By God, Elizabeth Warren Can Win This Thing

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | August 26, 2019 |

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | August 26, 2019 |

If you want to feel better about the future of the world, feel hope for the future of the country, and start each day in a positively giddy mood, go through Elizabeth Warren Twitter first thing every morning. It literally feels like waking up to a hug.

i am this kid, and elizabeth warren is elizabeth warren pic.twitter.com/ulSSTIwfpE

— varsha venkat | text FIGHT to 244-77 (@varsha_venkat_) August 24, 2019

Listen y’all: Yesterday, 15,000 people showed up to a rally for Elizabeth Warren in Seattle. They had to actually move the venue to accommodate her crowd.

Tons of people here in Seattle waiting to hear Elizabeth Warren speak! pic.twitter.com/c3srmwvbXn

— Matthew Stafford (@mwstafford) August 25, 2019

That is 15,000 more people not only willing to vote for Elizabeth Warren but willing to knock on doors and convince others to vote for Elizabeth Warren. And you know what she does after speaking to a crowd of 15,000 people? She stands in line for selfies for four hours. FOUR HOURS. Welcoming everyone.

Coming up on the end of the line — 4 hours from the first photo pic.twitter.com/ly86BRQDhh

— Kristen Orthman (@KristenOrthman) August 26, 2019

Elizabeth Warren will be taking a selfie with ALLLLL these people! 📸 😳#WarrenTownHall #Seattle #BigStructuralChange pic.twitter.com/LHejhSEhU3

— WA For Warren (@WAForWarren) August 26, 2019

Elizabeth Warren, a major candidate for the United States of America welcomed me, a transgender woman.

😭❤😭❤ pic.twitter.com/1UmXCoWOuS

— 50 feral megans (@IEatAccordions) August 26, 2019

The thing that gets me about Elizabeth Warren selfie line idea is that it's an undeniably good idea: it projects her gregariousness, her accessibility, her stamina, her warmth… and no other candidate is attempting to reproduce it, even though she's been doing this for months.

— Ethan Grey (@_EthanGrey) August 26, 2019

And the thing is, as she said yesterday (in taking an indirect swipe at Joe Biden), she’s not just running against Donald Trump. She’s running for something. “We’re not gonna win this by just saying ‘not Trump.’ It’s not enough to not be Trump.” I mean, she’s sort of wrong about that — it is enough to be “not Trump,” but it’s so much better to also stand for something.

Warren, asked how she can stand up to Trump: “I know how to fight and I know how to win. Nobody’s getting behind me on a debate stage and doing a handsy thing.”

“It’s not enough to be Not Trump. A country that elects Donald Trump is a country in serious trouble.”

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) August 25, 2019

And look: She’s got the Whole Foods crowd now. White Democrats, the so-called “wine track” are lining up behind her. But can she win over Black voters, an absolute necessity if she wants to win the nomination, much less the Presidency?

Black voters are smarter than we get credit for. The difference between *progress* and *pandering* all comes down to an actual PLAN. Elizabeth Warren isn’t afraid to name the ways in which systemic racism/oppression thrives in America; and is bringing about big structural change! pic.twitter.com/xjzoVgxuLh

— Ashlee Marie Preston (@AshleeMPreston) August 26, 2019

It’s worth noting here, too, that in October 2007, Hillary Clinton still held a commanding lead over Barack Obama for one very simple reason: She had a 57 to 33 percent lead among Black voters. There’s still plenty of time for Warren — Obama didn’t start pulling Black support away from Hillary Clinton until November/December 2007.

Warren might even peel off a handful of reasonable conservatives.

This is me, a Conservative, going to an Elizabeth Warren rally in Seattle because she is the most qualified presidential candidate, a smart badass woman, who will be Trump’s toughest opponent.

Voting for the best candidate sometimes means you leave your political party behind. pic.twitter.com/SLcZjWlpCX

— Ranee Soundara (@naynerz) August 25, 2019

And look: I don’t know if Dwayne Johnson has come around on Elizabeth Warren yet (he seems like the kind of celebrity who won’t commit to anyone for fear of alienating fans), but his Ballers character, Spencer Strasmore, is on board the E-Train:

The Rock reading Elizabeth Warren in the “Ballers” premiere completes possibly the strangest mutual admiration quid pro quos in cultural history. pic.twitter.com/5RNoGHyPwH

— Daniel Fienberg (@TheFienPrint) August 26, 2019

And Warren, of course, loves herself some Ballers.

You have the same amount of time in a day as Elizabeth Warren pic.twitter.com/rx0726M1NF

— David Matthew Fiser (@david_fiser) August 25, 2019

Elizabeth Warren is like a lot of my boys back home, she used to be a republican and now she won’t stop telling me to watch Ballers. just so much growth all around.

— Paul Danke (@pauldanke) August 26, 2019

I’m not saying that Elizabeth Warren’s nomination is inevitable — a lot can happen between now and the Democratic convention — but it truly is starting to feel like it’s moving quickly in that direction. As Dave Pirner from Soul Asylum says in “Black Gold,” nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd, and Warren’s crowd looks poised to snowball her into victory.

Also: Holy crap. Norm from Cheers is in that video.