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ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 09:40 AM Dec 2019

Elizabeth Warren's Journey From 'Pro-Business' Academic To Consumer Advocate

In 1978, Congress had passed a new bankruptcy code.

"There was an enormous amount of contention over the new code," said Jay Westbrook, Warren's longtime research collaborator and co-author from the University of Texas.

Creditors suggested that people were intentionally avoiding their debts. "There was a lot of conjecture," said Catherine Nicholson, one of Warren's former research assistants. "There was really no hard data on why people filed for bankruptcy."

Warren wanted details.

.................................................
One trait [Winick] says she admires about her old professor was that Warren was "always asking why" and followed the evidence regardless of where it went. When the facts in their bankruptcy research became irrefutable, Winick says Warren was willing to reexamine her previously-held opinions.
...................................................

The Consumer Bankruptcy Project changed Warren. It wasn't theoretical academic work; it required looking into people's personal lives.

"She saw more of the very difficult side of life of the people who go through the bankruptcy process," said Westbrook. "She saw their struggles. And she saw a variety of ways in which the credit industry manipulates things in order to get them ever deeper into debt."

"These people were really in enormous amount of debt," [Westbrook] said. "They had literally enough unsecured debt that it would take them years if they never bought another meal or paid a telephone bill to dig out from under."

The end result of their research was unprecedented — an independent, data-driven analysis on bankruptcy that resulted in a book called As We Forgive Our Debtors.

It drove much of the academic and professional work Warren has done since, though as the Washington Post pointed out, Warren and her co-authors faced skepticism and criticism from a rival about over-exaggerating the claims.


https://www.npr.org/2019/12/10/786314251/elizabeth-warrens-journey-from-pro-business-academic-to-consumer-advocate

The bolded text is mine, and it illustrates one of many reasons I find Warren a very appealing candidate for POTUS. She listens, and respects facts. She doesn't jsut dismiss new data or ideas that don't support an assumption she has as corrupt or wrong out of hand. She has the intellectual capacity to examine the possibility that her ideas could change and improve.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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sagesnow

(2,823 posts)
1. Warren has been against Corporate Corruption since day one.
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 09:42 AM
Dec 2019

She's got working people's backs.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
5. And she's unecumbered by an outsized ego and lack of emotional intelligence that prevents her from
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 07:08 PM
Dec 2019

working with progressive peers in the Senate to actually accomplish something to benefit them.

She was lapping other self-described progressive career politicians before she even got into elected office in that aspect.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

IndyOp

(15,501 posts)
2. Sexism. Steve Schmidt from "The Circus" was on MSNBC spewing
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 10:52 AM
Dec 2019

hatred this morning - stating that Senator Warren had misrepresented herself so many times that she had lost credibility.

If he had been talking about a male candidate, he would have said that that candidate was going to have to explain the situation very clearly and convincingly or risk losing supporters.

Talking about Senator Warren he provided an exceptionally good example of the ancient theme of "women as evil" in modern form. Schmidt is indicating that her inconsistent statements reveal Senator Warren's evil nature.

McCaskill and Mika were arguing - reasonably - that Senator Warren may not have recognized that releasing her former clients and salary would become this big of a deal and her campaign may have needed to find a better way to put the information forward.

I'll add that if Senator Warren were a man The Washington Post and other media sources that are screaming about her big salary and work with megacorporations would not be as intense in their objections. How dare the woman who was a Republican most of her life succeed financially in the same way(s) that other Republicans do?

I want to see more women in media calling out sexism in real-time in the presence of the talking head who is spewing it.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

BlueMTexpat

(15,349 posts)
3. This.
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 11:04 AM
Dec 2019

Thank you!

And we ALL should remember that Steve Schmidt is really no friend to Democrats. He might sound reasonable in comparison to mainstream GOPers today.

But he IS a Republican. We should NEVER forget that.

That Schmidt is after Warren only increases my support and respect for her!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

blm

(112,920 posts)
6. Schmidt still carries water for financial industry's thugs directing the media attacks
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 07:41 PM
Dec 2019

against Warren.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

PatrickforO

(14,516 posts)
4. Indeed. That 'huge' salary happened over 34 years at an average of $60K per year.
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 11:08 AM
Dec 2019

So, yeah, just absolutely huge.

Here's the question I'd ask if I were on the show with them:

"Wait a minute. We're saying that Elizabeth Warren, over a period of thirty-four years, made just over $2 million above and beyond her salary. This is an average of $60K per year in legal contracts.

Wow!

So, why are you even bringing this up when we have Trump refusing to even release his tax returns, Steyer and Bloomberg billionaires, and even Mitch McConnell is worth over $30 million at this point.

Is this what is known as a double standard?"

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

sheshe2

(83,354 posts)
7. I love a politician that can grow in their job.
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 08:33 PM
Dec 2019

Ebb and flow, rise and fall with the changing tides. Stagnation is not the way forward.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

ehrnst

(32,640 posts)
8. A sign of intellectual agility, rather than 'corruption' or "flip-flopping."
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 09:17 PM
Dec 2019

The politics of domination or authoritarianism is a very male style of management - be it on the right or left.

The style of listening and seeking consensus is often considered "suspect" especially in women.

Warren is already being called "corporatist" despite her record in part because she doesn't say "go fuck yourself" as a first response to anyone who disagrees with her.

Pelosi and Hillary have both been accused of "being in bed with" donors/wall street/big pharma, etc in a thinly veiled misogynistic smear by those who think that women "don't get" that you have to dominate the room or else you're complicit...

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

sheshe2

(83,354 posts)
11. Correct.
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 09:58 PM
Dec 2019

Warren grew up in a Republican household. She was a republican for years. She grew. She expanded her thinking. She singled handedly birthed the CFPB. An agency that has helped millions of Americans. It was her baby that the GOP denied her the right to head. That's okay, she got them back by becoming the Senior Senator of MA. They thought they got rid of her. She is their worst nightmare. They fear her.

Fact. She has done more than most before even setting foot on the Senate floor.

Fact. She was full throttle M4A. No more. She wants to build, not tear down. I like that and the headway ACA just made with SCOTUS. Build on what is there. Build up and not tear it all down.

Thanks, ehrnst.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

sheshe2

(83,354 posts)
12. Sorry I missed this until tonight.
Thu Dec 12, 2019, 01:14 AM
Dec 2019


Yeah.

Pelosi and Hillary have both been accused of "being in bed with" donors/wall street/big pharma, etc in a thinly veiled misogynistic smear by those who think that women "don't get" that you have to dominate the room or else you're complicit...


We are always in bed with someone and can never rise on our own. We need the man.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

betsuni

(25,135 posts)
10. One of her best qualities is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 09:43 PM
Dec 2019

That's how you get things done in life. Listening and thinking rather than talking and getting defensive at the slightest perceived criticism. Can't learn anything that way.

The opposite of rigid ideology, believing the same thing Wednesday that you did Monday, no matter what happened on Tuesday.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
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