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There have been buzzings about a potential Senate run by Elizabeth Warren for some time - but things kicked in high gear Tuesday afternoon when EMILY's List Director Stephanie Schriock tweeted she'd meet with Warren in Massachusetts the day previous. Roll Call also reported Warren was "wooing democrats at Boston house parties."

Today the superhero of the economically disenfranchised announced she is filing paperwork to open an exploratory committee for the U.S. Senate race against Scott Brown who replaced Ted Kennedy after his death.

Scott Brown has been no friend to regular Americans. When it comes to big banks on Wall Street, Brown refused to vote for a tax on banks and hedge funds with over $50 billion in assets. When everyday families can't make ends meet, surely Brown could support them over companies with over $50 BILLION in the bank?! But no. Americans took the hit once again because Brown refuses to put people first.

In a piece by Yves Smith on Naked Capitalism Elizabeth Warren becomes the target of a fantasy Presidential run, but the same benefits of her unwinable race against President Obama can also be true as a viable challenger to Scott Walker.

Warren has been branded as a scourge of banks. Even though it should be common sense that selling exploding toasters is bad business, the fact that she talks repeatedly and persuasively about the need for rules to have markets work well makes her a threat to much of Corporate America. Note that their heated opposition to the idea of fair play reveals the importance of treating customers badly, looting the official coffers, or both to their business models.

So why should she bother? She has become a forceful, self appointed advocate for middle class American families. She has thrown her weight behind this objective since she worked on the Harvard Bankruptcy Project more than a decade ago (it served as the basis for her and her daughter’s book The Two Income Trap). Whether you agree with the wisdom of her choice or not, that was what motivated her to take the position as adviser to the Treasury and President and start up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and suffer an aggressive hazing in Congress and in the media by banking industry shills operating through the Republican party. So she is willing to take pain and less than certain bets to advance her goals (we thought she was never going to be head of the new agency. . . "

She is a tireless advocate for people like us at a time when so many feel Washington chooses corporate welfare over the economic interests of everyday Americans. While many prefer Warren to remain on the outside of the political elite, throwing stones alone is rarely as powerful as a U.S. Senator fighting for our issues. As a Senator she would have the weight of her office to not only speak to Americans directly and honestly about what is wrong with our economic instability, but she could propose legislation, conduct hearings, and demand accountability with Massachusetts voters - indeed all of us - behind her.

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53 Comments
metman's picture

I'm thinking of moving to Boston. Maybe I'll move up my plans just so I can get the chance to vote for her.

Different Anonymous's picture
.

I lean toward the quixotic Dem primary aimed at forcing Obama to at least speak to the issues progressives have with his "leadership."

While the Senate run has advantages - she gains political credibility, etc. - I think the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. First, she will have to cowtow to the DLC for financing, which means supporting every crap idea Obama comes up with; second, she enters the Al Franken seen-but-not-heard netherworld of low ranking committees; and third, a loss eliminates her from furthering a political career. At least having a go at Obama puts her on the national stage, and the horse race media might just relish the chance at filling some air time with Democratic issues instead of Republican or DLC pablum.

fiver's picture

. . . linked to this Globe piece (about GOP criticism of lobbyist ties to Warren's early campaign advisors) saying this is "not an auspicious start."


Corruption favors the wealthy.

ricky's picture

employ advisers who may be tarnished by being in winning campaigns and having private clients.

She must now fire them and henceforth conduct her campaign in sack cloth and ashes with the help only of volunteers who have never accepted a corporate pay check.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

If that's all Jack Abramoff's K Street project was about, that snarky hyperbole might be warranted. Some folk think it's a great system; others think it's a necessary evil; and still others believe it's legitimatized bribery.

I don't see hiring the same lobbying firm chosen by health insurers and liquor distributors to be a very good sign, but I'm sure folks like Evan Bayh and Cindy McCain would disagree. It's definitely an effective method of lining up the corporate cas, but I still wonder what the providers of that corporate cash want in return.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

ricky's picture

Goldman Sachs. Adviser to banks. Derivatives expert.

And blogger who makes shit up.

Guess which part fiver likes?


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

fiver's picture

'Cause it's pretty much a non-sequitur in response to complaints about the K Street project.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

originator of your complaint.

Course, you know, lobbying for them is so much worse than helping them make the bucks to hire lobbyists. Isn't it?


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

Peter G's picture

The head of the Mass. GOP criticized Warren for hiring a firm that has lobbyists? Heaven knows the GOP would never do that.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

fiver's picture

What a shocker.

Congratulations, you've uncovered a theory that decrying the use of lobbyists while using them yourselves might be a tad bit hypocritical.

