Happy New Year? Elizabeth Warren Trashes ‘Spineless’ Republicans, Lists ‘Dangers’ Americans ‘Fear’ in 2020

On New Year’s Eve, 2020 candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) spoke on the topics of impeachment, fear, and looming doom to a captivated audience of supporters in Boston. A grim outlook not normal for the holiday, but Warren said in her speech that the past year has been “anything but normal,” so perhaps the unusual tone is fitting.

“In a few hours, the dawn of a new year will break over America, offering us a moment for pause and reflection,” began Warren. “Now, it is normally a moment for optimism, but let’s face it. This year in America has been anything but normal.”

“In the past 12 months, the president has become bolder with his lies and more brazen in his law-breaking. He has tried to squeeze a foreign government to advance his own political fortunes. Meanwhile, the Republicans in Congress have turned into fawning, spineless defenders of his crimes,” Warren said as the crowd applauded.

She said that impeachment has “brought no one any joy” but that Democrats have “upheld their sworn duty to the constitution and impeached the President of the United States of America,” to a joyous round of cheering and applause from the overjoyed crowd. She added that soon she, too, will return to the Senate to uphold her sworn duty, resulting in more joyful applause and cheers of joy.

When the House was about to vote, Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to warn her caucus against their own outbursts of joy, since impeachment has “brought no one any joy,” but there appeared to be no such admonition to the crowd gathered for Warren’s happy speech about fear and worry.

Warren warned that unless some GOP senators cross over in their votes, Trump will be “emboldened to try to cheat his way through yet another election.”

“So as we turn the page tomorrow into an election year, and into a new decade, there is the chill of fear in the air. People are afraid. Afraid for their families and their neighbors. Afraid for the children locked in detention centers, and the children on lockdown in our schools,” Warren continued. “Afraid for women, LGBTQ people, especially trans people, whose rights will be decided by the Supreme Court next year.”

“Afraid for our country, afraid for our planet,” said Warren. “And the danger they feel is real. Our democracy hangs in the balance.”

She then turned to the need to “fight back” against all of these things. “Fighting back is an act of patriotism,” said Warren.

She then offered some praise of achievements by the United States, saying none of it was “born of fear,” despite the theme of the speech being that there is much to fear and that the fear is justified and that the coming year should be focused on fighting against those feared things.

“That is why I come to you this New Year’s Eve with a heart filled with optimism,” said Warren following the litany of things people should fear, including the fate of the entire planet.

Watch the clip above, via C-SPAN, or watch the full speech by clicking here.