Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Amherst: "I get no respect"

Elizabeth Warren

The professor ignores Amherst, education capital of the world

So we had an important politician peruse the Happy Valley yesterday--Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren--and she never bothered to come calling on the People's Republic of Amherst, located only 7 miles away, snugly behind the tofu curtain.

Now yes, I suppose that would be like preaching to the choir--but let's face it, as much as they try to distance themselves from our little town, the city of Northampton is cut from the same, all natural, vegan fiber.

And what's up with Ms. Warren's glitzy wine-and-cheese $1,000 per (platinum) plate affair in Hamp? Oh she who fights against the economic inequality from fat cat Wall Street investors and claims to have spearheaded the Occupy movement (right after Al Gore invented the Internet) .

Not to many of us 99%ers can come up with $1,000 for a little bit of facetime. Although...skype is free.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought I read in the Gazette that Congressman McGovern was in Amherst and walked about town either the same day he was in Northampton or a different day.

Larry Kelley said...

Yikes. It was so low profile I missed that. Thanks for the heads up.

Anonymous said...

She accepts donations of all sizez. You are free to donate less.

Larry Kelley said...

I'm sure she does. But would I get facetime for an interview? Too bad the Gazette couldn't come up with $1,000 so their reporter could attend the "pre-reception".

Anonymous said...

I don't see what your problem is. It was a fundraising event not a press conference. Nowhere did she say that you have to pay her for an interview. Have you tried to schedule one, or are you just pontificating based on nothing?

Anonymous said...

"I am going around, talking to folks at a lot of these little businesses around here," Warren told reporters outside City Hall...


Looks to me like you are the one that dropped the ball. Oh, that's right, you're not a real reporter.

Larry Kelley said...

Oh, that's right, you're an Anon.

And speaking of which: Anon,11:00 AM. A fundraiser is a press conference (especially in the hinterlands of Western Mass where we are not used to such glitzy superstars).

She's raising money so she can buy media advertising. A press conference is FREE advertising (although you run the risk of inserting foot in mouth.)

Anonymous said...

I'm sure if the Gazette asked her to do an interview she would do it. Not so sure if she would grant you one, Larry. You're not a real reporter, just a guy with a not very widely read blog.

Larry Kelley said...

Said the Anon who reads my blog.

Anonymous said...

Yes I am reading it - but I don't think many people do read it. And certainly, not many would be voting in the Democrat primary. This blog seems to be mostly made up of angry tea partiers.

Larry Kelley said...

Then feel free to check out my sitemeter over on the, ummm, right.

I'm averaging over 850 views per day and AOL Patch editors consider an article that gets 500 to be something to celebrate.

Anonymous said...

Notice how the attacks start on you Larry... how dare you pick on Lizzy........you..you..righty

PS I wondered what you were taking the shot of the town hall for...
How perfect

Joel said...

I was surprised to see Larry endorse complete federal funding of political campaigns. :)

Of course, if we could only wean Scott Brown from the millions he's received from Wall Street bankers, then the $1000 a head fundraisers by Warren might actually seem inappropriate. I'll take Elizabeth Warren hanging with Yuppies in Noho over Scott Brown glad handing the Wall Streeters any day of the week.

Anonymous said...

I think most people read to see what absurd thing you will write about next.

Anonymous said...

Geez. Nothing better to do than attack Larry? We all have our failings. I, for one, appreciate his snoopiness. While I don't always agree with him, I don't call him names or try to demean him. After all, if we all thought alike it would be pretty boring, wouldn't it?

Anonymous said...

Whats good for the goose is good for the gander. When Larry stops calling other people names I'll think its appropriate for blog readers to stop calling him names.

Larry Kelley said...

So is it okay to call you an Anon? (By now most readers know that means Cowardly Anon Nitwit, or as Bob the Builder and President Obama would say, "Yes you CAN!")

Anonymous said...

I'm no tea partier, but some of the things Elizabeth Warren have said trouble me. She has said "Nobody got rich in this country on their own."

