"What Does Elizabeth Warren's Massachusetts Look Like?" (with video)

Francis Reynolds and Emily Douglas (The Nation) with video (05:54):

Will Elizabeth Warren—the dedicated consumer protection advocate-turned politician—be too progressive for Massachusetts voters? That's the fear as she ramps up her campaign to take on Scott Brown for the state's US Senate seat. In this video, E.J. Graff explains the hurdles Warren will have to overcome if she is to win over Massachusetts Democrats and undecideds by November.

For more on Elizabeth Warren's senate run, read Graff's article in this week's issue of The Nation.

Elizabeth Warren: Extra Footage from "The Road We've Traveled" (video)

BarackObamadotcom, video (01:32):

Are you in? https://my.barackobama.com/roadtraveledwarrenvid

Never-before-seen footage of Elizabeth Warren from "The Road We've Traveled". A film narrated by Tom Hanks and directed by Academy Award®-winning director Davis Guggenheim.

The full film gives an inside look at some of the tough calls President Obama made to get our country back on track. Featuring interviews from President Bill Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Elizabeth Warren, David Axelrod, Austan Goolsbee, and more. It's a film everyone should see. Watch the full film now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2POembdArVo

"Heaven Is a Place Called Elizabeth Warren"

Rebecca Traister (NY Times magazine):

The key is not just emotional investment in election-year saviors but also an engagement with policy. A commitment to organized expressions of political desire — like those that have been harnessed so effectively in recent years on the right — have been absent for far too long in Democratic politics. Now, with labor protests, campaigns to block voter suppression and personhood measures and the occupations of cities around the nation, there seem to be some small signs that liberals are remembering that politics requires more of them, that they need movements, not just messiahs. But their engagement must deepen, broaden and persist beyond last week’s elections and well beyond next year’s elections if there is any chance for politicians like Warren to succeed.

Because while she might provide her supporters and her constituents a voice that, if properly tuned, will rattle doors that are now gummed shut, what Elizabeth Warren cannot do is fix this mess herself. MORE...

Howie P.S.: I can see Howard Dean nodding his head vigorously in agreement with the above.

Elizabeth Warren and Maria Cantwell: "Female Senate Candidates Join Forces"

Amanda Terkel (HuffPo):

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, both known for fighting the excesses of Wall Street, are teaming up for joint fundraising events on Dec. 9 in Seattle.

Tickets to the luncheon cost $1,250, while the dinner costs $40 per person.

According to the Seattle Times, "Rose Kapolczynski, Cantwell's political consultant, called the Cantwell-Warren pairing 'a natural fit' given their work on financial regulation. Kapolczynski said more than 200 people are expected to attend the reception while 'a few dozen' are booked for the luncheon."

Indeed, in his new book Confidence Men, Ron Suskind wrote that Warren and Cantwell had "been right, and right early, about the way America's financial system was drifting toward crisis." They, along with a few other women, "had been shooed away and shouted down by the men, both those manning Wall Street and those atop Washington's regulatory or economic policy posts, who quietly asserted that high finance might be the final mountaintop stronghold of 'man’s work.'"

Warren has also teamed up with fellow progressive Senate candidate Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) to form a fundraising committee called "Massachusetts Wisconsin Victory Fund."

Rove's Hit Piece on Elizabeth Warren (video)

CrossroadsGPSChannel, video (00:33).

Howie P.S.: The ad reminds me of the "red-baiting" ads of the 1950s.

"DC Douglas' "Why #OccupyWallStreet? 4 Reasons." (video)

lancebaxter, with video (04:25):

Actor, voice over talent and non-political figure D.C. Douglas chimes in with his take on OWS - Occupy Wall Street.

Thanks for the amazing support my video has received! Special thanks to John Cusack, Roseanne Barr, Karoli, OneVoice2, MoveOn.org, Charles Gaba & Daily Kos and Lawrence O'Donnell (for airing a portion on The Last Word 10/11/11)!

