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Elizabeth Warren Tag

Democrats pride themselves on diversity and inclusiveness, so we might expect to see a united colors of Benneton ad in the Senate yearbook.  But we'd be wrong. According to the Washington Post, they have seen a report released by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that shows that the majority of Senate staffers are white and female. The Washington Post reports:
People working for Democratic senators are overwhelmingly white and mostly women, according to a first-of-its-kind report on diversity in some congressional offices.

Democrats have been struggling to find something positive to say, something to stand for and to campaign on.  Elizabeth Warren thinks that something should be single-payer health care. The idea of single-payer is nothing new for Democrats.  Back in 2003, then-Illinois state senator Obama said:
I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer, universal health care program. I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its gross national product on health care, cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody. ... A single-payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. That's what I'd like to see. But as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we've got to take back the White House, we've got to take back the Senate, and we've got to take back the House.

Elizabeth Warren has claimed at various points in her life to be Native American, most notably when she was climbing the law professor ladder. When she got tenure at Harvard Law School, she dropped the self-identification. By all available evidence, Warren's claims are false. Warren never has come forward with any credible evidence, and Cherokee genealogists who have followed her family lines have proven there is no Indian ancestry (neither Cherokee nor Delaware).

Put this one in your political time capsule. On her MSNBC show this morning, Joy Reid played a clip of her recently asking Elizabeth Warren if she was "going to run" for president in 2020.  Her response is interesting, to say the least. What makes it significant is that Warren did not resort to the classic dodge of saying "I am not running," a meaningless non-answer for anyone who has not yet thrown his hat into the ring. The question was whether she was "going" to run, and Warren's "no" would, as a matter of logic, indicate that she has ruled out a run.

Back when Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) still claimed to be a Republican, she came up with the idea of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). That idea, however, morphed into a partisan Democrat operation under Obama, with a structure that sought to exclude itself from Executive or Congressional oversight.  The constitutionality of the CFPB will be decided, yet again, on Wednesday by the D. C. Circuit Court.

Democrats have gone from demanding former FBI Director James' Comey's resignation or dismissal to being puffed up with such outrage that the president has fired Comey they have decided to grind Senate work to a halt by cancelling or postponing meetings  . . . for a whole day.  This is their way of protesting the "lack of an independent investigation" into Russia's alleged election meddling. The Washington Post reports:
Democrats on Capitol Hill slowed committee business in the Senate to protest the lack of an independent investigation into Russia’s election meddling, and a growing number of Republicans questioned Trump’s decision.

Yesterday, Professor Jacobson penned a compelling argument about the dangers of being "branded" by President Trump:  Trump brands tend to spread . . . and stick. The latest person to be branded, he explained, is Elizabeth Warren, who falsely claimed to be Native American in an attempt to further her career.  You can read the details here. Speaking at the NRA convention, Trump referred to Warren as "Pocahontas," and the prof observed that "Trump is branding her.  And being someone who was a fake Indian is her brand. She’ll never shake it."

When Newt Gingrich spoke at Cornell earlier this semester, he made a very important point. Trump doesn't attack his political opponents, he brands them. The brand for Jeb was "low energy." For Rubio, it was "little Marco." For Cruz, it was "lyin' Ted." Once branded, they could not shake the image. Just ask "Crooked Hillary." Which brings up Elizabeth Warren. As we posted earlier, while Warren is denying that she "is" running for president in 2020, she's making all the normal pre-presidential run moves.

Elizabeth Warren says she's not running for president in 2020. She could have fooled us. Her actions suggest not only is she running, she has already begun. Still, she denies it. The Washington Free Beacon reported:
Warren: ‘I’m Not Running for President in 2020’ Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D, Mass.) stated that she is not running for president in 2020 during an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night.

In an interview with the Boston Globe, Sen. Elizabeth Warren claimed Sen. Mitch McConnell won't even say hello to her after she violated Senate rules during floor debate over the confirmation of Attorney General, Jeff Sessions. According to the Globe:
“I’ve spoken to him, but he has not spoken to me,” Warren said, laughing in a disbelieving way, shaking her head. “I say hello to Mitch every chance I get, and he turns his head.”

It has been a mystery as to why Elizabeth Warren never ran for president in 2016. As I wrote many times, and early on, I believe Warren would have crushed Hillary. Like a sour grape. The decision not to run also stood in contrast to Warren's tough gal act on Twitter and on the stump. She was a flame thrower who claimed not to be afraid to stand up to the bully Trump. So why didn't Warren run?

Elizabeth Warren fancies herself a champion on the issue of equal pay for women but like many progressives, she doesn't hold herself to the same rules she wants for others. Brent Scher of the Washington Free Beacon did a little digging and found that the pay difference between men and women on Warren's staff is rather problematic:
Elizabeth Warren’s Female Staffers Made 71% of Male Staffers’ Salaries in 2016 The gender pay gap in Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D., Mass.) office is nearly 10 percent wider than the national average, meaning women in the Massachusetts Democrat's office will have to wait longer than most women across the country to recognize Equal Pay Day.

Elizabeth Warren is emerging as the symbol of "resistance" to Trump, despite the attempts of Clinton World to slide Chelsea into that slot. That's not by chance. Republicans are desperate to find someone to run against in 2018. Republicans need a new foil.There is no obvious Democrat to run against, because there are no big name national Democrats left. Pelosi and Schumer are old news. Bernie has had his day in the sun. Warren fits the bill.

Elizabeth Warren's opinion on healthcare and the single payer option seems to shift with political convenience. It's hard to believe, isn't it? Back in 2012, when being a good Democrat meant defending Obamacare at all costs, she abandoned her prior support for a single payer plan. She got caught in an interview with liberal Boston radio host Jim Braude. Here's a transcript of their conversation via the Weekly Standard:
Elizabeth Warren Supported Single-Payer Before She Opposed It HOST: If you were the tsarina, something like single-payer, government run health care, far lower administrative costs, that sort of thing, would be the Senator Warren prescription, would it not? ELIZABETH WARREN: I think right now what we have to do--I’m serious about this--I think you’ve got to stay with what’s possible. And I think what we’re doing–and look at the dust-up around this–we really need to consolidate our gains around what we’ve got on the table.