Elizabeth Warren, known for her humble Oklahoma roots and expertise in bankruptcy law, has been a vocal critic of predatory banking practices. She proposed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), but was blocked by Republicans from leading it. Despite this, she became a senator and gained popularity for her detailed policy plans and consumer protection stance. Warren's presidential campaign is notable for her wealth tax proposal to fund programs like Medicare for All, without taxing the middle class. Her plans have sparked debate and concern among Wall Street and wealthy donors, who fear the financial implications of her policies.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Elizabeth Warren was born in a small town in Oklahoma in 1949.
2. Her father, Donald Haring, was a janitor, and her mother, Pauline, was a stay-at-home mom.
3. Elizabeth Warren taught special-needs children in the 1970s before becoming a law professor.
4. She taught at Harvard Law School and became one of the country's top experts on bankruptcy.
5. Elizabeth Warren proposed creating a new federal agency to protect consumers in 2007.
6. She was President Obama's pick to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) but was not confirmed by Republican senators.
7. Elizabeth Warren ran for Senate in 2012 and became a senator from Massachusetts.
8. She proposed a wealth tax on fortunes over $50 million.
9. Elizabeth Warren's health care plan, Medicare for All, would cost $20.5 trillion over 10 years.
10. She would pay for it by taxing billionaires and big businesses, eliminating private employer-based insurance, and imposing a new tax on stock trades.
11. Elizabeth Warren made nearly $2 million from private legal work since 1986.
12. She has been a frontrunner in the Democratic primary polls, especially among college graduates, Hispanic voters, and young people.
13. Wall Street and some Democratic donors have expressed concern about a potential Warren presidency, with some threatening to vote for President Trump or sit out the 2020 election cycle if she is nominated.