OPINION

COLUMNIST: What Elizabeth Warren must do to secure front-runner status

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, written off by the chattering class earlier in the year as unelectable, now sits at the top of several polls in the first two state contests' polling and a whisker behind former Vice President Joe Biden in national polling.

Solid fundraising, substantial organization on the ground in early states, and a work ethic second to none make her a formidable candidate. Her consistent focus on fighting corruption is well-attuned to the Trump era.

Warren faces the challenges that come with front-runner status, including dealing with high expectations for the early primaries and being the target of attacks from opponents and of criticism from the media.

She has yet to be strongly challenged on the debate stage on the math for her wealth tax, the funding for her Medicare-for-all plan and her views on national security. She faces the nagging concern as to whether she is too far left to prevail in the general election, although Bernie Sanders handed her a gift in declaring, "Elizabeth, I think, as you know, has said that she is a capitalist through her bones."

As polls show, her margin over Trump in the general election about equals Biden's; electability concerns may fade. Beyond that, Warren might plan to take the wind out of the predictable attacks that are sure to come.

First, she still faces the commander-in-chief test, a requirement of any presidential candidate but especially so in light of Trump's mismanagement of national security from North Korea to Russia to Saudi Arabia to China. Warren would do well to issue a robust condemnation of Trump's retreat from Syria and explain how she would wind down "forever wars" without endangering allies, giving a shot in the arm to Islamic State terrorists and losing allies' confidence.

Second, at some point she's going to have to make the case that she is flexible, savvy and wise enough to know how to take a half or three-quarters of a loaf. When Medicare-for-all proves to be unattainable, does she have a backup plan? If she cannot raise enough revenue from her wealth tax, what does she do with her assortment of domestic programs?

Trump made promises in 2016 he could not keep: getting Mexico to pay for the wall, coming up with a cheaper but better health-care plan, and developing a tax cut that wouldn't make the rich even richer. One of Democrats' best lines of attack is that Trump not only did not produce for the "forgotten men and women," but also made life harder for them.

A candidate who comes across as peddling easy fixes and unattainable deals will not be nearly as effective as a candidate who levels with voters and makes clear what can be reasonably accomplished. The answer to criticism cannot be to ridicule critics as thinking small, nor can every explanation for achieving unreasonable goals be "I'll fight."

By presenting a mainstream foreign policy vision and giving herself and moderate voters an off-ramp or two on the highway to progressive nirvana, Warren can solidify her gains and win over skeptics.

Editorial on 10/16/2019

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