The cryptographers at the New York Times saw a sign, and interpreted it for us: >
In an apparent sign that Senator Elizabeth Warren will not be named Hillary Clinton’s running mate, Ms. Warren was invited by Mrs. Clinton’s campaign on Tuesday to deliver a prime-time address on the first night of the Democratic convention this month — a marquee speaking slot but one that is earlier than vice-presidential picks typically appear.
Such nominees usually speak later in the convention week to build anticipation for the top of the ticket.
The cryptographers at the New York Times saw a sign, and interpreted it for us: >
Case closed, right? Warren’s not going to be on the ticket! Actually, not so fast:
Two Democrats briefed on the invitation to Ms. Warren, however, cautioned that Mrs. Clinton had not yet made a decision about a running mate and that asking Ms. Warren to take the stage on the first night did not preclude her from being tapped as the vice-presidential nominee.
Of course not. Whatever Warren is currently scheduled to do on Monday night can surely be done by somebody else if Clinton decides to ask her to be on the ticket. Just because Republicans have no schedule for Cleveland doesn’t mean the Democratic schedule for Philly is carved in stone. And just because there’s a shortage of eligible speakers in Cleveland is no reason the speakers list for Philly cannot be moved around at will.
Some suspect the real reason Warren’s veep stock is dropping is that Bernie Sanders’s robust endorsement of the putative nominee means Warren won’t be needed as much as a “sop” to the Children of the Revolution. If, like me, you think Warren would be a very good choice even if there were zero divisions in the Democratic Party, then this argument for discarding her doesn’t make a lot of sense.
