The last men standing
/I woke up this morning drenched in sweat and with a headache and heartburn. Was it some sort of advance knowledge of the announcement that came shortly after?
I am crushed that Elizabeth Warren has dropped out, but I am so proud of and thankful for and inspired by her, and I know she will make this country better for years to come. As have all the Dems who’ve suspended their presidential campaigns, Elizabeth did so with grace and class. That an incredibly exciting, diverse Democratic field has been thinned to two elderly white men is, however, utterly disheartening in so many ways.
Do you know how many countries have had female presidents? So many that to take this screenshot for you, I had to minimize my font/page size to 50% of standard.
See how long it took you to scroll through that? Women are NOT 50% of standard.
But we, Americans, have one primary job to do, and that is to literally save this country by beating the orange stain in November. As important is taking the Senate. Both Martha McSally and Susan Collins seem to be well within shot of losing, and I can think of little I’d enjoy seeing more than both being replaced. Well, I would enjoy seeing trump and mitch and lindsey replaced that much, but honestly, all 5 are terrifically horrible, so, let’s divide and conquer.
Back to Elizabeth. This evening, she had a conference call with volunteers. So many of us dialed in that we crashed the platform. I was lucky to get in and am glad for everyone that the call will be recorded and shared. Elizabeth was as warm and supportive as she was during the campaign- strong, unafraid, humble, and wonderful. Be disappointed, but don’t be blinded by it, she said. There is much work to be done.
If you didn’t see clips of her talking with press after formally suspending her campaign, I urge you to watch. If you can’t watch the whole thing, please tune in at 1:30 and at 5:15 (-6:15).
And here are some related articles and a video that I found valuable and thought-provoking and affirming.
What Elizabeth Warren’s Loss Says About Us
America Punished Elizabeth Warren for Her Competence
How Elizabeth Warren Hides Messages in Her Speeches
EW Dropped Out. Hard to Stay Hopeful About November
I’ll be supporting Biden now because I think he is much better positioned to beat trump, and I believe he will listen to and surround himself with the sorts of people that Warren would have (though perhaps less progressive). Fact of the matter is that NOTHING good will happen without ousting trump, and so that is and must remain our absolute priority. #VoteBlueNoMatterWho. I think Biden will choose a strong woman as his running mate, and despite my disappointment over again not being able to add the US flag to the list above, I can get with an interregnum of peace and calm and decency and progress. If Bernie is the nominee, I’ll vote for him, but it will be with almost no enthusiasm.
Let’s do this, y’all. Fire up, get active, build democracy activism into your daily schedules, donate to close and down-ballot races when you can, stay informed, and speak up. On dark days, tired ones, those in which the future seems bleak, read these words of Elizabeth’s, take care of yourself, and then get busy.
“So if you leave with only one thing, it must be this:
choose to fight only righteous fights, because then when things get tough – and they will – you will know that there is only option ahead of you: nevertheless, you must persist.”
-Elizabeth Warren
