Elizabeth Warren in Interviews during 2018-2020
On Government Reform:
Constitutional Amendment to protect the right to vote
Warren says that "we need a constitutional amendment that protects the right to vote for every American citizen and to make sure that vote gets counted," is not the only presidential contender going big on democracy issues. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is
backing an amendment to "abolish the Electoral College" introduced by Senator Brian Schatz, while Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanders have signaled their willingness to address the Electoral College's anti-democratic impact, as have
former representative Beto O'Rourke and former housing secretary Juli n Castro. Possible presidential contender Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, says: "The Electoral College needs to go, because it's made our society less and less
democratic." Buttigieg sees that move as part of a democracy agenda that includes action on Citizens United. Sanders has already proposed amendments to overturn Citizens United, which he decries as "one of the most disastrous decisions in history."
Source: The Nation, "Electoral College," on 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 22, 2019
On Government Reform:
Every vote matters: so abolish the Electoral College
The 2016 presidential election offered a reminder of just how much work remains to be done to ensure that the will of the people is reflected in our election results. At a March town-hall meeting in Mississippi, Senator Elizabeth Warren declared, "Every
vote matters, and the way we can make that happen is [to] have national voting, and that means [getting] rid of the Electoral College." The crowd responded with what The New York Times described as "one of her longest ovations of the night."
Warren, who also says that "we need a constitutional amendment that protects the right to vote for every American citizen and to make sure that vote gets counted," is not the only presidential contender going big on democracy issues. Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand is backing an amendment to "abolish the Electoral College" introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz, while Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, & Bernie Sanders have signaled their willingness to address the Electoral College's anti-democratic impact.
Source: The Nation magazine on 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 8, 2019
On Civil Rights:
Supports commission investigating reparations for slavery
At Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention in New York City, most of the 2020 contenders affirmed their support for a bill that would create a commission to study reparations for African-Americans. "When I am elected president,
I will sign that bill." Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., told Sharpton.Elizabeth Warren said she would support the [commission to study reparations] bill as well.
Source: CNBC: 2019 National Action Network & 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 5, 2019
On Education:
Proposed all-voucher education; now opposes charters
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabetd Warren once touted tde idea of an all-voucher system tdat would eliminate lines between private and public schools, but more recently she has shifted her stance on school choice, and in
2016 opposed lifting her state's cap on charter schools.Warren isn't tde only candidate for whom tde politics of school choice are a potential minefield in tde 2020 race. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), and
Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) also supported charter schools in tde past.
Charter schools were once supported by Republican and Democratic presidents -- including former President Barack Obama's administration.
But tde politics surrounding tdem shifted as states slashed budgets, including education spending, following tde Great Recession.
Source: CNN K-File, "Charter Schools" on 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 4, 2019
On Corporations:
End "integrated" farming favoring corporations over farmers
Warren declared, "It all starts with attacking consolidation in the agriculture sector head on." Meat giants like Tyson and Smithfield are "vertically integrated"--meaning they both slaughter livestock and tightly control the process for raising
them. "My administration will bring vertical integration cases to break up integrated agribusinesses," she wrote. She added that "contract chicken farming has already squeezed farmers to the breaking point. To stop the spread of that practice,
I believe we should prohibit abusive contract farming in the livestock sector." Bernie Sanders added that "when we are in the White House, we are going to strengthen antitrust laws that defend farmers from the corporate middlemen
that stand between the food grower and the consumer, and have now become so big and powerful that they can squeeze farmers for everything they're worth."
Source: Mother Jones magazine on 2020 Democratic primary
Mar 30, 2019
On Technology:
Break up Big Tech companies: they stifle innovation
Warren announced her plan to use the government's antitrust powers to break up big technology companies like Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple. She compared the current system to a baseball league where participants could either be an umpire or team--
but not both. Companies like Amazon, which are marketplace platforms but also participants that use the information they glean from transactions to sell their own products, have an unfair, innovation-stifling advantage.Her big idea: Ms
Warren's campaign sometimes seems fashioned entirely out of big ideas, with her tech-company break-up plan only being the latest.
Her biggest obstacle: [At the SXSW conference, her] hour-long interview was classic Warren--a mix of history
lesson, economic theory and academic research. On the campaign stump it can be a bit clunky, but in a one-on-one format it shines. No one can talk nuts-and-bolts of policy like her. But a campaign for president is not a series of in-depth lectures.
Source: BBC.com on 2020 Democratic primary contenders at 2019 SXSW
Mar 12, 2019
On Civil Rights:
Reparations for slavery and to Native Americans
Warren expanded on an already-radical proposal on Friday, telling reporters that Native Americans should be "part of the conversation" on reparations for African-Americans -- a move that threatens to bring back her own history with Native Americans.
