HOLYOKE – State Rep. Geoff Diehl has been making a point through his campaign for the Senate against incumbent Elizabeth Warren that Warren is actually running for president by making appearances with other Democratic candidates in other states.

On Saturday, Warren gave Diehl what he wanted to hear: that after the election she “will take a hard look” at running for the presidency in 2020.

Diehl released a written statement following the announcement: “While I strongly believe that it is wrong for Sen. Warren to run for re-election with the full intention to run for President, it is unlikely she will do the right thing by dropping out.  That’s why we are launching our first round of ads.  It is a very effective ad that will help deliver our positive message about getting the job done for Massachusetts along with highlighting Warren’s insult to the entire criminal justice system.”

To be clear, Warren did not commit publicly to running for president, but only to consider it.

If Diehl thinks that admission would actually hurt Warren’s chances for reelection next month, the capacity audience at the City Hall Auditorium would disagree with him. The statement was greeted with a thunderous response and a standing ovation from the audience gathered for one of Warren’s Town Meetings.

Although the meetings started out as a function of her Senate duties, the event is Holyoke was definitely about her re-election by energizing her base.  

Outside of City Hall was parked the bus for independent Senate candidates   Shiva Ayyadurai with a photo of Warren wearing a Native American headdress and bearing the slogan:  “Only a real Indian can defeat a fake Indian.”

On the steps leading up to the entrance of City Hall the Ayyadurai, supporters were gathered attempting to hand out flyers to the people gathered to see Warren. Holyoke police officers created a corridor through which the attendees could enter the building.

In her remarks, Warren reacted to the confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh and said she thought Senate Republicans didn’t want to hear the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Warren also objected to the committee’s decision not to let two other women who made allegations against Kavanaugh.

“It’s an enormous disservice to the people of the United States,” she said.

Warren compared Kavanaugh’s behavior – calling his anger an indication that he felt he was entitled to the seat on the Supreme Court – to that of Ford’s demeanor.

“She was not allowed to be angry. She was not allowed to push back, “Warren said.

Speaking of cultural expectations of women, Warren added, “Girls aren’t supposed to be angry because it makes us unattractive to powerful men.”

Warren emphasized, “Today I will tell you I am angry.”

The senator blasted the Trump Administration for its efforts to cut Medicare and Medicaid’ not addressing the student loan crisis; and not giving enough aid to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria – “too little, too late” – and then “turn around and lie about the deaths, yes this makes me mad.”

She blamed the tax cut legislation as a “scam” that is “leaving nothing to rebuild the infrastructure here in America and yes that makes me angry.”

The solution is to change the House and Senate and Warren said, “Tick-tock, tick-tock, 38 days until the mid-terms.”

She said, “I’m in this fight all the way to take back the House, to take back the Senate!”

Answering a question from the audience about climate change, Warren said, “Give us the power and we will attack this problem.”

An audience member asked how does a person get their friends or family members to vote “without dragging them to the polls?”

Warren laughed and said, “It’s not the first option but let’s not take it off the table.”

She then emphasized the importance of the midterm elections.

When asked about running for president, she said initially, ‘I love my job. It’s the honor of a lifetime to go to Washington to fight for the people of this state.”

She added she was “worried down to my bones” what President Donald Trump was “doing to our democracy.”

Warren then said, “It’s time for women to go to Washington and fix our country.”