Warren vs. Clinton: Will Obama Choose a Path?

Elizabeth Warren and Bill Clinton are the big speakers tonight at the Democratic convention, and while both may seem like party darlings, Matt Bai of the New York Times points out that they represent two fundamentally different ideologies. Generally speaking, Clinton believes that Democrats can't make enemies with Wall Street because our economy would suffer as a result. Warren has made her name railing against Wall Street excess, which she says comes at the expense of the middle class.

What's more, the differing views "nicely embody the enduring confusion over what it is Mr. Obama really believes about the direction of his party and the country," writes Bai. Is he "the Clintonian candidate who tried to hammer out a 'grand bargain' on the budget with Republicans, or is he the more traditional Democrat who skewers Wall Street bankers as 'fat cats' and pretends he can fix inequality with gimmicks like 'the Buffett rule?'" Obama might yet have to decide before November, but don't expect any clear answers tonight. Read Bai's full piece here. (More President Obama stories.)