Is there something meaningful she can accomplish as a senator?
Well, she might actually be allowed to her job.
Just taking the seat is a big damn deal. She can be one of 41 votes not to end debate on President Perry's Thomas clones. Anything she does beyond that -- which will probably be plenty -- is bonus.
Absolutely re: taking back the seat, and I would just love to see her kick out Scott Brown. What isn't clear to me is what the "anything she does" actually is. She can ask questions at hearings but is years away from chairing one. Don't know if the same is true of any important subcommittees. Can junior senators expect to have a meaningful role in writing legislation? Is there any meaningful legislation to be written in these dark times that would pass?
1 gets it right. Comparing her at the CFPB to her in the Senate assumes facts not in evidence.
And just having a liberal in the Senate with a record of standing up to corporations on at least a few things is a goddamned achievement these days.
Being a persuasive voice within the Democratic caucus on policy issues seems like something that could be seriously helpful. Watching Democratic congresspeople attacking Obama's jobs proposal from the right is driving me nuts.
I'm not saying she could persuade Republicans of anything, but someone with a real understanding of the policy issues might at least be able to persuade more Democrats to line up and face in the correct direction.
And why are we only taking into consideration what she can do in her first term? It's a long game.
Project "move representation of liberal districts and states to the left"* is a very worthwhile project.
*I blame Boston sports guys/Red Sox fans for Scott Brown, and for everything else.
The idea that *any* academic/policy adviser has more influence and power than even a junior senator seems laughable to me, frankly. Same with even an appellate-level federal judge. Becoming a senator is a huge fucking deal.
6 is what I was gonna say. You're a junior senator until you're not, right? Some people have held onto that seat for a very long time.
I would just love to see her kick out Scott Brown.
Me too. I am very, very pessimistic. (but will help where I can!)
7.2: Simmons is a Democrat, dude. Guaranteed.
8: "Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws."
Except that is stupid and you're right.
She's 63, so might only have four terms in her. No seniority will be available.
However one more Democratic vote is essential.
She could also be a complete asshole in the Senate, but a) that is not the way the place works, b) the Senate corrupts everybody, except Jimmy Stewart, and c) IMO she is way too accommodating and moderate already. She should have resigned with public outrage from the corrupt (always necessary) Obama administration on general principles. She does not want the banks to die. 6/10 on a scale of populism, but that still makes her better than what we have.
(BofA is going on a foreclosure binge in a effort to stay solvent. I would work and vote for her, but shove the tragedies in her face at every chance.)
I am very, very pessimistic.
Why, specifically? All I know about Massachusetts politics is that it's an New England state that goes Democratic for president, but I'd think that any Democrat would have a solid shot. Whatserface who ran against Brown was awful, and I thought her individual flaws as a candidate were the main problem.
Is Brown more popular than I realized, or Mass turning more right, or are you just pessimistic on the basic grounds that (a) incumbency is a big deal and (b) nothing good will ever happen again politically until the Earth spirals into the sun, killing us all. I do find (b) persuasive myself, I admit.
It seems self-evident that Elizabeth Warren would have had a greater impact as a regulator than she can have as a junior senator.
A regulator with a serious grant of power can accomplish a lot in a narrow (sometimes very narrow) area. A department head can usually do more than that, but still not all that much. Senators have a lot more power, but it's very diffuse.
Any one individual holding any one office doesn't matter very much more than any other office holder, except the President of the United States, who has a great deal of unchecked effective power. Provided they are willing to use it.
She's fine in either office.
max
['Politics is team sport.']
Correction:BofA is going on a *most likely illegal* foreclosure binge.
NPR referred to Scott Brown as the most popular politician in Massachussettes, the other day. A part of me that I didn't know was still alive died.
And now that part of me has died as well. The People's Republic of Cambridge isn't going to come save us all?
A regulator with a serious grant of power can accomplish a lot in a narrow (sometimes very narrow) area.... Senators have a lot more power, but it's very diffuse.
That's how I've been thinking about it. I'm all for her running and will give her money.
