Warren writes: "Do we really believe that we should protect tax breaks for those who have already made it - while we tell our children to take on more debt to get an education, or tell our seniors that they will have to get by on less?"

Elizabeth Warren is running for the US Senate in Massachusetts. (photo: Tim Sloan/AFP)

Washington Is Rigged

Elizabeth Warren, Reader Supported News

01 February 12

Reader Supported News | Perspective

This sharply-written campaign message from Elizabeth Warren highlights two hot-button issues of the upcoming election - the Buffett Rule and economic fairness. -- BRM/RSN

t last week's State of the Union Address, President Obama pushed Congress to enact what's called the Buffett Rule - legislation that would get rid of special breaks that allow a billionaire like Warren Buffett to pay at a lower tax rate than his secretary.

I agree with President Obama. Scott Brown doesn't.

Just last week, Senator Brown told a Massachusetts newspaper that higher taxes would hurt millionaires. That's right. Scott Brown thinks millionaires should pay a lower tax rate than working, middle class families.

Join me and tell Scott Brown he's wrong on the Buffett rule, and wrong to support these special tax breaks for the very wealthy.

This isn't the first time Senator Brown has been more concerned with protecting those who have already made it than helping working families. Just last fall, Scott Brown opposed three jobs bills that would have made a big difference to people in Massachusetts:

A first bill that could have supported 22,000 jobs in Massachusetts.

A second bill that could have prevented layoffs of teachers, firefighters and police officers.

A third bill that could have supported 11,000 jobs rebuilding roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.

Each bill would have been paid for by asking people making more than $1 million a year to pay a little bit more. Senator Brown and every other Republican voted against those jobs.

Many people who work for a living pay 25, 28, or even 33% of their hard earned money on taxes. We should get rid of the special protections that allowed Mitt Romney to pay only 14% of his income in taxes. That's what the Buffett Rule is all about: making sure those who have already made it pay their fair share to help the folks behind them get ahead.

Sign my petition to Scott Brown today: Tell him he's wrong on the Buffett Rule.

I'm all for people succeeding and becoming millionaires, but everybody willing to work hard ought to have a fair shot at it. This is about basic fairness, and it is about our values.

Do we really believe that we should protect tax breaks for those who have already made it - while we tell our children to take on more debt to get an education, or tell our seniors that they will have to get by on less?

That's what's wrong with Washington - and Scott Brown doesn't get it.

Thank you for being a part of this.

P.S. After you sign our petition, send Scott Brown a tweet and tell him he's wrong on the Buffett Rule.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.

Comments

We are concerned about a recent drift towards vitriol in the RSN Reader comments section. There is a fine line between moderation and censorship. No one likes a harsh or confrontational forum atmosphere. At the same time everyone wants to be able to express themselves freely. We'll start by encouraging good judgment. If that doesn't work we'll have to ramp up the moderation.

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Remember that making the world better begins with responsible action.

- The RSN Team

+83 # fredboy 2012-02-01 14:38

The nation's capital was rigged before the ink dried on the Constitution. It's a contest, actually, between interests. And that contests extends to every state, city, town, county and even family. We seem to be either at odds with one another or embracing groupthink and its accompanying group stupidity.

Just think about this: When was the last time you heard anyone mention "the public good," or the term "goodness"? No, greed ices the cake.

+120 # Holyone 2012-02-01 14:52

No, we do not think that the people who made money from the deals they made to take money out of the pockets and life savings of average Americans should not give our money back.

We bailed them out the mess that they got themselve into because of greed. Now, it is time for them to bail the Middle Class out out of the mess they PUT us in.

Now, it is the time to stop the drain from the middle class pockets that go into overseas banks of the rich.

The Rich "Welfare Ticket needs to be recalled.

+153 # bugbuster 2012-02-01 14:56

Give 'em hell, Elizabeth! Give 'em unholy, unrelenting hell!

+127 # Barbara K 2012-02-01 15:01

Go get them, Elizabeth. We have your back.

NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN !!

our future is at stake and nearing life support

+50 # mitchell donian 2012-02-01 15:46

Elizabeth Warren should make a primary challenege to President Obama by way of putting his feet to the fire and showing him reality. She would make a great President...and we all know that.

-7 # conniejo 2012-02-02 07:01

She won't do it because she knows it would help the Republicans, but we can do it for her. Write in Elizabeth Warren for president when your state holds it primary or caucus. I plan to do so.

+30 # bytegoddess 2012-02-02 07:01

Elizabeth Warren is running for the right office at the right time... challenging Obama would only divide the base and make her less likely to win office in the future. Personally, I'd like to see her run for POTUS SOMEDAY, but you must remember that she practically had to be drafted to run for U.S. Senate this time. She's got to cut her political teeth and gain the reputation that I know she will easily earn before hitting the national stage as a potential presidential candidate, or she'll just become a footnote like some others of both parties whom I don't need to mention by name; that would be sad, so I hope she bides her time and does things in her usual smart, strategic way. Another thing I'd like to see is for her to get nominated and confirmed to a spot on the U.S. Supreme Court, where she could seriously do real good as well, and without the nastiness of having to campaign every few years, something I think she finds quite objectionable. Hopefully, we'll have this wonderful woman around for a very long time, no matter what she capacity she chooses to serve in.

+78 # Ellioth 2012-02-01 15:53

Rigged, corrupt, completely unfair - shall we continue? Romney says he'll balance the budget, increase military spending, cut taxes, cut spending. Let's see - taxes for the wealthy have been cut by more than 50% since Reagan. He gave us the same bull-ony. Cut taxes, increase military and balance the budget. He was the first of the next 3 Republican presidents to launch an assault on the middle class and dramatically increase our debt. That debt was not used for investments in our future - it was used to give huge tax breaks for the most wealthy and to spend on two wars (without raising taxes to pay for them).

How freakin' stupid can we be - how can anyone in their right mind contemplate voting for any of these Republicans? They stole our treasury, brought on the great recession, lie about anything they damn well please, and will fully bankrupt America for an extra few bucks in their pocket.

Elizabeth Warren - about the only person I've seen who understands all this and is willing to tell the truth to the American people. How stupid can we be?

+72 # Billy Bob 2012-02-01 15:55

"Do we really believe that we should protect tax breaks for those who have already made it - while we tell our children to take on more debt to get an education, or tell our seniors that they will have to get by on less?"

I would have addded the word "EVEN", as in "...or tell our seniors that they will have to get by on EVEN less?"

Many seniors, and I know a few personally, are "getting by" on almost nothing as a reward for working their asses off their entire lives. This isn't a "handout". This is about common decency. Maybe decency isn't common. I don't know.

Elizabeth Warren 2016

+13 # dorianb@fuse.net 2012-02-01 22:29

Billy Bob" Decency is still common. Your comment rocks!

+1 # Billy Bob 2012-02-02 08:14

Thank you!

+52 # tclose 2012-02-01 16:09

Glad to see Ms. Warren taking the battle to the GOP and Senator Brown. And good to see an eloquent exponent of the Democratic position that needs to be out in front of the electorate going into November. Thanks, to-be-Senator Warren!

+48 # giraffee2012 2012-02-01 16:09

Yes - We (the 99%) are behind you.

I hope there are other Dems running for Congress in 2012 that starts supporting Elizabeth and also starts stating the same "on their campaigns"

Thank heavens for people like Eliz, Bernie Sanders, Grayson, and a few others!

