Letter: Needham Family Shares Reasons They Support Elizabeth Warren

Our family supports Elizabeth Warren for the U.S. Senate. And here are some of the reasons why.

We admire how she took action on the unexpected findings of her research on the causes of bankruptcy in American families, founding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has already begun to protect Americans from powerful credit card companies engaging in predatory business practices.

Her support of women’s health issues has been clear, strong, and reliable, not equivocated with qualifiers and maybes. We can depend on her to be a champion of women’s access to health care and to autonomy over their own bodies.

We cannot imagine her agreeing to sign something like the Grover Norquist Pledge when all the possible options for dealing with long-term fiscal issues must be on the table. Such a pledge places the interests of the people of Massachusetts—and all the people of the United States—second to the agenda of Grover Norquist and the far right. Elizabeth Warren understands, as her opponent apparently does not, that holding 98 percent of the country hostage to the economic interests of the already well-served 2 percent will not lead to job growth. Economists point out that dollars in the hands of people with modest means are spent in the economy as opposed to being banked or invested overseas.

The composition of the U.S. Supreme Court is an issue of serious importance. Scott Brown recently stated that his favorite Supreme Court Justice is Antonin Scalia, one of the most partisan ideologues in recent history, and Scott Brown voted against the confirmation of a highly qualified Supreme Court candidate, Elena Kagan. One or more Supreme Court vacancies are sure to occur in the next six years. Elizabeth Warren should be the one weighing in on those critical decisions.

Finally, we have been very disappointed in the disrespectful tone the opponent has taken in his campaign and in the uncivil and inappropriate public behavior of his staff. We are excited to have the opportunity to vote for Elizabeth Warren, a candidate of extraordinary intellect, principle, talent, drive, and poise.

Moe, Elizabeth, and Jane Handel
Rosemary Street
Needham

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