but most polls indicate that he has a better chance to beat Trump than Clinton. However, those same polls also show some “crossover” in support between Sanders and Trump, since both express satisfaction that their candidate is not part of the establishment; “can’t be bought”; and has pledged to terminate the job-stealing “free-trade deals”. Then there’s the added bonus that both Sanders and Trump have denounced the “regime change” wars, for which Hillary is extremely vulnerable, and which Trump has frequently characterized as “stupid”.
Unfortunately however, there is one other thing that has shown up in some of these polls and that is the fact that a significant number of Sanders’ Supporters are indicating that they might opt to stay home, vote for a third party candidate like Dr. Jill Stein, or even cross over and vote for Trump against Hillary Clinton due to her hawkish past.
Senator Warren also sees these polls, since they are widely publicized in the media, virtually around the clock. She also has to know that further delay on this important endorsement can only advance the day in which the Grail she has sought for so long will be lost for the foreseeable future. Therefore, if she has ever truly believed in the economic reforms for which she has so strongly advocated:
There is no virtue in silence!