Why I Am Supporting Elizabeth Warren
I have struggled a bit this election season. I am a progressive. I think that government should play a more active role in the economy. I believe that people should not be discriminated against because of who they are. I know there are certain things that government can do better than private industry. I want Medicare-for-All, a Green New Deal, much more progressive taxation, and a stronger social safety net. So, naturally, I have a choice to make: Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.
Elizabeth Warren was the first progressive politician I ever knew about. When she ran for Senate in 2012, I had just started paying serious attention to politics. I liked what she was saying and how she said it. She was talking about economic inequality and corruption before I even understood how serious those problems were.
Bernie Sanders was my first choice in 2016. I admired his unapologetic liberalism and his straight-forward style. He has been a warrior for the working class his entire life. What he lacked in tact he made up for with honesty. He was what I wished more Democrats would let themselves be.
Both Sanders and Warren have impeccable progressive credentials. Sanders has been pushing the same message since he was a mayor in Vermont. Warren has fought tooth and nail for working people since she set foot in the Senate. Both of them have put forward serious policy proposals that are more progressive than any other candidate running. The important distinctions between them, therefore, are not ideological but practical.
The first question that needs to be answered is who do I think can win in a general election against Trump. Honestly, I have no doubt that either of them can beat Trump. Trump’s historic unpopularity coupled with his lack of successes as a president and a much more energized electorate are going to be the end of him. Sanders and Warren are both capable of channeling that energy, organizing it, and turning out voters in the numbers necessary to take Trump down.
The second question is who will be a better president. For me, this is the key difference. I really like Sanders, but I have my doubts about his ability to be an effective president. His infamous disdain for compromise and reputation as an outsider are going to be working against him if he wins. He has never been a great communicator or a team player. Getting policy passed, particularly policy as massive as what he and Warren are proposing, takes more tact and subtlety than I believe Sanders is capable of.
Warren, on the other hand, is a master communicator. She has that FDR energy, capable of presenting progressive ideas as common sense solutions to big problems. Instead of spending her career attacking moderate Democrats, she has spent her time building coalitions with them. Warren is someone who can work with progressives and moderates, which is what it is going to take to get anything passed if she wins. I have much more faith in Warren's ability to create the kind of structural change that she and Sanders are promising. This, above all, is the reason I am supporting Warren.
There are other, less important, reasons I am supporting Warren. The first being that I worry about Sanders’ health. His old age combined with the heart attack he had last year makes me worried that he will die in office before his first term is up, which will almost certainly put a damper on the progressive movement. Granted, I would prefer someone younger than Warren, too, but she seems healthy and there aren't any other progressives in the race.
The second is Sanders’ supporters. I have seen some disturbing behavior from Sanders’ most vocal supporters on social media. From attacking Warren as a snake to defending Sanders’ promotion of Joe Rogan’s endorsement, there is a strong “Sanders can do no wrong” attitude that worries me. The worst part is that the Sanders campaign appears to be encouraging or ignoring this toxicity rather than condemning it, which makes me question Sanders' judgment regarding who he lets in his inner circle.
The final reason is that Warren is a woman. I want to see that glass ceiling shatter. There would be no greater repudiation of the disgusting misogyny of Trump than electing a woman to succeed him. It’s about time we had a woman in the Oval Office and I think Warren is that woman.
No matter who wins the nomination, I will be voting for the Democrat in the general. Another four years of Trump is unthinkable. But so long as the nomination is contested, I will be supporting Elizabeth Warren. I hope you will join me.
Elizabeth Warren was the first progressive politician I ever knew about. When she ran for Senate in 2012, I had just started paying serious attention to politics. I liked what she was saying and how she said it. She was talking about economic inequality and corruption before I even understood how serious those problems were.
Bernie Sanders was my first choice in 2016. I admired his unapologetic liberalism and his straight-forward style. He has been a warrior for the working class his entire life. What he lacked in tact he made up for with honesty. He was what I wished more Democrats would let themselves be.
Both Sanders and Warren have impeccable progressive credentials. Sanders has been pushing the same message since he was a mayor in Vermont. Warren has fought tooth and nail for working people since she set foot in the Senate. Both of them have put forward serious policy proposals that are more progressive than any other candidate running. The important distinctions between them, therefore, are not ideological but practical.
The first question that needs to be answered is who do I think can win in a general election against Trump. Honestly, I have no doubt that either of them can beat Trump. Trump’s historic unpopularity coupled with his lack of successes as a president and a much more energized electorate are going to be the end of him. Sanders and Warren are both capable of channeling that energy, organizing it, and turning out voters in the numbers necessary to take Trump down.
The second question is who will be a better president. For me, this is the key difference. I really like Sanders, but I have my doubts about his ability to be an effective president. His infamous disdain for compromise and reputation as an outsider are going to be working against him if he wins. He has never been a great communicator or a team player. Getting policy passed, particularly policy as massive as what he and Warren are proposing, takes more tact and subtlety than I believe Sanders is capable of.
Warren, on the other hand, is a master communicator. She has that FDR energy, capable of presenting progressive ideas as common sense solutions to big problems. Instead of spending her career attacking moderate Democrats, she has spent her time building coalitions with them. Warren is someone who can work with progressives and moderates, which is what it is going to take to get anything passed if she wins. I have much more faith in Warren's ability to create the kind of structural change that she and Sanders are promising. This, above all, is the reason I am supporting Warren.
There are other, less important, reasons I am supporting Warren. The first being that I worry about Sanders’ health. His old age combined with the heart attack he had last year makes me worried that he will die in office before his first term is up, which will almost certainly put a damper on the progressive movement. Granted, I would prefer someone younger than Warren, too, but she seems healthy and there aren't any other progressives in the race.
The second is Sanders’ supporters. I have seen some disturbing behavior from Sanders’ most vocal supporters on social media. From attacking Warren as a snake to defending Sanders’ promotion of Joe Rogan’s endorsement, there is a strong “Sanders can do no wrong” attitude that worries me. The worst part is that the Sanders campaign appears to be encouraging or ignoring this toxicity rather than condemning it, which makes me question Sanders' judgment regarding who he lets in his inner circle.
The final reason is that Warren is a woman. I want to see that glass ceiling shatter. There would be no greater repudiation of the disgusting misogyny of Trump than electing a woman to succeed him. It’s about time we had a woman in the Oval Office and I think Warren is that woman.
No matter who wins the nomination, I will be voting for the Democrat in the general. Another four years of Trump is unthinkable. But so long as the nomination is contested, I will be supporting Elizabeth Warren. I hope you will join me.
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