Liz Warren is running for reelection in November. So why would ANY Democrat criticize her

[pnwmom]

for running a great campaign video? Why should she wait till after she's re-elected? The greater her win now, the better.

I also don't understand why a representative for the Cherokee Nation criticized her. She's never claimed to be an official member of the Nation, and she repeated this in the video.

“I am not enrolled in a tribe and only tribes determine tribal citizenship. I understand and respect that distinction.”

The video is about 5 minutes long, and she's put it on Twitter. I loved it.

Link to tweet

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1051783184390664192&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.esquire.com%2Fnews-politics%2Fpolitics%2Fa23787339%2Felizabeth-warren-dna-test-pocahontas-native-american-heritage%2F

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a23787339/elizabeth-warren-dna-test-pocahontas-native-american-heritage/

What makes SPW's announcement different is the video that comes with it. Not only does the video convincingly make the case that a) SPW had ancestors who were Native Americans and, b) that SPW did not depend on this to advance her career—something that the Globe had run down exhaustively in an earlier story—it also introduces her and her family to the public at large in a very shrewd and entertaining way. You get Momma and Daddy. You get her three big brothers talking about "Betsy." You get a nephew with a fabulous beard, and a family dog, snoozing away on the carpet. There are old family photos, being Ken Burns'ed at precise intervals.

At the same time, you get testimonial after testimonial about her gifts as a teacher. (When you have Charles Fried, who was Ronald Reagan's Solicitor General, and who is no flaming liberal, god knows, calling you "a tremendous teacher, an important scholar," you can't do much better as far as a bipartisan reference goes.) And the clearly political elements in the video, about how the president* uses Native Americans as a punchline, are more effective for having been grounded in her professional and personal story. The video reminds me of nothing more than it does that introductory video from Bernie Sanders's campaign in 2016, the one that used Paul Simon's "America" so effectively.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

1. Loved it too!

Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Is she running on her ancestry?

If so, does that mean she identifies as a Native American? That would come as a surprise to many.

If not, why does she feel the need to prove it? It's not like Trump or any of his supporters are going to believe it.

From what I've seen on Twitter, the reaction from NAs to the test result and her campaign video has been disappointment and discomfort. It's important to listen to that, I think.

[pnwmom]

3. Her Republican opponents have taken up Trump's ridicule about her N.A. ancestry.

I'm glad she answered them.

And I don't understand the criticism, which is based on the fact that blood tests don't determine tribal affiliation. In her video, she specifically acknowledged that, and accepted that. She said she is just talking about her family history -- not a tribal affiliation.

“I am not enrolled in a tribe and only tribes determine tribal citizenship. I understand and respect that distinction.”

It felt like they hadn't even bothered to listen to a 5 minute video before commenting on it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. I wish she would have done her roll out after the mid terms.

[pnwmom]

7. She's running in the midterms. n/t

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. And thrashing her opponent without taking the focus off other races

Link to tweet

[pnwmom]

10. Every Congressional election is separate. In her race, SHE is being criticized

by Trump and her opponent for lying about her heritage. She has a right to answer them now, while she's running for Senate.

[FBaggins]

20. She's very comfortably ahead

All she can do at this point is hurt herself (or others).

[Bradshaw3]

46. I don't see how anyone can watch this video and say that ...

... she is hurting herself or others. Fantastic ad, personal and compelling.

[Adrahil]

19. I dunno, I think...

Deflating the gas bag so publicly reinforces the image that Trump is a mean-spirited liar, and the GOP is his lap dog.

[MountCleaners]

12. I agree

It's sad that this story is getting so much more attention than real Native issues.

[pnwmom]

17. She brought up real Native issues of discrimination in the video. Apparently you didn't watch it. nt

[MountCleaners]

21. I did watch it, but in the media it's all about a white woman

...who has, like, 1/500 of "Native American" on a DNA test, and of course those tests are problematic anyway.

Native women have said it makes them feel invisible.

[pnwmom]

35. This isn't about Native Americans being invisible. It's about Elizabeth Warren being called a LIAR

because someone unearthed a form that she had turned in AFTER she was already hired and working at Harvard, where she checked off a box, indicating that she had some N.A. ancestry. Like some of my own relatives, she didn't want to deny what she viewed as mixed ancestry, even though the amount could be viewed as trivial. SHE didn't view it as trivial.

Ever since that was published, they've been falsely claiming that she traded on non-existent N.A. ancestry to get a scholarship, or a job, or whatever. None of that is true. The blood tests showed she did have a N.A. distant ancestor, as she has consistently said accords with her "family lore," -- but she NEVER traded on that ancestry to get a scholarship, job, or promotion.

[George II]

44. If she DIDN'T check off that box, they would have claimed she was hiding from her ancestry!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

23. I watched it too, and to me it comes across as opportunistic. Mentioning NA issues in a campaign

video is easy and also the bare-ass minimum every Democrat should be doing.

[catbyte]

66. I'm more Ojibwe than I am White, and I didn't see it as opportunistic at all.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

30. Bc the 1 million is going to be donated to an Indian Women's Charity(?) I think...

That's the charity she wants the 1 million to be given to. No credit for that?
Any criticism for don who refuses to donate the money? And says 'Pocahontas', in a clearly derogatory way, and yet nary a peep from 'The Tribes". Puzzling to me.

[getagrip_already]

13. no, are you slamming her for who her ancestors were?

Just like Obama's birth certificate, the orange mushroom head brought this to her/. She is just putting it to rest.

You act negatively to a dem, against the rules of du methinks....

[WhiskeyGrinder]

22. Asking questions and offering constructive criticism is not slamming.

If you think this test will put the issue to rest among Trump and his supporters, you're wrong.

[getagrip_already]

25. I don't..

but your post was absolutely a gop talking point. It appears on the surface that either you are slamming her for troll reasons or you support another candidate.

Either way, it sucks.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

26. What's the talking point?

[getagrip_already]

28. you appear to be saying...

that she is using her na roots as a campaign issue. that she used them to get unfair advantages.

She isn't and she didn't. Her lineage is verified. She isn't using it for anything other than refuting unfair charges.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

31. I didn't say it. I asked if she was.

I made no comments about unfair advantages.

Her lineage, in fact, is not verified. Her ancestry is. The confusion of the two is why NAs are so dismayed about the issue itself and the coverage around it; people are spreading ignorant opinions about what this means.

[getagrip_already]

34. lineage is the same as ancestry....

It's the line between you and your ancestors.

If you mean heritage, you might have a point, but it isn't hers. She makes a point of saying she has no na heritage, but lineage, yes.

Look up the terms before you slime dems.

[Bradshaw3]

47. Calling her opportunistic is not constructive criticism

I thought it was a terrific ad in response to a false charge while she is running for office. A lot of the criticism I've seen of her on DU seems disingenuous, like there is an agenda.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

51. Saying it "comes across" as opportunistic is.

No agenda here, just a desire for people, the vast majority of whom are white, to look past the next election to how actions like Warren's are seen by POC.

[Bradshaw3]

54. Jeez that's splitting hairs

Or it comes across as splitting hairs. And thanks but I don't need you to tell me how her "actions" supposedly look to POC.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

56. Fair enough.

[pnwmom]

15. She's not running as NA ancestry. She's showing that her "family lore," as she's often put it,

is correct. She does have an Indian ancestor in her distant past.

She came across to me as very genuine.

[ooky]

57. There is nothing disingenuous about

pushing back on a bully. Good for her. She's not running on it, she's quelling it.

[George II]

42. So here we are on DU bashing Elizabeth Warren for taking a DNA test, not trump for....

....repeatedly slurring her "fake" ancestry for years.

Her ONLY motive was to shut down the incessant slurs thrown at her by trump and now other republicans.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

43. Being annoyed that a Democrat with presidential aspirations goes along with Trump's claims

as if they were made in good faith is hardly “bashing.”

[Ninsianna]

70. Since that is not what she did, it sort of is.

[ooky]

59. She was being bullied by Trump, and more Republicans are piling on the longer it goes on.

She needed to answer. Now that she has, she can forget it and focus on issues, while they focus on Trump's nonsense. They have her answer.

[Achilleaze]

5. Brilliant move. Ignore downer dupes trying to piss on this.

Support Democrats.

[Cha]

11. IKR!

[KayF]

6. not for a good reason, I think

I don't believe Messina's reason, I don't think it's about this election. I think he's against her in the 2020 primary.

[Cha]

9. WOW! That is Spectacular! I don't understand

why anyone would be whining that EW made this Amazing Vid.. that calls out the Vile Evil Asshole.. NOT fit to serve.

And, has an Awesome mini-bio of herself and her family.. as well as bringing to Light the struggles of our Native Americans!

Can't understand why her Bros would still be repubs, either.

Well Done EW!!

Mahalo, pnwmom!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

18. Go Sen. Warren!

I think she could push him over the edge.


Wish I could see the video; twitter videos simply don't work for me.

[Cha]

24. It is incredible! I choked up and it's So Well Done!.. twitter vids

don't work for me on IE so I go to google chrome to watch the twitter vids.

Is that something you could try, Hermit?

[Hermit-The-Prog]

27. you didn't see me cringe

I forgot IE even exists. There have been no microsoft programs running in my house since 2000. (It took me until then to find FOSS replacements for the last bit of software I needed).

I'll give it a shot with a different browser.

Thanks!

[Cha]

32. Yeah, I'm real old school.. I like their

format on most aspects. And, I'm not the most tech savvy so I do what is convenient sometimes.

Glad I branched out to google chrome quite awhile ago though.. cause it's so helpful with all these tweet vids!

Good Luck.. worth seeing.

[pnwmom]

36. Anyone can also see the video at the second link -- it's in the Esquire article. n/t

[Hermit-The-Prog]

40. THANK YOU!

Been through that article 3 times, now, and just found the youtube link. (I can download youtube vids to watch them, or, when the stars are aligned just right, stream them).

[iluvtennis]

49. +++ agree.

[getagrip_already]

16. I am very proud she is one of my senators....

And I'm pizzed as hell she has to put out this video. Who the F cares who her ancestors were? Why does her "blood" have any bearing on how good a senator she is?

Why is this shit stain of a pretender being allowed to slander people like this with DU support?

[dsc]

29. I think it is fair to have a problem with the timing

She could have waited less than a month and done this. Other than that, I don't have any problem with it.

[pnwmom]

37. She's in a Senate race now, where Trump and her opponent have been mocking her as Pocahontas.

Why should she wait till the race is over?

[dsc]

39. she is up by like 40 points or something

It isn't a huge deal but given that one of our races depends upon Native American turnout bigtime I think she should have waited.

[Hekate]

67. Why should she wait while Trump and the GOP smear her and mock her nationwide? Trump is doing...

...the thing he does so well, that thing he did to all his GOP presidential opponents: pick off the frontrunner, and pick off the strongest one by one and destroy them.

When are we Dems ever going to learn?

[hatrack]

33. She's trolling Shitstain . . .

And deftly, delightfully so - you GO, Senator!

[Bradshaw3]

48. Did you even watch the video?

Becasue nowhere in there did she claim to be Native American, in fact she did the opposite. Nor did she "talk like she was" as you claim.

[Cha]

58. I don't think you even watched the Vid or you wouldn't

be making such claims.

[Hekate]

64. GOP slurs, amirite?

[Hekate]

62. She has NEVER EVER claimed to "be a Native American." You need to listen to that ad she made...

It is completely consistent with everything she has ever said.

Tribes decide who is in and who is not. She says that straight out.

She NEVER claimed to be other than white and female in her education or her employment.

She never claimed more about her heritage than millions of the rest of us do: somewhere in the long past we had an NA ancestor, and instead of hiding or denying it, we claim it. We don't claim to be part of any tribe, we just claim an ancient ancestor.

In Senator Warren's case, her parents were forbidden to date each other because one of them came from a family that others labeled Indian and that they were fine with that label. The young couple eloped.

Since you seem to only know the GOP slurs about her, SammyJar88, please click on the link and listen. It will only take 5 minutes. Then get back to us.

[Kajun Gal]

41. Dunno. She is a GREAT representative for the democratic party!

[Marie Marie]

61. Agree!

[BadgerMom]

45. She's a Democrat. It's an election year. SUPPORT HER! Quibble later.

FFS, people!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

50. You said it PERFECTLY, my dear BadgerMom! Thank you. FFS, indeed! n/t

[WhiskeyGrinder]

53. A person can support Warren and still want her to do better before the election.

[Hekate]

68. She's doing very well if Trump is trying to pick her off now. You want her to fight back, or not?

I vote for fight back.

[scarletwoman]

60. Amen to that! nt

[Bradshaw3]

52. What a terrific ad and story

I can't believe some of the petty criticism of her on DU today. It is a great video, both personally and politicaly. Candidates often run more personal ads to humanize them after suffering through personal attacks. Warren has been a strong voice for the people who have been hurt most by repub policies. She also has a remarkable personal story of growing up through hard times after her father died, and going from commuter college to becoming one of the country's outstanding law professors and later consumer advocates.

Every Democrat should cherish her. A woman I dated for a long time went to Northwest Classen HS in OKC with her so I've followed her for a long time. She has never disappointed me. Here's a story about her rallying Oklahoma teachers during her visit:

http://www.normantranscript.com/news/sen-elizabeth-warren-releases-campaign-video-based-in-norman/article_a16c1f8e-d098-11e8-8000-83121765dcbc.html

[pnwmom]

55. Thanks for the link! And the link it led me to . . .

http://www.normantranscript.com/news/education/sen-elizabeth-warren-rallies-teachers-at-her-alma-mater-in/article_8b15f2df-685a-534e-8c9a-aa323db7cdd7.html

It was in Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Norman, in Mrs. Lee's sunny classroom with shiny blue desks, where the second grader was told she could become a teacher.

"A teacher — her words changed my life," the now senior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts said during a teacher rally in Oklahoma City Saturday afternoon. "No one in my family had graduated college; no one had told me I could amount to much of anything. But when Mrs. Lee said 'Yes, Ms. Besty, you can be a teacher,' I never saw myself the same way again."

Warren delivered a message praising educators for their efforts during the April teacher walkout and encouraging them to continue fighting for education funding at the polls and by running for office. The Northwest Classen High School graduate cast the Nov. 6 mid-terms as the next round in a fight that requires teachers and education advocates to partner with unions like the American Federation of Teachers, which sponsored Saturday's rally.

"We're up against billionaires and giant corporations who are determined to rig the system so they can get richer and more powerful… against a culture of corruption where government only works for the wealthy and well-connected," Warren said. "We have a tough fight on our hands. They have more money than we do, they already run big chunks of government, but here's what I want you to think about: there's a whole lot more of us than there is of them."

[Oneironaut]

63. This whole thing is a bullshit distraction, and the media is falling for it.

Not one Republican claim about Warren is true. In fact, they were the ones proven to be wrong.

And yet, people still fall for total bullshit. The goal posts have moved by miles now. Trump was wrong - completely wrong. His latest stamping off victoriously because the test proved Warren wasn’t “Native American enough” is grade-A bullshit, and our media refuses to call him out on it.

[pnwmom]

65. Watch the ad. It's a compelling ad and she's up for re-election. She shows her

lower middle class background and all the acclaim by the faculty and administrators at universities where she taught.

She has turned Trump's attacks back around at him. We should be applauding her for it.

[MineralMan]

69. Exactly!