Bernie Sander’s made Democratic Socialism acceptable to most when explained in the context of Progressive policies. Warren takes all of that and enhances it with a tough politic using experiential humility and a smile. By the time you realize she is coming for you, you are already in her grasp.
Recently a Right Winger implied she had an affair with a younger man. DailyKos reported it as follows.
So the right-wing version of Dumb and Dumber, Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, had a press conference today in which they alleged that Elizabeth Warren has been having a big, structural affair with a much younger stud.
Among other things they claimed that the man they allege Warren had an affair with had evidence of their encounter in the form of a scar on his back, but that was immediately debunked by reporter Brandy Zadrozny of NBC:
https://twitter.com/BrandyZadrozny/status/1179833719902760960
But even better, Warren herself responded to Burkman and Wohl with a truly legendary troll:
It's always a good day to be reminded that I got where I am because a great education was available for $50 a semester at the University of Houston (go Cougars!). We need to cancel student debt and make college free for everyone who wants it. pic.twitter.com/fHasLm0j9P
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 3, 2019For those who might not be in the know, a cougar of course is an older woman who has an affair with a much younger man.
Anyhow, thought I’d inject this bit of levity into everyone’s day during this very grave moment in American representative democracy.
Warren showed that she has a quick response team. More importantly, she showed a necessary wit in these times especially given who the opponent of any Democrat will be.
Recently the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg said that Warren is an existential threat to Facebook. In addition, it is known that Zuckerberg met with Trump recently. Interestingly Facebook is not removing Trump’s political ads that provably lie. She showed her quick response in an unorthodox manner again. DailyKos reported it as follows.
Senator Elizabeth Warren isn’t shy when it comes to holding big tech accountable. The Democrat from Massachusetts and 2020 presidential hopeful already released a detailed plan to break up big tech, which, as we know from leaked audio from an internal Facebook meeting, has CEO Mark Zuckerberg pretty freaked out. In his own words, it would “suck” for the company if Warren became president and the company had to sue the government.
Warren’s most recent move? Playing by Facebook’s own rules. A new Warren ad states that Zuckerberg endorsed Donald Trump. Then, it goes on to acknowledge that this is a lie.
And yes: It really does play by the company’s rules. That’s why it’s staying up on the site.
Let’s back up for some context. First, here’s what the ad looks like:
While we don’t know what Zuckerberg and Trump talked about in a private meeting in Washington, D.C. in September, we do know that shortly thereafter, Facebook released new guidelines stating that the company won’t fact-check ads paid for by a politician. This has already been an enormous issue, as Trump is paying major money to have an objectively false ad about former Vice President Joe Biden and Ukraine up on the site. That context works extra well for Warren, here, because while her trolling ad doesn’t explicitly name Biden, it clearly comes to bat for him, which shows nice solidarity among the party.
Biden lies aside, we also know that Trump historically spends a ton of money on advertising on the social media goliath.
Warren will not be taken off her narrative
Chris Matthews attempted to corner Elizabeth Warren with a neoliberal question. Does Medicare for All increase taxes on the middle-class? She refused to let that be the question stating it will reduce the overall cost of healthcare to the middle-class. She did not budge. An exasperated Matthews moved on.
We have not had enough Progressives playing the smart narrative game. We know what America wants. When the Right and the neoliberal Democrats sour the narrative, she adds the sweetener to neutralize. She does not first try to force-feed.
Many see this as cunning or disingenuous. I see this as understanding today’s politics. More importantly, we must understand something. Neither Elizabeth Warren nor Bernie Sanders nor any other purported Progressive can escape the neoliberalism of the American presidency and institutions. It will take a constantly engaged people with Progressive values forcing their hands to execute the policies commensurate with our values.