Not that anyone has asked (the story of my life, amIright?), but here’s where my head is at on the Dem candidates.

There is a lot to like about most of them. None of them will keep all of their promises, because even if they were inclined to do so, that’s just now how it works. What matters to me is that their thinking is going in the right direction on things like climate change, inequality, racism, women’s rights, LGBTQ issues, global issues, healthcare, immigration, etc.

For this moment, I’m going with Warren for these reasons, with the last two being the most important:

1. She’s incredibly smart and she has dedicated her career to studying financial inequality. As the rich/poor gap continues to increase, this is going to become ever-more important.

2. She has an excellent record on climate issues.

3. She seems to be in good health. (Sorry Bernie … age was already an issue but that recent heart attack is also on my mind.)

4. She conducts herself extremely well. Has she been flawless? No. Have any of them? No.

5. She’s saying good things about healthcare and student loan debt. As a self-employed person, healthcare has been my burden for 12 years or so now. As someone who has been writing about student loan debt for the last 2.5 years, I firmly believe that it will cripple our economy if it isn’t addressed. I don’t believe that either of her current plans on these things will be fully enacted. I do, however, believe in her commitment to find solutions. The fact that her starting point is a bit far left means that there’s more room for compromise.

6. She’s not afraid of taking on President Poopypants. I don’t think any of them are. And I don’t think he’ll debate any of them, either. (I’ve been saying this forever.) But I think she excels at breaking down issues, getting to the root core, and explaining what she believes should be done. This is a welcome contrast to the lunatic rantings of a name-calling bully who spent an hour yesterday doing an excellent impression of your-way-too-drunk boss.

7. As with financial inequality, I believe racial inequality has to be addressed in a direct way. I think Warren is extremely invested in building diverse coalitions and LISTENING. I saw a tweet thread the other day by a black woman who is an activist (for something that I can’t remember). This woman has a background in running political campaigns. She said that Warren was the only candidate who really engaged with them, who had a truly cohesive and diverse staff helmed by women and people of color, and who sent a thank-you note after the event. The woman said that, strange as it seems, the thank-you note was a big deal. She said she knows how hard it is to coordinate a campaign and manage the small details … and for Warren to be able to hire the right people to execute well at that level shows true leadership.

Similarly, I’m seeing other black women that I respect stating that Warren is working hard to “get” them. Women still have a lot catching up to do in this country. Women of color have even further to go. Also, women of color have been key votes in several instances, including keeping pedophile Roy Moore out of office.

8. One hallmark of an intelligent person is the ability and the willingness to change their viewpoint based on new information. In the overly simplified world of campaigning, this is often viewed as a negative. “Flip-flopping,” even. So dumb. Did you know that Warren used to be a conservative? That was, until she starting studying bankruptcy and saw firsthand how capitalism at all costs can devastate American citizens.

Is she “electable?” She’s not a white dude, so that will turn people off, right? But hey … remember when Hillary Clinton won the popular vote last time? I think we’re evolved enough to elect a woman.

Since my oh-so-important swing state of Pennsylvania doesn’t vote until April (grrr), I’m casting my vote right now with my wallet. Go to ActBlue if you’d like to donate to Warren or your candidate of choice.

I welcome comments on this. May not be able to reply right away, but I will reply.

(Please excuse any weird formatting. I don’t know what is up with WordPress hijacking random letters right now.)