Video features:
Elizabeth Warren (Bookended)
#OccupyBoston General Assembly
Senator Byron Dorgan
Alan Greenspan
Senator Carl Levin
Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs
Senator Susan Collins
Daniel Sparks, Goldman Sachs POS
Representative Alan Grayson
Senator Bernie Sanders
Democracy Now Anchor

"Elizabeth Warren on Debt Crisis, Fair Taxation" (video)

LiveSmartVideos, video (02:06):

Elizabeth Warren discussing the debt crisis, fair taxation and other important issues as part of her talking tour.

Elizabeth Warren: "My Announcement" (video)

ElizabethForMA, with video (01:35):

Elizabeth Warren announces her decision to run for U.S. Senate so she can fight for hard-working Massachusetts families.

Howie P.S.: Warren may have appeal as a candidate for national office, someday.

"Elizabeth Warren Makes It Personal"

Nancy Scola (The Atlantic):

Elizabeth Warren is ready to name and shame. After 10 long months spent crafting a brand-new federal agency in her image and likeness, years before that willing the institution into statutory existence, only to be passed over on Sunday in favor of Richard Cordray just as the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is moving out of beta, Warren, on a press call late yesterday afternoon, was eager to share her clarity on who's to blame for the especially precarious position the new federal-friend-to-the-American-consumer now finds itself in. MORE...

Elizabeth Warren: "A Big Week for the New Consumer Agency"

Elizabeth Warren (HuffPo):

This is a big week for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Today, the President will announce his intent to nominate Richard Cordray to serve as the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. On Thursday, the CFPB makes its transition from a start-up to a real, live agency with the authority to write rules and to supervise the activities of America's largest banks.

Rich will be a strong leader for this agency. He has a proven track record of fighting for families during his time as head of the CFPB enforcement division, as Attorney General of Ohio, and throughout his career. He was one of the first senior executives I recruited for the agency, and his hard work and deep commitment make it clear he can make many important contributions in leading it. Rich is smart, he is tough, and he will make a stellar Director. I am very pleased for him and very pleased for the CFPB. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Ari Melber Tweets that "the White House is circulating this new piece by Warren." Greg Sargent passes this along:

as Paul Krugman notes,

Republicans are equally committed to blocking his appointment: What’s going to happen, then, is no director for the CFPB in any case. But meanwhile Obama has passed up a chance to symbolically align himself with the public and against the banksters."

"The Bank Lobby Steps Up Its Attack on Elizabeth Warren"

Ari Berman (The Nation):

"Warren is...an Oklahoma-born Harvard law professor who’s done more than anyone since Ralph Nader to put consumer protection on the national agenda.... GOP Representative Patrick McHenry, who chaired the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, could barely hide his disgust for the CFPB and Warren, accusing her of lying to Congress and frequently interrupting her answers." MORE...

"Elizabeth Warren Helps Answer the Question: Can the Middle Class Be Saved?" (video)

Common Dreams with video from The Rachel Maddow Show, (06:20).

"Elizabeth Warren's Greatest Hits" (video)

MoveOn.org Official Channel, video (02:53):

Populist hero Elizabeth Warren was just nominated to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by President Obama. Check out her greatest hits to see why she's going to be such an amazing advocate for consumers.

Wednesday Polls, Cenk on "Class Warfare," Taxes, Tea Party, Elizabeth Warren, etc.

"Democrats Should Want This Tax Cut Debate" (Democracy Corps, Carville-Greenberg):

This will be a tough election, but fortunately, the unfolding tax issue can work strongly to help Democrats and define the choice in the election. This is a case where Democrats are strongly aligned with public thinking and priorities. Only 38 percent favor extending the Bush tax cuts for those over $250,000 – the official position of Republican leaders and candidates. Clearly messaging around this choice – with Democrats voting for middle class tax cuts, while starting to address the deficit and protecting Social Security, contrasted with Republican candidates who still believe trickle down economics and worsen the deficit. MORE...

"How the Rich Conduct Class Warfare" (Cenk Uygur):

I'll even give you the classic line -- some of my best friends are rich. So, this isn't about some ridiculous stereotypes or populist demagoguery. This is about stone cold facts.

