Elizabeth Warren, the former Obama administration special adviser regarding consumer affairs and finance law, is well known in Massachusetts and the surrounding New England area and among those well versed in activities concerning the middle class. But aside from political wonks, policy advisors, and those familiar with government and finance law, Warren's name may not be all that familiar. With the posting of a video on YouTube scoffing at "class warfare," that seems about to change.
On September 13, Warren announced her candidacy for the Massachusetts U. S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Scott Brown, who surprisingly took the traditionally Democratic seat long held by Sen. Edward "Ted" Kennedy. On September 18, a video went up on YouTube showing the Harvard law professor speaking at a small gathering about the debt crisis, "class warfare," and fair taxation. The video went viral and Warren seems to be on the verge of singlehandedly eliminating the GOP's basic argument against taxing the wealthy and re-establishing the Bush tax breaks -- that it is a form of class warfare.
And Republicans are wishing they had never heard of her at all.
"I hear all this, you know, 'Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever,'" Warren says in the video, which was shot in August when Warren was exploring the idea of a Senate bid. "No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own -- nobody."
Warren, who has been a tireless consumer rights advocate and worked in an advisory capacity on the massive Wall Street reform legislation known as Frank-Dodd, is seen in the video enumerating the trillions of dollars squandered by the Bush administration on tax cuts for the wealthy, wasteful wars, and a revamping of the health care drug program that cost senior citizens more and only seemed to benefit pharmaceutical companies. She then makes it clear that the idea that allowing the Bush tax breaks to expire and calling it "class warfare" is nonsensical in that those who have prospered did so with the help of taxes, workers, protection, and infrastructural programs made possible by the taxes paid by all.
"You built a factory out there - good for you," she goes on. "But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."
Warren's message is likely to resonate well in Massachusetts -- as it does with most Americans -- and already seems to be doing so. The law professor has gained a lead in the polls, 46 percent to Brown's 43 percent, according to Public Policy Polling.
But the GOP, who blocked her appointment to the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington (an appointment now to be filled by Robert Cordray, upon Congressional approval), are not idly standing by and just allowing Warren to take Brown's Senate seat. On Friday, USA Todayreported that they entered a little "class warfare" of their own and went after her by attempting to have Warren removed from her current job of teaching as a Harvard law professor.
According to the GOP, Harvard must ask for Warren's resignation because it is a tax-exempt institution, which means it cannot "participate in or intervene in" any campaign for political office. But Warren's staff dismisses the idea of termination, noting that the former elementary school teacher "... takes her responsibilities to her students and the university seriously and she will fulfill her commitments in line with all relevant policies."
Harvard's policy on political activities states that individuals can become involved in politics as long as they do nothing political "within the context of their employment" or with Harvard's "real or apparent authorization."
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