CNN Panel Questions the Wisdom of Elizabeth Warren Releasing Native American Policy Proposals: ‘Why Poke the Bear?’
A CNN panel questioned presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s strategy when she released two policy proposals targeting Native Americans Friday.
“I mean, you know, the issues of Native Americans in the country are I’m sure very important, but I don’t know that the Democratic Party is clamoring for a massive policy position on it and she could well have decided, why poke the bear, right?” said New York Times‘ Michael Shear. “Why put this so out front that President Trump can come in and raise this again and she’s going to have more interviews like the one where she wasn’t very comfortable.”
CNN’s Dana Bash said the policies were not just about “righting a political wrong” with the DNA test but about “getting voters.” “What better way to try to bring everybody together and bring herself more into that community than bringing her calling card, which is a policy,” said Bash.
CNN played an uncomfortable “Breakfast Club” clip in which Charlamagne Tha God called out Warren for her illegitimate Native American heritage, even likening her to the former NAACP president who was found to have no African American background, despite claiming she did. “Were there any benefits to that?” Charlamagne asked. “You’re kinda like the original Rachel Dolezal.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Tarini Parti said that in Iowa, she had seen warm reception to Warren but some voters worried about how she would fare against Trump, given her Native American heritage claims baggage.
“One thing that voters pointed out is the Pocahontas thing has been mostly forgotten and the fact that she did do that DNA test, but they do bring it up sometimes when they’re talking about defeating Donald Trump and someone who can be on the same debate stage as Donald Trump,” said Parti.
NPR reporter Asma Khalid said she had recently told Warren, “some folks, even some Democrats, do question whether your judgment on race may be off.”
Warren released two pieces of legislation this week focusing on Native Americans, which CNN anchor John King called “tough terrain” for her. One with Rep. Deb Holland, a Native American congresswoman, would boost funding in Native American programs. She also put out an Oliphant fix which had to do with the Supreme Court ruling that said that tribal governments had no criminal jurisdiction over non-Native Americans on tribal lands. According to Warren, this will allow Native Americans to seek justice in cases like rape. It also has to do with tribal lands and resources, and revoking some of the permits given as part of the Keystone and Dakota Access pipeline.
A Fox News poll this week placed Warren in second among 2020 Democrats. President Donald Trump acknowledged Warren’s rising poll numbers last night at his New Hampshire rally. “I did the Pocahontas thing. I hit her really hard. And it looked like she was down and out. But that was too long ago. I could have waited. But don’t worry, we will revive it.”
Watch above via CNN.
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