Elizabeth Warren auditions for VP in Cincinnati: Ohio Politics Roundup

Elizabeth Warren DESTROYS Donald Trump During ACS Convention

Elizabeth Warren steps onto the campaign trail in the all-important Buckeye State. Donald Trump plans his first visit in months. And Vice President Joe Biden will do more than raise money for Ted Strickland when he comes to Cleveland. Read more in Ohio Politics Roundup.

Countdown to Cleveland: Only 20 days until the Republican National Convention begins. What do locals hope visitors learn about the Forest City? The Plain Dealer"s Susan Glaser posed the question to participants in the RNC"s "Faces of Cleveland" welcome campaign.

The Warren Way: Tis the season for vice presidential chatter. And nothing quite fans the flames like an appearance with the presumptive nominee in a critical battleground state.

Such was the case Monday when Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator and a hero on the left, campaigned for the first time with Democrat Hillary Clinton in Cincinnati.

Warren reportedly is on Clinton"s shortlist. As cleveland.com"s Jeremy Pelzer writes from the Queen City, she "fulfilled a key role a Democratic running matewill have to play this year: repeatedly going on the attack against Trump. "Donald Trump says he"ll make America great again. It"s right there, stamped on the front of his goofy hat. You want to see goofy? Look at him in that hat," Warren said, referring to Trump"s repeated tweets calling her "goofy.""

Some strikes against Warren: She "doesn"t bring any demographic or generational diversity to the ticket,comes from a solidly Democratic state in presidential elections," and hasn"t been close with Clinton over the years, the team at the Cincinnati Enquirer observes.

Then there"s the bigger-picture political risk in picking Warren. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, would pick Warren"s short-term successor. Democrats have a shot at reclaiming the Senate this fall and probably can"t afford to elevate any senator from a state where the GOP controls the replacement process. This logic also applies to Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a progressive who under different circumstances might be the ideal choice for Clinton.

Speaking of Warren successors and the veepstakes ... Pelzer notes that Clinton offered a shout-out Monday to Richard Cordray, the former Ohio attorney general whom President Barack Obama appointed to succeed Warren as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

There has been small but noticeable effort in recent days to promote Cordray as a vice presidential prospect. Hard to tell who, precisely, is behind it. But several Ohio Democrats are calling attention to a Minneapolis Star-Tribune op-ed, written by a law professor who is familiar with Cordray"s work in Washington. It all has the feel of a weak trial balloon.

Republicans ready to pounce: "The Republican National Committee is planning to cleave liberal voters away from Hillary Clinton as part of a campaign to counteract her forthcoming pick of a vice presidential running mate," the Huffington Post"s Sam Stein reports.

"In a detailed memo outlining its strategy to combat Clinton"s VP choice, the committee says it will frame the selection as both a cynical play to certain constituencies and as an emotional letdown for voters who backed" Sanders, the Vermont senator, in the primaries.

"Titled "Project Pander," the RNC"s strategy memo also reveals which candidates the committee views as most likely to be selected. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), HUD Secretary Julian Castro and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) occupy the top tier; Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) are in the second."

As for the sitting VP ... Vice President Joe Biden has added a stop to his Thursday schedule in Cleveland, cleveland.com"s Sabrina Eaton reports. Biden already had been set to attend a fundraiser for Ted Strickland, who is running to unseat Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Now Biden also will speak at the Cleveland Clinic"s Langston Hughes Center.

Long time, no see: Trump will return to Ohio tonight for the first time since the Buckeye State"s March primary. The wealthy New Yorker will hold a rally in St. Clairsville, part of the Eastern Ohio ring of white, working-class voters that could turn out big for him in the fall.

The region also is in the heart of Ohio"s coal country, a key battleground in the Senate race between Portman and Strickland. Trump"s new Ohio director, Bob Paduchik, managed Portman"s 2010 campaign and once worked for a "clean coal" organization.

