Standing on a debate stage, Elizabeth Warren just radiates righteous anger. She smolders. She seethes. And with good reason! Fighting a rigged status quo is her calling card. She’ll never stop fighting until she wins for America, and the plutocracy is vanquished for good.
The subtext behind this is clear: Barack Obama failed to transform America because he wasn’t willing to fight the powers that be. He was a wimp. President Warren won’t make that mistake.
Here are my reactions:
- There are millions of us who just want peace in the country–not a war without end.
- Given what happened just a few days ago, is it really a good idea to increase the temperature of our politics?
- Anger works for Republicans–it certainly worked for Trump. Democrats, on the other hand, do better with hope. Just ask Obama and Bill Clinton.
- Obama discovered fairly early in his presidency that he had a better chance of getting things through the system if he didn’t take ownership of them, because the GOP would automatically oppose anything that had his name on it. How would a President Warren fare any differently? Fighting with Mitch McConnell doesn’t make him any weaker or less steadfast.
The bottom line is that fighting can be useful at times, but it can also be futile and even counterproductive. The bully pulpit has been shown throughout recent times to be grossly overrated. Sometimes, you just have to pick your spots. Warren, for all of her intellect, doesn’t appear to understand that.