Which, of course, is the exact point you're trying to distract from.

Gracious indeed.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

Peter G's picture

the case that lobbyist's are innately evil and that using them contaminates you with evil. That's pretty hard to do when lobbying organizations like the ACLU, the NAACP, The WWF, the Audubon society, the AARP exist and most union groups either are or employ lobbyists. As I recall there is something in your constitution specifically about having the right to petition your government. Now I haven't had time yet to look into who these lobbyists might have been lobbying on behalf of. It's possible I might be pleased with their work. But I'm not going to make that judgment until I see something a little more substantial and I'm certainly not going to answer to a dog-whistle from the GOP as Mr Smith has done.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

fiver's picture

Or like the Audubon Society?

Those aren't dog whistles - they're bird whistles.

And pretending that the lobbyists hired by Elizabeth Warren are in any way comparable to the NAACP and AARP is far too ludicrous to be credited to naiveté. They represent, among others, an association of Massachusetts health insurers and liquor distributors. In Romneycare Mass, those are about the two dirtiest and most corporately connected groups in the state.

But you want to pretend that ensuring health insurance profits and beer monopolies is the same as protecting civil liberties or endangered wildlife?

C'mon.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

ricky's picture

or advise her on her campaign?


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

Peter G's picture

represent people and interests they are paid to represent. Yep they represented some people you don't like. Did they represent any you do? Are you going to try to convince me that all defense lawyers are evil because some of their clients are? As Stewart said of the news organizations, they're like the dog in UP. Squirrel! Some one throws the term lobbyist out and it's hanging time. What makes it ironic is that the person who cast this first stone probably used the same firm at one time or another. I take it the GOP in Mass. fears a Warren campaign or they wouldn't do something so obviously stupid before she's even announced.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

. . . lobbying for the poor, the oppressed and the environment?

And that people like Jack Abramoff and William Kunstler are basically the same?


Corruption favors the wealthy.

lobbying and not their campaign services?


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

fiver's picture

It's not like guys like Mark Penn or Karl Rove feel the need to specialize solely in one or the other.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

ricky's picture

In heavily Catholic Massachusettes her penance will
carry her to victory.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

fiver's picture

Because either Jack Abramoff and his Ilk are just fine or all candidates must wear sack cloth and ashes.

There are no other possible choices.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

ricky's picture

She could hire some guys whose work she deems inferior because it sets the proper moral tone to please bloggers who use french male names or denounce all Democrats from the git go.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

except, in her own words, on the Sister Rachel Show....

EW: Let me start with the first part. We would not have a consumer agency if not for President Obama. Two years ago, right about now, he looked out and said the consumer agency, that’s what I want to put in financial regulatory reform. Over the next year while everybody fought back and forth over the regular reform bill, there were a lot of offers on the table to get something else. He consistently said no.

And a year ago right now, this week, he signed into law a bill that made this consumer agency exist and as strong and independent way. Now, since then, what’s happened is there are folks on capitol hill, Republicans in the senate and the house, they voted against the bill to begin with — against the agency to begin with, they’ve introduced bills to try to cut our funding, introduced bills to try to make us less independent, introduced bills so we have a gummed up structure so we can’t get anything done and bills to flat out repeal us.

I want to be clear, the reason I cannot run this agency is because of those people"

http://www.politicususa.com/en/elizabeth-warr...


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

Peter G's picture

and cognizant of the facts who read Smith's piece could only conclude that he is a complete idiot. A finer example of epistemic closure, as Osborne so nicely identified it below, could hardly be found. Anyone who thinks such phenomena are limited to right wingers need only read this tripe to see that it is not true.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

fiver's picture

It's not very clear what "he" you're speaking of.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

Peter G's picture

if the sentence was not sufficiently so. "He" would be Smith.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

ickenittle's picture

is not a "He"


First they ignore us..then they ridicule us..now they are feeding us chicken crap- sign my petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/fda-stop-feed...

www.ickenittlepost.com

Peter G's picture

her thesis any less asinine.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

ricky's picture

May be realated to the barbecue smoker fortune. May not.

Bankster. Goldman. Solomon.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

ricky's picture

Her "primary Obama" post has a link to St. Jane of Kobewood's piece where she first described the famous Rahm "fucking retarded" incident. You remember? The one where Jane misquoted Rahm and used "stupid" instead of "retarded" so nobody cared for six months or so. Until Jane's nose got further out of joint.

Go read it. It was, in Yves/she's telling the death of liberal organizations which did not toe the line. In other words, shit that's made up. Fraudulent. Like derivatives sometimes are.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

"cognizant of the facts" qualifier?

