Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren Draws Big Crowd in Tipton

Friday, April 26th, Jim and I arrived early at the Tipton Family Restaurant in Tipton, IA to hear Elizabeth Warren speak. We were startled to see a long line outside the door of the restaurant. There were no parking spaces nearby. When we parked around the block and walked back, we wanted to walk directly to the back of the line, but we were stopped by Warren organizers anxious to get our particulars, like, are you going to caucus for Elizabeth? Are you leaning in her direction? Are you willing to volunteer?

My answer was yes, yes, and yes. I've been sending her money for years, except this past year --at first -- because I was mad at her for not running for president. I've been making up for it ever since because hurray! She's running for president!

As I gave my particulars to Elizabeth's staff and waited for Jim to give his, I noticed a small woman next to me come up to the media sign-in area. She said she was from the L.A. Times (Los Angeles Times, I presume). I was impressed.

I was also surprised to see so many men standing in line to get in to hear Sen. Warren speak. I was standing behind a tall, gray-haired gentleman who said he was from Durant.

We were surprised there were so many people there. We couldn't get in to hear Elizabeth speak, but the hostess tipped us off that we could get out of the cold if we had lunch there. Sure we'd have lunch there. We wanted out of the cold wind!

Yet many people stood outside and listened to her speech on speakers clear and loud. I heard some of her speech. Basically, she said that ordinary people are getting screwed by the corporate oligarchy running our country. Social and economic injustice inspire Sen. Warren. She wants to enforce the Sherman Anti-Trust Laws, which haven't been enforced in years, to break up mergers like Monsanto and Bayer, which gives Bayer the pricing control of a monopoly, and give the little guy a chance.

As long as a corporate oligarchy undermines the rule of law and corruption further undermines the rule of law, our republic is in danger and nothing positive can be done.

For example, how is the Green New Deal going to be accomplished if the powerful and taxpayer-subsidized oil industry will not admit to climate change and resists any measures to slow climate change?

Sen. Warren is right to attack corporations that pay off our politicians, mostly Republicans but also some Democrats, because as long as money is speech (thanks to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision), politicians listen to their rich donors, not to the voting public. That's why polls show that the American people favor a different policy than legislators vote for, time and time again. Politicians listen to who pays them off, not us!

By the way, Warren doesn't take money from Political Action Committees (PACs). She's running her campaign with donations from ordinary people like you and me.