"She done good"
by digby
It probably helps that being from Oklahoma gives her a certain common touch that you might not expect from a Harvard Law professor. She doesn't pander to the ugly side or pull out some dumb cultural signifier that nobody believes. She just talks about how her policies will affect ordinary people.
She wouldn't have a chance in hell of winning West Virginia (even in a primary probably.) But her message is correct, nonetheless. "You may not vote for me but I want you to know that your lives are as important to me as any other American's and my agenda will help you right along with everyone else." That's morally correct and it's the best any Democrat can do in this polarized society. Keep it simple.
Update:
Politico was at the rally:
It was a startling spectacle in the heart of Trump country: At least a dozen supporters of the president — some wearing MAGA stickers — nodding their heads, at times even clapping, for liberal firebrand Elizabeth Warren.
The sighting alone of a Democratic presidential candidate in this town of fewer than 400 people — in a county where more than four in five voters cast their ballot for Trump in 2016 — was unusual. Warren’s team was apprehensive about how she’d be received.
About 150 people gathered at the Kermit Fire & Rescue Headquarters Station to hear the Massachusetts senator and former Harvard professor talk about what she wants to do to fight the opioid epidemic. Trump-supporting college students in baggy t-shirts, housewives in pearls, and the fire chief dressed in uniform joined liberal retirees wearing rainbow “Persist” shirts and teachers with six-figure student loan debt.
Kermit is one of the epicenters of the opioid addiction epidemic. The toll is visible. The community center is shuttered. Fire trucks are decades old. When Warren asked people at the beginning of the event to raise their hands if they knew somebody who’s been “caught in the grips of addiction,” most hands went up.
“That’s why I’m here today,” she said.
Warren entered the room from behind a large American flag draped in the station. Roving around a circle of people seated in fold-out chairs, she tried to strike a tone equal parts empathy and fury, while avoiding pity. She went full prarie populist, telling people their pain and suffering was caused by predatory pharmaceutical barons.
The 63-year-old fire chief, Wilburn “Tommy” Preece, warned Warren and her team beforehand that the area was “Trump country” and to not necessarily expect a friendly reception. But he also told her that the town would welcome anyone, of any party, who wanted to address the opioid crisis. Preece was the first responder to a reported overdose two years ago only to discover that the victim was his younger brother Timmy, who died.
Preece said after the event that he voted for Trump and that the president has revitalized the area economically. But he gave Warren props for showing up.
“She done good,” he said.
Others agreed.
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