Elizabeth Warren - Native American?

Back in 2012 then Senator Scott Brown made a big issue regarding claims made in the past by his competitor, Elizabeth Warren, to Native American ancestry.

Recently the same issue has arisen with presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump referring to her as “Pocahontas”.

Senator Warren On Syrian Refugees

Consumer Watchdog Agency Gets $14 Million For Bank Customers

For those who have forgotten, Massachusetts’ senior Senator Elizabeth Warren first made a splash as chief architect of the legislation that created the Consumer Financial Protect Bureau. Not long after Republicans blocked her chances of becoming head of that agency, she embarked on her Senate campaign.

By way of updating the performance of the CPFB, it has caught another bank cheating its customers and again has secured millions in refunds to said customers. This time it's Citizens Bank skimming off the top of customers' deposits.

Citizens Bank agreed to refund at least $14 million and pay $20.5 million in fines for shortchanging customers who made mistakes on their deposit slips, federal regulators said Wednesday. 

Senator Warren Blasts Spending Bill

Ken O’Brien

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is not happy about the plan to weaken regulation of big banks that Republicans managed to insert in the spending bill. She's so unhappy, in fact, that she's calling on Democrats to oppose the overall bill unless that provision is removed.

“Who does Congress work for?” Warren said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon. “Does it work for the millionaires, the billionaires, the giant companies with their armies of lobbyists and lawyers, or does it work for all the people?” [...]

“Now, the House of Representatives is about to show us the worst of government for the rich and powerful,” she continued. “The House is about to vote on a budget deal, a deal negotiated behind closed doors that slips in a provision that would let derivatives traders on Wall Street gamble with taxpayer money and get bailed out by the government when their risky bets threaten to blow up our financial system.” 

Racism, Misogyny and Privilege: The Basis Of Modern “Conservatism”

Ken O’Brien

The Dow Industrial Average is approaching 18,000. Job growth in November hit a fifteen year high. Unemployment is below 6%. Gasoline prices are approaching $2.50 per gallon. And we are finally making progress in achieving universal health care – first proposed by Harry Truman over 60 years ago.

By any objective measure the Obama Administration has been a success.

This is especially true by comparison to our sister economies of Western Europe, which have consistently teetered on the brink of resurgent recession. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren on the Daily Show

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video
 Archive

Way To Go, Liz!

Southbridge: Last Democratic Bastion In Southern Worcester County

Ken O’Brien

From President to State Representative, Southbridge stood virtually alone in its support of Democratic candidates in election 2012 in southern Worcester County.

While President Obama did carry a few towns within this geographic Gulag, Southbridge stood alone, a blue oasis in a desert of red, in its support for Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren and Democratic candidate for State Representative Kathleen Walker. 

Al Franken’s “Saturday Afternoon Live” In Southbridge (VIDEO)

Ken O’Brien

Minnesota Senator Al Franken, known to many as one of the early stars of “Saturday Night Live”, appeared in Southbridge on Saturday, October 20, to kick off a day of canvassing and phone-banking on behalf of Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Elizabeth Warren and Democratic candidate for State Representative Kathleen Walker.

Recent polls have shown Warren gaining a substantial lead over incumbent Senator Scott Brown. Brown has been hampered by declines in his favorability ratings as well as recent needs to apologize for the behavior of staffers and inferences that paid actors were used by Warren in one of her campaign ads. In addition, he has been criticized for what a leading veterans’ advocate has termed misleading statements about his time in Afghanistan. 

Warren Gaining Momentum

Ken O’Brien

Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren has built a 9-point lead over Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) in the Massachusetts Senate race, a poll released Wednesday shows.

The latest survey from Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows Warren leading Brown among likely Bay State voters 53 percent to 44 percent.  That's Warren's largest lead in PPP's polling and also a 3-point bounce from a week ago.  Last week, PPP showed the Harvard law professor holding a 6-point lead over Brown.   

U.S. Senator Al Franken In Southbridge For Elizabeth Warren Saturday October 20

Ken O’Brien

U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minnesota) will be in Southbridge on Saturday, October 20.

He will be present for a canvas and phone bank event on behalf of Massachusetts Democratic Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren.

The event will be held at Warren/Walker campaign headquarters located in the former Friendly’s Restaurant at 367 Main Street.

