Warren Can Help Clinton — Even If It's Not AS VP

After weeks (months, really) of breathless theorizing that Hillary Clinton might tap Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to be her running mate, despite that fact that Warren hadn’t even hinted at any intention of endorsing the former secretary of state for president, we at least might see her take that first steps toward being #WithHer. Reuters reported that, according to insiders close to the Massachusetts senator, Warren plans to formally endorse Clinton "within a week or two." The article also noted that despite the endorsement, Warren is not feeling particularly bullish about the prospect of being Clinton’s running mate.

Being able to assure Democratic voters that their beloved Warren does indeed plan to endorse Clinton — and soon — is obviously a big get. Warren is the last remaining female Democratic senator who has not yet endorsed Clinton, so at this point, the absence of her support is starting to glare. However, the timing of this buzz is particularly good for the Clinton camp, because today is one of those days Elizabeth Warren is at peak Elizabeth Warren.

Warren’s team released remarks which the senator plans to make about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump and various prominent members of the GOP in advance of a speech she’ll deliver Thursday night at the American Constitution Society. And they show she has no intention of backing down from her criticism of the GOP, nor softening her tone toward its new figurehead:

Donald Trump is a loud, nasty, thin-skinned fraud who has never risked anything for anyone and serves nobody but himself. And that is just one of the many reasons why he will never be president ... Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell want Donald Trump to appoint the next generation of judges. They want those judges to tilt the law to favor big business and billionaires like Trump. They just want Donald to quit being so vulgar and obvious about it ... Donald Trump chose racism as his weapon, but his aim is exactly the same as the rest of the Republicans. Pound the courts into submission to the rich and powerful."

For some time now, I've believed that Warren has been the only politician to effectively fight Trump on his native medium, Twitter. Stuff like this is a big part of the reason people (liberals, anyway) love Warren. Going in on Trump to this degree can only strengthen her potential endorsement. It’s a message that Warren doesn’t have to change anything about herself — tone things down, move closer to center, etc — in order to align herself with Clinton. She can still be the Warren her constituents love (the kind Sanders’ constituents love) and wholeheartedly get behind Clinton.

The Democratic Party is currently staring down serious concerns about being able to rally Sanders' supporters to unite behind Clinton. A May poll from NBC News / The Wall Street Journal found only 66 percent of Sanders supporters said they'd back Clinton in a face-off with Trump; 20 percent said they'd swing to the Republican side. Even if she's not on Clinton's ticket, Warren may be the best glue to piece the party together.

Image: Bustle/Allison Gore