Elizabeth Warren Gave A Fierce Filibuster Speech

A blistering filibuster took place from Wednesday morning into Wednesday night, hitting 14 hours around 1:30 a.m. ET. Led by Sen. Chris Murphy, more than 40 senators participated in the filibuster by giving long-winded speeches masked as questions in order to take up as much time as possible. And while some senators were noticeably absent, you can bet the queen of progressives was on hand to lay down the law when it comes to her thoughts on gun control. In fact, Elizabeth Warren's filibuster comments were so fierce, you might want to sit down for this. (Or stand up in solidarity with Sen. Murphy, whatever you're feeling right now.)

Warren started out by asking for unity and by reminding us something we cannot forget: that while this was an act of terrorism, it was also a hate crime. The moment Americans were able to tie it to Islamic extremism, they did, but the country cannot forget that this act of violence was specifically targeted against the LGBTQ and Latino communities in a move meant to make them fearful. Warren knows that, and she wants you to know, too. She called for beating back hate and embracing one another, but in the senator's typical fashion, she didn't hesitate to reveal exactly what she thinks is wrong, calling the divide between Democrats and Republicans, especially in situations of mass tragedies, "the splintering of America."

After saying that the act of violence in Orlando that left 49 people dead and more than 50 injured was carried out by "a terrorist with hate in his heart and a gun in his hand," Warren placed the blame on Congress and their affinity for moments of silence instead of actual action.

And if we fail to act, the next time someone uses a gun to kill one of us, a gun that we could have kept out of the hands of a terrorist, then members of this Congress will have blood on our hands.

But there was one part of Warren's speech that really hit home. She talked about the partisan America and the deep issues that's causing within our country.

When it comes to our response to the tragedy in Orlando, we are already beginning to see the splintering of America. One side shouts, "It was a gun that killed all those people." The other side shouts, "It wasn't a gun, it was a terrorist that killed all those people." And through all of the shouting we miss what should be obvious.

It was a terrorist with a gun that killed all those people. A terrorist with hate in his heart and a gun in his hand that killed all those people. It is time for us to acknowledge all of these truths and to come together to address them.

Warren has always been a force to be reckoned with, and she proves that day in and day out. While speeches like this might sometimes make you wish she does get that vice president nod, it also kind of reminds you how damn valuable she is in the Senate.