Whatserface who ran against Brown was awful, and I thought her individual flaws as a candidate were the main problem
She was, and they were, but Brown has done exactly what he needs to do (stayed mostly under the radar, focused on constituent services, avoided (obviously he had help on this one) being labeled in the press as a right-wing nutjob) to solidify his position. Can I just remind everybody that Mitt Romney was Governor of Massachusetts (I'm aware the he doesn't want you to know)? We do not have some kind of world-historical shortage of Republicans here; a canny GOP politician who can build a (deserved, undeserved, whatever) reputation as a corruption-fighting centrist can go a long way here.
Certainly I think Warren has a far, far better shot than anybody who has been active in Massachusetts Democratic politics for any significant amount of time. There are real problems with ossification and infighting (brought about, probably, by complacency) that lead to shitty, shitty candidates getting the insider nod.
Can I just remind everybody that Mitt Romney was Governor of Massachusetts
And, further, that the three governors before him were also Republicans.
Yeah, but state politics doesn't necessarily line up with politics for national office....
Oh, god. I was just going to say something perky about how NYC wasn't going to go Republican for President or other national office anytime soon, despite the tendency in recent decades to elect Republican mayors. And then I remembered that we just lost Weiner's seat this week.
And me without a bottle of whiskey in my desk anymore.
Freshman Senators, unlike Representatives, can introduce serious bills, chair subcommittee hearings, and such. Barack Obama was a sponsor of a few successful bills in his first two years on the job. Al Franken has a few also. By their seocnd term, Senators generally chair committees, and some are in the leadership, e.g. Bill Frist became majority leader in his second term. By contrast an amdinistrative agency head leaves when the president does, and typically won't stay more than two or three years. More long-term opportunity as a Senator.
On the bright side, at least President Perry and the Republican held House and Senate won't be able to take credit for an economic boom.
a canny GOP politician who can build a (deserved, undeserved, whatever) reputation as a corruption-fighting centrist can go a long way here.
Because of the Boston sports fans, ammirite?
OK, I realize that my theory about the unified Celtics/Republicans field of evil may not reflect reality, but I'm going to stick with it anyway.
Anyhow, Mass struck me in my long-ago time there as an intensely conservative, though not Republican, place.
Unimaginative comes through with relevant information! (Though I think you meant to say Freshpeople Senators, you big sexist. Freshsenators?)
And me without a bottle of whiskey in my desk anymore.
Budget cuts?
I'm sorry. s/b "Freshman and Freshette Senators.
Anyhow, Mass struck me in my long-ago time there as an intensely conservative, though not Republican, place.
Less true than it was (and more complicated than that) but yes, there is a continuing streak of puritanism in Massachusetts.
Yes, way more complicated. But still, a data point: I know that trial lawyers on the defense side are often fond of New England juries, because they're unlikely to be moved by sob stories.
New York had Pothole Al for a long, long time. Before Brown, the last Repub Sen in MA was Brooks who really was a moderate. But yeah, Brown seems to be genuinely popular in MA, which completely blows my mind. I can sort of understand how the combination of hellish economy, special election and horrible Dem candidate led to a Repub win, but not how he could possibly be able to be viable in 2012.
On the OP, no she's not going to be able to do much in the Sen per se, but taking the seat and maybe being able to get more attention to the class inequality issue would still be nice and more than she'll be able to do as a 'famous academic'.
24 -- Absolutely right. Sen. Tester has a real record to run on.
30 -- And more than a whiff of Popery, just to be old school about it.
Pothole Al
I don't know whether this is just a tic of my father's, or if there was some media source, but Senator D'Amato was conventionally referred to in my household as "Smilin' Al, Shame of the Suburbs."
a continuing streak of puritanism
I'm picturing somebody wearing nothing but a high-crowned hat with a buckle as he or she is dashing across Fenway.
Some people keep a bowl of Popery in the bathroom, but it gives me a headache.
Let me explain 37 for the benefit of our slower readers.
Eggplant is making a pun based on the aural similarity of "Popery" and "potpourri", "a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material, used to provide a gentle natural scent in houses".