+49 # m... 2012-02-01 16:23

RIGGED?
How about an outright bought and paid for coup!
The 'Reagan Revolution' was like a Science Fiction/Futuristic Movie Beginning, whereby the 'actor' acting on behalf of narrow special interests on high spoke magic code words-- 'GOVERNMENT IS THE PROBLEM.' Then a contingent of NeoCorporate CONservatives dressed as 3-piece white knights with all the best scripted answers and final solutions stepped into the brilliant white light which was cast upon the new American Stage and began to Flim and Flam Millions of suddenly captivated Americans into systematically dismantling the greatest (even with all of its flaws), most world-envied Government System the WORLD had ever known piece by piece under the umbrella of the now-always-there, uncontested, non-debated, holiest-of-holies TALKING POINTS ever devised by the Wealthy Corporate Class to steal the wealth and power from the People of an entire 'Empire' without firing a shot-- ''LESS GOVERNMENT'' (aka '''SMALLER GOVERNMENT''').
Now, after 30 years of Lemmings in a religious fervor with blind FAITH in a relentless Corporate Mantra-- 'LESS FOR ALL WILL TRICKLE DOWN' like Mana from Corporate Heaven if all is 'torn asunder' that stands in the way of unfettered Capitalism and the uninhibited Right of the 'Global Corporate' to seek dominion over Government and EVERYTHING in the name of God, Freedom, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness-is-always-more-profit.
Welcome to the OUTCOME..!

+40 # Kootenay Coyote 2012-02-01 16:41

"...Senator Brown told a Massachusetts newspaper that higher taxes would hurt millionaires."

Oooh, pore ickle fings

+37 # Gusto 2012-02-01 16:45

People's needs [should] trump People's greed.

+23 # cordleycoit 2012-02-01 16:52

It is time to make changes big ones on how the economy is run. Many want to piecemeal fix the current system others would replace the whole mess with Mutualism, cooperation, demonetization, social capital schemes. Ms Warren's talents in organization would be far better realized with finding a replacement for a failed-decayed capitalism. If it's broken fix it or replace it. Time to stop doing things that doon't work.

+49 # Peace Anonymous 2012-02-01 16:52

I totally agree with you Elizabeth. The question I have is for all the people who voted for Obama 3-1/2 years ago and then walked away thinking their job was done. If the people want a government they can be proud of it will take a lot more than casting a vote once every 4 years. As early as the Health Care Bill Obama woke up to the fact that he was alone in trying to impliment "change you can believe in." If things are to change it will take a much more concerted effort on behalf of the people to make it real. Sorry, there is no other way. Amy Goodman was right - the only thing that will change Washington is the will of the people, which translates into a sustained and concerted pressure applied to Washington and corporate America. Change will happen, but only when enough people want it badly enough.

+10 # ABen 2012-02-02 09:19

Well said Peace; Liberals/Progressives need to be as relentless about pushing for socially responsible programs as Conservatives and Teabaggers are about regurgitating mindless dicta.

+34 # leedeegirl 2012-02-01 16:55

Warren said this: "I'm all for people succeeding and becoming millionaires, but everybody willing to work hard ought to have a fair shot at it. This is about basic fairness, and it is about our values."

but, the fact of the matter is, most wealthy people are not "made," they are BORN that way ... born into a life of privilege, and taught that they are better than everyone else ... they marry each other, and make even MORE spoiled, privileged offspring ... these people are NOT going to give up their sweet deal

+14 # KittatinyHawk 2012-02-01 17:07

I guess Mitt the Nit made a comment that he doesnot care about the Poor. I am glad he made it in Public.
I hope the Other Cultures who voted for him and the Moron GOP all take satisfaction that again they voted for a worthless POC again. Florida should fall off into the Ocean along with Jersey. That would save us billions alone

+43 # grouchy 2012-02-01 17:13

I await the time when I can vote for Elizabeth Warren for President! Let's get on with it!

+3 # bugbuster 2012-02-02 11:53

I'm inclined to agree, but first we have to see not only what she wants to do, but what her organizational and leadership qualities would actually enable her to do in the bowels of the meat grinder that is Washington DC. A term or two with Warren in the US Senate will clear that up for us.

+20 # reiverpacific 2012-02-01 17:17

Hell, when you figure what it takes just to THINK about running for office, more every election cycle which in this country tacitly begins the day after inauguration; -of course it's rigged! Has been since the founders declared that only white property owners could vote.
Ms Warren and Bernie Sanders are two of the only prominent voices who persistently broach this "inconvenient truth". I remember meeting Congressman Peter DeFazio when he came to Portland's KBOO Radio station quite a few years ago for an interview and he was driving a beat-up old (forget the brand) boneyard special. I was surprised and somehow reassured by this; at least he seemed like one of us.

