Frank Requesting To Fill Kerry's Seat Temporarily

Barney Frank has admitted he would like to fill John Kerry’s seat in Massachusetts until a special election takes place in late spring or early summer. Frank retired after a 32-year term in the House of Representatives on Thursday and doesn’t wish to run for election. He said on the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” that he had changed his mind about staying out of politics because of the upcoming votes about taxes, spending and the debt ceiling.  He's watching the Republicans already talking about taking the country hostage once again to force their austerity measures on us.  Frank's reliably liberal vote in the Senate would drive John McCain and Lindsay Graham absolutely crazy. In the House he championed the overhaul of financial institutions resulting in landmark legislation, the Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection Act. He would join newly elected Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the fight for the regulation of banks. Warren is an advocate of pro-consumer banking regulations.  Gov. Deval Patrick will someone to fill the vacancy created by Kerry’s nomination to be Secretary of State. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, 32, grandson of Robert F. Kennedy was elected to fill Frank’s seat in the House. Another name mentioned for the temporary position is Vicki Kennedy, wife of the late Ted Kennedy. I like the idea of Frank. Not only would it drive Republicans up the wall, he knows his way around DC and will be a strong and vocal proponent of the Democratic agenda.

Elizabeth Warren Sworn in as Massachusetts First Female Senator

Today was a great day to be a liberal from Massachusetts!  Elizabeth Warren reclaimed the Liberal Lion's seat from placeholder Scott Brown on November 6 with an eight point cushion and we couldn't be happier.  At the Democratic National Convention, Ms. Warren accurately stated, "Wall Street C.E.O.’s — the same ones who wrecked our economy and destroyed millions of jobs — still strut around Congress, no shame, demanding favors and acting like we should thank them."  The new Senator from Massachusetts will get a seat on the Senate Banking Committee, much to the chagrin of Wall Street.  It must also be noted that that man she handily defeated was Wall Street's favorite son in his two year stint as Ted Kennedy's replacement.  Don't get me wrong, I think Brown is going to be the equivalent of having gum on your shoe, never going away.  There's not a doubt in my mind that he will run for future Secretary of State, Sen. John Kerry's Senate seat and again, it will be a two year gig.  Here's the difference, this time national Democrats are paying attention.  So far, only Rep. Ed Markey has thrown his name into the ring, but the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) says they are ready to strongly defend this seat...a lesson learned from the inept campaign AG Martha Coakley ran against Brown in 2009.  And Brown has already started with the negative shots at Markey, so I'll take that as a sign he's running again.  On election night, once Warren had been declared the winner, my first thought was, "I wonder if the Republicans who were so opposed to her being appointed to lead the agency she started, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, were regretting their short-sighted decision."  At the end of the day, we have elected a warrior for the middle class and I couldn't be prouder of our state sending an unabashed liberal to Washington to fight the good fight for the people.

Will Republicans Regret Blocking Warren's Appointment to the CFPB?

Since President Obama decided to look in another direction for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, speculation is that Elizabeth Warren has an eye on Scott Brown's (R-MA) senate seat. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has already launched a "Draft Warren for Senate" campaign and is raising money in case she decides to run.

It could get really, really awkward in the Senate dining room come 2013. RepublicOns in both chambers think it's OK to berate Elizabeth Warren, once the leading contender to run the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The bureau was Warren's idea and is part of a sweeping reform package passed in the wake of the Wall Street screw-ups that caused the recession. Warren has been running the operation without the title, and now she won't get that, since Republicans vowed to stop her nomination if President Obama appointed her to the job.

Wall Street doesn't like Warren, which under the circumstances, should hardly be a barrier. Then there are the Republicans who don't like the consumer protection board at all. Why would they want anything to protect consumers when the cash flows directly from Wall St. to their coffers. Holding up any nomination to force changes in a law already passed by officials elected to office by voters is nothing other than extortion and a brazen effort to rewrite history.

In the end, Obama decided to nominate former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to head the bureau. Maybe he will be confirmed or more likely, the GOP will hold up any nomination to thwart the enforcement of a law they don't like. Warren is being encouraged by Democrats to run for Brown's U.S. Senate seat. While Brown has a strong war chest thanks to the Koch Brothers, any Democrat in deep-blue Massachusetts would present a strong challenge to Brown, particularly in a presidential election year. If Warren runs and wins, Senate RepublicOns should hope she has a short memory or a very forgiving nature. Dealing with Warren as a colleague is much more delicate than dealing with her as head of a consumer protection board. Somehow I don't get the feeling she has a short memory!

Elizabeth Warren joins Rachel Maddow to discuss the nomination of Cordray and the ongoing RepublicOn obstruction leading to her not being able to lead the agency she assembled.

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Elizabeth Warren, 'The system is deeply badly broken'

Elizabeth Warren, Chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Committee expresses her shock and disbelief that the financial crisis hasn't forced the government to rewrite the rules for the financial industry. This woman really should have a more central role with this administration. Her eye is always on the ball as she looks out for Main Street unlike Tim Geitner and Larry Summers who only care about keeping Wall Street thriving. Truthfully, Obama has been all over the place politically with this hot potato, and if he doesn't realize making excuses for the ginormous bonuses on Wall Street makes him look like one of them, he's a fool. I'm getting confused as to what he actually stands for. I'm starting to feel as though elections really don't have consequences afterall. A couple weeks ago, after the State of the Union address and his question and answer session with Republicans, I thought the dynamic, no-nonsense Obama was back. Now I'm left wondering who he is again. As Warren says in this video, "I truly don't get it."

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One last thing, I would like to add that I like President Obama. I still root for him. As a NE Patriots fan, it would be nice if I felt like I was rooting for the Patriots to beat the despised Colts instead of just rooting for the less despised Jets to beat the Colts.