Elizabeth Warren Draws Praise From Senate Republicans for Bipartisanship

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Elizabeth Warren isn’t just a voice for the left in the Senate. Sen. Warren is also being praised by her Republican colleagues for her bipartisan legislative efforts.

Via Roll Call, here is a list of some of the Republican senators that Sen. Warren has been working with:

Warren has worked with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on an effort to help keep veterans from falling victim to scam artists, and she’s working with Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., on the issue of transparency when the federal government’s various enforcement agencies settle cases.
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Sen. Michael D. Crapo, R-Idaho, the ranking member on the Banking Committee, said he doesn’t believe there would be any political repercussions for Republicans working with Warren. “I don’t think so. I know people are always speculating about that, but no I don’t think so,” Crapo said. He noted he had worked with Warren on legislation that would overhaul Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

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Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., co-sponsored a bill with Warren last July that would reinstate portions of the Glass-Steagall Act.

“I think she’s adjusted well to the Senate and she speaks very strongly and candidly as one might expect,” McCain said. “So I think she represents her point of view in a very articulate fashion.”

This doesn’t mean that Republicans have moved to the left, or that Warren is not as liberal as she seems. However, Warren’s ability to work in a bipartisan fashion, and gain the respect of Republican colleagues shows that she is a well rounded legislator. She doesn’t appear to be using the Senate as a springboard to the White House like some of the senators that she is serving with, and Warren appears to have adapted very well to the culture of the Senate.

The bipartisan work that is happening contradicts the idea that the Senate is completely broken. The Senate itself may not be broken, but that Mitch McConnell is leading a campaign to block nearly every piece of legislation that comes up for a vote. There do seem to be a few Republicans in the Senate who want to get something done on every issue, but McConnell’s culture of gridlock has paralyzed the body.

The idea that Elizabeth Warren is some super liberal ideologue is an exaggeration, but the respect that she has gained from across the aisle illustrates that Sen. Warren is becoming a formidable presence in the U.S. Senate.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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