Counting her Monday visit, Clinton has been in the state three times in two weeks. Trump will be back again next week for a Cincinnati fundraiser, the Enquirer"s Chrissie Thompson reports.

Long time, no see, Part II: Former President George W. Bush will headline a private fundraiser for Portman in August at Cincinnati"s Great American Ballpark, the Enquirer"s Jason Williams reports. Portman served in several high-profile roles during Bush"s administration.

More camp from the Strickland camp: Strickland"s team is out with a new web video today, part of a digital series that pokes fun at Portman"s relatively low name-recognition. About a third of respondents in a recent poll said they didn"t know enough to have an opinion of him.

"The Least Known Man in Ohio" parodies Dos Equis" "Most Interesting Man in the World" ads. "I don"t always abandon the Constitution," an actor costumed as Portman says in the latest edition. "But when I do, it"s to let Donald Trump reshape the Supreme Court for generations."

You can see the ad here.

Meanwhile ... "A conservative super PAC says it is dropping another $2.7 million on a new negative ad campaign" aimed at Strickland, cleveland.com"s Pelzer reports.

"The ad, from the Koch Brothers-funded Freedom Partners Action Fund, hits Strickland on his economic record as governor of Ohio. It includes claims ... that [Strickland] left the governor"s office with 89 cents in the state"s rainy-day fund and a $6 billion budget shortfall."

John Kasich goes to bat for NRCC: "I"m reaching out to you today regarding a very serious issue," the Ohio governor and former Republican presidential candidate, writes in a fundraising pitch emailed Monday by the National Republican Congressional Committee."Nancy Pelosi has her sights set on becoming Speaker again," Kasich adds. "It seemed nearly impossible just a few months ago, but now our Republican majority in Congress is in danger."

The email is the latest example of the how Kasich is trying to carve out a role for himself in a Trump-led GOP. The governor hopes to be helpful when it comes to broader party-building interests but isn"t likely to have much, if any, supportive role in the Trump campaign.

More signals that Kasich won"t speak at the convention: As we"ve noted before, a prominent role for Kasich at the convention is likely contingent on him endorsing Trump.

"We have not asked for a speaking slot and have zero expectations of receiving one," John Weaver, who served as chief strategist on Kasich"s presidential campaign, tells the Guardian"s Ben Jacobs. "Governor Kasich will have a full schedule of events around the convention aimed at helping Republicans keep control of Congress and winning down ballot. Of course, this will be on top of his responsibilities as governor in regard to security issues in Cleveland."

Dump Trump descends on Cleveland: "Anti-Donald Trump forces will be sending an "advance team" to Cleveland this week to begin preparing their effort to strip the Republican presidential nomination from Donald Trump," Politico"s Kyle Cheney reports.

"In a Sunday night conference call with allies around the country, the leaders of the effort described a slow-building organization that would begin setting up a command center outside the arena where the Republican National Convention will be held next month."

A convention supergroup: CQ Roll Call is joining with cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer for joint coverage during the GOP convention. "We"ll have an army of reporters on the ground that week, and Roll Call"s expertise and access to newsmakers will be a huge boost to the coverage we plan," Chris Quinn, our vice president of content, said in Monday"s announcement.

Texas abortion case has Ohio implications: "The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a law in Texas that would have shuttered many of the state"s abortion clinics by restricting their operations," cleveland.com"s Eaton writes. "The decision is likely to thwart restrictions imposed by Ohio and other states that clinic operators insist are meant to stop abortions. ...

"Ohio Right to Life PresidentMike Gonidakis said his organization is reviewing the Supreme Court"s decision. ... He believes the state"s law might be safe because it imposes the same standards on all ambulatory care facilities, whether they perform abortions or laser eye surgery."

Monday"s decision, Eaton writes, "has emboldened activists who will use it to challenge restrictions that threaten to close several abortion clinics in Ohio."