You're welcome.
32.1 - Because he's really good at retail politics, has managed to sell himself as a moderate, and is handsome and good on TV? It still took massive, Kathleen Kennedy Townshend levels of laziness and incompetence to give him the seat, but I could see him holding onto it for a long time, just as the Dakotas kept sending Democrats to the Senate for decades.
And then I remembered that we just lost Weiner's seat this week.
I noticed that. Didn't you all promise me that wouldn't happen?
I'll take popery for $5; will trade for dinner.
I like Warren's pro-consumer stance but it will be tough to beat Brown for the reasons stated in 39, as well as incumbency.
OT except for the brief references to Boston sports: Simmons' The Book of Basketball is monumental. Among other thing, he attempts to canonize Larry Bird and dumps on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but ultimately (and fairly) ranks Jabbar as the third-greatest player ever (after Jordan and Russell) and rates Magic ahead of Bird.
The Book of Basketball actually seems good, but I just can't put money in that dude's pocket.
Don't they have libraries where you are?
Didn't you hear? Patronizing libraries is stealing, because no royalties are generated.
Why would I check out what's basically a reference book on basketball from the library? Whole point of the thing is to own it. Plus it just has Simmons-stench all over it.
There are plenty of ebook torrent sites, halford.
Some people check out books to look things up. Of course, if it's really reference, it might not circulate. Much of the LAPL central branch is really ugly. Probably designed by a famous-for architect.
ultimately (and fairly) ranks Jabbar as the third-greatest player ever (after Jordan and Russell)
Christ, is there a more overrated player than Bill Russell? He was great but putting him at #2 of all time ahead of Kareem is fucking ridiculous.
Christ, is there a more overrated player than Bill Russell?
Only Chamberlain (Wilt, not Neville), but Simmons puts him at #4.
Warren is A) a serious public intellectual with the most developed and complete narrative of how ordinary, middle-class families are systemically getting screwed over by corporate power, B) she is passionate, driven, charismatic, and an effective advocate for her views. It would be a huge benefit to have her prominent on the national scene.
An issue is that she has that "hot" charisma -- really intense, focused, and passionate, even a little over the top or unpolished at times, while Brown has that kind of relaxed "cool" charisma that I think plays better on TV.
I also wish to go on record as a Bill Simmons fan. Best sportswriter of the last couple of decades, he's done a really new thing with the form.
49,50:"Winning isn't everything. Winning is the only thing."
Count rings.
If rings aren't everything, then I think Jordan is overrated. And Dirk!
Christ, is there a more overrated player than Bill Russell?
This is literally insane. Have you ever watched a bunch of games in which he played? Especially playoff games? He was the best defensive player of his era -- probably of any era -- in that he literally controlled games on the boards and at the defensive end. Think of Kevin Garnett at his very best and then multiply by 10. Maybe more than that, as the difference between his defense and the next group of great players was an unbridgeable gulf.
That said, Bill Simmons is worse (in his field) than Hitler (was in his).
Simmons's new site is quite good. Certainly there are annoying things about Simmons, but as far as pundits go there's lots of way worse things to complain about.
Simmons's new site is actually awful, a blight on the internet landscape, but I'm comforted by the fact that its failure is very likely imminent.
there's lots of way worse things to complain about.
I hate Hitler. Hate, hate, hate him. Like not even kidding.
Too late. You showed your true colors earlier.
in that he literally controlled games on the boards and at the defensive end.
Yeah, in an era with like 10 teams in the entire league and the number of guys his height or taller could be counted on one hand.
His height wasn't his advantage, you baton-toting, jack-booted, civilian-abusing troll. His advantage was his speed, his leaping ability, and the best timing of any player ever. Speaking of which, you know what else was unfair? How Michael Jordan had better body control than everyone else who played at the time. And because of that, it's ridiculous to suggest that he was the GOAT.
You know who had poor body control? Hitler, at least toward the end.
