Foreword:
I am putting on my "Mom of Teenaged Boys Hat" for a moment.
How much impact on your life will the situation with Rep. Weiner have?
That's what I thought.
Meanwhile, there are a lot of things going on that could have a very significant effect on your life and the lives of millions of other Americans.
Let's get to work and make a difference in whatever ways we can.
See you after the jump.
Why Sign A Petition?
There's a petition to sign. I know that many of you think that signing petitions is a waste of time, a way of collecting email addresses, a useless piece of activism. But I submit that when we have a good organization promoting a good cause, it is always worth signing the petitions and making the phone calls. It doesn't take much time. It might make a difference.
Elizabeth Warren
Today Elizabeth Warren will be back in front of Darrell Issa's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The last time she was there, Patrick McHenry called her a liar.
There were two very good articles about Warren in the past few days: An Op Ed by Joe Nocera in the New York Times and an article by Robert Borosage at Campaign for America's Future.
Joe Nocera:
Ostensibly, the House Republicans are outraged that Warren, in her capacity as a special adviser to the White House, offered “secret” counsel to the states’ attorneys general, who have been investigating the big foreclosure robo-signing scandal. Never mind that she has repeatedly acknowledged that she offered her advice, which they had asked for — and that there is nothing wrong with a federal official advising state officials.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Working with states' attorney general to help them navigate the juggernaut and work in the best interests of the people? How many people in Washington are going to do that? Not many, IMHO. We need Elizabeth Warren to keep doing things like this. Obviously. Plus, she, without even trying, exposes the Republicans' hypocrisy like light-colored lint under a black light.
Robert Borosage:
But Warren's opposition comes not only from Senate Republicans, eager to curry favor with the big banks. It comes, by all reports, from Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, ever solicitous of Wall Street's concerns. And this White House is ever more ready to switch than fight. So now the administration is floating the notion that it will name a Warren deputy to head the bureau. http://is.gd/...
This trial balloon won't get off the ground. Every consumer activist, every informed citizen, an army of commentators, bloggers, organizers and opinion leaders will be simply outraged if Elizabeth Warren is not nominated to head the bureau that she conceived, championed and constructed.
http://www.ourfuture.org/...
Borosage recommends signing the petition (the one I linked below). I think it is worth a call to the White House too.
Action
First Action:
I signed the petition. It took about a minute of my time. I filled in my name, email address and zip code and I added this little note to my Democratic Senators:
Elizabeth Warren deserves this job and Americans need her. Do whatever you have to do to get her appointed.
Here is Campaign for America's Future's petition:
Tell Republican Obstructionists: Stop Blocking Elizabeth Warren
If someone as frustrated and fed up as I am can do it, you can do it too.
Here is the link again:
Tell Republican Obstructionists: Stop Blocking Elizabeth Warren
Second Action:
I just called the White House (the "Comments" number below) and told them that it is vitally important that Elizabeth Warren is appointed as head of the CFPB. It took less than a minute.
Call or write the White House and tell them to do the right thing and appoint Elizabeth Warren.
White House contact page
White House phone numbers:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461