Asked about her support for reparations for black Americans affected by slavery, Warren highlighted the country's "ugly history of racism. We need to confront it head on." Warren had said in a statement to The New York Times this week that "we must
confront the dark history of slavery and government-sanctioned discrimination in this country that has had many consequences, including undermining the ability of black families to build wealth in America for generations. We need systemic, structural
changes to address that."
Her fellow 2020 hopefuls Kamala Harris and Julian Castro have come out in favor of reparations for African Americans but have so far not gone as far as Warren in opening the door to reparations for Native Americans.
Source: Fox News on 2020 Democratic primary hopefuls
Feb 23, 2019
On Families & Children:
Federal funds to cap childcare at 7% of income
Warren in unveiling a new initiative designed to make sure every family can afford high-quality child care. The plan seeks to make access to child care universal by offering federal funds to providers that offer care at their facilities on a sliding
income scale.No family would have to spend more than 7% of its household income on child care, no matter the number of kids. Families with incomes below twice the poverty line, which is roughly $50,000 a year for a family of four, would pay nothing.
The campaign says the initiative will likely require approximately $700 billion in new federal spending over 10 years. That figure takes into account higher economic benefits such as making it easier for new parents to return to work. The new outlays
would be at least four times what the federal government currently spends on its main early childhood programs, which include Head Start. To offset the cost of the initiative, Warren will propose using revenue from her proposal for a new tax on wealth.
Source: Huffington Post on 2020 Democratic primary hopefuls
Feb 18, 2019
On Welfare & Poverty:
Address housing crisis by assisting cities & homebuyers
Warren's most intriguing plans concern housing. High rents in productive cities limit opportunity and economic growth. Warren proposes to coax cities into changing restrictive development rules for a share of a large
pot of money--$10B in total--while also funding large public-housing developments. She also wants the federal government to assist first-time homebuyers in formerly segregated neighborhoods.
Source: The Economist "Wonkish Populism," on 2020 Democratic primary
Feb 9, 2019
On Tax Reform:
Wealth tax: $4.1 billion per year on fortune of $137 billion
Asked about a wealth tax proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the very wealthy former New York City mayor said the idea was probably unconstitutional, definitely counterproductive, and something to be avoided at all costs. Anyone favoring radical
redistribution, Bloomberg said, should look south for an example to avoid: "It's called Venezuela" [which currently has a socialist government].The policy on the table: a 2% wealth tax that Warren would levy on the total assets of individuals worth
more than $50 million and 3% on individuals with more than $1 billion. Per a Forbes analysis, this means that Jeff Bezos, whose $137 billion fortune makes him the richest man in the world, would owe the IRS an additional
$4.1 billion each year.
Critics might complain that [Bloomberg's comparison] is heavy-handed, as the Warren wealth tax pales in comparison to the wealth redistribution of the Chavez-Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Source: Washington Examiner on 2020 Democratic primary contenders
Jan 29, 2019
On Tax Reform:
Curb inequality: 2% tax on assets over $50M; 3% over $1B
Warren wants to curb spiraling inequality and make the rich pay. Most Americans currently pay property taxes to their local government, a form of a wealth tax. The majority of middle class assets are property. Rich people of course own real estate, but
they tend to mostly own shares of stock and other financial assets that largely evade taxation.Warren's proposal is for a progressive wealth tax: a 2 percent levy on assets more than $50 million, and a 3 percent rate that only kicks in when you have
more than $1 billion.
The mere existence of the wealth tax would, on the margin, encourage wealthy individuals to dissipate their fortunes on charitable giving and lavish consumption. Wealth taxes, though once common in developed countries, have gone
out of style in recent years. While 12 OECD members had wealth taxes in 1990, just four--France, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland--do today. Warren's proposed rate would be slightly lower than Spain's but higher than the other three.
Source: Vox.com on 2020 Democratic primary contenders
Jan 24, 2019
On Education:
Invest in education, but focus on results
Warren said, "Democrats talk about resources, pointing out that we're no longer investing in our kids the way we once did. Republicans talk about risk and incentives--arguing that students take on debt without fully understanding the consequences,
and that colleges get access to federal dollars pretty much no matter the quality or cost of the education they provide." She noted during a 2015 speech to the American Federation of Teachers. "Here's the truth--both sides are right."
Source: Jacobin Magazine on 2020 Democratic primary contenders
Jan 8, 2019
On Tax Reform:
Making housing affordable by raising estate tax
Senator Elizabeth Warren introduced a bill tackling the issue head on, trying to lower the cost of homes in neighborhoods with greater economic opportunity. The legislation, titled the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act,
is perhaps the most far-reaching assault on housing segregation since the 1968 Fair Housing Act. It's ambitious, pouring half a trillion dollars over 10 years into affordable-housing programs, and funded by raising the estate tax to Bush-era levels.
Source: The Atlantic, "Housing Crisis," on 2020 Democratic primary
Sep 25, 2018
Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021