WSJ: A Republican's case for Elizabeth Warren -- and why she has crossover appeal.

[pnwmom]

This Op-Ed was written by Republican Sheila Bair, a former Chair of the FDIC.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-republican-case-for-elizabeth-warren-11580428543?fbclid=IwAR2TGWS_W8ziKviexjoxSL1BkCrjRsf-SK0CBSYlo5Xb2Gq23Szu-fVkiDA

A cardinal rule of politics is don’t let your opponents define you. This has been a particular challenge for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, whose critics continue to insist that she is a left-wing radical. I am a Republican and have known and worked with Ms. Warren for many years. She is a capitalist and prairie populist, in the tradition of William Allen White and Teddy Roosevelt. She believes in a market economy. She just wants it to work for everyone.

Like me, she grew up in an economically depressed community in the rural Midwest—she’s from Oklahoma; I’m from Kansas. She attended public schools and was raised with heartland values: hard work, self-reliance and a belief that the government’s job is to help society’s most vulnerable, not the rich and powerful. She moved to the East Coast to compete—and succeed—in government and academic circles dominated by elites skeptical of anyone born west of the Mississippi who doesn’t have an Ivy League degree.

Throughout our working relationship, including the 2008 financial crisis and battles over financial reform, Ms. Warren always took a market-based approach to the issues. She abhorred the generosity of the bank bailouts not because she was a Wall Street-hating socialist, but because she knew that markets can’t work without accountability. She championed the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau not because she was a bureaucratic regulator, but because she knew that markets need level playing fields, and the field was tilted against working families and in favor of sophisticated banks.

SNIP

There are many fine Democratic candidates, but Ms. Warren would have strong crossover appeal. Indeed, she is more market-oriented than the incumbent president, whose economic policies rely on near-trillion-dollar budget deficits, aggressive monetary policy, more tax loopholes, and government-managed trade. Ms. Warren promises structural reforms to strengthen the long-overlooked middle class. President Trump promised that in 2016. Ms. Warren might deliver.

[andym]

1. Warren's market-based approach should be emphasized

Why not feed the goose that laid the golden egg (the market capitalism that made America rich)--help everyone, especially those in the middle and at the bottom achieve prosperity (their piece of the golden egg) both through the market economy AND through social programs than benefit the common good?

[C Moon]

2. I like Warren. But I hate EVERYTHING about Republicans. They just let a thief remain in office.

I don't like seeing Republicans quoted with respect, on DU.
How on earth, can ANYONE proclaim to be a Republican with that traitor, womanizing, lying, cheating, dirty jackass, trying to sell our country to Russia...sitting in our White House with an R beside his terrible name?

I say, don't EVER quote a Republican on DU in a positive manner. They lie. They cheat. They cheat to get elected. They are the party of traitors..

Everyone of those who "liked" this post, should remove that like, because you KNOW that Sheila Bair (author of the article) will be voting Republican 100%—including Trump in 2020. Does that sound like someone you agree with?

[pnwmom]

3. I disagree. There's no reason to think she would write this piece and vote for Trump.

And many DUers have friends or relatives or coworkers who are Republicans -- or centrists, or moderates -- and we can reach out to some of them with pieces like this.

[druidity33]

4. That's interesting...

My take was that Mayor Pete was the one courting R votes and Indy crossovers because of his moderate fiscal stances and his strong faith. Republicans aren't ALWAYS assholes... just most of the time.

[OKNancy]

5. Although I agree with the gist of the article - small bone to pick

Like me, she grew up in an economically depressed community in the rural Midwest—she’s from Oklahoma

Norman and Oklahoma City were not economically depressed and were/are not in any way rural. I know because I grew up there at the very same time she did. Our grade schools were about 2 miles apart. Norman is a university town. My family even investigated moving to OKC at the very same time and we looked into Classen (her High school)which was the best high school in OKC at that time. The Knights! LOL

That doesn't mean her family didn't struggle. But the author's description of that time is not accurate.