Or has Susan Weber undergone a sex change operation recently?

You know, for the "Serious" folks who want to be "cognizant of the facts" before labeling someone a complete idiot.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

was a dude for a long time, fiver.

Quelle surprise.

http://www.auroraadvisors.com/resume_webber.html


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

fiver's picture

'Cause a completely anonymous writer choosing a gender neutral pen-name is the same as a woman who puts her CV on the net and has been a talking head on television.

We're not talking about guessing gender through writing styles; we're talking about not having even a cursory knowledge of a person when labeling them an idiot while at very the same time claiming to be "grounded in reality" and "cognizant of the facts."


Corruption favors the wealthy.

Peter G's picture

entirely on the content of her prose. Which was dumb. His/her sex was irrelevant and still is. I don't give a crap whether she's a hermaphrodite. If you're telling me you need to know the sex of an author to judge their work I've got some sad news about Georges Sand.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

You relied solely on your supposedly self-evident grounding in reality and cognizance of the facts.

Except those bases don't seem quite so self-evident.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

Peter G's picture

was sufficient for me to recognize Hamsher grade firebagging. The rest merely icing on the cake. The idea that a primary challenge is even a remote possibility is mooted by the rather cordial working relationship between the White House and Warren and the advisability of doing so is hardly debatable. The last time anyone tried this (Kennedy vs Carter) the results were disastrous.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

fiver's picture

Or did you just get far enough into it to note that she discusses a primary challenge and not bother with the rest?

Don't suppose you got to the part where the author discussed how Warren's voice in the presidential race might accomplish more than her actually making a successful Senate run especially when considered in light of the "pay to play" system required of Congress.

Agree with it or not, the author's comments were quite grounded in reality and demonstrated cognizance of the facts.

Of course, if you didn't bother to read it, that might explain not only your labeling the author as a complete idiot based on virtually nothing but also your "lobbyists are people too" stance. It's just a parroting of conservative talking points and attack technique without even addressing the merits.

And who needs to read the whole piece to do that?


Corruption favors the wealthy.

ricky's picture

who were probably neutral on this until he insensitively
displayed ignorance of the manliness of their moniker.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

ricky's picture

Smith can be both gender and marital status neutral.
As well as good cover.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

Digby was anonymous. Not just using a pen name, but completely hiding her identity for years.

That's not even remotely the case here. Yves Smith has appeared on television and done book tours. Neither her gender nor her identity has been any sort of secret.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

Peter G's picture

is exclusively a male name and, like I said, is irrelevant. The argument she is advancing is, in my opinion, foolish and based entirely on erroneous assumptions.


Hasa Diga Eebowai

ricky's picture

But I will return with an insult to the French I assure you.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

is still important. I always acknowledge my partners after commentary under the bleachers.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

fiver's picture

. . . how does that insult the French?


Corruption favors the wealthy.

ricky's picture

It is my reply to you re: Digby. One can be very confused about which is the parent around here. Especially when they let their banker daughters adopt French boy's names.

I'm still working on the French insult. Trying to throw in something about Canadians, Cubans, and Seminoles into the mix.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

fiver's picture

. . . the French are confused about their parentage?

It's good to stay with the classics . . . .


Corruption favors the wealthy.

Ape-Man's picture

non sequitur. Your facts are uncoordinated.


"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-

fiver's picture

. . . that's a pretty good example of a non-sequitur.

____________________________

More to the point: Yves Smith was labeled a complete idiot based solely on the accuser's self-proclaimed cognizance of the facts and grounding in reality. The above comment was simply meant to illustrate that the accuser has demonstrated neither.


Corruption favors the wealthy.

BigD145's picture

1 of 100 instead of boss of consumer protection. She'll be welcome, but not as effectual.

ricky's picture

her own nomination.


“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder

Powkat's picture

she is just so likeable - the 1st time I saw her in PBS, had no idea who she was and after 10 minutes, thought, "Wow, this woman needs to be Treasury Secretary!" She is always so soft spoken, but can rebut any wing nut with a smile and irrefutable facts!

barrett d's picture

she'll lose. she's too smart and nice and uncorruptable.

Cthulhu's picture

Nullify her is to make her a Senator. Her rational, intelligent voice will be drowned out in the din.


"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." -- Robert E. Howard

NS57's picture

was SHE a former model? I think not!!

follow the money's picture

Good luck,

and I really hope you can do it,
We need some fighters
just like you
in the Senate.

All the best in the world,

Do the very best you can because no one can ask any more from you.

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