NYT front page story on Brown and Warren

[MBS]

The battle lines are drawn.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/19/us/politics/wall-street-rallies-around-scott-brown-for-senate-race.html?_r=1&ref=politics

]Mr. Brown, a freshman who harnessed populist Tea Party anger to win the seat once held by Edward M. Kennedy, has taken more money from the financial industry than almost any other senator: all told, more than $1 million during the last two years, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Of the 20 companies that accounted for the most campaign donations to Mr. Brown, about half were prominent investment or securities firms like Morgan Stanley, Fidelity Investments and Bain Capital. His donors include such blue-chip names as Gary Cohn, the president of Goldman Sachs, and the hedge fund kings John Paulson and Kenneth Griffin.. .
This week, a new union-backed independent expenditure group, Rethink PAC, unveiled ads casting Mr. Brown, the onetime Tea Party populist, as a hypocrite for his ties to Wall Street.. .
In a sign of how volatile the Wall Street debate has become, Ms. Warren has since sought to distance herself from the Occupy Wall Street movement, describing it as “organic” and calling for demonstrators to obey the law.

In a statement, Mindy Myers, Ms. Warren’s campaign manager, said that “with every means they can, Wall Street and the big banks have already made it clear they are going to try to stop Elizabeth from getting elected.”
Even before Ms. Warren established herself as his likely opponent, Mr. Brown, who does not sit on any of the committees that deal with financial regulation, was among Wall Street’s strongest fund-raisers in Washington.
But several executives said that Ms. Warren’s entry into the campaign in mid-September had sparked renewed interest in Mr. Brown’s re-election.
“We are working very hard for Scott,” said Anthony Scaramucci, the managing partner of Skybridge Capital and a major Wall Street fund-raiser.

[geckosfeet]

1. Warren vs Brown. Classic showdown. Let's see what MA voters are really made of.

Mr. Brown's relationship with the financial industry owes in part to circumstance. He is one of few Republican senators in a region that is home to the nation's most important financial centers, providing an open door and friendly ear to a executives who often lean Republican in their political giving but whose representatives in Washington are predominantly Democrats.

"It's not even about Scott Brown," said one Wall Street executive, who asked for anonymity to discuss private discussions with his colleagues about the race. "It's about: Do you want Elizabeth Warren in the Senate?"

//// snip ////

Ms. Warren's relentless manner and withering attacks on predatory lenders have won her enemies from Wall Street to Washington, where as a member of an oversight panel she helped usher in the largest expansion in decades of federal oversight of the financial industry. Now Mr. Brown's support for the industry — and Ms. Warren's battles with it — are becoming a defining issue in one of the most hotly contested Senate races and a magnet for special interest money.

"It's shaping up as a sort of proxy war in the long-running debate over regulation in American life," said Travis Plunkett, legislative director of the Consumer Federation of America, which has lobbied hard for more regulation of banks. "It's the mere fact of her existence in the race, simply because she's sketched out a strong position and is effective

Vilifying Rival, Wall St. Rallies for Senate Ally

This really seems to be kind of a classic showdown. Brown, IMO, is a real jerk. Bought and paid for and trying to pander to his constituents and Wall Street at the same. But we know who will win out in the end there. It's a shame the democrat (Coakely) turned people off with her perfunctory campaign style. Seems people like/need to be pandered to.

Warren on the other hand has a gregarious and appealing presence. Never mind that she is bright, articulate, has a middle class pedigree that does not quit.

In a sane world I would have to call this election for Warren. But already we see Rove and Wall Street investing money and resources in this race for Brown. She has pissed off the right people.

one edit - added copy about Brown

[concord]

2. The last time I felt this way about a candidate, it was for Howard Dean

And we all know how that ended up.

>> “We are working very hard for Scott,” said Anthony Scaramucci, the managing partner of Skybridge Capital and a major Wall Street fund-raiser. <<

And work they will. I'm worried for her, but dare to hope. In the meantime, I'll work too.

[geckosfeet]

3. Dean was in the national spotlight - and got a little enthusiastic. IMO he quit too soon.

He should have stuck it out and owned his scream and turned the tables on the media.

I don't think Warren is a quitter. And I don't think she will back down from Wall Street or Brown.

[concord]

4. It was a little more than being too enthusiastic

Rove was gunning for him, in the days where few were aware of what bushco was capable of. It was much more than that "Dean Scream" M$M smear campaign that brought Dean down. It was relentless negative attacks.

Warren has her work cut out for her. The machine has gotten more organized and strong since the days of Dean's campaign. It's going to get ugly. I saw their opening shot in a negative ad recently. It was over the top and horrible, and we're not even close to the election.

Still, I hope you're right and she does weather the coming storm.