Get Battleground Briefing, our FREE politics newsletter, delivered to your inbox: Sign up here. Tips or links? Send here. Follow along on Twitter: @HenryJGomez.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2016/06/elizabeth_warren_auditions_for.html

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Trump says Clinton policies would deal "a crushing blow" to the poor live

Full Speech: Elizabeth Warren DESTROYS Donald Trump During ACS Convention (6-9-16)

Hillary Clinton takes a direct rhetorical shot against Donald Trump, who she says wants to appoint justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade; he, of course, wants to defund Planned Parenthood, and he wants to go after so many rights we have, including the right to access to safe, legal abortion.

Hillary Clinton speaks during a Planned Parenthood Action Fund membership event. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

He actually said women should be punished for having abortions, Clinton says, her voice hushed. Now, once he said that, there was an outcry - as there should have been, and he tried to walk it back - hes been doing that a lot lately - but anyone who would so casually agree to the idea of punishing women, like it was nothing... thats someone who does not hold women in high regard.

This is a man who has called women pigs and dogs and disgusting animals, Clinton continues. When he says that pregnant women are an inconvenience to their employer, what does that say?

Everything Ive seen tells me that life is freer, fairer, healthier, safer, and far more humane when woman are empowered to make their own reproductive health decisions, Clinton says.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. Donald Trump has shown us who he is - and we believe him, Clinton says. He does not see all Americans as Americans. So this election isnt about the same old fights between Democrats and Republicans - theyll be there, dont worry - but this election is profoundly different. Its about who we are as a nation.

So heres my promise to you today: I will be your partner in this election, and over the long haul, Clinton concludes. We are stronger together, and were going to make history together in November!

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/jun/10/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-election-elizabeth-warren-live

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Elizabeth Warren Demands Harvard Let Grad Students Unionize

Trump: "Pocahontas" Elizabeth Warren is a total failure

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Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren demanded in a letter Tuesday that Harvard University let graduate students unionize despite opposition from the college.

Graduate students at a number of Ivy League universities have fought to unionize. The universities, however, warn such unionization would undermine the relationship students have with their professors by making them more akin to workers. Warren, alongside a few other progressive lawmakers, demanded in a letter to Harvard President Drew Faustthat that the university end its opposition.

The work of Harvard graduate student research and teaching assistants help to make Harvard a world leader academically, the letter stated. They are part of what makes Harvard an important economic engine in Cambridge and Greater Boston. Respecting the wishes of these students to form a collective bargaining organization will help these students continue this important work.

Warren previously was a professor at Harvard Law School and has been a big advocate for union rights. The United Auto Workers has been at the forefront of the unionizing drive. This union has pushed federal officials to reverse a 2004 case involving Brown University, which prevented graduate students from forming unions with collective bargaining rights.

We believe that the relationship between graduate students and a university is fundamentally about education, not employment, Harvard spokesman Anna Cowenhoven told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Our graduate students are engaged, valued, and supported as a critical part of the learning, teaching, and research that happens at Harvard.

Cowenhoven said the university is encouraging an open debate on the matter. Graduate students could technically join a union, but since theyre not employees, they are not afforded the right to collectively bargain. A collective bargaining agreement is a special labor contract that grants unions monopoly rights over a workplace by winning a majority vote.

Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cornell and a handful of other elite schoolscame together in March, issuing a legal brief in opposition to the union challenge. Graduate students often perform a multitude of paid activities that could be considered work, like student teaching. They often get paid for these activities, though theyre not technically considering workers.

Student athletes forming unions has also been a point of debate, but both universities and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been hesitant to support the effort.

Warren did not respond to a request for comment by The Daily Caller News Foundation.

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Source: http://dailycaller.com/2016/05/25/elizabeth-warren-demands-harvard-let-grad-students-unionize/

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Elizabeth Warren labels Trump "money-grubber" who rooted for financial crash

Live! Hillary"s Emails,Violence at Trump Rallies,Debbie Schultz & Elizabeth Warren,News & Politics!

