While young and pregnant Elizabeth Warren lost her job as a school teacher. Right-wing critics are using this true story to create doubt and distrust about everything she says.
Warren confirmed this timeline to CBS News in an interview Monday: "All I know is I was 22 years old, I was six months pregnant, and the job that I had been promised for the next year was going to someone else. The principal said they were going to hire someone else for my job."
If anything, these new details make Warren's story more touching, since she lost a job that she had good reason to believe was hers for at least another year.
It's easy to see why Warren's story about her first pregnancy sticks in the craws of those who resent her recent rise in the polls. Warren uses this story both to position herself as a relatable candidate who understands the challenges of everyday Americans, but also to showcase the talents that allowed her to rise above those humble beginnings — talents, she suggests, that will help her lead the country during difficult times. So it's not surprising that Republicans, and even some on the left who prefer another primary candidate — judging from social media, mostly supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders — would want to take this story away from her.
Sadly, as Vox's David Roberts pointed out on Twitter, this debunking won't stop right-wing media from continuing to repeat these baseless accusations against Warren as if they were fact.
Disclosure: I contribute to Elizabeth Warren's campaign.
