An October 1 Jake Tapper interview with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at the Atlantic ‘s Washington Ideas Forum was shown on CNN’s State of the Nation today, where a variety of issues were discussed, ranging from where she diverges with Vice President Joe Biden to the Republican bid to de-fund Planned Parenthood.
Senator Warren met with Vice President Biden at his home in Washington on August 29, as reported by the Washington Times . Many observers speculated that Biden wanted to speak with Warren about a possible 2016 presidential co-ticket. Elizabeth Warren has repeatedly denied that she has any desire to run for president, as reported by the Inquisitr , though some feel that she may still be open to the idea of running for vice president. While Joe Biden has not officially declared his presidential candidacy, he is reported to be leaving the door open for such a move. The Hill is reporting that some sources are stating that Vice President Biden is leaning toward running for office and that his bid could be announced in the next seven to 10 days.
CNN is hosting the first Democratic Party debate on October 13 and Biden is expected to sit on the sidelines for the event, even if he has decided to run by then.
When Jake Tapper asked if she had ever disagreed with Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren was unapologetic.
“Oh yes we have. You bet. It was over bankruptcy laws that the credit card companies wanted just tighten… so that they could just squeeze some more profits out of working families and [then-]Senator Biden was on one side of that fight and I was on the other. And you better believe I didn’t hold back.”
“Are you still on opposite sides of those issues?” Tapper asked.
“On that issue, yeah,” Senator Warren stated.
Tapper then described a bill before Congress that would replace the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was first proposed by Warren in 2007 and enacted in 2010 with the passing of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, with a five-person committee. Warren was instrumental in the creation of the agency. Tapper explained that some Democrats feel that the committee would be a protection for the CFPB if a Republican was elected as president.
Warren then responded that this is not only the view of some Democrats, but that it is also the view of the president of the American Banker’s Association, Frank Keating.
“He said he is so worried,” Senator Warren paraphrased with sarcasm, “about this consumer agency, that has forced the largest financial institutions in this country to return more than $10 billion to families they cheated… He is so worried about keeping that agency up and strong…”
“You don’t buy it,” Tapper interjected.
“Do I look dumb?” Warren said.
Elizabeth Warren also emphatically addressed the move by Republicans to de-fund Planned Parenthood in the wake of videos that surfaced in August purporting to depict members of the health service selling the body parts of fetuses, as previously reported by the Inqusitr .
Warren refused to be baited by Tapper into discussing the content of the videos and instead spoke about how Planned Parenthood clinics are predominantly located in areas where women and those living with low incomes may have no other health care options available and that “97 percent” of the work the clinics do revolves around issues not directly related to abortion, such as the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, cancer testing, and birth control. Warren is incensed that the Republican bid to de-fund Planned Parenthood is their number one objective, given all the work they do that is not directly related to abortion. Elizabeth Warren then equated the de-funding of Planned Parenthood with the de-funding of health care for women, welcomed a challenge from Republicans, and vowed to fight them.
[Joe Biden Photos by Leigh Vogel / Getty Images — Elizabeth Warren Photos by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images]
