When questioned about her claim that she is 1/32 Cherokee, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) has long maintained that her high cheekbones support her contention. When disbelievers have pointed out that her blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin skunk her argument, she has dug in further, accusing her critics of one -ism or another.
Now some of her fellow liberals in the Bay State are calling on her to put up or shut up. Via or The Washington Times:
The Berkshire Eagle, a Massachusetts newspaper that endorsed her in 2012, called Tuesday on Ms. Warren to “screw up her courage and take the spit test,” saying that a positive test “would permanently resolve the issue — while possibly shutting down President Trump.”
Even if the test shows no Cherokee ancestry, “it would be an opportunity for the senator to perform an act rarely seen among politicians: an admission of her error and a full-throated apology to Native American tribes and anyone else offended by her spurious claim,” said the editorial.
“By facing the truth and taking responsibility for it, she would disarm her enemies and show potential voters that she was human and capable of mistakes, just like them,” the newspaper said.
Admirable as it is, admitting error at this juncture would likely be a career ender. First of all, such an admission would renew charges that she claimed Indian heritage to advance her career. Second and more important, Warren would have a tough time claiming that this was an “error” and not a bald-faced lie.
Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi came out in support of the idea, penning an op-ed titled “Taking a DNA test could solve at least one of Elizabeth Warren’s political problems.”
