Rep. Barney Frank re" Elizabeth Warren: “She’s much, much too smart to run for president."

[kpete]

Rep. Barney Frank, a close Warren ally, seems relevant:

“She’s much, much too smart to run for president. She has no chance to win—none—and she would kill her credibility if she did. She’s devoted her life to issues that she cared about, and the second people perceive her as ambitious, you know, interested in running, that’s over.”

My strong suspicion is that Warren herself agrees.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/elizabeth-warren-profile-115489.html?hp=t4_r#.VPiCDC7QM4W
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/03/05/morning-plum-congress-likely-to-punt-on-war-vote/

[Agschmid]

1. Kick.

[Cha]

2. People are different.. Smart people can run for President too.. if she doesn't think she has a

chance, though.. then that would be a lot of time and money wasted.

[Autumn]

3. And so it begins.

[KittyWampus]

5. what begins? Reality?

[Autumn]

8. Yep, reality.

[Blue_Tires]

4. Is that something similar to "She's too cool/beautiful/sexy/etc. to run" -flattery?

Or is it one of those "She won't run if she knows what's good for her" type of deals??

[KittyWampus]

6. That doesn't sound like flattery at all. It's an observation based on reality.

It's really weird how so many DU'ers who banded together calling others "Obama cult-members" can't stand any mention of Warren unless it's completely adulatory.

[Atman]

10. I didn't get that impression at all.

I think Sanders is absolutely correct (Sanders being another smart person with no chance of winning in today's political climate). If I were writing ads for the GOP, here is where I'd start:

1) Warren has only been in office a very short time. Who was the last president who only had a brief tenure in the Senate? Where did that get us?

2) She's just another New England liberal like John Kerry.

3) She lied about her Native American heritage. What else will she lie about?

Those are just the opening salvos. Please understand, I'm not endorsing anything above, I'd vote for Warren in a heartbeat. But she really has no chance of winning. She's been anti-Wall Street, and they have all the money. She's a woman. The Hillary bandwagon is too strong, unfortunately. Really, really unfortunately.

Those issues I listed aren't reality, but having done political advertising for years, I can tell you that's how it works. Underlying facts are not nearly as important as over-reaching hyperbole. Remember, they'll be advertising to their base to get out and vote. They can't afford to be fair and honest, they need to slash and burn to win. They'll have the money, and Warren has absolutely no cred with anyone but very Democratic voters. She can't win. I wish it weren't so, but it is. Give her some more time in the Senate, get some more important populist legislation on the books, let's talk. But she is too easy to attack from The Right. They'll destroy her, and the hayseeds will eat it up. The 1% already know they hate her.

[Renew Deal]

15. Barney Frank wouldn't say either one of those things

I think he's being honest.

[madokie]

7. When Barney speaks, I listen

pretty simple strategy for me I know I can't go wrong that way

[jwirr]

9. I agree with Barney. She is in a perfect position to use her seat to help fix the economy. If she

runs for president she will have to deal with a whole range of issues instead of working for the one that is so important to her. Many of our problems are because we have a terrible congress. We need more like her in congress or we are never going to fix anything.

I also feel like that regarding Bernie. The progressives in congress are too valuable to lose.

[Fumesucker]

11. You know who _else_ was perceived as amibitious?

[Renew Deal]

13. Hitler?

[Fumesucker]

17. Him and yon Cassius..

[Renew Deal]

12. I think she knows this.

[oldandhappy]

14. Yes!

She is in the place where she can be and is already tremendously effective. She is good for all of us right where she is. I applaud her ability to see that clearly for herself. Great woman!

[2naSalit]

16. Thanks, Barney!

I have been saying for a while now that EW knows where her professional strengths are and ran on the premise that she would do what should be done from a Senate seat. She has the most power she can get as an elected official. An appointment in a strategic office is not totally out of the question but she knows where she can get the most done and is dedicated to accomplish that.

Just because some folks want her to be president doesn't mean she should run nor that she would be an effective president. She's an economist, let her do the best job she can do from the best place to get it done. I want to see her do the work she's committed to... she has vowed to finish her full term as Senator and I think that's the best thing for all of us right now. And I hope she keeps running for that office and holds that seat until she's decided that her work is done.

[cascadiance]

18. I think that perhaps at this stage that perception might appear to be correct, but movements happen!

Movements are what can change "what is possible" and what isn't...

Movements are what affected how FDR ran for president and ultimately how he governed. Without movements functioning to tell government that they were fed up with the job government did which lead to the depression, to the point of even having the communist party grow at that time putting a lot of pressure on government then...

Elizabeth Warren is qualified by her ability to do a lot in the short time she's been in the Senate, as well as probably her being the most intellectually knowledgeable about the circumstances that most Americans have faced that lead to the breakdown of their middle class status in the latest economic downturn. A close examination of what Warren has done over the years even before her role in government will show to the average American that she is one of the few that understands what they are dealing with and has an attitude to want to fix it, even with a lot of powerful forces aligned against her.

I think rather than many of us accepting this supposed "reality" that she "will never run" because "she doesn't have a chance", it is our responsibility as American citizens, to try and look for the best avenue of fixing a broken system that is out there, and when we see it, which many of us see in the potential of her helping doing so as president, it is upon us to build that movement today, so that the notion that "she can't win" is no longer a factor that prevents her from wanting to pursue this office, and that it be solely a personal decision for herself on her own priorities on what she wants to do and what she perceives America needs.

That is why, despite many here and in other places trying to depict us as "Hillary haters" or other such negative characterizations, we continue to feel it is our responsibility to build this movement in to a reality and beat back the corporate media and other institutional barriers that seek to shut down the will of the people to fix a corrupt system that the PTB wants to have continue.

Whether she jumps in to lead this movement, or someone else that might have similar qualifications and motivations, it is time for us to continue to push on.

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. "anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President ..."

The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them.

To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.

To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.

― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/4.Douglas_Adams

[tiredtoo]

20. Personallly i agree with Barney Frank here

Elizabeth Warren can and will accomplish so much more as a Senator than would be possible in an attempt at running for president.