-58 # That Woman 2012-02-01 17:28

I cannot believe all the supposed "liberal" or "progressive" apologists for Obama and the Democrats. They are just as corrupt as Republicans and it's worse because they pretend to be different. Warren supports going to war in Iran (never mind the constant barrage of lies from the government and their stooge mainstream media especially the New York Times)even though every reason is an outright lie just as they were in the buildup to the illegal war in Iraq. She also supports the war on terror. When are we going to start supporting people and parties who think of war as the very last resort instead of one of the firsts. We need people running our country who are smart and compassionate and humane not goddamn warmongers. Warren is a female Obama, a lot of pretty rhetoric that Democrats eat up but they don't ring true from another who is part of the 1%.

+43 # Sir Real 2012-02-01 19:12

That Woman Troll is not telling the truth. References please. Elizabeth Warren does not support a war with Iran. That is Gingrich, Santorum and Romney. Not Obama. Not Warren. She is for a smarter war on terror, like Obama waged to get Osama bin Laden, intelligence. I know, that's hard for Republicans to fathom. Warren is against the fear campaign waged on the American people by Republicans since 9/11. Facts are sacred. Bullshit is just that.

+7 # Jerry 2012-02-01 22:42

Is she really for a war on terror? I thought she was too smart for that. There can not be a war on a tactic. Terror is not an enemy that can surrender, or win. And how can the U.S. claim to be an opponent of the use of terror when it uses it extensively?

+7 # soularddave 2012-02-01 19:14

[quote name="That Woman"] supposed "liberal" or "progressive" apologists for Obama and the Democrats. They are just as corrupt as Republicans and it's worse because they pretend to be different. quote]

Simply not true. We DO NOT have the same agenda.

+4 # Kiwikid 2012-02-01 21:36

I just read your profile 'That Woman'. I suggest you need to work out who your friends are - they may not be people who agree totally with you or share your strength of passion, but I don't doubt that once you've sorted out the issues that matter, ultimately you and Elizabeth Warren would find yourselves on the same side of the great divide

+12 # dorianb@fuse.net 2012-02-01 22:37

That Womn: You have not ben following Elizabeth Warren or you would know she is one of the few compassionate and humane politicians and she really cares about the people.

-2 # Robt Eagle 2012-02-03 12:11

Wow, and I thought you were on the right train, until you got on the peacenic BS. The only thing that Islamic fundamentalists understand is someone tougher and stronger than them. Every time we back down it emboldens the bad guys and they strengthen their ranks with other lunatics. Get your head out of the sand and realize that we need to be as powerful as possible and then no one wants to go after us. If we don't keep the war over in the Middle East it will surely arrive on our shores. Proof was the first bombing of the WTC and then 9/11. How soon you forget. Peace will come when every bad guy is scared to act for fear of America kicking their sorry asses. And we MUST maintain our intelligence and strength in the Middle East, not bring everyone home to show the bad guys they can beat us.

+25 # noitall 2012-02-01 17:40

Good point Elizabeth and good luck. You'll know what a goldfish in a shark pond feels like. It seems that in order to become a millionaire, one has to sell his soul to the devil because they (at least the republican ones) have sure turned their backs on their bible with things like the sin of greed. It's going to be difficult to rely on the 99% too for support, the poor millionaires have spent their tax savings well: bought the supreme court, lots of $ for the military, "homeland security", and now have the LAW to lable and take care of anyone they need to get out of the way, in the name of "terrorism". If they didn't have tax savings to spend on this they might have to dip into their own pocket and if you've ever had coffee with a millionaire, you know whose pocket ends up being used.

+34 # jon 2012-02-01 17:47

What this country needs, is a couple of hundred more Elizabeth Warrens.

