Oct. 25, 2014 A Flyer Promoting Elizabeth Warren for President in 2016

An Alternative to Hillary Clinton? >

Oct. 25, 2014 -- This flyer in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC promotes Elizabeth Warren for President 2016. However, Warren has stated repeatedly, "I am not running for president."

"Elizabeth Warren for President 2016" produced the flyer; their website notes, "We are not affiliated with ready4warren.com in any way, although that can be arranged ;-)" (Editorial note: Elizabeth Warren for President 2016 is kind of a second-tier effort compared to the more prominent Ready for Warren, just as on the pro-Hillary Clinton side the Hillary 2016 PAC is a second fiddle to the Ready for Hillary super PAC).

The flyer makes three points:

Her record shows more action taken to benefit the middle class than Hillary Clinton's (bank oversight, fair wages, student loan reform, etc.)
If we wait until the next presidential election, Elizabeth Warren will be older than Hillary Clinton is now (it's now or never)
Even if she doesn't beat Hillary Clinton, she will improve the debate without jeopardizing her Senate re-election in 2018.

Sen. Warren is much in demand on the campaign trail:

campaign graphics from the Shaheen and Braley campaigns

This very day she did three events with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire.

Conventional wisdom says that former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton is very likely or all but certain to be the Democratic nominee in 2016, and Clinton does have a lot of experience and a strong base of support. Most notably since April 2013 the Ready for Hillary super PAC has been "urging Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016 and laying the groundwork for her candidacy." History shows that if Clinton does run, and most people expect she will, a coronation is unlikely to occur. Some Democrats will advocate for an alternative, whether it be Warren or Gov. Martin O'Malley or Sen. Bernie Sanders or someone yet to be determined.

Indeed, the current issue of Harper's magazine features an essay LBO News (Left Business Observer) editor Doug Henwood (+) wrote about Hillary Clinton in "hope of derailing her unannounced yet all-but-certain presidential campaign."

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