Warren Fellowship Applicants: Campaign Program Was a 'Great Scam'

[Jose Garcia]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has built much of her political career as a champion of workers and consumers against the deceptive and exploitative practices of corporations and employers.

But as she navigates the latest chapter of that career arc—a run for the Democratic nomination for the presidency—the Massachusetts Democrat faces criticism from several of her own supporters who said the lowest tier of her campaign structure doesn’t match the image she projects. 

Two early converts to Warren described the process for entry into her campaign’s volunteer fellowship program as deceptive and at times exploitative in interviews with The Daily Beast. They said they were pushed towards unpaid positions over paid ones, misled over the availability of financial assistance and asked to sign highly-restrictive nondisclosure agreements that worker advocacy groups concede are irregular.  Both applicants verified their accounts with emails and text messages from the Warren campaign.  

The complaints from those offered unpaid fellowships could raise new questions for Warren as she seeks to put her lengthy history advocating for consumer and worker rights at the center of her rising campaign. 

More: https://www.thedailybeast.com/sen-elizabeth-warren-fellowship-applicants-say-campaign-program-was-a-great-scam

[crazytown]

1. Two MAGA applicants perhaps?

I trust Elizabeth's propriety. If you "offered unpaid fellowships", you do not have to accept them. If you are not offered paid fellowships, must accept that. What a nasty snipe at a positive campaign.

[Blue_true]

19. The poster is still here apparently.

Look like people are being allowed some freedom, as long as they don't get out of hand.

The posted article is a valid look into Warren's campaign operation. I am a DU person who has Warren as one of my top three potential choices at this point, so I would be sensitive to anything that I see as an attack on her.

[JI7]

3. i don't understand what the scam was

[crazytown]

5. They didn't get offered paid fellowships,

and obviously though they were entitled to them.

[Farmer-Rick]

4. First we get a story about an anonymous person filing a labor complaint

On the Bernie campaign and now this.

Both stories were published in supposed left of center publications.

Both stories denigrate ONLY Dems. Do you believe there are NO labor complaints or disgruntled campaign workers in all the RepubliCON campaigns?

Something strange is going on around here.

[crazytown]

6. Both stories arrived on the eve of the debates.

And the Warren piece appears to be airing grievances from months ago.

[Farmer-Rick]

7. Oh yeah, good points.

What a coincidence.

[crazytown]

8. Every campaign screens for GOP / press operatives,

that's why there are strict NDAs, but inevitably, some get through the net.

[ucrdem]

9. The Biden campaign doesn't require unpaid volunteers to sign NDAs.

That's mentioned in the story:

" Former Vice President Joe Biden, one of the only Democratic 2020 campaigns to offer a similar unpaid fellowship program, does not require volunteer fellows to sign NDAs, a campaign official confirmed. "

[crazytown]

10. If a volunteer has access to confidential information, they will be asked to sign an NDA.

That is commonsense. A door knocker, or someone on the phones - no. A person being admitted to a fellowship - a student position, I would think so - if the experience is to be useful . The Biden campaign may keep it's Jewels tightly restricted. That's fine, but top down.

[Farmer-Rick]

11. Yeah, but what about RepubliCONS

If the story is going to bash Dems, maybe they should compare them to the current, Russian backed, political party in power.

A thorough analysis of campaign organizational structure would be interesting. But instead the story merely compares Dems against each other.

[ucrdem]

12. Fair point.

I think the Sanders campaign troubles brought it to the front again but the unpaid-intern issue has been around for years and has gotten a lot of traction with AOC and others speaking out about recently. That said, I don't think this will move the needle at all, but I don't think it's fake news either.

[Fiendish Thingy]

13. How much does Joe pay his campaign volunteers?

I bet he goes with the Status Quo...

[crazytown]

14. Volunteers?

Volunteers are not paid, but definition. They may receive an allowance for expences.

[Fiendish Thingy]

18. That was kind of my point

All the volunteers for the other campaigns are unpaid; only Warren offers a small amount of paid fellowships (fixed stipends as opposed to salaries for regular paid staff) for a portion of her volunteers.

All the hubbub is about something EXTRA Warren is doing, not something less.

[SouthernProgressive]

15. What is the "Status Quo?"

Whatever you see Biden doing?

[wyldwolf]

16. your reply is similar to how people defend Trump: They invoke Clinton and Obama

[Jose Garcia]

17. Biden isn't pretending to be Professor Wokenstein