Today I’m bringing you a different type of post here on The Crafted Life– a political post. I thought about whether or not to write this for a long time. Whether or not it was a smart idea to open myself up to criticism. Whether or not it was right to mix crafts and politics. Whether or not it was worth the risk to lose followers who might have a different opinion than myself. And after thinking about this, I came to two conclusions. The first being that we do not live in a time where apathy is an option. People are dying as a direct result of politics and I cannot silently stand by and watch it happen. My own brother died as a result of political actions and that has shaped my entire life. It would be unfair to ignore that piece of me in hopes of getting more followers on a blog.
The second conclusion that I came to is that Elizabeth Warren is worth every risk I considered when deciding whether or not to move ahead with hitting publish. Now, you can stay and read a bit more as to why she’s my candidate, or you can skip right over this post and come back when we’re back to regularly scheduled crafts. There are some projects in the gallery that will keep you busy until that happens. Either way, you’re forever welcome to be here.
Come November, my vote is blue no matter who regardless of the nominee. But I really hope and think it should be Elizabeth Warren. And here’s why:
I’ve had the privilege of meeting Warren which really only strengthened my support for her. I’ll never forget meeting her either. It was a rally in Brooklyn with a line out the door. She stayed hours to meet every single person individually. When she shook my hand, she paused, looked me right in the eyes and said “We’re in this fight together”. AND OOOO BOY DID I CRY! Then I signed up to phone bank and text bank because I’m all in and so is she. Here are just a few of all the amazing reasons why she has my vote (in no particular order):
1. Grassroots Movement. Her campaign is fueled only by small donations, not from corporate money or lobbyists. She spends her time with people instead of hosting closed door fundraisers, which is just a small example of how she’ll spend her presidency. Seriously, she met people for hours when I met her and that was just one of several stops on her campaign. It’s important to note that during the last debate she raised $2.8 million, bringing in $425,000 in just 30 minutes!
2. Her Team. Yes she is brilliant and the most qualified, but nobody can do it alone. When I look at the team she’s assembled, including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and former democratic candidate Julián Castro (pictured above), I see such talent and better yet, people who can offer her diverse insight that she fully listens to and works into her plans. She’s also gone as far to bring in plans from other candidates who have dropped out of the race, valuing the ability to work together and note when someone has a great idea (and she gives them credit).
3. Her life experience. Warren’s dad sold fencing and carpeting, and ended up as a building maintenance man. Her mom stayed home with Elizabeth and her older brothers (who later served in the military). Her family didn’t have enough money for college, but she was able to find a commuter college in Texas that cost $50 a semester. She’s been through the struggles and has fought her entire life to get to where she is today. She knows the struggles families face, has lived it, and fought for middle class families even before taking up political office. She wants better for all of us.
4. CFPB aka the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Warren is the only presidential candidate who’s built an entire federal agency from scratch and she did it before ever running in an election. After the financial collapse, she came up with the idea for a new federal agency to protect consumers from predatory financial institutions. To date, it has returned more than $12 billion to consumers who’ve been cheated.
Snaps from phone banking + text banking for Warren
5. Her Commitment to Education. As a former special education teacher herself, Warren believes that every kid in America should have the same access to high-quality public education – regardless of their race, their zip code, or their household income. She will appoint a Secretary of Education who has been a public school teacher. Her plan calls for hundreds of billions of dollars to be invested in our public schools, along with a series of legislative and administrative changes to fund schools adequately, fight against segregation and discrimination and stop the privatization and corruption of our public education system. I’ll just tie this in with her overall lifetime love for children with this video.
6. 2 Cent Wealth Tax. Not only does Warren have a plan for everything, but she also has a way to pay for it. With her wealth tax (on anyone who makes more than $50 million), she came up with a way to pay for universal child care, provide early childhood education for every child in the country from ages 3 to 5, and cancel student loan debt. Plus it would be enough to put the down payments on The Green New Deal + Medicare for all. I’m telling you, Warren as thought about it all.
7. Bringing Our Troops Home. Perhaps this one is a bit personal for me given that my brother died in the Iraq war, but ultimately it’s long overdue. Instead of wanting to solve every problem militarily, Warren has a plan to use other skills in our toolkit (working with our allies + economic and diplomatic efforts) to bring our military members home.
8. Blue New Deal. Not only was she one of the original co-sponsors of The Green New Deal (the plan that charts the transition to a 100% clean energy future), but she also has a further plan to help our oceans aka The Blue New Deal! Read more about this here.
9. Environmental Justice Warren looks at the whole picture, not just select talking points. There’s no way to talk about climate without talking about environmental justice and economic justice. Across the country, communities of color are disproportionately exposed to pollution. It is discriminatory, but Warren has a plan to correct it. Read more about this here.
10. Hope over Fear. Courage over Cynicism. At the end of the day it comes down to this: she is the candidate that gives me hope. After years of Trump, I’d call that a miracle. She’s in favor of getting rid of the filibuster and ready to make big structural change when it comes to issues like health care, climate change, gun reform, education, immigration, and so much more. She is full of joy, energy, and life and I can only dream of the world that she’ll be able to create when in power.
Honorable mention for reason 11: Bailey. Yes, her dog. It’s about time we get some humanity, and dogs, back in the White House.
Get a more in-depth look into about her plans here. Get involved in your community here. Or chip in $5 to Elizabeth Warren today!