+30 # Hankster 2012-02-01 17:58

Sen. Brown has taken the typical Republican stance.Stonewall anything Obama does to try and revive the economy.
They don't want him to get credit for
anything that might get him re-elected.
While I don't agree with everything the
Obama administration does,the thought of
Republicans in total control scares the
hell out of me!!!

+5 # bugbuster 2012-02-02 11:44

I agree, and I would add that Obama bashers on the left seem to take pleasure in playing into Republican hands. Sometimes I wonder who they really are and who they are working for.

Obama has spent every day of his term trying to thread a needle between what he is inclined to do and what he can do with a huge well-funded global corporate and political machine singlemindedly bent of sabotaging everything he tries to do big and small.

-47 # That Woman 2012-02-01 18:12

From where I sit it doesn't look like Warren is one of the 99%:

"On Friday, BuzzFeed reported that Warren’s Personal Financial Disclosure forms show she is by most standards a wealthy individual.

“She earned more than $429,000 from Harvard last year alone for a total of about $700,000, and lives in a house worth $5 million,” the story said. “She also has a portfolio of investments in stocks and bonds worth as as much as $8 million, according to the form, which lists value ranges for each investment. The bulk of it is in funds managed by TIAA-CREF.”

If Warren were to be elected to Congress, she would rank among the 25 wealthiest members of Congress, based on Roll Call’s 2011 “The 50 Richest Members of Congress” list. The House and Senate have a combined total of 535 members."

+17 # reiverpacific 2012-02-01 20:53

I 'Feel your anger" as the cliché goes but I really don't think any of us, no matter how submerged, begrudges anyone "doing well", as one rightist who butts into RSN sometimes puts it (or at least I don't). It's their transparency and what they do with it that identifies their character.
As I mentioned earlier, you have to be pretty well-off materially to even think about running for office anymore (sadly) and we have to face that particular reality in the US at least, recognize that we need allies in the upper reaches who are articulate and sincere in their aspirations to represent the rest of us, if we are to turn that all-too-established fact around.
This is a supremely intelligent, hard-working person who advocates on OUR behalf and I don't care how much her personal assets come to if honestly come by and available for public scrutiny. Remember the "Judas Kiss" she got from the Ob' crowd for "knowing too much" after she'd flogged herself for > a year to establish a Department of Consumer protection, after pissing-off the entrenched money-launderers permeating D.C and beyond with their lobbyist bag-carriers?
She must ha' been doing something right!
Now she gets to show how much she can accomplish if she is elected to office.
Got any better ideas?

+16 # maddave 2012-02-01 22:49

For "That Woman":
You simply don't understand, do you . . .or you some sort of a reactionary right winger trying to throw shit into the game? I'd say m both!

Nobody that i know (or care to know) is bothered by "how much" Elizabeth Warren (or anybody else) is worth! I, one of the 99%, am happy that she and others have accumulated a respectable net worth, and I am right sure that she - like Mitt Romney - pays what she owes in taxes, when she owes it and not a dollar more. That's all we ask of anyone. Our problem is that the GOP has this irrational death wish (for the USA) which is reflected in their collective, irrevocable oath to the certifiably insane Grover Norquist that they will NEVER raise taxes . . . When, in fact, what they are REALLY doing is protecting their own income and nest eggs - ad those of their campaign patrons - . from reasonable taxation.

If anything, I'd say she is Buffet one-per-center which is a good place to be!

+15 # James38 2012-02-02 00:17

That, you are full of over-aged fish. Elisabeth Warren isn't asking for tax breaks, instead she is out campaigning for the rights of other people to make it as she has. She is at least devoting herself to a truly worthwhile cause. What the hell are you doing? All I see is a bunch of angry bullshit.

0 # bugbuster 2012-02-02 09:17

What's your point?

