2. Until last night, Warren the wonk has been the dominant message. She has a plan for that! This identity has some advantages: it plays to her unique strengths (mastery of policy), setting her against not just Trump but the other candidates.
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3. Warren the wonk also played into her campaign's unity message (a wonk being able to figure out best policy solutions in a way that transcends ideological divide). It's a formidable message and won her a large, loyal following.
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4. Problem with making wonk salient (at the expense of being a fighter) is it appeals to only a subset of voters (college educated whites), is demobilizing (she has a plan, so we don't have to have her back) and limited her ability to criticize party when it screwed up (Iowa)
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5. Over-playing the wonkishness also obscured the fact that Warren hasn't just been a policy expert: he's used policy for a purpose, as a class warrior on behalf of ordinary people. As
@rtraister points out, she's always been a fighter:https://twitter.com/rtraister/status/1230345242504826880 …Show this thread -
6. Eviscerating Bloomberg was not just good short term politics, but also showed, as
@ThePlumLineGS notes, how Warren can fight both a specific political foe and (wonkishly) show that the foe is symptom of large structural problems. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/20/elizabeth-warren-just-tore-apart-billionaire-why-not-trump/ …Show this thread -
7. Some more thoughts here on why channelling anger is good for Warren's campaign, and also how to deal with the sexist backlash that might also come from her warrior identity:https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democratic-debate-warren-nevada/ …
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8. To those who say Warren can sell herself as both a wonk and a warrior, remember: elections simplify identity. If voters only have one word to describe Warren, is it better if that word is "wonk" or "warrior." Which facet should be salient?
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She can be both. Thanks for your concern.
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No one said she can't be. Just that her campaign needs an identity
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Warrior wonk.
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Wonky warrior
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