Some of the wealthiest people in this country have been systematically trying to reduce their own taxes and make sure their companies are not regulated by the government. This makes sense. They want to make more money. But in the process, they have bought our politicians, corrupted our system and ultimately given us enormous income inequality.

This income inequality doesn't seem just, but that isn't my main issue. The real problem is the results of that inequality. It leads to speculative bubbles, crashes, recessions and depressions. It leads to the middle class losing their pensions, having stagnant wages for the last thirty years and lacking opportunity to move up the chain. It kills our economy and ultimately it kills the American Dream. MORE...

NY Times-Caucus:

Close to half of Republican voters, 48 percent, say they have a favorable opinion of the movement, while nearly all the rest say they have no opinion of it yet. Among independent voters –- a group that will be critical for the Tea Party’s success in November –- more have a negative view of the movement than a positive one (18 percent favorable, 30 percent unfavorable), but most have no opinion.
MORE...

Obama to "Name Elizabeth Warren to Form New Consumer Agency" (ABC News-Jake Tapper):

President Obama will announce this week that Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law School professor who first proposed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will be named to a special position reporting to both him and to the Treasury Department and tasked with heading the effort to get the new federal agency standing, a knowledgeable Democrat told ABC News. MORE...

Robert Scheer, Robert Reich and Bill Boyarsky: Progressives Push Back on Obama (with video)

"Robert Scheer on The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street" (Democracy Now! video-16:00).

"It’s the Mortgages, Stupid" (Robert Scheer-truthdig):

This week’s proposals by the Obama administration to deal with the persistent economic crisis will be, as with previous plans that involved trillions of taxpayer dollars, little more than salt in the wounds. Once again the strategy is to stimulate the economy by funding projects and tax cuts while ignoring the root cause of the problem: a housing foreclosure meltdown that has chilled the spending of a majority of American consumers. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Is Elizabeth Warren the progressive ally that is needed? Answer: Elizabeth Warren @Netroots Nation, video (12:00). Robert Reich writes "Why Obama Is Proposing Whopping Corporate Tax Cuts, and Why He’s Wrong." Bill Boyarsky's "Democrats on the Edge of a Midterm Disaster" puts the Obama administration at the center of the problem:

The nation’s problems—war and unemployment—are badly damaging the Democrats, even on the Pacific Coast, which President Barack Obama won easily in 2008. And Obama himself, reacting slowly and indecisively, is contributing to the challenges his party faces in November. MORE...

"Franken, Progressive Groups Begin Whip Campaign For Elizabeth Warren"

TPM:

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee and it's new affiliate, the P St. Project, will launch a public campaign this week with the help of Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) to whip up support in the Senate for Elizabeth Warren's nomination and confirmation to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

PCCC, in partnership with the progressive group CREDO, rounded up 200,000 petition signatures in support of Warren, and will now team up with Franken to urge members to publicly commit to voting for her.

"Elizabeth Warren has proven that she is willing to stand up to Wall Street on behalf of consumers and is the logical choice to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau," Franken said. "If appointed by President Obama, I would vote to confirm Elizabeth Warren to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau." MORE...

Meet Elizabeth Warren (with video)

The New Yorker, with video (18:13):

James Surowiecki spoke with Elizabeth Warren, a professor at Harvard Law School and the chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), about the importance of transparency in consumer financing, the future of the regulatory system, and what’s good about capitalism. They met in Washington, D.C., on November 5th, (2009).

"The Real Reason Geithner Is Afraid of Elizabeth Warren"

John R. Talbott:

As reported on HuffPost last week, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has expressed opposition to the possible nomination of Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a source with knowledge of Geithner's views.

One can assume that Geithner, being very close to the nation's biggest banks, is concerned that Warren, if chosen, will exercise her new policing and enforcement powers to restrict those abusive practices at our commercial banks that have been harmful to consumers and depositors.
(SNIP)

But this is not the only reason that Geithner is opposed to Warren's nomination. I believe Geithner sees the appointment of Elizabeth Warren as a threat to the very scheme he has utilized to date to hide bank losses, thus keeping the banks solvent and out of bankruptcy court and their existing management teams employed and well-paid. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Who is John R. Talbott?