Coming Collapse of the Middle Class with Elizabeth Warren

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11 years ago

Elizabeth Warren BENEDICT GOMBOCZ
2. Personal details Personal details  Born June 22, 1949 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma  Member of the Democratic Party (since 1996; was a Republican until 1996)  Graduate of George Washington University, University of Houston (B.S.), Rutgers School of Law-Newark (J.D.)  Senior senator from Massachusetts (serving with Ed Markey) since January 3, 2013  Special Advisor for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, September 17, 2010-August 1, 2011  Chairperson of the Congressional Oversight Panel, November 25, 2008-November 15, 2010 Official Senate portrait, 113th Congress
3. Synopsis Synopsis  Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is a Senator from Massachusetts who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2012 at age 63.  Warren formerly worked as one of President Barack Obama’s assistants who was involved in designing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, among a number of other positions.  Born on June 22, 1949, Elizabeth Warren was the first in her family to graduate from college; she acquired her law degree from Rutgers University.  She was chosen to supervise the National Bankruptcy Review Commission (NBRC) after she had a job as a law professor at Harvard University.  She also presided over the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in 2008.  Four years later, Warren was elected to the U.S. Senate over her opponent Scott Brown, the incumbent Republican.
4. Early Life Early Life  Born Elizabeth Ann Herding in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 22, 1949, Elizabeth Warren was the youngest of four children (and the only daughter) of Donald and Pauline Herring.  Warren spent much of her early years on what she referred to as “the ragged edge of the middle class.”  Her father worked mainly as a maintenance man; when he suffered a heart attack that resulted in expensive medical bills, Warren’s mother made extra money by working at Sears’ catalogue-order department.
At the age of thirteen, Warren began helping by working as a table waitress at her aunt’s Mexican restaurant.  Yet money was still tight, in spite of attempts to eliminate the family’s financial stress; because there were few finances, Warren recalled her mother’s reluctance to take her to the doctor. Skyline of Oklahoma City from I-35
5. Early Life – cont. Early Life – cont.  An intelligent student, Warren became a state debate victor and graduated from high school when she was only sixteen; she entered George Washington University on a full debate scholarship the same year.
Warren left the university after only two years there to marry her high school sweetheart, NASA mathematician Jim Warren; the couple moved to Texas, where Elizabeth completed her degree in speech pathology at the University of Houston, which made her the first member of her immediate family to finish college.  The couple moved to New Jersey, where Elizabeth worked in public schools and assisted children with disabilities; during that time, the couple gave birth to two children: a daughter, Amelia, and a son, Alex.
On the day that Amelia turned two, Warren started graduate school for law at Rutgers University; she obtained her J.D. in 1976, and practiced law in her living room. George Washington University
6. University of Houston Rutgers University
7. Elizabeth Warren as a student at the University of Houston in 1970, age 21
8. Political Career  By 1978, she and Jim had divorced.  In the year after the annulment, Warren began to observe the challenges that the American middle class was dealing with; she specifically studied a 1978 law passed by Congress that made it easier for corporations and individuals to declare bankruptcy.  Warren decided to analyze the reasons that Americans found themselves in bankruptcy courts, and concluded that the majority of the financial victims belonged to middle-class families who lost their jobs, dealt with financial suffering from a divorce, or suffered diseases that destroyed their savings.  From there, she turned her attention to research on bankruptcy and commercial law, more specifically on how it affected financially distraught corporations and women, senior citizens, and the working poor.
9. Political career – cont. Political career – cont.  In 1980, Warren married Harvard law professor Bruce Mann; she kept her last name from her first marriage.  Warren and Mann traveled around the United States together, with Warren teaching at schools like the University of Texas, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania.  In 1995, the couple finally found a living in Harvard; the same year, she was asked to direct the new National Bankruptcy Review Commission.
During her tenure as chief adviser, Warren testified against Congressional attempts to restrict consumers’ ability to file for bankruptcy.  In spite of her best attempts, the bill was passed in 2005; it was seen as a triumph for the business lobby, and a defeat for Warren. Bruce Mann campaigns on behalf of his wife during the Massachusetts 2012 Senate election
10. Political Career – cont. Political Career – cont.  In November 2008, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) appointed Warren to head the Congressional Oversight Panel (as a special advisor), which was established to keep a close eye on the $700 billion bank bailout known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program.  Warren led investigations, managed televised public hearings, directed interviews of government officials, and submitted recurrent reports demanding responsibility from banks.
