Luke Albert is the Membership Chair of Harvard College Democrats for Warren.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most important election of our lifetime and that the stakes could not be higher. Wages have stagnated for decades, except for the top earners, as income inequality has reached a historically high mark. The racial wealth gap is almost as large as it was 50 years ago. Families are being separated and locked in cages at the border. We lose over 35,000 Americans to gun violence each year, and 2019 is on pace for more mass shootings than days in the year. Climate change is not just a catastrophe on the horizon; it is an ongoing crisis.
While I applaud any candidate who is running to make things better, incremental progress is not enough. We need big and bold solutions to address the daunting and enormous challenges we face. We need fundamental structural change. Plenty of people are scared and anxious about the country and their future, so we have to give them something to believe in. Democrats need a nominee that is going to bring people in and excite long-time and new voters alike. We need to nominate Senator Elizabeth Warren for president.
It is no secret that money and corruption have run rampant in our politics. The past half century in the United States has been marked by the failures of neoliberalist policies. The U.S. government and economy works great for those at the top while everyone else falls behind. Elizabeth Warren has a plan for that. She has made it clear that a central mission of her campaign is making sure the government works for everyone. This is why she has released the biggest anti-corruption plan since Watergate. This is also why she has introduced major economic reforms like the Accountable Capitalism Act, which requires 40 percent of the board of major corporations to be elected by workers, and a historically transformative labor platform. Additionally, Warren understands that taxes on the wealthy have to rise in order to reduce inequality and make necessary and overdue public investments. That is why she introduced her innovative plan for a wealth tax to pay for universal childcare, tuition-free public college for all Americans, and so much more. And her plans do not stop there.
Some of Warren’s opponents attack her proposals as not politically feasible, but this nation would be far worse off if it did not push for progressive policymaking out of fear that it was not possible. Compromising Democratic ideals before even getting to the negotiating table is a questionable strategy, especially considering the strong public support for progressive policies. Yet most of the Democrtic primary candidates have not come out in support of the institutional reform necessary to get things done in Congress. If Democrats win a majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans would still be able to block legislation with the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to break. It is time to repeal the filibuster unless we want years more of Congressional Republicans’ obstruction of President Obama with a new Democrat in the White House. Some candidates propose using executive actions to get things done. However, recent history has shown us how insecure and volatile this tactic can be, with President Trump demonstrating how a future president can undo almost all of a previous administration’s accomplishments. Elizabeth Warren is ready to take the necessary steps to strengthen our democracy and deliver for the American people.
Warren understands that social inequalities in the United States go well beyond economics. That is why she has comprehensive platforms for LGBTQ+ Americans, Americans with disabilities, a level playing field for nonwhite entrepreneurs, major criminal justice reform, and humane and welcoming immigration policy. She has policies on virtually every progressive issue, and her policy-driven campaign has made our politics better. Warren has pushed the entire Democratic field to show Americans substantive ideas to improve their lives.
Furthermore, Warren is detail and data-oriented to a tee. If you read one of her plans, you will notice she always begins them by contextualizing the problem and providing evidence. Consider her platform for empowering and honoring tribal nations and indigenous peoples. Bit by bit, she describes the modern history of how the U.S. government has failed and betrayed indigenous people. She cites specific court cases that have severely harmed tribal nations and their sovereignty. In each of her plans, she brings the reader to where she is. This trait reflects the teacher in her and can also be seen when she breaks down nuanced policy like breaking up big tech for an audience of college students.
Recently, I had the chance to ask Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-MA), who had Elizabeth Warren as a professor in law school, about why he chose to support her presidential campaign. He spoke to how she brought the best out of her students and made them look out for one another. Warren wanted each and every one of her students to be their best. That is what she is doing now with her campaign. She is challenging all of us to be better. Warren always talks about people paying their fair share in order to take care of one another and provide opportunity for everyone. Every step of the way, her campaign has been about people, fixing what is broken, and taking care of one another. You can see it in the smallest details. That is why she will stay for hours after a rally to take a picture with everyone who wants one. That is why she calls any random donor, who might have just chipped in one dollar, to thank them for giving what they could. That is why she calls all the staffers on her campaign to wish them a happy birthday. Taking care of people has been her modus operandi since she was a little girl and decided she wanted to be a public school teacher. Warren never planned or expected to be where she is today; she just answered a call to help people.
Elizabeth Warren is not afraid to dream big and fight hard, and she is showing the American people that we should not be either. She has given people something to believe in and it is working. I cannot wait to see Elizabeth Warren take the oath of office as the 46th and first female President of the United States, but there is a long way to go and, until then, I will be in this fight to make it happen. The only question left to answer is will you join me?
Image Credit: Flickr / Gage Skidmore