“Pocahontas” is undoubtedly the albatross around Elizabeth Warren’s neck. The questions for today are:
- Does it matter?
- Should it matter?
The answer to the second question is simple–no. Warren clearly had an honest belief at an earlier age that she was partly Native American. Based on the stories told in her household, the belief was reasonable. She never gained anything by it. Why is such a small mistake a stain on her reputation?
The first question presents more difficulties. During the primaries, she will undoubtedly have a few problems with PC zealots who will complain that she disrespected Native Americans, but that won’t amount to much in the big picture. The general election would be quite another story, however. “Pocahontas” resonates with Trump’s base because it seems to encapsulate everything that is wrong (from their perspective) with left-wing identity politics. Their story is that an allegedly privileged white woman tried to beat the system by making a bogus claim to be a Native American; that is where you end up when you make your arguments for justice and victimhood based on group membership rather than your own individual life story.
Of course, Trump and his base claim to be victims, too, but that’s a story for another day.