Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren has released policy idea after policy idea. The senator from Massachusetts continues to wow in terms of consistency, content, and presentation. Why isn’t she getting the mainstream media attention that male candidates do? Why is she, somehow, never quite seen as “charming” or “impressive?” Or, that special word…. “Likeable?”
We all know where this is going: Sexism. Misogyny. The amount of credit cisgender men receive from the onset because of their sex. One thing is for certain, however, and Warren seems to know it, too. No matter what your gender identity is, if your message is simply “I’m not Trump,” it’s not good enough for 2020.
"If your message is 'not-Trump,' it's not going to work," the senator said to about 500 supporters while speaking at a high school gymnasium in Reno, Nevada. "Our job is to talk about our vision."
At the rally held on Saturday, Warren (yet again) talked about policy ideas. Big issues—from climate change to racial equality to taxes—consistently come up. But for the Democrat from Massachusetts, they’re not just buzzwords meant to stir a reaction. She’s thorough, and she’s eager and transparent in sharing her specifics.
Some examples? Let’s dig in.
"Washington is working for the ultra, super-duper rich and until we change that we are going to stay on this path. This is our moment," Warren told the crowd, as she criticized Donald Trump’s policies. She honed in on his disastrous approaches to the environment and the economy (and notably, how they intersect) and immediately offered her own alternatives.
For example, Warren broke down a pathway that involves investing $500 billion over the next decade. This money would go toward building, preserving, and rehabilitating affordable housing units for low-income families. How would she pay for it? Going back to the place estate tax thresholds were at during the Bush administration. This, plus an additional “wealth” tax on the richest families in the nation, would do the trick, according to Warren.
"Today in America, a minimum wage job will not pull mamma and a baby out of poverty. That is wrong," she continued.
"That change is not an accident. It's a change that comes from decisions made in far-off Washington. It's decisions based on what will increase the profits of giant, multinational corporations. That's why 2020 is so critically important ... We need to make this country work for everyone."
She pointed out that while our current system works for “giant drug companies,” people filling prescriptions are suffering. She used the same line of thinking when talking about climate change. “In Washington, it’s a very controversial thing to say, but I believe in science,” she quipped.
In perhaps one of the most important turns in her speech, she talked about race and racial justice.
"African Americans and whites all use (marijuana) at about the same rates. But people of color are far more likely to be arrested," she explained. "We have criminalized too much behavior in America."
Her idea? Legalize cannabis nationally. (For context, recreational use, defined us up to one ounce of marijuana has been legal in Nevada for almost two years at this point.)
"Race matters in our correctional system and until we acknowledge that, we cannot fix it," she declared. Along with this discussion of legalizing marijuana, she wants to ban private prisons. Another huge deal? Restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated people when their sentence is up.
This was Warren’s first rally in Nevada. Dozens of people lined up to take selfies with her, which is becoming a trend at her appearances.
Nevada’s caucus will be held next February.