Democratic women are expressing dismay that Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts expressed firm support for the re-election of President Joe Biden, despite his inaction on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
Some of Warren’s supporters are disappointed with her because best-selling author Marianne Williamson is a candidate for president who has publicly stated her support for the ERA.
In the past, Warren has emphasized the importance of supporting a leader who is committed to advancing critical issues facing the country, including economic justice, climate change, and healthcare.
“By dismissing Marianne Williamson’s 2024 presidential campaign, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said she was firmly supporting the re-election of President Joe Biden despite his aggressive military spending, expansion of fossil fuel industry development and forcing railroad employees back to work without sick time for which they were willing to strike,” said Lisa McCormick, a woman who ran for US Senate in New Jersey.
“I think that President Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee, and he’s going to be re-elected,” said Warren, saying she supported Biden because he’s “accomplished a tremendous amount in the last two years, and he’s got real momentum to keep on delivering for the American people.”
“While she talks about middle class values the truth is that Elizabeth Warren’s net worth is reported at roughly $12 million to $67 million, so she is not in touch with the plight of most working people, and this endorsement as well as her 2020 candidacy—marked by a very public spat with Senator Bernie Sanders—suggests that she is not truly committed to the progressive movement,” said McCormick, who has held the Massachusetts lawmaker in high esteem.
“Rich people are doing well, giant corporations are doing well and the middle class is still just getting hammered,” said Warren, but McCormick pointed out that Democratic insiders who have blundered through some of the biggest policy failures in decades have yet to rise up to the challenge of confronting Republicans effectively.
Williamson, an author who gained national attention during the 2020 Democratic primary, has been vocal in her support for the ERA, calling it “a vital step forward in ensuring that women are treated as equal citizens under the law.”
She is running again in the 2024 election, and her campaign has been gaining momentum in the six weeks since she kicked off her challenge to the incumbent.
Warren’s endorsement of Biden has left some of her supporters disappointed, as they feel it is time for a female president in the White House.
McCormick noted that Biden said he would vote Medicare for All if a legislation calling for the universal health insurance plan ever got to his desk. A peer-reviewed study by researchers at Yale found that single-payer health care would save $450 billion annually.
“Although health care spending is higher in the United States than in any other country, more than 80 million Americans have inadequate health insurance or none,” said McCormick. “Medicare for All would save money and it would save lives but if legislation ever got to his desk, President Biden would use a veto pen to protect insurance company profits, but Senator Warren is not open to the alternative.”
Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has criticized Department of Defense spending priorities but McCormick also pointed out that Biden has once again asked for another record high military budget and his White House has sold four times as many oil and gas leases on federal land as the Trump administration, contradicting the Senator’s position on climate change.
“Washington refuses to lift a finger without permission from the fossil fuel industry. That’s dangerous and it’s wrong,” said Warren. “We need a government that makes different choices — a government that will stop handing out enormous tax giveaways to big oil companies, and stop refusing to invest in our children’s and grandchildren’s futures.”
“New Jersey just experienced seven tornadoes, but President Joe Biden is going to make it worse,” said McCormick. “The White House approved the massive Willow oil drilling project on federal land in Alaska, which would generate 9.2 million metric tons of carbon pollution a year, ot the equivalent of adding 2 million gas-powered cars to the roads.”
On top of these disappointments, McCormick said Biden forced railroad employs back to work with a contract that deprives them of time off when they are sick or injured right before the massive train derailment that sent toxins into the air.
“I am having a hard time finding anything that President Biden has done to make any Democrat consider voting for him,” said McCormick.
The ERA has a long history in American politics, and its passage would enshrine equal rights for women in the U.S. Constitution.
Despite being passed by Congress in 1972, the ERA has yet to be ratified by the necessary number of states. In recent years, however, several states have ratified the amendment, bringing the total number of ratifications to 38, the number required for the amendment to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
While Warren’s support for Biden may disappoint some of her supporters, it highlights the importance of supporting a woman who is committed to advancing the cause of justice and equality for all Americans.
“The 2024 presidential election promises to be a pivotal moment in American history, and the incumbent inaction on issues like the ERA should be a crucial factor for Democrats like me, who believe that it would be wrong to write off Marianne Williamson’s campaign against President Biden,” said McCormick, who noted that the insurgent candidate will appear in New York City on Earth Day, which could be an opportunity for New Jersey Democrats to get a sense of her candidacy.
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