ELIZABETH WARREN PERSISTED -- AS LONG AS SHE COULD
By Mona Austin
Elizabeth Warren did not want to announce the end of her run for president barely a week into Women's History Month. By this time next year -- in 2021, she'd hoped to have become a history-maker by becoming the first woman in the United States to become president. She was one of six women who ran this election cycle, each facing various degrees of gender bias and sexism. Where there less conscious and subconscious bias about women ruling, one of the six could have been in the top seat in America.
The reality is that even though America is progressive in many ways, we are not prepared to accept a woman becoming leader of the nation. We are so close to making this sophisticated move that the possibility feels tangible, but still America is not there yet. If we were, the collective voice of the women electorate could have cancelled out the ploys of the Democratic establishment and nothing would have been able to stop her. Voters tend to vote for who they think is going to win. The powerful voices of the leaders in the party ultimately proved to shift the media focus away from Warren and it paid off for Biden in Massachusetts. Of all of the places in the 14-state race, her home state was supposed to be a shoo-in. The blow of that loss was devastating.
The reality is that even though America is progressive in many ways, we are not prepared to accept a woman becoming leader of the nation. We are so close to making this sophisticated move that the possibility feels tangible, but still America is not there yet. If we were, the collective voice of the women electorate could have cancelled out the ploys of the Democratic establishment and nothing would have been able to stop her. Voters tend to vote for who they think is going to win. The powerful voices of the leaders in the party ultimately proved to shift the media focus away from Warren and it paid off for Biden in Massachusetts. Of all of the places in the 14-state race, her home state was supposed to be a shoo-in. The blow of that loss was devastating.
The departure of Elizabeth Warren will weigh heavily on who represents the party in the general election this November. Although she suspended her campaign after getting poor results in the Super Tuesday contest, she is not ready to say who she will lend her powerful voice to. When a reporter inquired about who she will endorse she simply replied, "Not today. I want to spend more time to think about this."
Always personable, Warren spoke from her home in Cambridge, Mass. saying it is the time for her to "take a deep breath." She thought she could create a new political lane outside of moderate and progressive and didn't, she said. To her credit, the Oklahoma native did leave a big hole in the political glass ceiling that Hillary Clinton had cracked.
I am writing this for the record. In our aggressive news cycles, once a move is made, attention quickly shifts to the “now.” If we are not mindful it could slip the nation’s collective mind that she contributed significantly to the history of women as well as political history. Her’s is a story that we should still be talking about a week, month, years later. As Warren noted herself, 10 years ago she was a school teacher. once she became. Member of the Senate, ElizBegh Warren had a voice that Could. It be silenced.
No one can ever say Warren just "hung on." She was a formidable opponent. No other candidate brought her level of energy, enthusiasm or arguably preparedness to the race for president. Her agenda set, she knew how she wanted to run the country from every aspect of the job. She was qualified and competitive. While more people were worried about the simple manner in which she dressed, which the media pointed out was not talked about as much in male candidates as much as i was with females, she worried about families being able to take care of their medical expenses.
Always personable, Warren spoke from her home in Cambridge, Mass. saying it is the time for her to "take a deep breath." She thought she could create a new political lane outside of moderate and progressive and didn't, she said. To her credit, the Oklahoma native did leave a big hole in the political glass ceiling that Hillary Clinton had cracked.
I am writing this for the record. In our aggressive news cycles, once a move is made, attention quickly shifts to the “now.” If we are not mindful it could slip the nation’s collective mind that she contributed significantly to the history of women as well as political history. Her’s is a story that we should still be talking about a week, month, years later. As Warren noted herself, 10 years ago she was a school teacher. once she became. Member of the Senate, ElizBegh Warren had a voice that Could. It be silenced.
No one can ever say Warren just "hung on." She was a formidable opponent. No other candidate brought her level of energy, enthusiasm or arguably preparedness to the race for president. Her agenda set, she knew how she wanted to run the country from every aspect of the job. She was qualified and competitive. While more people were worried about the simple manner in which she dressed, which the media pointed out was not talked about as much in male candidates as much as i was with females, she worried about families being able to take care of their medical expenses.
Now here we again with a may-the-best-man-win scenario for the umpteenth time. The odds were strong enough this time that there could have been a woman at the DNC convention, likely Warren. This is then
The least of her taking selfies for hours with her rally attendees and most importantly, having a clear plan. In debates she expressed her vision clearly. Warren relentlessly went after Major Mike Bloomberg for his alleged sexist behavior, not allowing him to brush over blatant bigotry.
Inspite of the male dominance on the competitive Democratic debate stage or the discrimination in society (which incidentally comes from both men and women), Warren said the gender issue is a trap question, explaining that when women acknowledge it they are called whiners, but for the innumerable amount of women who recognize such issues exist, one could come off as clueless if it is ignored as a factor. Despite any challenges she faced history will reflect that she was at one point a fore-runner in a crowded Democratic field and like the strong barrier breakers before her -- ELIZABETH WARREN persisted.
The least of her taking selfies for hours with her rally attendees and most importantly, having a clear plan. In debates she expressed her vision clearly. Warren relentlessly went after Major Mike Bloomberg for his alleged sexist behavior, not allowing him to brush over blatant bigotry.
Inspite of the male dominance on the competitive Democratic debate stage or the discrimination in society (which incidentally comes from both men and women), Warren said the gender issue is a trap question, explaining that when women acknowledge it they are called whiners, but for the innumerable amount of women who recognize such issues exist, one could come off as clueless if it is ignored as a factor. Despite any challenges she faced history will reflect that she was at one point a fore-runner in a crowded Democratic field and like the strong barrier breakers before her -- ELIZABETH WARREN persisted.
In 2013 as the keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women, the former preidential condidate and Secretary of State introduced the “No Ceilings” initiative. The focus of it was to promote civic participation for women and girls everywhere.
“The great unfinished business of the 21st Century is helping women and girls break through these ceilings and participate fully in every act of life, once and for all,” Clinton said. She'd referred to putting cracks in the ceiling at the time she conceded to Barack Obama in 2008.
“The great unfinished business of the 21st Century is helping women and girls break through these ceilings and participate fully in every act of life, once and for all,” Clinton said. She'd referred to putting cracks in the ceiling at the time she conceded to Barack Obama in 2008.
ASIDE: Tulsi Gabbard supporters should not claim that she was the last woman in the race as if she is making a mark. She has yet to make the debate stage this year. No one knows why she is hanging on since she already got a job with FOX and isn't making any traction in the campaign.
Warren said one of the hardest parts of ending her run was the reality that young girls will have to wait another four years to see if a woman will sit in the most powerful seat in America. It was a "no" from the Democratic establishment this time. However, Warren earned our respect and should be proud of her efforts. Where Hillary Clinton left cracks, Warren left Women and little girls feeling empowered to finish the business that she started.
