Power to the People

By Aileen Bell

Canvassing for Elizabeth Warren and attending a Bernie Sanders town hall are two things you would not expect one person to do, let alone over the course of one day, but that’s exactly what I did today. This created one of the most exciting days of my time in Iowa so far. Advocating for Warren in the morning and then seeing Sanders speak later in the day really helped me reflect on the values and policy plans I hold closest to me coming into the 2020 Presidential Primaries.

           We started the day at the house of a proud Warren supporter (and bird owner) ready to spend two hours knocking on as many doors as possible. As we were about to head out, one of the organizers let us know that the group Black Women for Warren was starting their day at this house and would be speaking about their decision to endorse Warren. They said we could either leave or stay, and of course, in an effort to hear from as many different viewpoints as possible, stayed. In my time at Elon, I have used every opportunity presented to me to learn more about the history of minorities within our political system and taken many classes focused on policy solutions geared towards racial equity. While this education has lead me to believe that Elizabeth Warren is the best candidate for minority communities, I have never experienced what any of these inspiring black women have and am not the voice to decide which candidate would be the most beneficial to the black community. Hearing these women talk about Warren’s criminal justice, healthcare, and even predatory lending plans really helped me understand what issues are affecting minority communities and are their main priorities. I hope this will help me have better conversations with voters where I can use the words and beliefs of actual people of color to support my arguments rather than trying to talk in hypotheticals I simply could not understand due to my privilege as a white member of society.

            After a successful canvassing day—it was much more exciting than canvassing day one—we hopped back on the bus to head to Newton for a Bernie Sanders town hall! I voted for Bernie in the Primary in 2016 and was excited to see someone I once wanted as President in the flesh. However, my feelings are different now, and clearly, I’m putting my support behind Elizabeth Warren this time around. This town hall was a really wonderful opportunity to reflect on this decision. It seemed to only reinforce my choice. I am extremely thankful for Bernie making advocacy for progressive change mainstream and building a movement around it, but some of his plans for issues that matter to me could be stronger. I believe that Elizabeth Warren has done exactly that. She’s figured out how to make these plans work in the ways that best benefit the people. A good example of this is when Bernie discussed how he planned to pay for Medicare for All. It requires a tax increase, one I’m personally okay with, but I know the average person might feel strongly against. Warren has figured out how to do this in a way that raises taxes at a lower rate, rather pulling from her wealth tax and lowering our excessive military spending. This plan better aligns with what I believe, and this is only one example of a place I believe Warren’s our girl and Bernie’s not our guy.

            In an effort to keep this blog post short, I will wrap up here. Today was one of the most rewarding days of this trip so far. I am excited for this to continue and the opportunity to see my top choice candidate, Elizabeth Warren, and my last choice candidate, Pete Buttigieg, and continue to have the opportunities to challenge my beliefs or enforce the candidate judgments I’ve made in the upcoming days.