The Senate race in Massachusetts is different than any other Senate or Congressional race in the country. The reason is that the Republican incumbent, Sen. Scott Brown appears as what once was the noble tradition of being a “Moderate Republican.” That breed of Republican is long gone and in its place is a far Right Conservative who makes Barry Goldwater look like a piker! Who is Scott Brown? Elizabeth Warren represents what many voters have looked for in a candidate. That is someone who has not been tarnished by Washington and truly represents the principles of the Democratic Party. You know exactly who she is.
Before going any further, I have to admit to my bias in deference to Elizabeth Warren. I first met Professor Warren well over ten years ago as Bill Moyers’ guest on “Now”, shown on PBS. She shared the same concern as I did regarding the shrinking “Middle Class” in America and the personal debt to remain there. Over the years, I have watched and listened to Elizabeth Warren warn us about the bloated economy. In fact, my first article on RPO was inspired by her after watching an appearance on “Now” and I called it “The plunging Real Estate Market: Is it the tip of the iceberg?” That was in 2007. Hers was a voice in the wilderness, while most economists believed otherwise. Her exposure to Washington was not that of a politician but as an overseer. In November of 2008, she was appointed as the chairperson on the Congressional Oversight Panel to oversee the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, also known as the Troubled Assets Relief Program, better known as TARP. Her next assignment was one particularly close to her heart as she was a long time advocate for consumer protection. In 2010, she was appointed Special Assistant to the President in the implementation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Although attempts were made for her to head this new agency, both Republicans and the financial institutions, still stinging from their TARP experiences with her, blocked her appointment. Elizabeth Warren had done what she could in Washington and returned to Harvard University. Both the Republican Party and the financial institutions could now breathe a sigh of relief!
Sen. Scott Brown is in a difficult position, as he runs against Elizabeth Warren. He cannot entirely run on his record, as once he does, it opens up “Pandora’s Box” as it includes votes cast in the Senate that were strictly along Republican lines and not for the welfare on Massachusetts voters. Just looking at Brown’s voting record for the year of 2012, it is quite revealing. He voted Yea on S 3364 “Bring Jobs Home Act” on July 17th, S 2237 “Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act on July 12th, S Amdt 2392 “Reduces Funding For Food Stamps SNAP”, HR 3630 “Extends Payroll Tax Cut on Feb. 17th and S 2038 “Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials.” On the other hand, he voted Nea on S 3412 “Middle Class Tax Cut Relief” on July 25th, S Amdt 2172 “Requires Labels on Foods with Genetically Modified Ingredients” on June 21st, S Amdt 2393 “Repeals Sugar Subsidies” on June 12th, S 3220 “Paycheck Fairness Act on June 5th, S 2343 “Extends Student Loan Interest Rates” on May 8th, and S 2230 “Establishes A Minimum 30 Percent Tax Rate on High-Income Earners.” Those are only a few from this year. Perhaps we should look at Sen. Brown’s voting record back even further? On May 17, 2011, on S 953 “Amending Oil Company Tax Laws”, he voted Nea to protect Big Oil subsides. Given a second chance, he voted Nea again to S 2204 “Amends Energy Related Tax Credits” to protect Big Oil interests. Brown voted against jobs in Massachusetts when he voted Nea on S 1660 “American Jobs Act of 2011”, on October 11, 2011, as well as S Amdt 928 “American Jobs and Economic Growth” on November 10, 2011. I believe we get the idea! For Brown’s complete voting record, Chick Here: What we see is a pattern where Sen. Brown votes Republican on most key issues, and “crosses the isle” on less important issues. You will find this consistent throughout his voting record. Sen. Brown tries to paint a picture of an “Independent” when all along he remains close to the Republican Party.
Sen. Brown has had to attack Elizabeth Warren on issues that are more personal and actually obscure, as she has no voting record and has been an advocate for the “Middle Class” and as a watchdog on our financial institutions, which in case you forgot, nearly bankrupt this nation! One issue has been that Warren claimed to be of Native American heritage for her advantage. After the dust had cleared from the wagons, The Washington Post’s “The Fact Checker” determined that Elizabeth Warren did not benefit in any way by checking that box a long time ago. In fact, the accusation may have backfired, as Sen. Brown has outraged the Cherokee Nation and voters appear to be disinterested in this attack. The next attack regards the registration of voters who are welfare recipients, brought about by her daughter, Amelia Warren Tyagi, through her organization Demos. Brown demanded that it should be paid for by the Warren Campaign Fund. However, The lawsuit and subsequent mailings began early in 2011, long before Elizabeth Warren had become a candidate. That lawsuit stated that Massachusetts had violated The Voter Registration Act, which requires certain state agencies to offer registration forms. Again, we have a baseless attack by Sen. Brown that doesn’t hold water. The last and the one used constantly is that Elizabeth Warren worked against victims when she was hired by Traveler’s Insurance and was paid $250,000 dollars. The truth is that Travelers Insurance hired Warren, an experienced bankruptcy lawyer, for $212,000.00 to help settle a claim against LTV Steel, in which claims were brought by asbestos victims. Elizabeth Warren went before the Supreme Court for a ruling, quoting Warren: “will trusts survive as a legal tool?” What Elizabeth Warren did was to create a $500 million dollar trust for the victims of that lawsuit. That was what she was hired for and she left. In the end, Travelers Insurance had another court rule and overturn the decision and let them off the hook!
The choice now becomes who do you trust to represent you in Washington? Sen. Brown has been in office for over two years and his record shows that he clearly picks and chooses his vote to placate the voters of Massachusetts. It cannot be denied that he has voted for and some against bills which represents the interests of his constituency. However, Elizabeth Warren, under no obligation than the best interests of the voters of Massachusetts, will truly be a ray of sunshine in the dim halls of the present Senate. She will vote in your best interests. You can take that to the bank and the bank still remembers the sting of Elizabeth Warren!
A message from Elizabeth Warren!
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