Elizabeth Warren unloaded on Donald Trump in a speech on Tuesday night, calling him a money-grubber, a tool of the Wall Street banks and a tax delinquent who rooted for families to get thrown out of their homes in the housing market crash.

The Massachusetts senator seized on remarks made by Trump in 2006 and recently unearthed by Hillary Clintons campaign, in which Trump said of a housing market crash that [I] sort of hope that happens because then, people like me would go in and buy If there is a bubble burst, as they call it, you know you can make a lot of money.

Her voice resonating with offense, Warren, a former Harvard professor of law and high school debate champ, said that Trump was drooling over the idea of a housing meltdown. She continued:

What kind of a man does that? What kind of a man roots for people to get thrown out of their house? What kind of a man roots for people to get thrown out of their jobs?

What kind of a man does that? Ill tell you exactly what kind of a man does that. It is a man who cares about no one but himself. A small, insecure money-grubber who doesnt care who gets hurt so long as he makes a profit off it.

What kind of man does that? A man who will never be president of the United States.

Warrens calls for prosecuting bankers, cuffing predatory lenders and protecting consumers have made her a hero for progressives and a scourge of Wall Street, and she spent much of last year deflecting supporters attempts to draft her as a 2016 presidential candidate.

Upon finally taking no for an answer, Warren backers have watched her carefully to see whether she might endorse Clinton or her opponent Bernie Sanders (she hasnt), or whether she might emerge as a potential vice-presidential running mate (its debatable).

But Warren has taken on a major role in the 2016 campaign, one that was as difficult to foresee as the rise of Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee. Whatever else the election cycle may hold in store for Warren, she has now moved, two months before the partys national convention, into the crucial role of Trump critic-in-chief.

The Democratic party is not short on Trump critics. The Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, at the weekend called Trump the worst and said he had never seen a more flawed candidate. Barack Obama has compared Trump to a host on the home-shopping network.

But it is Warren, with her unusual clarity on economic policy and business, her articulate defense of the social contract, her personal toughness and her womanhood, in the face of Trumps perceived antagonism toward women whose voice has risen above the rest.

Warren has not confined her criticism of Trump to his economic views. In some of her most powerful attacks against him, she has decried what she says are his attempts to silence critics, particularly female critics, with personal attacks against them.

Whatever @realDonaldTrump says, we wont shut up. We wont back down. This election is too important, & he wont step foot in White House, Warren tweeted earlier this month, continuing:

In reply, Trump has decorated Warren with one of the one-word epithets he has used to attempt to marginalize other opponents, such as Lyin Ted Cruz, Little Marco Rubio and Crooked Hillary Clinton. In Warrens case, the epithet is goofy.

Warrens style of attack on Trump is notable as well for its use of Trump-style blunt speech loser, pathetic, dangerous, reckless, embarrassing in a way that does not descend into vulgarity, as Rubio did in an attack late in his campaign that suggested Trump had wet himself at a debate.

Warrens first significant attack against Trump, back in March, after he had clearly emerged as the Republican frontrunner, was typical. Donald Trump knows hes a loser, she began. His insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, flagrant narcissism.

There are good reasons to suspect that Warren may not be in the running for a vice-presidential nod from Clinton, the likely nominee.

Warren has said that Clinton coddled big banks after taking campaign donations from them, a criticism picked up by Sanders. The two women are said not to have great chemistry, though Clinton has sought Warren out to consult with her. Warren remains the only female Democrat in the Senate not to have endorsed Clinton (in March she said: Im still cheering Bernie on.) A Warren pick for Clinton would not square with the conventional wisdom that candidates ought to cater, in selecting their running mates, to general-election independents, instead of the party base.

But as one of the most effective voices to have emerged against Trump, one who can match his defiance and indignation without slipping into coarseness, Warren has elevated her name in this election cycle alongside the candidates themselves and her biggest role may be yet to come.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/25/elizabeth-warren-donald-trump-money-grubber

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