And no, I didn't hear her literally say that, but that's a fair paraphrase of what she said, and what Obama said about her in his press conference today announcing that she set up the new commission but wasn't interested in heading it long term.
I want to hear all those folks who claimed that Obama simply wouldn't appoint her apologize.
She didn't want the job. She didn't ever want the job. Rep Barney Frank told us that. People provided links to her comment, saying that she didn't want the full-time, 5 year commitment. She simply wanted to set up the commission. She was named "special adviser" because that's what she wanted.
And she just completed an interview with Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, talking about how thrilled she is that she gets to go home, away from Washington, back to her regular life.
Consumer groups and many here at DK wanted her to have the role. She clearly didn't.
But somehow, people who want to think the worst about Obama seemingly couldn't believe that this is the way it could possibly be.
When MSNBC posts it, I'll link to the interview with Elizabeth Warren that happened during Andrea Mitchell's afternoon show, mere minutes after Obama's presser about the nomination of Rich Cordray. Mitchell tweeted that
What's next for Elizbeth Warren? Just on show says vacation & will do some thinking on poss sen run.
Here's the link to her interview. And her first question from Andrea? She's asked if she's disappointed that she's not getting the job, and she clearly says no, she's not. She says it's a new chapter for the agency and she couldn't be more proud. She says that she's really looking forward to stepping away from the 14 hour days - that it's time for a vacation. She said that she needs to go home, and she's very happy that she's getting to go home. Those aren't the comments of someone who wanted the job - those are the comments of someone who didn't want the job and is glad that she wasn't tapped for the job!
She didn't want the job. She clearly says that she's pissed off at how Congress is attempting to block the CFPB - why, if she feels that way, would she want to 'encourage' that blockade by putting herself forward as the nominee, rather than someone else?
In a post on whitehouse.gov written by Elizabeth Warren herself, they announced the nomination.
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.
This week is the culmination of two years of hard battles. The President put the consumer agency in his first outline of financial regulatory reform, and he never wavered in his support for it. The agency was declared dead several times, and weak versions and lousy bargains were offered again and again, but he stood fast. When he signed Dodd-Frank into law, creating the new agency, he offered me the chance to stand it up -- something for which I will always be grateful. The fights continued, and again, the President never wavered in his support. In fact, just last week he issued a veto threat if the Republicans try to move the agency's funding to the political process, and I know that in the future he won't allow opponents of reform to succeed in weakening the CFPB.
The agency has stepped out in the right direction. The work is good. But this agency needs to have its full powers right now, and that means we need Rich in place as Director. Today, I'm celebrating -- but I'm not taking my eye off those who want to cripple this agency. We got this agency by fighting, we stood it up by fighting, and, if takes more fighting to keep it strong and independent, then we can do it.
Elizabeth Warren didn't want this job, didn't want to have to fight with the Republicans to get the nomination confirmed.
Barney Frank told us.
Elizabeth Warren made it clear to the White House while it was debating her nomination to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that she was not interested in a five-year term to run the agency. Barney Frank, a Warren ally, delivered that message to the White House, he told HuffPost in an interview Thursday.
"She always said she didn't want to be there as a permanent director. Some of the liberals are worried about it. It's almost an insult to Elizabeth. She wouldn't take this if there was the slightest impediment to her doing the job," he said.
"Frankly, on her behalf, I talked to David Axelrod earlier this year, and I said, 'You know, Elizabeth doesn't want a full five year term. She'd like to set this up,'" said Frank. "She told me that, and I told Axelrod that."
And Obama wanted her to do what she did end up doing, and he knew that she couldn't get past the Republicans obstructionists, and so he appointed her to a role that didn't require that Congress approve that pick, and so it denied them the opportunity to block her! It was a good move - yet another example of Obama doing the right thing, getting the best result he could get, given the actual facts. Obama says that
We can't let politics get in the way of doing the right thing.
In this case, the right thing to do was to appoint her as special adviser to set up the CFPB, allow her to appoint all the members, then pick a chairman from those she installed in the CFPB.
11:44 AM PT: Here's the comments from Obama this morning announcing Cordray's nomination.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
We cut the bureaucracy and put one consumer watchdog in charge, with just one job: looking out for regular people in the financial system. Now, this is an idea that I got from Elizabeth Warren, who I first met years ago. Back then -- this is long before the financial crisis -- Elizabeth was sounding the alarm on predatory lending and the financial pressures on middle-class families. And in the years since, she’s become perhaps the leading voice in our country on behalf of consumers. And let’s face it, she’s done it while facing some very tough opposition and drawing a fair amount of heat. Fortunately, she’s very tough.
And that’s why I asked Elizabeth Warren to set up this new bureau. Over the past year she has done an extraordinary job. Already, the agency is starting to do a whole bunch of things that are going to be important for consumers -- making sure loan contracts and credit card terms are simpler and written in plain English. Already, thanks to the leadership of the bureau, we’re seeing men and women in uniform who are getting more protections against fraud and deception when it comes to financial practices. And as part of her charge, I asked Elizabeth to find the best possible choice for director of the bureau.
Tue Jul 19, 2011 at 12:51 AM PT: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
Tue Jul 19, 2011 at 12:52 AM PT: Here's Rachel Maddow's interview with Elizabeth Warren on Monday night where she explained, yet again, that she didn't want the nomination.