"You built a factory out there? Good for you," she says. "But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did."

Liberals insist on downplaying the blood, sweat, and drive of the individual who make it in this country. According to her, the real issue is how much support the individual entrepreneur got from the government who paved the roads, educated the workers and kept the marauding bandits away: The "work the rest of us did". Your personal determination, sweat,vision, will, investment, dream...we can't celebrate that because then you might have the moral upper hand in the argument about being able to keep the fruits of your labor.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, I saw that quote before and it made me nervous. As does how fawningly well she did in Hamp (NoHo to you hip newbies) recently.

Anonymous said...

Pretty lame arguments considering the fact that she's about the only advocate for the consumer out there. Guess what? She wants you to KEEP your money.

Anonymous said...

Gotta find something to complain about in everybody. Ms. Warren is advocating for a stronger middle class, something that's been done by far too few politicians.

Anonymous said...

She can advocate for anything she wants. That's not what bothers me. It's her statements that "nobody got rich on their own in this country" which bother me. I don't trust the worldview and values of anyone who downplays the importance of individual character, perseverance, determination, and hard work in their being successful.

Anonymous said...

Nobody got rich on their own in this country.

To say that is not to devalue the meaning of hard work.

But everybody who got somewhere got there with some kind of a helping hand, such as consumers who had money to spend. It's a historical fact.

When are conservatives going to learn the engine of progress and prosperity in this country has been, is, and forever will be an optimistic, healthy middle class? And if people cannot move into it or stay in it, we've got very big problems on our hands. All the high walls and gated communities will not protect the rich from what's coming down the pike.

Yes, brother, government does have a role to play in making sure that we don't have a social structure that looks like Venezuela.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you 11:35. And as for 9:06, I'm worries that you are confusing hard work, perserverance, determination, etc, etc, with the concept of how one makes one's wealth. Her statement that nobody got rich on their own in this country means that nobody is an island unto themselves. That if they became wealthy, it was as a result of a combined effort of hard work, determination, perserverance etc etc ALONG WITH the added legal and social constructs that support one's ability to attaining wealth. Not to mention a little bit of luck. Try not to focus on just a single tree and look at the entire forest.

Anonymous said...

Professor Warren makes over $300K a year as a HLS professor. I think she got that job from her hard work and preserverence--and help from others. Lots of Americans have this story to tell -- as do the Koch Brothers. It's not one thing or the other. That's what she is saying.

Anonymous said...

"To say that is not to devalue the meaning of hard work."

"That if they became wealthy, it was as a result of a combined effort of hard work, determination, perserverance"

Well why doesn't she talk about that more? Why don't liberals celebrate that individual hard work and determination and vision result in success? Why do we have to drag it out of you?

You want to open your own factory, you want to start a new business, you want to start your own non profit charity...please tell me how that's done without individual hard work and personal vision and personal investment?

Warren said: "You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did."

Didn't they pay taxes too? Don't we all benefit from paved roads and protection from bandits! Does the "work the rest of us did" compare to the role that their individual hard work, vision, and investment had in their success? They had to take the risk and found the enterprise. Was my aunt's ice cream stand successful primarily because my tax dollars helped keep marauding bandits away? How much extra does she "owe" me or the federal government?

Anonymous said...

She does tell that part of her story. Go onto her web page and look around. Read the press stories about her getting beat up by congressman because she stood up for consumers saying that people should have loan, credit card, and mortgage agreements that are written in plain english and clearly disclose the terms. She's a hardworking lady, like your aunt. Her brothers served in the military, stopping maurading bands. Read up and learn more about Warren. You'll like her.

UMassive said...

Professor Warren eh? Good picture by the way. I wonder if she is pandering to the university students who think learning is directly parallel to pulling the "D" lever on the ballot box. Gotta keep an open mind to let those "facts" from lecture soak in and vote for the right politician, else you don't get that shiny A to hang on the fridge.