Franken is currently expected to be present at 12:30 pm.

Third Brown Warren Debate Tomorrow Night: Recent Polls Show Conflicting Results

Ken O’Brien

The third debate between incumbent Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren will be held at 7pm tomorrow night, October 10, at Symphony Hall in Springfield. It will be broadcast live on C-SPAN and New England Cable News.

The debate comes as Warren has maintained a lead in recent polls. A Sunday poll released by Western New England University (WNEU) / MassLive.com shows that Warren is maintaining a five-point lead over incumbent Sen. Scott Brown (R), 50 percent to 45 percent.

Sunday Photo-‘ Toons 1.25

Ken O’Brien

As the October chill envelops us like a foreclosure notice on the warmth and comfort of a home in the New England summer, we review the tumult of the prior week.

Local events of note were relatively sparse, eclipsed by the week’s developments on the national scene.

We did have the spectacle of the state representative accepting an invitation to debate and then beginning to tap dance around petty points of contention. We also learned that our new Middle/High School was in a wireless dead zone. But not to worry. Like everything else in Southbridge, we can buy our way out of it. Let’s just hope that nothing critical requiring such resources happens in the meantime.

Andy Hiller: Debate Victory Goes To Warren

Ken O’Brien

Andy Hiller

Last night was the second Massachusetts Senatorial Debate between incumbent Senator Scott Brown and Challenger Elizabeth Warren.

The debate was held at UMASS Lowell (who co-sponsored the debate along with the Boston Herald) in front of an audience estimated at between 4,500 to 5,700. It was carried live on WHDH TV, Channel 7 in Boston.

Following the debate WHDH’s resident analyst Andy Hiller rendered his verdict on the debate. The video of his review follows:

Warren Leads Brown By 5 Points In Latest Poll

Ken O’Brien

The latest Boston Globe poll shows Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren leading incumbent Senator Scott Brown by 43% to 38%. However, the poll shows that 18% of those polled remain undecided.

This is a turnaround for Warren from the last Globe poll conducted in May when Senator Brown held a two point lead. The result, though, still falls within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%.

During the month of September there have been a total of eight public polls on the race, six of which showed Warren in the lead. 

Hey Scott Brown, Just Look At Him

Ken O'Brien

During his opening response in the first Massachusetts Senatorial debate, Senator Scott Brown said, “As you know, I think what you’re referring to is the fact that professor Warren claimed she was a Native American, a person of color — And as you can see, she’s not.”

Poll Shows Warren With 6 Point Lead

Ken O’Brien

UPDATE: 9/18 For the third time this week a new poll, this time from Suffolk University, shows Elizabeth Warren has taken a lead in the Massachusetts Senate Race.

UPDATE: 9/17 Another new poll by Public Policy Polling shows Warren with a two point lead, an improvement of seven points since their last poll just before the Republican convention.

A survey of Massachusetts voters conducted Sept. 6-13 by the Western New England University Polling Institute through a partnership with Springfield newspaper The Republican and MassLive.com, shows Warren leading over Brown, 50 to 44 percent, among likely voters.

The gap among registered voters is even larger, according to the survey, which concluded Warren leads 53 to 41 percent. 

Sunday Photo-‘Toons 1.19

Ken O’Brien

Without a town council or school committee meeting it’s been a pretty quiet week in dear old Southbridge. As the saying goes, these are the times that try a critic’s soul.

A couple of subcommittee developments have provided some saving fodder for the foolish.

In addition we always have the endless well of silliness provided by races for national office. 

Brown Leads Warren By 5 Points In Latest Poll

Ken O’Brien

Democratic Senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren is losing ground in her race against Republican incumbent Scott Brown.

This is the verdict of the latest poll from Public Policy Polling released yesterday. PPP is generally regarded as leaning Democratic in its results.

The release from PPP about the results of their poll follows: 

Elizabeth Warren Would Reduce The Debt By More Than Scott Brown

Ken O’Brien

Despite Republican efforts to portray her as a tax-and-spend class-war mongering liberal, Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren has actually turned out to be a bigger fiscal hawk than her Republican opponent Scott Brown.

An analysis published on July 11th by the The Boston Globe found that Warren's deficit plan would cut 67% more of the debt than the plan offered by Brown.