59 -- Well, that's the problem with comparisons between eras in any sport. Athletes get better, in general. Almost most certainly Shaq in his prime was better than Russell in his prime. My guess is that there are at least 70 players in the league today, probably more, who would be better at the game of basketball than George Mikan if you could send them back in a time machine to 1950. The standard measure of "greatness" is greatness relative to era.
Which is why ERA+ and OPS+ in baseball are calculated relative to era. I don't know if there's a similar stat for the NBA, due to my suspicion of/ignorance of APBRmetrics.
His advantage was his speed, his leaping ability, and the best timing of any player ever.
And yet in an era with significantly higher number of possessions and higher scores per game his career average is what, 15 points a game and like 44 percent from the field?
Look at the per game numbers of a Kareem or Olajuwon and I don't think Russell measures up.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/abdulka01.html
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/olajuha01.html
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/russebi01.html
I want to make a joke about whether Elizabeth Warren could beat some progressive economist from the early 20th century in an election, but it seems like they were more likely to with the regulatory adviser route,* back when the regulatory state was rising rather than being beaten into another monstrous arm of the organizations it was supposed to regulate.**
*And some some like Brandeis is pretty much off the table. Partly because he probably would not have won an election.
**Yes, I know, there's always been an alliance between regulation and big business, but the closeness of the relations haven't been entirely constant over time.
Christ, is there a philosopher more overrated than Bertrand Russell? He did, however, have better body control than any philosopher with the possible exception of AJ Ayer. But Russell controlled the headboard like no one else.
What's Elisabeth Warren's expected Wins Above Replacement Senator?
But Russell controlled the headboard like no one else.
I dunno, I've heard stories about Grice.
Christ, is there a philosopher more overrated than Bertrand Russell?
Ayn Rand is not worthy of the name, my son. But back to more fundamental issues: Oscar Robertson vs. Jerry West - therein lies a dilemma.
Puritanism, Catholics, busing, almost no blacks on the Sox until like 2009- in terms of race relations and morality Boston is not that different from the Weiner district. Now, there is a relatively large education and high-tech presence that makes the state overall pretty liberal, but it's (sadly) not the Republik the media makes it out to be.
It's been many years since I've lived in Mass., but my sense is that it's a combination of working-class Dem (which can easily swing Republican, and clearly does) and those highly educated types, concentrated chiefly in the Boston area. I'm actually now remembering a discussion about the Brown election in which hilzoy kept pointing to the electoral district map for Brown's region. In the end I didn't know enough about the specific areas she was pointing to as pivotal to the outcome in favor of Brown.
62, 63: Joe Posnanski wrote something interesting last month about Carl Lewis and the long jump. I hadn't realized that the world record long jump is now 20 years old, or that the Olympic medalists had now regressed to the marks that were being set in the '70s.
MA is weird: decriminalized pot, but god forbid you should sell wine in a grocery store, both by recent propositions. The massholey parts seem to have transferred their racism to Mexicans of various types, but I could see a middle-aged white lady who talks a lot about evil big corporations winning quite handily. I think what you'd want to do is not let Brown keep his head down, make him say enough non-insane things to get the tea party types frothing, forcing him to say insane things, or vice versa. He won the first time based on a)shitty local dem politics b)the truck owner's platform.
I'm guessing it's this?
The surprising thing about the decline in the jumps* is that the related sprints have gotten a bit faster. Not just Bolt, but the overall level of competition, at least in the 100. Part of it must be the decline in the jump/sprint combo athlete, which is one of the things that made Lewis and Owens so amazing.
There's probably something to be said for more extensive drug testing too, sad to say.
*On the men's side. No one's approaching Flo-Jo's records, and the women's long jump record is pretty old too, IIRC.
Defense is notoriously difficult to measure in basketball box stats (except defensive rebounds of course), and when you're talking about Russell they didn't even keep track of the defensive box stats (block and steals) that we have today.
Certainly no one would argue that Russell was a better offensive player than Olajuwon or Jabbar.
72, 74: Great article. A crazy thing about how long that record has stood is that Powell is now 47 years old.
