Liberals rejoice, financial sector weeps: With her election to the Senate, Warren became one of the most powerful people in the country; now, she’s headed to one of the most powerful committees in the Senate. Financial regulation is Warren’s specialty; she helped oversee the distribution of TARP funds in 2009 and essentially created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We can’t imagine the bank lobby wanted her on this committee, but then again, there’s probably not much they could have done to prevent it. (Photo: AP) source
![Warren to nab powerful committee seat? According to several Senate sources, Senator-elect and populist hero Elizabeth Warren has a good chance of getting a seat on the powerful Senate Banking Committee. This is a logical fit for Warren, architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and would give her great power in her efforts to curb deceptive and unscrupulous practices on the part of financial institutions. “[G]iven her prominent work on those issues, she would certainly have a very good shot” at getting a spot on the committee, an aide tells Reuters. Having Warren on Banking is essentially the Republicans’ worst nightmare, but it’s worth noting that it’s a nightmare entirely of their own short-sited construction. source](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_md8mpzSxGQ1qas8z9o1_500.jpg)
Warren to nab powerful committee seat? According to several Senate sources, Senator-elect and populist hero Elizabeth Warren has a good chance of getting a seat on the powerful Senate Banking Committee. This is a logical fit for Warren, architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and would give her great power in her efforts to curb deceptive and unscrupulous practices on the part of financial institutions. “[G]iven her prominent work on those issues, she would certainly have a very good shot” at getting a spot on the committee, an aide tells Reuters. Having Warren on Banking is essentially the Republicans’ worst nightmare, but it’s worth noting that it’s a nightmare entirely of their own short-sited construction. source
The Massachusetts Senate race is shaping up to be one of the closest races of 2012, with Brown and Warren consistently running within just a few points of one another. If you missed tonight’s debate, here are two recaps.
Back in January, Republican Sen. Scott Brown and his Senate opponent, Elizabeth Warren, signed a pledge to effectively ban or neutralize outside money — saying that they would donate to charity if a group advertised for them or against their opponent. Brown, who faced a tough 2010 special election for this reason, fought for the deal — which was initially seen as a coup for him because of his war chest. But since then, Warren has had one very prime weak spot — her ancestry controversy — that outside groups weren’t able to exploit because of the document above. Plus, she’s become a huge fundraiser in her own right. So Brown is suddenly having regrets. But is this an example that other campaigns can follow?
This non-endorsement pledge is unprecedented and is not being required of any other persons or entities. To us, such a pledge seems inappropriate when a non-media sponsor issues a debate invitation. We can assure both campaigns that the debate will be fair, just as the one we cosponsored between Senator Brown and Attorney General Martha Coakley in 2010 was fair.A statement by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute • Expressing anger over a main condition set by Sen. Scott Brown that he’ll only take part in senatorial debates to be held at the institute on the condition that Vicki Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s widow who plays a key role in the institute, not endorse anyone in the campaign. Brown’s campaign manager, upon word of this statement, said Brown would decline the offer to debate: “We respect Vicki Kennedy’s decision but we regret that we cannot accept a debate invitation from someone who plans to endorse Scott Brown’s opponent.” (ht sarahlee310)
At the Massachusetts Democratic Convention on Saturday, where Warren won the party’s endorsement with 96 percent of the vote, she said, “I’d love to see some debates with Scott Brown. Let’s start. Let’s get started. I’m ready,” according to the Boston Globe.
Brown countered with specifics on Sunday, telling the Boston Herald, “I would think three or four is probably what we did with Martha [Coakley] last time, so that’s probably about right.”
Warren was silent on the matter until last night, when she agreed to the four debates.
Expect lively debates.
Watch this video. Feel good about Scott Brown. Then, after you’re done watching the clip of the Massachusetts senator draining a three pointer from half-court, know that Democrats in the state are using this as evidence that the Senator is improperly using taxpayer money to shoot campaign videos, as this video was shot by one of his staffers. Now the answer to that is “uh, of course not, because the congressional staffer was just lucky enough to catch Scott Brown shoot an underhand three pointer from half-court.” But Democrats in Massachusetts are facing trouble of their own, with Elizabeth Warren continuing to face questions about whether she improperly claimed to be Native American during her educational career. But maybe you don’t care about any of that. In that case, we recommend you just watch the video. source
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I thought, 2008, that’s it, that is the watershed moment,” Warren says. “We put sensible people in the House, in the Senate and in the White House.” But even with the new leadership, Warren said, “the people who broke the market doubled down on the failed policies. This was not supposed to happen. But it did happen.Massachusetts Senatorial candidate, Elizabeth Warren, discussing “the dissonance of what happened when the last change-peddlers hit Washington,” in a great New York Times Magazine profile. (via joshsternberg)
While Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren obviously deserves much kudos from folks on the left for her bold stands on issues — which, unlike many Democratic politicians, aren’t afraid to show teeth — think the New York Times is overselling this with the headline “Heaven Is a Place Called Elizabeth Warren”? Sure, she could be an awesome member of the Senate, and might have aspirations beyond that, even. But before we get so far as to nickname her “Heaven”, let’s get a little closer to the election.
Is Elizabeth Warren the liberal Chris Christie?
Warren, a Massachusetts Senate candidate, saw her comments on the stump blow up the Tumblr-verse (h/t Wil Wheaton) and the liberal blogosphere. The quote is good. But the delivery is even better.
Great piece. Read for more.
» Hey, wha’ happen? Warren’s rise may be due in part to an “announcement boost;” she was long-rumored as a candidate, and her official entry in the race may have fired up a contingent of Democratic voters. Perhaps more significant of a factor, however, is Brown’s plummeting popularity. Back in December, he was the 16th most popular Senator in the country, out of 87 polled. Now, Brown is in 61st place, and his favorability has dropped by 25 points.
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