Anxious Democratic Establishment Asks, ‘Is There Anybody Else?’

NY Times

Party leaders who are fatalistic about Democrats’ chances in 2020 are musing about possible late entrants to the race. Sherrod Brown? Michelle Obama?

Senator Elizabeth Warren has faced persistent questions about her viability in the general election, and there is concern among some Democrats about her liberal politics.

"When a half-dozen Democratic donors gathered at the Whitby Hotel in Manhattan last week, the dinner began with a discussion of which presidential candidates the contributors liked. But as conversations among influential Democrats often go these days, the meeting quickly evolved into a discussion of who was not in the race — but could be lured in.
"Would Hillary Clinton get in, the contributors wondered, and how about Michael R. Bloomberg, the former New York mayor? One person even mused whether Michelle Obama would consider a late entry, according to two people who attended the event, which was hosted by the progressive group American Bridge.
"It’s that time of the election season for Democrats.
“Since the last debate, just anecdotally, I’ve had five or six people ask me: ‘Is there anybody else?’” said Leah Daughtry, a longtime Democrat who has run two of the party’s recent conventions.
. . . 
"The chances that another major contender decides to run are remote: While Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Bloomberg have both been encouraged to enter the race, Democrats close to them believe the only scenario under which they’d consider running is if Mr. Biden drops out or is badly weakened." . . .
. . . "Mr. Bloomberg is said to be more eager to find a way into the race — and chatter about his potential candidacy has only grown among Democrats who work on Wall Street and are concerned about Ms. Warren’s rise. He raised some eyebrows recently by putting off a fund-raising request from one third-party Democratic group until he knew about his own intentions, according to two Democrats familiar with the conversation.
"But the former New York mayor has flirted with presidential runs before, only to pull back. Friends say he recognizes his long odds at this stage of the race and his advisers suggest he will play a significant financial role in the 2020 race without his name on the ballot."
Full article.

Elizabeth Warren, The Most Dangerous Candidate For President Ever

. . . "She will also have the legacy media 100% behind her, an advantage not only in the election but it ramming policies through Congress. She could not possibly propose anything so radical that the Democrats with keyboards, cameras, and microphones would question it.
"Though Sanders has the socialist history and the credentials, Warren, not so long ago a Republican, is more closely aligned to Marxism than the Vermont senator.
"For evidence, we need go back no further than last year, when she released her Accountable Capitalism Act.  . . ."