“I’ve got your back,” she said, almost shouting, “and I’ll do everything I can for you.”

That quote from Elizabeth Warren came from an article about her addressing a group of union firefighters in MA. The article was posted here a few days ago, making the greatest page.

And that quote has been haunting me ever since.

I read a lot of political reporting every week, about Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals, progressives, libertarians, fundamentalists, reactionaries, psychopaths, saints.

But that quote startled me. It brought me up short. It was such a plain, unadorned example of what we, as Democrats, don't get from the politicians in our party 98% of the time.

Politics is a team sport, and as humans we make moral judgments and decisions based on what is right and best for our "team". The Republicans realize this and push those buttons relentlessly, to the point where their party members consistently slash their own throats economically, merely so their team can "win". But the Democratic leadership treats the Democratic party as if the loyalty all flows one way, from the grass roots to the leading politicians. Not only do they not enact policies that show us they are with us, but they don't even talk as if they are on our side anymore. They don't even bother to reward us with rhetoric that upholds that illusion. Apart from Obama making vague promises to put on his walking shoes for strikes and protests, the Democratic leadership simply take our support silently, and clearly for granted. That's probably because their success or failure actually depends on the system of legalized bribery we allow in this country, not the members of the party.

But you'd think they'd at least try.

The fact that Warren can express solidarity with all Americans so simply and naturally makes her my pick for the Democratic nomination in 2016, whether she runs or not. Her rhetoric is inclusive, cooperative, psychologically satisfying, uplifting, nurturing, and references economic justice and fairness. And, what is more, her actions indicate that she means it.