-36 # Douglas Jack 2012-02-01 18:31

That Woman, Thank you for this heads-up on Warren as another puppet. If we only hear one side of a story such as we are receiving from the media and government officials such as Obama and Warren about Iran, then we know right away that; they are lying. First Nations here and indigenous peoples worldwide know that there are always two sides to every story. https://sites.google.com/site/indigenecommunity/structure/1-both-sides-now-article
Fredboy, Before the ink dried on the constitution. The present 'exogenous' (Latin = 'other-generated') governments of the Americas are illegal rogue entities based in colonial appropriation, violence, false science and the lowest possible productivity. The real sovereignty and abundance is 'indigenous' (Latin = 'self-generating') First Nation, to which all of us can still give due respect and allegiance even today. www.indigenecommunity.info

+12 # maddave 2012-02-01 23:08

say Doug-Jack,

How about - when you get sober again - you write all of that in standard English. . . But next time, please leave out the pseudo-intellectual jargon & freshman Latin lessons.

And from a pure, nationalistic point of view: you Dudley Do-Right's can say what you want about a lot of people here in the USA, but lay of of Elizabeth Warren unless you are ready to cite verifiable chapter, line & verse regarding your criticism.

+2 # reiverpacific 2012-02-02 10:56

Quoting

say Doug-Jack,

How about - when you get sober again - you write all of that in standard English. . . But next time, please leave out the pseudo-intellectual jargon & freshman Latin lessons.

And from a pure, nationalistic point of view: you Dudley Do-Right's can say what you want about a lot of people here in the USA, but lay of of Elizabeth Warren unless you are ready to cite verifiable chapter, line & verse regarding your criticism.

Heh-heh! Good call and rightly so.
It's a nice language, let's use it legibly to express our opinions and feelings.
As Wordsworth said: "We must be free or die, who speak the tongue that Shakespeare spoke: the faith and morals hold which Milton held". -In everything we are sprung, of Earth's first blood, have titles manifold"!

+4 # bugbuster 2012-02-02 11:39

Are you sure you posted this on the right page? It does seem off-topic. But if you disagree, then I might point out that one man's indigenous population is another man's colonizer. Neither you nor anybody knows beyond the current changeable state of science exactly *who* was *where* first.

+23 # angelfish 2012-02-01 18:37

I believe it boils down to ONE thing, and ONE thing only. Do they have ANY sort of Moral Compass or not? If they are "Christians", or men of Faith as they so mightily profess, then they must believe in the Golden Rule. If they are not, it's "Every man for himself!", which is what seems to be the ReTHUGlican Mantra these days. "I'm up, pull up the rope!", let the rest fall by the wayside. It boggles the imagination to realize that they Shriek so loudly over a PALTRY four (4) percent increase in their Tax Rate if and when the Bush Tax relief, at LONG last, expires. Hold their feet to the fire, Elizabeth! I can't wait till you're elected to the Senate this Fall! You'll be a much needed shot in the arm of the body Politic, that's for SURE!

+22 # TROB 2012-02-01 18:45

Elizabeth, I hope you are what you SEEM to be. I hope you mean what you say. The last election has so disillusioned me that I find myself holding back from believing anyone.

I want to believe in you. But I believed Obama, to my utter regret. The others are worse, to be sure. But I crave more than the better of two evils.

If you are what you SEEM, you will fulfill that craving.

+7 # dorianb@fuse.net 2012-02-01 22:46

Elizabeth Warren is what she seems to be.
An intelligent, savvy woman who with integrity. Obama and Elizabeth Warren are very different as people & politicans

+22 # Sir Real 2012-02-01 19:03

I read a article where Scott Brown was arguing that increasing taxes on the wealthy would also affect school teachers, fire fighters and police. His logic was they make so much in overtime that they would be pushed into a higher tax bracket along with his wealthy banker friends. Needless to say it was a disgusting display of disconnect. For one thing, Number one, I am sure that if these people were making over $200,000 they would be happy to pay more, which they would not, and number two,would Scott Brown please tell us where these lucrative jobs are. Teachers, fire fighters and police have been laid off by the hundreds of thousands, perhaps over a million all across the country by Republican governors and they could surely use all the help Senator Brown could lend helping them find such great jobs. Whatta ya say Senator???

