Qualifications: Scott v. Warren

In a story reporting the anomolous results indicating Scott Brown with a narrow, statistically insignificant lead over Elizabeth Warren that could have been due to wording and question order, the comments section degraded to simple partisanship. The trolls were out in force on the Huffington Post article covering the issue.

warrenagv

What we don't need is another book writing academic,like Warren

oheart

I know you don't want anyone Warren, intelligent and capable. Well, got news for ya; This state wants her as senator!

warrenagv

What has she done so far to make you think that way.Don't say write books please

Okay, I thought. Well... Yes and no:

Nathan Garcia

That you have obviously made up your mind about the race without having bothered to answer that question for yourself indicates your bias. There isn't likely any amount of qualification one might present to you on Ms. Warren's behalf that would budge your opinion. With the unlikely probability that may be mistaken, here goes. 

Elizabeth Warren is a bankruptcy law expert who has taught at several law schools and universities in the 80s and 90s. She chaired the Congressional Oversight Committee designed to manage TARP processes and became a special advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury during which she built the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. You, that's the agency created to keep pedatory capitalists from fleecing you dry with fine print conditions and gotcha terms of service. She has worked as an advisor to the National Bankruptcy Review Commission, was a member of the FDIC Advisory Commission on Economic Inclusion, and is a member of the National Bankruptcy Conference. and is a former vice-president of the American Law Institute. 

Scott Brown, on the other hand, is a career politician who has faithfully adhered to the Republican Party plank of failed policies, double standard positions of small government for corporations and micromanagment of real peoples' private lives. His is a world of emotion based, gut feeling regressive justifications of demonstrably destructive regressive politics requiring double talk redefinitions of events when reality proves his positions false and actions malignant.

It's both telling and tragic when people diminish and devalue the worth of experiece shared by knowlegeable authors about technical subjects. Having been there and done that, Warren writes from experience. People who read her scholarly works are able to make better, informed decisions armed with the knowledge of other peoples' mistakes. That's much better than depending on one's gut feelings about any life changing issue. Or, on a political party's dogma, especially if the party line has proven to be an utter failure by real world events. Relying on "Common Sense" is as reliable as depending on any other form of hearsay, traditional, appeal-to-popularity logical fallacy, feel good, old wives' tale fairy tale.

Warren has lived the life of managing personal and family finances from the trenches, has taught about how the law effects real people, and has worked in government to protect the well being of citizens under threat from abusive capitalism run amok. That you consider her academic qualifications as some kind of fault, and dismiss her without considering her advocacy work and experience undermines your objections and obviates any credibility you might pretend to have.

It sure is alot of work putting a silly, irresponsible remark into real world context. In the end, though, I think it's worth it.