Warren hits it out of the park [View all]

[BeyondGeography]

Over three days a steady stream of presidential candidates — including Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke and Sens. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) — have appeared at the convention of the National Action Network, headed by Rev. Al Sharpton, to make their case. It was obvious the candidates had been advised to come with proposals that would interest African Americans.

...And then there was Warren, who was greeted as a rock star and supercharged the audience. As those who care about policy know, she’s got a bucketful of proposals — on Big Tech, on taxes, on housing, on ethics and more. On Friday, however, she did something smart, namely focus largely on one topic with depth, data and personal biography.

Her topic was affordable child care. The issue affects African Americans on both ends: Its lack of availability affects black parents disproportionately, and child-care workers, horribly underpaid, are disproportionately nonwhite. Warren made child care personal, telling of her own struggles and the times her education and career were nearly derailed.

She shared how, in desperation and in fear of having to quit teaching for lack of child care, she called her Aunt Bee and began to sob. “Then Aunt Bee said 11 words that changed my life forever. ‘I can’t get there tomorrow, but I can come on Thursday,‘” she said to warm applause and knowing laughter. “Two days later, she arrived at the airport with seven suitcases and a Pekingese named Buddy — and she stayed for 16 years.”

She added, “Now, if every working mom in the country had an Aunt Bee, we’d all be good. But that’s not the case. I know how lucky I was to have Aunt Bee save the day. But think about all the moms in America who don’t have an Aunt Bee.”

And with that she had the audience in the palm of her hand. She spelled out her comprehensive plan (expanding the existing health-care system, increasing the pay of child-care workers), paid for with money to spare by a wealth tax (2 percent on net worth over $50 million).

More at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/04/05/warren-hits-it-out-park/?utm_term=.c78e74996adc