One Friday afternoon, a few friends and I went to hear Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren speak on income inequality in our college’s auditorium. Both growing up and going to college in Massachusetts, I was familiar with the Senator’s policies for the most part, but I didn’t really know much about her. Therefore, I went into her talk with, quite honestly, very few opinions about her whatsoever.
That changed in a matter of minutes.
She opened by discussing her upbringing. Immediately, I realized something special about Senator Warren. While other politicians like to exclaim that they’re “just like us!,” she actually embodies this mantra. She grew up in a middle class family; her father was a custodian, her mother, a minimum wage worker at Sears. After this explanation came the Senator’s most inspiring line of the afternoon:
“I grew up in an America where a janitor’s kid could go on to become a US senator.”
At this moment, I realized two facts: 1) America is not the same as it used to be, and 2) this woman is seriously capable of changing that. Exemplified by her success despite humble beginnings, Senator Warren is driven as hell.
She sees America the way it is, in all of its glory and flaws. Senator Warren talked about issues I didn’t even realize were problematic, and she did so in a way that was relatable and easy to follow. I remember specifically the metaphor she used to describe the importance of strengthening our infrastructure. She compared people to seeds and our infrastructure to soil—we need good soil to flourish, don’t we?
But what is so unique about Senator Warren is that in current times when the political climate is so polarized, she actually has an incredibly effective outlook on how to mend rifts in our government. She understands that neither Democrats nor Republicans will relinquish their viewpoints completely. What we need to do, she believes, is find issues everyone can get behind and start there. For example, no one believes that college students should be crushed by debt upon graduation. Let’s begin with that non-polarizing issue, find middle ground there, and then apply that philosophy to other problems in our society.
This willingness to work with other officials does not make Senator Warren a pushover in the least. She holds her fellow politicians accountable, and does so in a way that perfectly depicts her passion to help the American people. Weeks after her talk at Boston College, she responded to Senator Ted Cruz’s complaints about the sacrifices he has made for his Presidential campaign with this bitingly truthful post on her Facebook page:
"Are you kidding me? We're supposed to pity him because trying to be the leader of the free world is hard?! I've got two words for you, Ted: Boo hoo."
She continued calling out Senator Cruz throughout the post by highlighting the people who have actually made significant sacrifices in their lives: parents paying for college, working moms who are refused paid maternity leave, and people splitting their time between two minimum wage jobs because one is nowhere near enough.
Senator Warren realizes the problems facing America, both in the privilege of the haves, and consequently, the hardships of the have-nots. She is motivated, passionate, and intelligent. Unfortunately Senator Warren is not currently running for President now, but if she ever does, she’s got my vote, no question.
