Warren lovefest ends as 2020 competitors fear his rise

Elizabeth Warren's honeymoon is about to end.

Warren's low fundraising and Amerindian Native American controversy made her seem like a second-rate candidate, and her rivals treated her as such, even though she bounced back from those troubles.

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But now that the Massachusetts senator is attracting huge crowds and multiplying in national polls, competing campaigns are starting to refocus on Warren, seeking to blur his momentum.

Democrats are already opening new avenues of attack: calling her "reputed policy proposal" a "fraud", challenging her to say that she would pay for a huge health plan, highlighting the lack of diversity of her supporters and drop reminders long-time Warren as a Republican.

The aides of three rival candidates confirmed in interviews that they revealed opposition research on Warren for the next debate on 12 September. where would the money come from to pay for them.

Warren's supporters said the criticism was about high season grapes that had not taken her seriously until she turned so much in the polls.

Be that as it may, it seems that Warren, who is only ahead of Joe Biden in many polls, has a length ahead of it.

"It's inevitable: what goes up must come down. It's the law of political physics, "said Dick Harpootlian, one of Joe Biden's main organizers in South Carolina, about Warren's turn in the hot seat.

Up to here, his opponents have been cautious, fearing to alienate Warren's supporters that they hope to win eventually. Liberal friends Bernie Sanders and Warren have long had a non-aggression pact, and several polls have shown an overlap between supporters of Kamala Harris and Warren. Biden, sitting on the ground, was busy trying to deflect the attacks.

But the substitutes of these prominent candidates are beginning to speak.

Actress Susan Sarandon, while she was supporting Bernie Sanders in Iowa, threw Shadow at Warren last week. "[Sanders] It's not anyone who was Republican. This is not someone who was taking money, or still taking money, from Wall Street. It's the real deal, "she said.

A counselor from a competing campaign, who requested anonymity, echoed this sentiment. If Warren attacks someone else's file on the debate stage, she will get it back.

"No one else here has been Republican before," said the councilor.

Harpootlian, meanwhile, said that a calculation would soon appear on Warren's list of political proposals.

"She has promised about $ 50 trillion in benefits over the last 30 days. Its economy is a fraud and at some point, someone will report it. She is a multimillionaire professor at Harvard. She can not compete with the 1% – she is one of the 1%, "Harpootlian said.

Warren said that the bulk of funding for his projects – ranging from the promise to eliminate student loans to universal child care – would come from an "ultra millionaire" tax of 2% on family incomes greater than or equal to $ 50 million.

Some of the jabs that are beginning to emerge are more subtle.

Jeff Weaver, Sanders' senior advisor, angered Warren earlier this month due to his lack of diversity.

Comparing Sanders and Warren, Weaver said on HillTV"His base is much more diverse, much more working. His base is much more educated and so they are not really competing for the same group of voters. "

Bakari Sellers, co-chair of the Harris campaign in South Carolina, complained about social media this week. how did the press manage a story about the country workers who stayed at a Nevada hotel as part of a labor dispute.

"It's a great story and a terrible surveillance of Warren & Biden, whether it's intentional or not," he wrote. "We already know that the title would read as follows:" Harris crosses Culinary Union picket lines several times "or" Harris accepts the money from the anti-union leaders. "

In an interview, Sellers complained that Harris fought sexism, racism "and Russians", while others in the race, including Warren, had an easier ride, including on the scene of the debate.

"Elizabeth Warren had a pass in both debates," said Sellers. He stated that he thought Warren had led the best campaign of the 2020 race, but he added, "I think that in the end, the biggest criticism of Elizabeth Warren is his inability to realize his projects. Many voters – especially black voters – will say, "All this is pie in the sky and we want pie on the table."

Michael Bennet, Democratic hopeful and Warren's member of the Senate, has lightly criticized him this week for his support for Medicare for All.

"We have already seen Sanders go back and it's time for Warren to do the same and join the fight for a public option," Bennet tweeted.

It was not exactly a bed of roses for Warren at first. Even before taking part in the race, she was fired for failing to contact voters, a "Hillary 2.0" pending.

But she resisted these attacks and the strategic decisions made by her campaign helped to make her an elusive target. She began tackling her biggest obstacle, her previous claims of Native American ancestry, in 2018 by issuing a DNA test before being announced to the presidency. This allowed some of the toughest moves to take place outside the presidential race.

His decision to forgo major fundraising allowed him to become familiar with his political agenda and political strategy. And, generally, there is less personal animosity between Warren and the other camps: his staff, for example, took care not to get caught on social media with help from other candidates; these types of shows have increased tensions between other campaigns.

There is another dynamic that has isolated Warren so far. Sanders, the other top-flight Progressive on the field, has taken the position that there is little to be gained from attacking him. Sanders has repeatedly refused to go there.

"The progressive movement has a unique chance to win the nomination of the Democratic Party," said Jonathan Tasini, author of "The Essential Bernie Sanders and His Vision for America". "I do not think we should do anything to hurt one or the other of the candidates, because the combination of these two forces, whether Warren or Sanders, the one carrying the flag until the end, could win the nomination. "

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change campaign committee, who approved Warren, said that attacking Warren as a Republican – at the debate stage or otherwise – would only turn against him.

"Ironically, if other Democrats point out that this populist economic hero who defies business also has the credibility of being a Republican, it would only strengthen the electoral power that she is more eligible against Trump. – that she can appeal to both the base and the movement. the electors. It would be an absurd attack, "said Green. With respect to the issues surrounding his proposal to enact a wealth tax to fund a set of new programs, Green said, "Sake in a debate with Elizabeth Warren about projects? Probably not a good shot – period.

Warren had some difficult stories about him, including stories about his experience as a lawyer. Donald Trump has resurfaced his attacks "Pocahontas", too, promising that there will be others.

"I hit her hard and it looked like she was down, but it was too long ago, I should have waited. But do not worry, we're going to revive it, "said Trump earlier this month.

The former Pennsylvania governor, Ed Rendell, who supports Biden, said Warren avoided the kind of scrutiny that Biden is facing because it is conducting a "no error campaign" and has not yet been considered. like a favorite.

But Rendell said Warren would not get a pass in the next presidential debate. He predicted, among other things, that she would be in a hurry to know how she would pay for Medicare for All.

Elizabeth skilfully avoided answering the question: "Would your health care proposal lead to higher taxes? "" Said Rendell. "She never answered the question … She did an excellent job of avoiding it. She must answer it now.