For her efforts to identify errors, The Boston Globe named Warren “Bostonian of the Year” in 2009.  She took part in designing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation, in July 2011.  Policing credit financiers and stopping customers from inadvertently signing up for hazardous loans was the CFPB’s primary goal.  However, Warren was not selected to lead the agency, mostly because of opposition from Republicans.
In August 2011, she resigned as special advisor for the CFPB; the following month, President Obama appointed her as his special assistant. Elizabeth Warren looks on as President Obama announces the appointment of Richard Cordray as the CFPB’s first director, July 2011
11. Elected to U.S. Senate Elected to U.S. Senate  Warren formally announced her bid for the Senate on September 14, 2011, challenging Republican incumbent Scott Brown, who previously won the 2010 special election for the deceased Ted Kennedy’s seat against Paul G. Kirk.  Around the time of her announcement, a speech that Warren gave went viral on YouTube, recommending her to mainstream supporters.  In the clip, filmed in a casual living room meet-and-greet, the Harvard law professor demonstrated how everyone profits from roads, public safety, and the public education system in the U.S.; all of them are paid for by taxes.  “You built a factory and it turned into something terrific or a great idea—God bless!” she said. “Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.“
The talk won some recognition for Warren’s rise in the polls. Warren waves as she speaks at a campaign rally in Boston’s Roslindale neighborhood, Friday, September 21, 2012
12. Warren’s rise in the polls (June 2011-March 2012)
13. Elected to U.S. Senate – cont.  In early 2012, Warren’s campaign faced legal trouble when she was in a media scramble regarding her Native American descent claims.  Reporters for the Boston Herald were unable to uncover any evidence of her alleged Cherokee heritage; her claim was also disputed by a Cherokee genealogist.  In an effort to overcome the dispute, Warren issued a statement to Boston’s WBZ-TV: “Growing up, my mother and grandparents often talked about our family’s Native American heritage. As a kid, I never thought to ask them for documentation—what kid would?”  Warren further clarified that, “I never sought nor gained personal benefit in school or job applications based on my heritage.”
14. Elected to U.S. Senate – cont. Elected to U.S. Senate – cont.
In June 2012, Warren secured the Democratic nomination in the Senate election; she was now running against Scott Brown in a tight race.  A September 2012 poll from Public Policy Pulling showed Brown in the lead with five points above Warren.  Later that month, however, Warren gained national experience as one of the speakers at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina; this won her the favor of several critics as well as a small lead in the polls.  At the convention, she emphasized the necessity for economic and government changes: “America’s middle class is getting hammered, and Washington is rigged to work for the big guy,” Warren told ABC News. Scott Brown (R) speaks with Elizabeth Warren (D) during their third debate in Springfield, MA, Wednesday, October 10, 2012
15. Warren speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, Wednesday, September 5, 2012
16. Elected to U.S. Senate – cont. Elected to U.S. Senate – cont.  In November 2012, Warren won the election and her first term in the Senate; she defeated Brown by a slight margin.  To the residents of Massachusetts, Warren states on her website, “I won’t just be your senator, I will also be your champion.“  Warren, who has written numerous academic and popular works and is regularly mentioned in media interviews regarding the U.S. economy and personal finance, is seen as a leading voice among progressivism in the U.S.; she has often been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for 2016, even though she has continually stated that she is not interested in running. Results of Massachusetts Senate election, 2012
17. VP Joe Biden gives the oath of office to Massachusetts Senator-elect Warren, Thursday, January 3, 2013 Senator-elect Warren takes the oath of office again in a mock swearing-in ceremony in front of supporters in Boston; accompanying her are husband Bruce Mann, Senator John Kerry, and Justice Elena Kagan, Saturday, January 5, 2013
18. Sources Sources  Sources:  http://www.biography.com/people/elizabeth-warren-20670753#elected-to-us-senate  Other links:  http://elizabethwarren.com/ (Elizabeth Warren’s website)  http://www.warren.senate.gov/?p=biography  http://www.warren.senate.gov/  http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Elizabeth_Warren.htm  http://ballotpedia.org/Elizabeth_Warren  https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethWarren