Warren looks ahead

John F. Kennedy gave his Catholic speech. Mitt Romney gave his Mormon speech. Barack Obama gave his race speech. Now Elizabeth Warren has delivered her Native American speech. All served the same purpose — to wrest control of the narrative that was being used against them as they campaigned (or prepared to campaign) for president.

Now, the difference in Warren’s case is that the need for a rhetorical defanging was not based on other people’s religious or racial prejudice — but out of her own confusing claim to Native American heritage, her inability to prove that link and the perception that she tried to benefit professionally from it.

And let’s be clear, Warren’s “surprise” speech yesterday to the National Congress of American Indians — perhaps the most carefully-coordinated surprise in history — did little to clear any of that up.

Warren simply declared, again, that her mother’s family was part Native American, and that her “daddy’s parents were bitterly opposed to their relationship.” Leaving the impression that the family’s opposition was because of Warren’s mother’s heritage (without ever making that explicit claim).

She declared, again without evidence, that she never used her family tree to advance her career (despite being listed as a minority in a law school directory).

And conveniently, it was President Trump who was her entry into the whole discussion.

The president has indeed waged a sophomoric and undignified campaign against Warren on this issue. But make no mistake — the senator and her team now see the president’s disrespect as an advantage. It even gave her a springboard to pledge righteous support and advocacy for Native American issues in her speech. What has stopped her from doing that during her first five years in the Senate is not entirely clear.

Warren addressed issues important to Native Americans yesterday. But this was not a clarifying speech. It was a stump speech. As long as everyone is being honest about that.