It seems pretty obvious that the Senate is powerful from here and part of the problem is too many weak sisters in the Democratic caucus. After all, you've all spent the last two years bitching about the damn thing and trying to strategise improbable giant-platinum-coin workarounds, while the president has been trying to persuade bits of it to be nice. Neither plan seems to have much chance.
AFAIK changing its rules of procedure or constitutional position basically requires getting a super-majority of reliable votes on it first, so...changing the senate requires changing the senators.
I mean, it's not as if the Senate as currently constituted is ever going to confirm Warren or even go into recess long enough to recess-appoint her.
I'm frightened to learn that we live in a universe where people have strong opinions, pro or con, about Bill Simmons.
The MA bench is so thin. Capuano lost in a mid-term election, and he won't want to give up his seat to run now. He's said that he's not running. I just want to get rid of Brown.
I'm kind of angry that Vicki Kennedy (or even Joe) didn't decide to run. She knew the policy and was very personable. I'm pretty sure that she would have won.
73: You absolutely can sell wine in a grocery store, though not hard liquor. The law is that no company can operate more than 3 stores selling alcohol, so Whole Foods, Shaws and Trader Joe'sall sell beer and wine but only at select locations. That's a protectionist move for the small distributors. I voted against that referendum, not because I support the law, but because I didn't think it was the sort of problem that should be dealt with by referendum.
74: That's really interesting! Mara is obsessed with her own three-year-old version of the long jump, which last weekend included managing to leap the full length of our couch only to face-plant on the floor. Now she's only allowed to do her jumping from the ground. But maybe she can grow up to be a champion jumper and this can be part of her heart-warming backstory.
changing the senate requires changing the senators.
Well, there is another H5N1 epidemic coming this winter, and a lot of those senators are quite old. Clearly we need to start a Sneeze On A Senator For Financial Regulatory Reform movement.
Dan Savage, we need you now, more than ever.
The voice of Geddy Lee: how did it get so high?
Don't come near me, guys! I have a Super-Soaker! BEWARE!!!
AFAIK changing its rules of procedure or constitutional position basically requires getting a super-majority of reliable votes on it first, so...changing the senate requires changing the senators.
Except at the beginning of each two-year session, when a simple majority will do.
[Brown] won the first time based on [...] the truck owner's platform
This made me chuckle. But seriously: does Warren own a pickup truck? This is important.
Warren may well own a pickup truck, if not now, then by the time she's campaigning. She comes from a working-class background in Oklahoma. Her academic credentials consist of B.A. University of Houston, J.D. Rutgers-Newark. This is probably the least distinguished academic background among tenured faculty at Harvard.
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For some reason I am prompted to post this A O Scott take on Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.
Let me put the matter another way: this may be the worst movie Pauly Shore has ever been in. Think about that.|>
Russell: not in top three
Warren: not doing much as junior Senator, except mak excellent speeches like Franken.
Speaking of junior senators, will, who are you people going to be sending up next year? Any chance it'll be someone good. Any chance at all?
Tim Kaine. Former VA Gov. DNC guy. Smart guy. Is a huge anti-death penalty guy at heart. Politics have moderated him somewhat. Soninlaw of Linwood Holton.
Like Mark Warner, his actions have been mostly centrist.
AFAIK changing its rules of procedure or constitutional position
I predict that following the 2012 elections liberals will suddenly gain a new perspective on the importance and necessity of the filibuster.
97: This is like the banal-est fucking point ever.
Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace? My.
I liked Lloyd B. Free going to World B. Free better.
91: Word is that Warren is wowing them in Springfield, MA, a hardbitten town if ever I knew one. Flippanter's home town, if I remember correctly. Or thereabouts.
Just been to organising meeting. People arguing about whether our local council should just declare it won't have any cuts and pass an illegal budget, with the result that the Tories will just have the central government take over the town hall*, or protest some other way.
Everyone seems furious, though, which is good.
*I wanted to point out that the minister involved is a libertarian nutjob who nearly destroyed my home town when he was mayor in the 1980s, and we shouldn't give him the chance to privatise the air supply or something.