One thing an observer discovers fairly quickly in the primary process is candidates start to act like lemmings. One says something and the rest either fall in line or else decide to stake out a separate position in the pack. Usually, they fall in line so as not to be left behind on hot button issues. In this case, Senator Elizabeth Warren decided to side with an actress instead of leading by example with the civility she demands.

Warren is in Iowa this weekend campaigning and pandering to the special interest groups she’ll need to win the nomination. She was asked about Joe Biden’s recent description of Vice-President Pence. He made the mistake of calling Pence “a decent guy” and all hell broke loose on the left. Elizabeth Warren responded by also claiming that Pence is not a decent man. Because she’s a lemming.

So, Senator Warren, is the vice-president a decent guy? Nay-nay said Warren. LGBTQ issues and all, you know. I bet if someone had actually done a follow-up question and asked exactly what she thinks “his positions” are on that subject she’d get it wrong.

Asked about Biden’s “decent man” comment on Pence, Warren says “I’m sorry. I followed Pence’s history on LGBTQ Americans, and I don’t think that is a decent position. I disagree.” Reporter: “You don’t think the Vice President is a decent man?” Warren: “No” pic.twitter.com/NtULMTUQLz — Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) March 2, 2019

Instead of following up on Pence, she was asked if anyone in the Trump administration is decent. Anyone? Nope. Nada. Zilch. The senator doesn’t think so. She listed off the Mueller investigation, the guilty pleas, the staff and cabinet resignations, and some imagined scandals just waiting to happen. She calls the Trump administration the most corrupt in her lifetime, which is going some.

Maybe she read some hyperbole put out by the Human Rights Campaign last year. It was quite dramatic. Who knew that mild-mannered Mike Pence was such a threat?

The Human Rights Campaign last year launched a campaign to highlight Pence’s record on issues important to the LGBTQ community, calling him “one of the greatest threats to equality in the history of our movement.”

It looks like Warren drew a pretty good-sized crowd for a Saturday morning in Iowa.

She made a point of reassuring the crowd that she isn’t about attacking other Democrats (sorry, Joe) because Democrats have to get it right in 2020. She pledged to support the eventual Democrat nominee. Take that, Bernie. Remember when he had to be cajoled to support Hillary? Yeah. Good times. Voters in Iowa are concerned about party divisions.

Voters also asked Warren how she’d handle potential fault lines within the party. Warren says she doesn’t intend to attack other Democrats, and that her platform will set her apart, from the president and from other progressive candidates. “I’m not here to attack Democrats,” Warren said. “This really is our moment. And the need for us to get this right couldn’t be more urgent. So count on me. And let me also say, I’m going to support our Democratic nominee. All the way.” When asked why she endorsed Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the last election, Warren said Democrats should come together and put 2016 behind them. “I’m just going to be blunt with all of you. We can’t go back and re-litigate 2016. We just can’t. We just can’t.”

I think she may not be prepared for blowback from 2016 Berniebros who remember which candidate running now supported Bernie then. She’ll eventually have to do better than just trying to brush the question aside and talk about the need to move on. It may get a bit awkward on the debate stage. The same question can be asked of others running now who supported Hillary over Bernie back then. Julian Castro and Kirsten Gillibrand come to mind. Hey, maybe Warren can host a beer summit for the cameras so as to show everyone’s on the same page now.