Before Bernie Sanders stepped forward to run for president in 2015, I was one of those who signed petitions for Elizabeth Warren to run for president. I adored her from her first studies as a law professor about the correlation between personal bankruptcy and medical expenses. I was very disappointed when she refused to run for president against Clinton, which would have avoided the whole "Bernie Bro" sexism divisiveness. Then, Warren's silence after Bernie stepped forward became deeply disappointing to me as the primaries wore on, and Bernie showed his viability. I thought at the time Warren's refusal to endorse Bernie was because Warren had her eye on challenging Chuck "Wall Street" Schumer for leader of the Democrats in the Senate. Then, she just fell in and let Schumer continue to be the Senate Dem leader without any challenge at all, which then made me angry with her for not stepping forward to support Bernie the way Tulsi Gabbard and Nina Turner, both initial supporters of HRC, did with Bernie.
I have heard people say they hate Warren's schoolmarm/shushing librarian's voice, and how they find her voice grating. Admittedly, I hear this about Joe Kennedy III, too. With Warren, it still pains me deeply as I find it largely offensive and sexist, especially if the person doesn't say the same about Kennedy III. It is also trivial and diverting us from a discussion of policy. And frankly, I have heard this sexist and offensive criticism enough to make me wonder about my initial choice for Warren to be a presidential candidate as I wonder, is this how it will go if Senator Warren wins the nomination? I also thought Warren taking the DNA test was a great idea to put the whole "Pocahantas" issue to rest. However, so many, many people, and the Kewl Kidz in corporate media, just attacked her more. To me, the test proved her family's stories were essentially correct all along, that is she is part Native American--yet, I watched with incredulity the way in which she was attacked from nearly all sides, including Native Americans who were angry for the worst "identity politics" reasons that were primarily cynical reasons.
Still, I am glad Warren is forming an exploratory committee. She is properly testing waters. She will see if progressives like me return to our original presidential candidate superstar. I for one am not returning. I find Sanders to be more impressive than when Sanders first announced in 2015, though I followed Sanders' career from way back to his days as mayor of Burlington, VT. On Sanders' announcement, I was concerned the primary season would be too grueling for him at his age. Instead, Bernie proved to be Baron Von Munchausen (who gets younger when the fight is on, and gets older when the fight is over or he is not in the fight at all). Bernie, to use a different analogy, is like an Energizer Bunny, he just kept going and going...and going. I took to calling Bernie an Energizer Bernie, as he energizes not only himself, but also so many of us, to think about public policy ideas and positions so many other politicians have been afraid to utter. And what has most impressed me about Bernie is his continuing and amazing energy and enthusiasm in bringing out important issues to the people of our nation with his finally and long overdue notice in the national media, owing to his impressive run for president in 2016. I continue to believe, however, to silence the age issue, he should pick a younger person as a VP candidate to run through the primaries with. Oh, and next time someone says, Bernie ran, and lost, remind them Ronald Reagan ran hard against Gerry Ford in the 1976 Republican presidential primaries, lost (many noted bitterly at the time), and came back, in 1980, as the then oldest person running for president in a major party--and won.
For me, Elizabeth Warren is a great senator. I would also love to see her on the US Supreme Court if she did not remain in the senate to finally take away the gavel from Schumer. As for president, I no longer see Warren as a top choice. What I hope is that the same people who obviously pressured Warren (1) not to run against Hillary Clinton in 2016, (2) not to support Bernie after Bernie announced, and (3) not to take on Schumer for senate leadership, are not pressuring her to run for president in order to split the progressive base of the Democratic Party. If her decision to consider the presidency this time around stems from that same pressure, my sadness will turn into the deepest anger.
