While the “establishment” candidate won big in an unwinnable state, Warren was back to shooting her poison arrows after another drubbing

After last week’s debate, I can’t say for certain what effect Rep. James Clyburn’s complaint that Tom Steyer was “stealing” votes from Joe Biden had, or the media calling the South Carolina primary well before the polls closed, since Biden polling had suggested a big win, just not how big. But back to reality: nobody was predicting the scope of Bernie Sanders’ victory in Nevada either, and Nevada is actually a state in play for the Democrats—and South Carolina and all but Virginia and Florida in the South that Biden is likely win “big” are not. And people should stop assuming that Biden is the most “sensible” nominee; when I was getting my degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Biden paid the campus a visit, and what I saw was some smug high school kid lobbing sarcastic mud pies at unimpressed students equally keen on throwing them back in his face. Even 30 years ago Biden was not exactly a “liberal,” but he seemed to enjoy waging juvenile tit-for-tat with people who thought he was. 

But Biden isn’t that “kid” anymore—or at least he isn’t as quick on the draw with the mud pies, which he will need to be to respond to Donald Trump’s mud pie-slinging, especially if they debate. We also know from past experience that Biden has a habit of embarrassing “gaffes,” which will no doubt be used against him. We know that he caused Barack Obama frequent bouts of grief with his “off-the-cuff” statements that were “off message.”  We know that if Rudy Giuliani really did dig up some “dirt” on Biden and his son—no matter how lacking in credibility—Trump may sit on it until if Biden becomes the Democratic nominee, and paint him as a “crook” no better than he is.

Meanwhile, although Sanders was well ahead of the rest of the field for a second-place finish in South Carolina, it was nevertheless disappointing. Despite spending $18 million in the state, Steyer barely cracked 10 percent and withdrew from the race. But Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar did even worse (Mike Bloomberg was not on the ballot). Buttigieg has already suspended his campaign, and Klobuchar probably should after being plowed by some Black Lives Matter people at a campaign rally yesterday. If Super Tuesday ends up as some are predicting, it will be down to a two-horse race between Sanders and Biden.

But at least one candidate refuses to see the handwriting on the wall: Warren. Despite all the newspaper endorsements and media claims about her debate performances, none of that has translated into actual votes outside those for whom her gender is their principle rationalization for supporter her. The New York Times endorsement of both Warren and Klobuchar was so cynical that it probably hurt rather than helped both of them in the end.  But at least Klobuchar is keeping her head; Warren is back on the stump exhibiting the same out-of-control egomania that Hillary Clinton did when the pressure was on, seeing enemies everywhere and still insisting she has a "plan" in a strident, condescending tone that irritates all but her true believers.

Warren supporters need to face some uncomfortable facts about her. First off, she is a proven liar, and the reason why she keeps repeating the lost-job-because-of-pregnancy line and not the other lies is because it happened almost a half-century ago, and there is likely no one present still alive to rebut her claim and confirm what the minutes from the board meeting actually says. Her reputation as a “policy wonk” is not justified; she has already abandoned her “health care plan” because she had no real “plan” that made any sense and all the rest is simply old talking points. But perhaps the biggest “issue” with her egomaniacal nature is that she has at last been revealed to be faithless “friend”—not just throwing her supposed ideological partner, Sanders, under the bus with questionable accusations and faking that she has a better “plan” than he does, but in doing so shows that she is also a faithless “friend” to the progressive movement in general. She is only in it because she saw the progressive movement as a way to disguise her own selfishness and victim mentality—even as she victimized true underrepresented minorities by stealing job opportunities from them by allowing employers to claim that she was a “minority hire.” 

When Warren finally does drop out of the race, will she throw her support to Biden? If so, her supporters should show her the finger for abandoning the progressive cause so effortlessly and with such vindictiveness.