April 30--Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren delivered a staunch defense of government Friday, accusing Republicans of pushing administrative cuts that impair delivery of services and make people most in need lose faith in Washington.
Speaking to a group of seniors in Chicago's Lakeview East neighborhood along with Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a Democratic Senate candidate, Warren said a public demoralized about its government only points to the need for people to vote.
"We've lived through 30 years of 'government is always bad,' 'government is stupid,' 'government doesn't get anything right,'" Warren said at Grace Street Towers. "We have government because it helps us all build a world where we can all do better. We aren't going to do as well one at a time."
The Massachusetts senator accused Republicans of working "to make government not work for everyday people, and so you can see how it is that millions of Americans would say, 'I can't see it. I don't see a future for myself.' They don't see a future in government. They don't see that voting really matters because government has not been there for them in a way that they can see. This is the problem we've got."
Warren said Republicans "believe in (a) government" that helps corporations, the wealthy and interests "who can hire an army of lobbyists and an army of lawyers," in contrast to Democrats who "believe in a government that works for all of us."
During her three years in the Senate, Warren quickly has become an icon to the left, critical of income inequality, large banks and Wall Street. Her appearance was, in part, aimed at bestowing liberal affirmation to Duckworth, a two-term congresswoman from Hoffman Estates who is challenging first-term Republican Sen. Mark Kirk in the fall.
"There comes a moment when folks like us say, 'We have got to step up' because it is up to us whether or not America is a country that is only going to work for those at the top or America is going to be a place that is going to take care and is going to build a future, not just for some of our kids but for all of our kids," Warren said.
Both women spoke of their sponsorship of legislation that would provide a one-time cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits of $581 per retiree paid for by ending a tax benefit corporations receive for awarding bonus compensation to highly paid executives.
"Our bill will not see the light of day. It will not be allowed to come up for a vote in either the House or the Senate," Duckworth said. "The Republicans who control both houses are beholden to the big money folks. ... If it came up for a vote, it would pass."
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