In the madness of American politics, amplified by the coming Iowa Caucus, and magnified by the awful urgency of taking the White House from the current President, things are starting to form brittle and crusty edges. There are strains and stretches on the system. It has reached a point of absurd theater, a drama that has started to take on a comedic life of its own. Not intentionally, they never meant to be amusing, but that is where we have come.
In the year 2020 people are wondering; can a woman be elected President? The truth is, I don’t know. And I am ashamed of that.
After watching the whole involved process, the platform promises, the speeches, the constant, endless, empty hyperbole, I honestly think Elizabeth Warren is the best candidate. She has a keen grasp on the workings of the Federal Government; she understands the power and importance of family and community. She is a fearless and tireless advocate of the middle class and the needy.
Of all the candidates she has been held to the highest standard of accountability. Not once has she complained. With a momentum and drive that invoked a flashback to a McConnell moment “nevertheless, she persisted.” When questioned, doubted, she just brought out her plan and pointed out how it could work.
I don’t remember a candidate so willing to explain how they planned to keep and pay for their promised programs. It has always been kind of a vague, “you wouldn’t understand” sort of mysticism. Warren gives you the feeling these are not just promises, forgotten after the inauguration, dusted off and paraded around again during the re-election campaign. She has a plan, and it involves asking the wealthy to pick up part of the tab.
Of course, it has sent a ripple of anxiety among the top of the monetary food chain. Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg pulled Michael Bloomberg out of his career as a semiretired millionaire and told him to get elected. He is a man, after all. And if you want somebody committed to preserving wealth who better than the wealthy. They really understand the value of a dollar, or several million.
Which brings us back to the question. Can Elizabeth Warren be elected President?
Look, any event that carries a statistical possibility (no matter how small) that doesn’t lessen over time will eventually happen. Why wait. We have the most qualified candidate that I have ever seen, and at my age, I have seen a lot of them.
We need to change the government. The middle class is being crushed under enormous financial burdens and the poor are being pushed out into the street. It is impossible to survive on minimum wage. Health insurance is being turned into a cooperative between providers and insurers and patients are simple loss/profit calculations based on sliding scales of ability to pay.
And Elizabeth Warren can do something about it. Plus, she has taken the time to explain how. I’m with Warren.
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