+8 # Jerry 2012-02-01 19:11

Why is Elizabeth settling for the "Buffet Rule?" Millionaires were taxed at up to 90% during the heyday of this country. Seems all of the past great empires have floundered due to aristocrats and warmongers skimming evermore off of the productivity of commoners till there wasn't enough to survive on, or invest in innovation and people, and spent it on luxury and empire building. Elizabeth use to talk about making businesses pay for the infrastructure they use to loot society. What's happened? If she is really a war monger, she will lose my support.

+3 # Douglas Jack 2012-02-01 19:19

Imagine if from 1492-on, Europeans as ecological refugees fleeing Europe coming to the American continents applied with civility to immigrate here. Each of us as individuals and families would have promised to honour and respect the laws and customs of this land. We were welcomed for the most part by First Nations but did not live up to honesty and obligation. Massive abundance of Polyculture Orchard food production would sustain us today. Economic Democracy in specialized Product Societies would empower each of us as progressive owners in our areas of expertise. Living in extended multihome housing, multiple generations interact and the labours of women, men working in domestic and community service accounted for, organized and respected. Why do we hold on to our colonial identities when such abundance and fairness is available? www.indigenecommunity.info

0 # Doubter 2012-02-02 10:14

How about a glossary so I (we) can partake of your wisdom?

+11 # pamitty 2012-02-01 19:30

I will Never vote for a republican. I've been reading books about all this and they are a shameless corrupt bunch of politicians. I know that some dems are evil too, but on the whole they are way better people. I have trouble figuring out why so many people hate Obama. He could have done a lot more good without the Obstructionists . Elizabeth, you go girl! You would make a great 1st. woman president.

+7 # bugbuster 2012-02-02 09:12

I would never say never, but I can't recall voting for a Republican since 1976. I keep waiting for a worthwhile Republican candidate to come along. And waiting. And waiting. They all just seem so brainwashed.

+9 # Mike Farrace 2012-02-01 20:01

Who's apologizing? Republicans in sheep's clothing always point out how both parties are corrupt when they're about to lose an argument. Comparing the buildup to war in Iraq with current US policy toward Iran is ridiculous. Obama and the world's concerned countries are turning up the sanction heat, not frantically bullshitting the American people to shove a war down their throats.

Warren does not "support" going to war in Iran. She said one thing last year to a reporter about taking nothing off the table, and that's it.

Here is the passage from the Boston Herald:

“Our number one responsibility is to protect Americans from terrorism, that’s our job, so being tough on terrorism is enormously important,” said Warren yesterday at a campaign stop in Gloucester.

“We should take nothing off the table, but the facts are still emerging,” the Senate candidate said when asked if she would support military action against Iran.

That's it. As far as I can tell, that's the entirety of the basis for the right's attack on Warren. This is what they call warmongering. In most circles, this is known as bullshit.

On the other hand, while I think we should support Warren against Scott Brown, maybe we should find out just a little bit more about her before we start talking about the presidency. How many of us knew until recently that she used to be a Republican, for example?

+11 # conniejo 2012-02-02 06:59

I, and many others I know who support Elizabeth, know she used to be a Republican. Ronald Reagan used to be a Democrat. Would you trust Reagan to look out for the interests of the masses because he used to be a Democrat? He changed parties to serve his own self-interest; she changed parties to serve our interests. I value her all the more for abandoning a party that watches out for the interests of the few (including her) for the many. Roosevelt was wealthy as were the Kennedys, but they all represented us well against the Republican party shills serving their greedy masters. Actions are what matters, and her recent actions to establish the Consumer Protection Bureau, the purpose of which is to protect the likes of us from the exploitation of the few, says it all.

