Elizabeth Warren Used to Be a Republican. Talking About It Could Save Her Candidacy.

Tool: Reluctant Conclusion, the strategy of showing how facts, changing circumstances, or an emotional scene forced a change of mind.

Senator Warren, terror of bankers and Fortune 500 execs, used to be a Republican. She didn’t become a Democrat until 1996, according to the Politico.She downplays the fact, understandably. 

But let me offer a suggestion, Senator: Your Republican past is actually an asset, if you talk about it properly. 

Face it, Senator, you’re way behind your name recognition in polls and fundraising. Ditch the dog photo ops and talk about what forced you to change your party. Then you can talk wealth tax and single payer all you want—as a lifelong card-carrying capitalist.

Here’s the story: As an economist, you were all about theory until you began to study personal bankruptcy. You expected to find cheaters; instead you found people suffering from a rigged system. You had no choice but to look for ways to fix that system. The capitalist system. 

I call this technique the Reluctant Conclusion. It establishes a trustworthy ethosby showing disinterest—being unbeholden to any special interest. Your opinion isn’t biased, it’s dictated by reality. 

Anyone who wants to try this with a spouse or friend or crazy uncle can start with the line, “Yeah, I used to think that, but then…” That’s when you bring up a fact or trend or experience that changed your mind for you. It can win you an argument. Or, just possibly, the White House.