The front of the New York Times Sunday Styles section featured a Get Out the Vote effort for the Clinton campaign, hidden under the guise of an innocuous story of two mutual admirers having dinner at a ritzy restaurant in D.C. The twosome were Elizabeth Warren, a liberal Democratic senator and heroine of the left wing of the Democratic party, and Tracee Ellen Ross, a liberal actress on a racially charged television comedy.
They were shepherded by Times society writer Philip Galanes, under the headline “The Road to Activism – Senator Elizabeth Warren and Tracee Ellis Ross on the election, family and social change,” where he boasted Warren was "a fierce advocate for the middle class" and selfie-taker extraordinaire, with an "outrageously good" Twitter feed.
Tracee Ellis Ross may be working 14 hours a day in Los Angeles on her hit TV show, “black-ish.” “But when Elizabeth Warren says she’ll have dinner with you,” Ms. Ross said, walking into a suite at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington, “you get on a plane. I have a million questions for her.”
Galanes’ hagiography of Sen. Warren started upon her arrival:
And from the moment Senator Warren entered the lobby, friendly to all but racewalking toward the elevator, she was happy to offer answers: breaking down complex problems into plain-spoken choices, engaging everyone in sight. When a woman on the elevator said, “You look familiar,” Ms. Warren introduced herself, shook her hand and asked how her evening was going.
Of course, Ms. Warren, 67, comes by teaching naturally. A law professor for over 30 years, most recently at Harvard, she specialized in bankruptcy and commercial law. A strong advocate of consumer protection, she conceived and fought for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.
Two years later, the political novice was elected a United States senator from Massachusetts. Ms. Warren has since emerged as a very popular figure in the Democratic Party and a fierce advocate for the middle class. In June, she endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, and has gone toe-to-toe with Donald J. Trump in a series of fiery Twitter exchanges.
....
Galanes: You’re both striking rare notes in the culture. Tracee’s show is about a black family facing real-world problems. It’s one of a kind. And the senator is on fire on the campaign trail. But there’s very little of the usual criticism. Why are we so receptive to you now?
It was clearly a mutual admiration society:
Ross: It’s hard to answer about myself, but there’s a “we” in the way the senator speaks. She’s right there with us. That’s something “black-ish” does, too. We’re not looking, objectifyingly, at this family. We’re on the inside with them. Maybe that’s why everybody likes you.
Warren: Trust me, they don’t...
But that didn’t stop Galanes’ gushing.
Galanes: One reason you’re both such powerful advocates -- for the middle class, for self-esteem -- is that you’ve fused who you are with the issues you care about.
....
Warren: “...And this is the Donald Trump moment. He says, “Blame the immigrants, blame women, blame people who have different religious beliefs than you, blame people who aren’t the same color as you.” Because if everyone turns on each other --
....
Warren: “....We’re not perfect, but we’re on the right road. Then starting in the Reagan years, we see a different description of America: Only invest in those at the top, and let trickle-down economics take care of everyone else.
Galanes turned to an anti-Reagan point: "But we’ve had 30 years of proof that trickle-down economics doesn’t work. Why does the G.O.P. still push it? Why do working-class voters still go for it?"
Galanes played up Warren the unlikely social-media hero.
Warren: Oh, wait! Where’s my phone? I Snapchat with my granddaughters. Can I take a picture with you? They’ll love it. And I’ll forget unless we do it while I’m thinking of it.
[They take a selfie on the senator’s phone.]
Galanes: Your stock is going through the roof, Granny Warren!
Warren: It’s why it’s so much fun to do this with someone whose show reaches millions of people across this country.
The mutual admiration society rolled on.
Warren: And the writers and producers and the whole ensemble that makes it happen, they told a story that touched people’s hearts. That’s how we make change. By speaking straight to people about issues that matter.
Galanes: Like your Twitter feed, senator, which is outrageously good.
Warren didn’t deny that compliment. Galanes cheerfully spilled the beans about Ross and Warren’s pro-Hillary GOTV effort.
Warren: Nobody is confused about the differences between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Trump is building a future for a small set of America, and Clinton is working hard for everyone. Is she perfect? Of course not. But you’ve got enough information to make the choice.
Ross: So no giving up.
Warren: No. And once you land there, make a little investment. Knock on a few doors.
Ross: Make sure your siblings are registered.
Warren: And my favorite: Always talk to the guy behind you in line at the grocery store.
Note to self: Never stand behind Elizabeth Warren in the grocery store.