+12 # James38 2012-02-02 00:34

You want to know why the rich want war? Many of the rich make major bucks on war material, and that includes a lot of stuff, from chemicals to clothing, from guns to commissaries full of stuff, from bombs to planes to boots. However, one of the craziest statements you hear is that war is good for the economy. Nonsense. That an economy can survive a war is a tribute to the economy, not the war. All the stuff consumed in a war is never paid for. The troops are fed, housed, clothed, and armed, and nobody pays for anything but the taxpayer. In any war it would be cheaper to just bring the soldiers home and pay them a pension. The workers in the factories making the weapons could all be paid for going to school or whatever. And all the raw materials would be saved. Some of the weapons factories could make washing machines and give them away. War is NOT good for any economy. It is a huge waste. It just shows how much excess wealth a halfway functioning society generates. This is what the rich are often tapped into. They want the money and the power. It is an addiction worse than any other. They don’t want the members of the public to know how much wealth they generate, because the rich don’t want to share it with the people who actually create it. This is why we need the Buffett rule. It is rare to see an honest rich guy. Good on you, Warren Buffett.

+16 # moby doug 2012-02-02 00:57

More than 30 years after Reagan acted as front man for the greatest (and still ongoing) heist in history, I am still astonished at how easy it has been for the richest 1%, and especially the richest 1/10 of 1%, to rob most of the rest of us. Never have so few leveraged so many (and so many who are relatively well educated) for so long for so many trillions. And, of course, they've utterly subverted (bought and paid for) democracy in the bargain. We hundreds of millions of swindled John Q. Publics need to rise up before the super rich shut tight our final manacles. And these days the 5 corporate fascists on the Roberts Court are even worse public enemies than the klowns in the House & Senate. It's sad that the sold out (working for Koch Bros.) Teabaggers have stolen and corrupted the dress and symbols of Revolutionary War times, because we very badly need new Paul Reveres, millions of them, to awaken the sleeping, or lobotomized, hundreds of millions and galvanize them into action. Has there ever been a more chumped out nation than this one?

+17 # Factman 2012-02-02 03:44

Republicans like Thatwomen need to get their thought train organized. It doesn't make any difference if Warren is in the 1% or not, just like Buffet. All that matters is that she is for higher taxes on the 1%. The fact of her being in the 1% is irrelevant, but Republicans will try to make it seem like a logical criticism. Probably watched too much Fox Noise. Republicans despise the Warrens and the Buffets of the world because such people are willing to place the good of many above personal greed.

+1 # Cassandra2012 2012-02-02 15:20

They didn't like JFK either!, did they?

-4 # Robt Eagle 2012-02-03 12:22

Tax the 1% all you wnat, it will just make you warm and fuzzy. Obam's polices and that of his Administration and the Dems are killing this country economically. Al the gains made in the last three years have been in the private sector creating jobs despite the farsical activities of the Obama policies.

+5 # fraleigh44 2012-02-02 16:08

Year after year the controlled conservative media dupes us into believing the conservative agenda. They have used the oldest game in the book: Divide and Conquer. We do have power considering we number over 200 million and the power brokers only in the tens of thousand. Yet we allow ourselves to focus on one issue and irrelevant topics like gay marriage, pro life. Years ago Ghandi was asked how the Indian people could change the British. He responded that we are hundreds of millions and they are only tens of thousands. We can vote for our interests like social security, healthcare, unemployment benefits. rebuilding our infrastructure and funding properly our schools. If I have to pay more taxes and that is what I will get then so be it. All of these government programs are not entitlement programs. I notice monies coming out of my pay check to pay for these things. Vote out any one who is a Dixie democrate or a Republican. Look at what has happened in Ohio, Wisconsin, etc. Unit behind the people who help foster the middle class not just the upper crust.
Fred

0 # cypress72 2012-02-04 14:06

I agree that millonaires and billionaires should pay at least a 30% Federal tax rate. Income inequality maybe a huge issue this campaign season, but I have yet to hear how my income is going to go up if the rich pay significantly higher taxes. How is the re-distribution going to work??

0 # cypress72 2012-02-04 14:17

Remember that the rates quoted by Ms. Warren are MARGINAL TAX RATES and they will go up in 2013 barring new legislation. No one pays 33% of their entire income at the Federal level.

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