Elizabeth Warren departs the race without finishing above third place in a single state. Beto O’Rourke, Julian Castro, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand quit well before the voting.
Is possible that maybe, just maybe, the qualities and positions that dazzle the newsrooms and editorial boards of the country’s most powerful media institutions aren’t reflective of anyone but themselves? That the ability to wow the New York Times editorial board does not translate to an ability to wow Democrats of all stripes, much less a majority of Americans?
Jessica Valenti fumes, “Don’t tell me this isn’t about sexism. I’ve been around too long for that.” If this is indeed sexism, this is a sexism that is rampant among Democratic primary voters in 19 states now. Two-thirds of women in Massachusetts voted for someone else. For once, Warren fans can’t blame Republicans or Donald Trump or Fox News or conservatives. This was a contest among their own. If sexism indeed tanked Warren’s campaign, it means the Democratic Party and its voters are a much an obstacle to women’s advancement as that dastardly GOP is. The sexism is coming from inside the house!
Or, you know, maybe she was just nowhere near as good a candidate as Valenti and Warren fans thought, and they fooled themselves into thinking she was a vote-winning powerhouse.