One of her biggest moments was when she took aim at her fellow candidates on the issue of money in politics. “For politicians, including my fellow candidates who themselves have taken tens of thousands and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars from these same corporate donors, to think that they now have the moral authority to say, ‘We’re going to take them on,’ I don’t think the Democratic Party should be surprised that so many Americans believe ‘yadda, yadda, yadda,’” she said, to applause.
Later, on the topic of college affordability, she took an even bigger swipe. “I almost wonder why you’re Democrats,” she said. “You seem to think there’s something wrong about using the instruments of government to help people.”
And some of her most stirring responses came on race and inequality, including on the context of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and the racial undertones in play. “This is part of the dark underbelly of American society — the racism, the bigotry,” she said.
Maybe we’re all just more used to her, but on Tuesday, Williamson seemed like she came to make a point, and she made more of an impression than many of the other candidates on the stage.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member