I find myself unable to respond to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s
decision to withdraw from the presidential race. As I face half the people I will
see today, I am speechless. I haven’t suffered disquietude of this degree since
I had to face my African-American shipmates on the day we heard that about the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
There are some things that white American males can feel. There
are some things white American males can’t feel. We can feel strongly about the
ability of the current football coach. We can feel strongly about the men who repair
our automobiles. We can feel strongly about the men who conduct our orchestras. We can even feel strongly about men of other races as long as we confine those
feelings to their ability to do such things as dunk basketballs.
Hell, we can even feel strongly about women in the fields of
cooking and dressmaking.
I guess we could, maybe, suppose things about our wives and sisters.
For example, I don’t suppose that Elizabeth Warren would
collude with the president of South Vietnam to delay peace talks until after
the next election, in order to boost her chances.
I don’t suppose Elizabeth Warren would countenance a band of
thugs burglarizing the headquarters an opposing political party.
I don’t suppose Elizabeth Warren would announce her candidacy,
as a sop to southern bigots, in the city where four civil rights workers were murdered
in the 1960s
I don’t suppose Elizabeth Warren would countenance a
maneuver to sell weapons to one of America’s most virulent enemies in order to
finance, illegally, a foreign war.
I don’t suppose Elizabeth Warren would bomb the innocent citizens,
and invade the land, of a sovereign country for political purposes.
I don’t suppose Elizabeth Warren would knowingly dishonor the
disabled, veterans, veterans’ families, or the dead for the pure delight of
her base supporters. I do suppose that as a former teacher she has read of the
Roman gladiatorial contests and might eschew the spectacle of pain for enjoyment.
I don’t suppose that Elizabeth Warren would countenance a
national effort to deny the vote to honest, hard working Americans who might not
be her supporters.
Those are not “feminine things.” I could name dozens of our
sisters that would apparently countenance such dishonorable things in a heartbeat.
I do suppose that where you sit says loudly, and with clear
conciseness, who you are. I do suppose that Elizabeth Warren sits on the right
side of history. I do hope that may turn out to be more important than one political
race. I do think that, as a white male, is all I can say.
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| I do suppose Elizabeth Warren, as president, would care for the least of those among us. |
