Warren Watch

By: Baylor Rodman

The Elizabeth Warren who had lied about the extent of her Native American heritage and decided to use social media to ‘have a beer’ with the American public to desperately try and prove she is relatable, has since seen the light of successful campaigning. When covering her rally just last week, she showed she’s here to truly, “win the fight.”

I talked to many in the crowd before the Town Hall kicked off, and only about half said they would, “probably,” caucus for Warren, the others said she was their second choice after Senator Bernie Sanders or former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. The strangest thing was everyone said they liked her, but they felt that they didn’t quite know her, as many had yet to be at one of her rallies, thus Iowa’s retail politics plain and simple. Some were also skeptical of Warren and were only at the event since former HUD Secretary, Julián Castro had endorsed her.

As Iowans waited for Warren to take the stage in Marshalltown, music was blasting and it was clear people were starting to feel a part of something before the event even started. Castro then took the stage speaking about his past presidential campaign, his life journey, and support for Warren, saying, “She has a vision for this country, where I think all of us can succeed.”

Next thing you know Dolly Parton’s, “9 to 5,” starts blasting and Warren dances her way to the stage. Whether you like her or not, you found yourself sucked into the energy of the room, and that was just the beginning. Warren thanked Castro for his service and for jumping on board to her campaign to continue to lead the fight to the White House. She moved into talking a little bit of her life story, brushed on some of her signature policies of education, healthcare, and big money in politics, and then asked the question, “what’s happening to the working class of this country.”

After only 15 or 20 minutes, Warren wanted to hear from those around her, and answered questions from the crowd. Surrounded by over 400 people in an elementary school gym, the access these voters got to a candidate for president was something I have never seen before, they got to see a person. Warren turned into Lizzy as voters got a clear sense of her personality. Lizzy comes across as sweet, authentic, and caring, and that’s coming from someone who couldn’t agree with her policies less. If the GOP were smart, they wouldn’t dismiss her campaign as nonsense, rather I would start to take a hard look at not only her movement, but the vision she has set for what her administration would look like in the future.