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Exactly Why We Need Her There

posted by Angie Littwin
Since Elizabeth Warren's meteoric rise to fame began a couple years ago, a surprising number of people have asked me if she would run for the Senate. I've always said something along the lines of, "No, she couldn't stomach the amount of lying that goes on in Washington." Almost to a person, people have replied something along the lines of, "That's exactly why we need her there." Running for Senate may be a little much to ask of a person, but that is exactly why she should run the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. That is also the final and most important point made by Professor Jonathan Lipson in his excellent opinion piece in the National Law Journal. Comparing and contrasting her to LeBron James and Justice Brandeis, he states that, "She can't be bought."

Not that any of the other candidates are for sale. I don't know Eugene Kimmelman at all, but I have a very high respect for Michael Barr and his work. The difference is that Professor Warren never even wanted to be in Washington. I'm sure she wants to run the Bureau because of its ability to make a tremendous difference in the lives of ordinary people. But I also suspect that doing so would be a personal sacrifice for her. Sadly, that's exactly why she is the best person for the job.

By the way, I challenge anyone who questions her management skills to spend an hour in her legendary, first-year Contracts class. It will make you think twice before you use the words "management" and "skill" in the same sentence again.

July 29, 2010 at 2:41 PM

Comments

I would prefer to see her on the Supreme Court, which badly needs a corrective to its current bias against the ordinary citizen (worth less than $100M).

Posted by: PF | July 29, 2010 at 02:52 PM

Seconded, but this could be a springboard.

Posted by: Geoff | July 30, 2010 at 12:37 PM

The videos of her grilling Timothy Geithner took me right back to 1L contracts.

Posted by: Adam Levitin | July 30, 2010 at 08:01 PM

Todd Zywicki, champion of the BAPCPA - certainly one of the top 10 worst drafted laws in American history (but a law which he could not find anything wrong with) - criticizes the choice of Elizabeth Warren:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704523604575512060220672440.html

"By appointing another White House czar to avoid Senate confirmation, the administration politicized the powerful new bureaucracy from its birth. And by appointing an individual with a track record of using questionable research to advance policy ends, it has jeopardized the second goal as well."

Posted by: AMC | September 30, 2010 at 08:12 AM

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