Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) reached 1,000,000 Facebook fans today, and she celebrated by pointing out that this is good news because of the issues she supports:
A million is a really, really big number. Which is why I’m happy to share some incredible news: Just moments ago, we reached our millionth “like” on Facebook! This isn’t just important because it’s fun to say that we have a million Facebook fans. It’s important because on issues like holding Wall Street accountable, raising the minimum wage, stopping the crushing burden of student loans, ensuring equal pay for equal work, and protecting Social Security, we’re getting organized and growing our grassroots team to fight to level the playing field for working families. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part of this. Let’s keep fighting!
The Democratic Senator is a favorite among the base because she stands up for middle class families and the working poor. Warren uses her Facebook page to explain that “corporate inversion” is actually corporate freeloading. She doesn’t just explain what’s wrong, though, she engages her fans to support legislation that she and Senator Levin introduced to put an end to corporations getting away with not paying their fair share of taxes:
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“Corporate inversion” is a bland name for a tax loophole that lets companies maintain all their operations in America, but claim foreign citizenship so they can cut taxes further. I’ve introduced a new bill with Senator Levin to close the loophole and stop the freeloading. Sign up now to show your support for the Stop Corporate Inversions Act. Let’s make giant corporations pay their fair share. http://elizabethwarren.com/inversionsfb
We don’t think of these things until we run into a personal problem, but Warren’s baby, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is there to help protect consumers from the predatory policies of some banks. While there is much work to be done still, the CFPB forced banks to give back $4 billion dollars. It’s a start, Warren explained on Facebook:
One of my favorite parts of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is the consumer hotline people can contact to report problems with their banks and financial institutions. By shining a light on the tricks and traps hidden in the fine print of mortgages and credit cards, the consumer agency is stopping working families from getting cheated. It’s making a real difference.
Senator Warren has found a way to engage and activate the Democratic base with her core values solidly behind the working class. Warren fights for the middle class and working families. She champions the fair shot through hard work that Americans believe in. Her Facebook engagement is just one way she’s found to communicate with the base, and she wisely uses it to boost morale, celebrating victories that the cynical dismiss.
Voter turnout improves with higher morale.
To put this into perspective, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who has represented special interests in D.C. for 30 years, only has 149,897 likes for his McConnell for Senate Facebook page as of this writing, and 27,821 likes for his Mitch McConnell verified government official account, with a sad amount of engagement. Of course, it’s tough to get engagement from actual people when you represent the top 2% and your own pocketbook.
And therein is the contrast between today’s Democratic and Republican Parties. It’s a lot tougher to sell the image that your lies are popular when social media platforms allow candidates to engage directly with the people.
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