Elizabeth Warren for President

We’re into it already, 15 months before the 2020 election. Truly, fathoming 30 months of Trump, another 18 on the horizon, and the potential for 48 more escapes me.

I’m a pretty conservative fellow. No, really! Alright, by political measures I’m four blocks left of anywhere I happen to find myself. Otherwise, though, I really am.

I learned “go slow to go fast” from Old Friend Griff. When I handle a legal matter, I’m looking for the simplest and least expensive alternative (although, from time to time, I’ve pushed the edge of the envelope.) I believe in waiting your turn, minding your manners, and getting your facts straight before you open your mouth. Etc., and I’m leaving out sartorial stuff alone. (I get more than enough commentary about that subject at home.)

Conservatism aside, I’m all in with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and, even, Medicare For All. Why?

Intelligence and Discipline

First, Senator Warren brings to the table a level of intelligence and discipline not often found among elected officials. She’s a scholar of the effects of going broke, and how our laws affect this process. Serious work, which evidences the impact of unexpected health care costs, a lost job, and other unexpected events on our lives.

Why does the scholarship matter? She will care about policy. That it’s well-designed. That it will likely serve its intended purposes, with fewer unintended consequences.

People Matter

Second, Senator Warren clearly cares about people. Her campaign gimmick—well, one of them, for we’ll “I’ve got a plan for that” alone right now—involves, to date, 35,000 selfie photos with supporters. Anyone who takes the time to have physical contact with 35,000 people deserves serious consideration.

Physical contact. ‘s up with that? Touch matters. It’s a way in which we connect with one another. After what will be 48 months with a germ-a-phobic leader of the free world, it’s time for real world connections. I’m a devotee of the Robert Caro Lyndon Johnson series. Lyndon touched, to great effect.

Going Long

Third, we have little to lose going long. Forty-something percent of our fellow Americans will be for Donald J. Trump no matter what … although, as I write those words, I ask myself why Mr. Trump focuses so much energy on keeping tax returns undisclosed. Can his tax returns put him in a worse light than he’d be in if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue?

And the rest of us? It’s hard for me to imagine anyone else voting for Mr. Trump and, while some may stay home, I think Mr. Trump will, alone, make the case for showing up, no matter who the Democrats nominate.

There’s more on going long. Whether he realized it or not Mayor Pete Buttigeig, on July 30, 2019, threw Senator Warren (and Senator Bernie Sanders) a big assist when he said:

It is time to stop worrying about what the Republican will say. If we embrace a far-left agenda, they’re going to say we’re a bunch of crazy socialists. If we embrace a conservative agenda, you know what they’re going to do? They’re going to say we’re a bunch of crazy socialists. So, Let’s just stand up for the right policy and go out and defend it.

The Ds will lose the 2020 election if it gets fought on President Trump’s terms. And, if I’m right, that means the D nominee needs to be someone who will sell positions. Sell them hard. With passion and energy. And not spend time responding to POTUS or the dolts, Junior and Eric.

Health Care

Fourth, health care matters. Taking away employer-based insurance matters greatly. But, Medicare for All does not end employer-based insurance tomorrow, next week, or even next year. Details will matter, transitions take time, and boy howdy, this stuff gets complicated. That said, it’s time to go big, assuring those who are anxious that, with time, the hundreds of billions of dollars we pay to insurance carriers will fund a better system for us. (Here’s Senator Warren on going big: I don’t understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can’t do and shouldn’t fight for.)

One more thing! If the past has taught us anything, it’s this: the Republican Party will offer no solutions. None! Even now, more than nine years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, we’ve seen nothing more than bullet points. No replacement for the ACA. Nothing!!!

Change

Finally, it’s time for real change! We’ve been led by 44 white men during the past 230 years. Enough!