Elizabeth Warren Has Obama’s Vote Over Hillary Clinton? Democratic Party Primaries Could Get Interesting

Elizabeth Warren has long been seen as the “other woman” who could potentially make a run at the Democratic Party nomination in 2016, though she would be a dark horse candidate behind Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. A recent New York Post article, however, has been making a buzz with its claims that Elizabeth Warren would have President Barack Obama’s support over Hillary Clinton. If that turns out to be true, it could make the 2016 Democratic Party primaries a lot more interesting than any of us imagined they would be.

For the time being, neither Elizabeth Warren nor Hillary Clinton has said they’re going to throw their hats in the ring for the 2016 Democratic Party presidential nomination. Let’s get real, though. Nobody seriously thinks Hillary is going to pass up the shot to become the first female President of the United States.

If they have any sense, Republican hopefuls are already planning their strategies with Hillary Clinton in mind. For her part, Elizabeth Warren has stated that she does not plan to run for president in 2016. Of course, we all know that any such claims by politicians should be taken with a grain of salt, at least until the primaries are in full swing.

The New York Post article, released July 6, claims that Barack Obama has “quietly promised Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren complete support if she runs for president,” though the report also acknowledges that Barack Obama has not made a public statement regarding his preference among possible successors.

On some levels, the move would make sense. Barack Obama’s history with Hillary Clinton has been a bumpy ride, at best. There was open animosity between Bill Clinton and Obama during the 2008 Democratic primaries. To top it off, Hillary has questioned some of Barack Obama’s decisions since leaving office. Elizabeth Warren is practically an Obama clone, as this report in the Washington Times points out.

Some view Hillary (correctly or otherwise) as a pragmatic moderate, much as they perceived her husband. Elizabeth Warren is more solidly in the left column on all issues of any importance. Senator Warren is best known for her attempts to reform student loans in order to offer student debt relief, but she has been a solid supporter of Barack Obama’s initiatives. She will appeal to the far left of the Democratic Party without necessarily bringing much of the baggage that Hillary Clinton brings to the 2016 election.

To the best of anyone’s knowledge, Elizabeth Warren wouldn’t have to deal with the circus that comes from rehashing the philandering of her husband. While Mitt Romney is on the record saying that shouldn’t be an issue for Hillary either, it’s probably naive to suggest that Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky won’t come up – especially if Rand Paul wins the Republican nomination.

On top of that, Elizabeth Warren’s nomination won’t keep the attack on the Benghazi Consulate — which Hillary Clinton has referred to as “minor league ball”— in the public minds, especially if Ted Cruz becomes the Republican nominee.

The list could go on and on, if for no other reason than Elizabeth Warren is a relative newcomer. One glaring downside to a Warren candidacy is that she hasn’t really proven her electability in any kind of a serious way. She did beat an incumbent Republican Senator — Scott Brown — but Brown was elected in a special election and didn’t have much history in office, and let’s face it, a Democrat winning an election in Massachusetts isn’t exactly newsworthy.

Of course, Elizabeth Warren’s lack of experience and lack of proven electability isn’t likely to prove as a deterrent to Barack Obama supporting her over Hillary Clinton — after all, his path to the White House was very similar.

What do you think? Will Barack Obama support Warren over Hillary? Would his endorsement help or hurt Elizabeth Warren?