I hear Amy Klobuchar  is tough on her subordinates, her staff. And I wonder what that means…exactly. I think it means she’s a bit of a bitch, a diva, or perhaps a shrew. I suspect it doesn’t mean she’s an effective, no nonsense leader who knows who she is, who knows what she wants, and expects those who work for her to be an extension of her philosophy. Naw…not that. And trust that Trump will seize on every opportunity to make her appear small and petty, you know, like him. But somehow he gets out in front of the slinging of slime and nothing sticks to his Teflon ass.

If Amy is indeed a tough, demanding leader who inspires loyalty and a desire for greatness, she will need every ounce of intestinal fortitude to prevail. But more than that, she will need a plan of attack. She will have to break through the noise that is the Trump machine and do it in a way that makes her look good and strong, not weak and damaged. And that is a tall order. Trump was successful in so damaging Hillary that the country may not have the stomach for another female contender.

If the only sane, free thinking people in the country are all in Bill Maher’s audience on. Friday night, I’m thinking that may not be enough.

Elizabeth Warren is trying to pass the peace pipe. It’s an honor by invitation only. You do not have to be Native American to smoke, but you do have to be in the tee pee.

Her problem goes beyond lying about her heritage. Her problem now is she is becoming the straight man for Trump’s comedy act. And he never runs short of laughers, intended or not. He will have a good time humiliating her over and over with the Pocahontas monicker, and she will have to swallow it like warmed over crow.

While a guy who lives in a glass Winnebago shouldn’t throw hatchets, some may recall the now famous Tonight Show bit where Ed Ames castrated the cowboy target by tossing the hatchet directly in his loins. The bit was prompted by the actor’s Native American heritage and Carson delighted in the unexpected sight gag.

But nothing is funny anymore. Here’s the thing about families, family histories, and family folk lores about family history. Sometimes what gets passed down through generations is more rumor than fact. And that is apparently what is at work here. While I am not convinced that her declaration of Native American ethnicity on a college application benefitted her, the fact that she had no basis in fact to represent herself as such is regrettable.

If you are interested in claiming what you believe to be Indian heritage flowing through your veins, the process of proving it is arduous. All Indians residing in the United States once forcibly moved to reservations and removed from their rightful lands, were recorded into the rolls. It was a mandatory process for natives living on the reservations. But not all natives chose to live that way and instead opted to live a white life. Some were of lighter skin, with blue eyes, and able to pass as white. They were not included in the rolls and even though the heritage is undeniable, the proof is absent. You must be able to trace your lineage back through the rolls to be considered “legitimate”. Many individuals became interested in claiming native heritage when it became profitable to be Indian. Certain mineral rights and compensations are afforded natives not to mention the burgeoning casino industry.

I believe she trusted the family lore of Indian heritage and was so convinced she took a DNA test, certain in her mind, that she would be vindicated. And as is his SOP, Trump seized on her moment of disbelief and dismay and used it to destroy her. She may still be a candidate, but it will be hard for her to be taken seriously not only because of the Pocahontas albatross, but also because she bears the legacy of Hillary.

I like Warren’s platform and I like her. But she is already too flawed to survive a presidential campaign. Life is full of choices to be made, and years ago she made a choice which will now be her undoing.