11
Elizabeth Warren on How Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton Sold Us Out
Jeffrey Toobin's profile of Elizabeth Warren is subscriber-only in the New Yorker, but that's the tip of the iceberg. The woman does not, it's safe to say, care to politic. Very wonderful.
*sigh* How are we going to get her into the Senate now?
As recently as a couple of decades ago, it wasn't considered bizarre to have anyone so pro-consumer in a national policy position. Now, we just blithely, and correctly, assume that regulatory capture is so complete that it wouldn't happen in the first place. And thus do free countries become less free.
@lexalexander I agree with your analysis, but I think you're underestimating how electorally popular regulatory capture is.
In a democracy, if people express a desire to enact regulatory capture — by voting for representatives who favor it — then they can generally have it. There's nothing irrational or illegitimate (or unfree) about that. In fact, while I never took a poli-sci class, I think that's how it's supposed to work. Poli-sci majors are invited to counter, of course.
@skahammer This seems low to me, but according to Prof. Some Guy at the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University, ONLY 37.8% of the "Voting Age Population (VAP)" participated in the 2010 midterm elections. (8.6% of the VAP is evidently non-citizens in this accounting, fyi.)
http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2010G.html
I think it would be fair to say that, in this democracy, the people have expressed a desire to give up, because the government isn't responding to them in a noticeable way.
Caveat: I am not a poli-sci major.
@skahammer I don't know that the voters are voting for regulatory capture per se or are placing higher importance on other issues or are not given an option. Both my Senators–Schumer and Gillibrand–are captured as is my representative–Maloney. Don't get me started about Obama. And these are the Democrats. So there is no non-captured option.
@skahammer To the extent that all (federal) politics is local, you're exactly right. Iron triangles wouldn't be triangles without Congress.
I am curious as to when Elizabeth Warren made these comments, because the timing of it coming out now pretty much ensures she'll be taken down. And not by the Rs.
@Jenna DiFeo@twitter Don't underestimate a party's willingness to overlook "iconoclasm" in highly competitive districts. Americans aren't very smart about politics and they like a candidate that appears to go his/her own way, even if it's practically impossible to do so once they actually take office.
Truthfully, I'm not concerned if Warren loses in MA. I prefer her as a free wheel, in every sense of the term, to make comments exactly like the one posted here. Warren is far too valuable as a real contributor to the cause of the 99% to be buried in the maw of the U.S. Senate, where she would be swallowed up in politics, politics, politics.
I point to another example – Bernie Sanders. IMO Bernie is the finest person during my lifetime to ever hold a Senate seat. The man is tireless and brilliant. However, even he gets "swallowed up" in the Senate. We get to see him fight endlessly, but mostly, sad to say, without good consequence. Change in this country is going to have to come from the 99% (that includes you & me), who will hopefully be moved to even greater action in time to get us turned around, as well as getting climate change turned around.
In the meantime, I'm voting for Jill Stein – the only option that makes any sense at all in this election.
Well I hope, doug, that you live in a "blue" state, because if you care about climate change among other huge issues, I'd hope you might think what misery might have been avoided had Ralph Nader not run in 2000 and Gore had become president… A lot easier to make headway as the 99% if the uphill battle is slightly less uphill I think. And having Elizabeth Warren in the senate to fight and vote with people like Bernie Sanders will give her a bigger voice than she will otherwise have.
Where's the blood sample Elizabeth?