US Congressman Says Bankers Should Find Way to 'Neuter' Sen. Elizabeth Warren

[eridani]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/03/16/us-congressman-says-bankers-should-find-way-neuter-sen-elizabeth-warren

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Republican from Missouri and senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, on Wednesday described Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as the "Darth Vader of the financial services world" and said bankers should find a way to "neuter" her.

Luetkemeyer, who made the remarks at a meeting of the American Bankers Association, is part of a group of lawmakers identified by the Center for Public Integrity as "especially solicitous to the banking industry," Slate noted in 2014. He has raised significant campaign funds from the the finance, insurance, and real estate sector, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Warren, as Common Dreams has reported extensively, is considered a top advocate for stricter regulation of Wall Street and big banks.

The congressman's comments, first reported on Twitter by journalist Joseph Lawler, drew swift rebuke.

"Rep. Luetkemeyer's remarks on Senator Elizabeth Warren at the American Bar Association meeting earlier today were offensive, sexist and out-of-line," said Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of national women's group UltraViolet.

"Comments like these, which sound eerily similar to something that Donald Trump would say, have no place in American politics and speak to the impact that Donald Trump is having on the discourse coming out of the Republican party," she continued. "Luetkemeyer should immediately apologize to Senator Warren for his offensive language. There is plenty of room for disagreement in Washington, but resorting to sexist name-calling should have no place in our political discours

[Iris]

1. Interesting how Trump gets commended for racist, xenophobic comments but speak truth to power

and you should be violently silenced?

[hobbit709]

2. If there was justice in the universe, stupidity would be immediately and excruciatingly painful to

the stupid.

[djean111]

3. Oh, and the Third Way quite agrees with them - enough to write about it in an opinion piece

in the WSJ. Funny how the Third Way and the GOP have the same goals, innit?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2013/12/05/what-you-missed-in-the-elizabeth-warren-vs-third-way-battle/

In a strongly worded column in the Wall Street Journal this week, two members of the think tank Third Way attacked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), arguing that her muscular, bank-busting style of liberalism will alienate moderate voters from the Democratic Party in future elections. In 2008, Democrats won with "a vision of pragmatic progressive government, not fantasy-based blue-state populism," Third Way's Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler wrote, warning Democratic policymakers not to follow Warren "over the populist cliff."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304337404579213923151169790

Just read it. You can see that the Third Way is sharpening their knives to use against Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare.
The Third Way proudly advises the New Democrat Coalition, and Hillary is their standard bearer.
I can't vote for that.

http://www.salon.com/2013/12/03/the_wall_street_journals_pathetic_attack_on_elizabeth_warren/

The Wall Street Journal’s pathetic attack on Elizabeth Warren
A new Op-Ed from the WSJ tries -- and fails -- to take down the Senate's liberal icon

In a new Op-Ed for the Wall Street Journal, Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler of the Third Way think tank warn that Democrats will only win if they ignore the recent success of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Sen. Elizabeth Warren and reject “economic populism.” Their argument is not convincing but, surprising no one, establishment centrists like Mike Allen of Politico and Ron Fournier of National Journal loved the piece. Allen even went so far as to categorize it as a game changer (which evidently sent a thrill up the leg of whoever runs Third Way’s Twitter account). But for those of us who don’t already wish to see Social Security and Medicare benefits cut, Third Way’s piece was little more than a reminder of the selfishness (and increasing irrelevance) of the economically plutocratic wing of the Democratic Party.

.....

Yes, according the the Third Way - which runs the table with Hillary, Warren has gotten out of hand.

[SamKnause]

8. Thanks for posting.

[surrealAmerican]

4. Somebody in this exchange ...

... does look like Darth Vader, and it sure isn't Senator Warren. I guess you can't expect a "senior member of the House Financial Services Committee" to know what evil is.

[dragonfly301]

5. I find Luetkemeyer's remarks deplorable BUT

at least we KNOW what he said to the bankers association...#releasethetranscripts.

[RufusTFirefly]

9. Exactly!

That's the first thing that occurred to me. We should know what politicians say when they speak to an audience full of bankers. With Luetkemeyer, at least we know. With Hillary, we don't. I can tell you one thing: it wasn't "Cut it out!"

Release the transcripts!

[Jitter65]

6. Yes. How about putting her on the Dem ticket as VP? That ought to do it!

[Hotler]

7. Another example of why this country needs...

an old fashioned French style revolution. "A La Lanterne"

[pampango]

10. From Wall Street's perspective she must look like the "Darth Vader" of the financial services world"

From our perspective, if we must stick with Star Wars characters, she is the Luke Skywalker of the American middle class.

The congressman's comments, first reported on Twitter by journalist Joseph Lawler, drew swift rebuke.

"Rep. Luetkemeyer's remarks on Senator Elizabeth Warren at the American Bar Association meeting earlier today were offensive, sexist and out-of-line," said Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of national women's group UltraViolet.

"Comments like these, which sound eerily similar to something that Donald Trump would say, have no place in American politics and speak to the impact that Donald Trump is having on the discourse coming out of the Republican party," she continued. "Luetkemeyer should immediately apologize to Senator Warren for his offensive language. There is plenty of room for disagreement in Washington, but resorting to sexist name-calling should have no place in our political discourse."

This creepy congressman may have used the same 'sexist name-calling' without the impact of Trump on republican political discourse, but Donald's offensive speech has certainly made it more 'acceptable' in right wing circles.